Chapter 1
                           THE AWAKENING


     As sunlight moved through the trees to the back of the
apartment building, it fell first on the roof and then slowly moved
its way down the wall until it found the window on the corner of
the third floor.  Seeping through the open blinds, it traveled
across the floor, then up the bed, until it finally reached his
eyes.  Probing, flashing, searing into his eyes and then his mind,
he faced the realization that a new day had dawned, and it was time
to get up.

     Hiding from the sunlight, Joe Bates placed his arm over his
face, and turned his head away, seeking the darkness.  As he did,
he became alert to the fact that something was different.  His arm
seemed smaller, it did not support his head as easily as usual, and
his body did not press into the mattress as it had before.  His
buttocks felt huge, as though they were covered with padding.  He
rubbed his hand across his chest, and was surprised to feel bare,
soft, bulging roundness, where there should have been thick chest
hair.  When he turned his head into the pillow, it seemed that the
skin on his face was more sensitive to touch than usual.  He felt
his cheek, and was amazed to feel a smoothness and softness he knew
was not his normal, early morning, scratchy beard growth.

     Was this a dream?  Did someone shave his face while he was
asleep?  Surely, it was not his longtime girlfriend Linda, whom he
had been with last night.  They had been discussing marriage, and
argued late into the night about his thoughts about discrimination
and sexism.  Had she stayed over, or gone home?  He could not
remember.  The discussion had been pretty intense, but Linda really
loved him, and was always quick to make up.  He groggily tried to
jump start his brain.  There was no one there when he reached to the other side of the
bed.  He was alone.

     Rolling over on to his back, he trying to rub the sleep from
his eyes, when he saw his hand.  It looked tiny, with slender
fingers which had an enhanced sense of touch.  He pulled himself up. 
Sitting up straight, he looked into the mirror on the dresser.  He
looked in disbelief at what he saw looking back.  Instead of his
usual face and usual stubble, he saw another face.  It was his
face, to be sure, but different, with no morning stubble.  His eyes
and eyebrows were different too.  His hair looked the same length,
but it seemed softer, or finer.  Looking more closely he noticed his
face, too, was softer, more defined, smaller, maybe even feminine. 
He thought of his knee.  Two days before, he had sprained it
slightly while playing racquetball with his friend Jay.  He moved
his right leg, and yes, it still ached a little.  It was still he,
no matter what the mirror said.

     Startled, he shot straight up in bed, and as he did so, the
sheet fell from his chest, exposing something which really threw
him for a loop.  Breasts.  They looked like female breasts.  His
female breasts.  Staring at disbelief at the image in the mirror,
he raised his hand to his face to touch and feel, as if to prove
that the person in the glass was him.

     Again, he ran his hand across his cheeks, feeling the
softness, the lack of stubble, and then to his cheekbones, which
seemed higher and more pronounced.  As he looked, he realized that
he felt different all over.  The most noticeable difference was
that he felt much smaller, or maybe every thing else seemed bigger. 
To be sure, there were other differences too.  It felt like his
butt was huge, compared to his upper torso.  The center of gravity
of his body had, some how, shifted lower.

     In curiosity, his hand ran down his neck to his chest, to
those breasts, which he cupped and felt with his small hands.  His
fingers moved to the large nipples.  His fingers could feel, and he
could sense them hardening as he touched them.  With that pleasant
sensation, he also felt a reaction in his groin, a sensation he did
not recognize, a warmth and tightening that was not at all normal. 
"What next?" he thought.

     He quickly placed his hand beneath the sheets to check.  It
moved down a smooth, flat stomach to feel for his cock.  His pubic
hair seemed finer than usual, but he was not exactly prepared for
what he found next.  His penis was not there.  His scrotum and
testicles were gone too.  Instead, his probing fingers felt a warm,
soft slit, with moist fleshy folds, which reacted to his gentle
stroking by opening slightly.  He was not unfamiliar with what
he was touching, but found it difficult to accept that he now
possessed what seemed to be labia, a clitoris, and a vagina; a
pussy.

     Totally confused, he explored his body, feeling new sensa-
tions.  The unfamiliar softness and shape of his chest, a strange
tightening of his pelvic muscles, and the uncomfortable sensation
of wetness in his crotch.  He ran his sensitive fingers over the
unfamiliar contours, and then swept them over all the curves,
bumps, and creases that his hands and slim fingers could reach.

     As he did so he began to slip back to sleep, and into a
languorous state of semi-dreaming.  Soon, the clock radio jolted
him back into the present.  "Work," he thought.  "Time for work.  A
weird dream was all it was.  Just a dream, but at least it was an
interesting dream."

     Convinced that was what it was, he cast the sheets aside and
swung his legs over the edge the bed.  Stepping out, his legs,
which now barely touched the floor as he sat on the edge of bed,
tangled up in his pajama bottoms, which somehow had slid down from
his waist to his thighs.  Catching himself against the dresser, he
looked down and saw that his dream had not ended, and his body was
still different.  He new it was impossible, but to his quickly
clearing vision, it almost appeared that he had uh...  a... 
woman's body.

     He reached down to pull up his pajamas, whose legs now were
long enough to almost cover his feet, as he stumbled out of the
bedroom for some coffee to get his overloaded brain engaged. 
Looking down, he realized that although a guy could walk around in
his apartment without a shirt, a guy with a chest like he had now,
could not.  He grabbed a tee-shirt and pulled it over his head, and
covered his protruding breasts.

     As he walked across the living room toward the kitchen, his
brain registered the differences it was experiencing, and started
to make the necessary adjustments for the shorter stride and wider
hips.  Everything seemed so much larger.  The kitchen counter was
higher than his waist.  To get a cup
from the upper shelf, he had to stand on a chair.  His conscious mind continued to race ahead,
thinking less about what had happened to him and more about what he
was going to do about it.

     The first issue to be addressed, he thought, was work.  He
figured he could not go to work looking like this, but he could
call in.  Had his voice changed too?  He spoke aloud; it seemed the
same.  He could not tell for sure.  Pouring a cup of coffee, he
began to review the problems he faced.

     If he had indeed changed, then his job was a problem.  He
could not report to his job looking like this, like a woman.  There
were women at work, but none were engineers, and besides, his peers
knew him as a man anyway.  He could hardly walk in with this new
size and shape, and just say, "Hi, guys!  Look what I sprouted last
night!"  He did not think his present body shape would let him pass
as a man, but he figured his mind would not let him pass as a woman
either.  He would probably have to try that, though, since he was
quickly running out of options.

     He had just read in Playboy about some woman who had passed as
a man for years.  Maybe he could do that, but for now he realized
that he was going to have to deal with the immediate problem of
looking like a woman.

     Then he sensed another immediate concern.  He had to urinate. 
"Strange," he thought to himself, "it looks so different, but it
feels almost the same."

     He hopped quickly into the adjoining bathroom, and as he did,
he felt his breasts bounce uncomfortably.  He cupped them with his
hands, and stopped when he reached the toilet.  The seat was still
up from the last time he used it.  As he reached into his pajamas,
to stand, aim his penis at the bowl, and pee, he realized that he
could not do that, at least he could not figure out a practical
way.  Irritated, he lowered the seat, pulled down the pajama
bottoms and sat.

     As he relaxed, the urine started to flow, and he felt yet
another difference.  The pee did not come out in a tight stream
like normal, but seemed to come out as a heavier flow, and it
seemed to him it emerged from near his anal opening.  He finished
quickly, and started to get up, but realized that his crotch was
still rather wet.  He took some tissue and carefully wiped his
unfamiliar genitalia.  "This will take some getting used to," he
thought.  He flushed, pulled his pajama bottoms back up, and went
back to the bedroom.

     His pajama bottoms did not fit, and, judging by the looks of
the tee-shirt and how it clung to his breasts, he was going to have
get something he could wear in public.  That meant he had to go
shopping.  If he was going to go shopping, he would need money, and
since all of his credit cards were in his name, he was concerned as
to whether he would be able to use them.  With a name like Joe, it
might be possible to use that name in public, while pretending to
be a woman, but it said Joel on his card, and that did not look
like a woman's name.

     Identification was the next issue: his driver's license,
insurance, the basic IDs used during a normal course of a day. 
This predicament could not be permanent, and he was sure it could
not be, but if he had to act like a woman, then he was going to
have to think about his job.  Well, he may have somehow misplaced
his balls, but he still had his engineering skills.  At least he
thought he did.  His brain seemed the same as always.  If he could
work out a way to get back to his job, he figured, he could still
do it.  He would work out that problem after getting some ID. 
Besides, he still had some money in the bank which would last a
little while, at least till he could get this identity thing worked
out.  Writing checks might be a problem if his handwriting had
changed.  He tested it with a pencil and his notebook.  His small
hand caused it to be a little different, but he figured it would
get by, and besides, an automatic teller did not look at that
anyway.  What was he forgetting?

     Suddenly, he realized.  Linda!  Linda would be expecting him
to call tonight.  If he did not, she would probably call him, since
they usually went out to eat on Friday evenings.  What would she
think...  What would she do if...  No, WHEN she saw him looking
like this?

     He put his concern about his relationship with Linda aside,
knowing that it presented an insurmountable problem for now, and
then he remembered Jay.  Jay was a lawyer, very bright and
skillful.  Jay was his best friend.  Jay would know how to handle
ID and the bank.  He might even know of a doctor who could help him
with his physical problems, but could not think of anything like
this, happening to anybody else.  "At least nobody who admitted
it," he thought.  He reached over for the phone to talk to, and
arrange an appointment with, Jay.

     He called his office, and Jay's secretary answered.  As soon
as he heard her voice, he knew he had a problem if he did not sound
like himself, so he simply said hello and asked if Mr. Logan was
in.  Denise, Jay's secretary, said no, that he would be in court
this morning.  Joe asked if he could set up a meeting with him
today.  Denise asked if he was a client, and Joe got the bright
idea of pretending to be his own secretary.  He said he was calling
for Joe Bates, and that Mr. Bates would like to have lunch with Mr. 
Logan, to discuss some business.  Denise said Mr. Logan would be
free for lunch, and suggested the health club where they both
worked out regularly.  Joe said no, the Beacher Restaurant would be
better for Mr. Bates.  (No kidding!) He sighed with relief as he
hung up the phone.  He had made the appointment.

     "This can be worked out," he thought.  Jay could help him
solve the identity and the money issues.  Now for work.  He called
in, and identified himself as a nurse, and told the receptionist
that Joel Bates had been admitted for a gastrointestinal problem
and would be staying in the hospital for a few days for tests and
possible surgery.  He would not be in to work until next week at
the earliest.  "Who knows?" he thought.  "It might be true."
Remarkably, she did not ask which hospital so he did not have to
lie about that.

     Feeling better for the first time since he awoke, Joe leaned
back in the chair and reached for his coffee.  As he did so, he
realized that he was crossing his legs like a man, and placed his
feet flat on the floor.  Seeing him through the open window,
anybody would have thought he was just another woman, maybe
somebody's wife, sitting at a breakfast table drinking a cup of
coffee, free of the everyday need to go off to work.

     In reality, his engineer's mind was again going through
the schematic process of sorting and collecting data in order to
establish a plan.  He reached out and started to make a list of
things he would need.  By now, the realization had dawned that he
had nothing to wear that would fit, and that he had to go shopping
for clothes.  He also concluded that he was going to look like an
idiot while shopping.  It also occurred to him that he was going to
look even more ridiculous, since he had no idea how to dress like
a woman, what sizes they wore in clothing, or what size he wore,
for that matter.  Worse yet, he was probably going to have to buy
things like panties and brassieres.  Now, he surely knew how to take
stuff like that off a woman, but he had no idea how to buy, or even
put those things on like a woman.

     Finishing the coffee, he walked back to the bedroom, and
decided that he had better take a quick shower.  While he stood under
the hot water, quickly soaping and rinsing his unfamiliar body, he
was almost afraid to look at it, thinking that if he would ignore
it, the problems he was facing might simply go away as quickly as
they came.  He grinned a sarcastic grin, as it occurred to him that
he did not have to shave this morning.  After the brief shower, he
went to the closet, and started looking for something to wear.

     His jockey shorts just did not seem to make it.  He tried them
on and found that even with the elastic in the waist they would not
stay on his hips.  "Damn!" he thought.  "I need to wear underwear
at least."

     Then he remembered a Christmas present from two years back. 
Carol was his girl then, and she had given him three pairs of men's
bikini briefs which he had never worn because they were too snug
fitting and uncomfortable.  He found them in the back of one of his
drawers.  He slipped on the black ones.  Although they had been
tight before, they now fit pretty well.  Of course, the "contoured
pouch" crotch was now strangely baggy on him.  Then he tried on a
pair of jeans to see if a pair fit, and, needless to say, they did
not.  One pair, however, had just come back from the laundry and
was tighter than the ones he had worn a few times before washing.

     Slipping them on, he hoped they had a chance of staying above
his hips when he remembered his suspenders, the ones with clips. 
Putting them on, he was able to hold his jeans up with some feeling
of confidence.  He then reached down for his loafers.  Sliding his
small feet in, they felt like boats.  This would not do, he knew,
so he then pulled out some white socks and a pair of sneakers. 
They seemed too big, hell, they were too big, but at least they
sort of fit with the extra absorbent socks on.

     Finally, he came to the shirt.  He tried on a couple and found
them too large, but at least they were not too tight.  He did not
have a bra, of course, but the embarrassing jiggles of his breasts
when he moved made him decide to put a cotton sweatshirt over his
shirt.  He reached down to the night stand, took his large
aviator's watch and put it on his thin wrist.  It dangled loosely,
almost large enough to go around his wrist twice.  He eyed the
time, as he put the watch in his pants pocket.  He knew the mall
would soon be open.  He had to get over there and buy some clothes
so that he could meet Jay for lunch, and start figuring things out.
                             Chapter 2
                             THE MALL


     Joe went out to the parking area and opened the door of his
RX-7.  He sat in the semi-reclining seats, and found that not
only could he barely see over the steering wheel, he was unable to
depress the clutch pedal to shift gears.  He adjusted the seat,
until he found a position which suited his new, smaller, propor-
tions.  The seat belt pinched his breasts until he adjusted the
shoulder trap so that it passed between those unfamiliar mounds.

     Driving over to the mall, he remembered to be very careful,
since a traffic ticket, or an accident, would probably cause
extraordinary problems.  His mind was racing to consider the
possibilities: where he would go, how much money he had, what he
had to buy, when he was startled again by the recognition that he
had no purse.  He tried to remember if he had ever seen a woman
without a purse on a shopping trip, or if he had ever seen a woman
take a wallet out of her hip pocket to pay for something.  Deciding
the answer was no, he made a note to remove his cash, ATM card, and
some credit cards from his wallet.  He decided that his first
purchase would be a purse and a woman's wallet.  "Damn," he
thought, "this isn't going to be easy."

     Pulling off the highway into the parking lot, he parked near
the entrance to Sears.  He always parked by Sears, and walked
through the store on his way into the mall.  As he walked in, he
found himself in the lingerie department.  It seemed whenever you
walked into Sears, you walked into women's panties.  Normally, he
might sneak furtive glances at the sexy undies and the women trying
to decide from the huge selection of sizes, styles, and colors. 
Today, it was his time to decide.

     He could not believe the variety.  Although he liked the way
women looked in sleek, sexy, string bikinis, when he took one from
the rack and held it up, he could not imagine wearing something
like that.  He looked at high-leg, strings, and hip-huggers, in
nylon and cotton, lace and sheer, and all in every color of the
rainbow.  He liked the soft, smooth textures.

     He finally settled on some hip-huggers which came in a little
tube of three colors, and were labeled "Jockey for Her."  He was
not sure if it was brand loyalty, or just that, by selecting those,
he did not have to decide on color.  He looked at some traditional
briefs, high leg type, without any decoration, which came in a
variety pack of pastel colors, and decided that he would take one
of those too.  He hoped he could figure out a way out of his
predicament before he needed any more.

     Bras were even harder to select.  He did not really know what
size he was, and he was not sure how find out.  He was about ready
to hold a bra he thought might fit up to his chest, when a cute
salesgirl came up and asked if she could help.

     "Can I be of assistance?" she asked.

     Embarrassed, he mumbled nervously that he was looking for a
bra.

     "And what is your size?" she asked, smiling.

     "I don't remember," he lied, and then realized how ridiculous
that probably sounded.  "I mean, I lost some weight lately, and I
might need a new size," he tried, hoping that made more sense.

     "Sure," she said.  "Come on back, and let's measure you."

     She started to walk to the dressing rooms.  He followed her
into one of small cubicles and stood next to her.  She looked at
him.  He did not want to show his chest to this girl.

     Finally she said, "You will have to remove, or at least, pull
up that top, please," she said, looking at him strangely.

     He pulled the sweatshirt over his head, and removed his
oversize men's shirt.  She seemed surprised, when she saw he was not
wearing a bra.  His heart pounded, as this girl, who yesterday he
might have asked out, took a cold measuring tape and encircled
first his chest below his breasts, and then, pulled it snugly
across his erect nipples.  "I think we had better try a 34B," she said.

     She went out, and a moment later returned with a glossy pink
underwire, with the clasp in front, between the cups.  He looked
at the dainty thing, and fumbled as he attempted to put his arms
into the proper places between the tangle of straps.  The girl
watched in amusement.  "I wonder what she's thinking?" he thought
as he pulled the straps around his back and roughly pulled the cups
over his curves.

     When he felt he had it positioned correctly, he stopped, and
the girl began tugging and poking at the cups and straps, checking
for tightness and gaps.  Her soft touch made him feel strange, and
he just knew his face was red as a beet.

     "Looks right.  How does it feel?" she asked.

     "If you only knew," he thought, but said, "Feels fine to me."

     "Well, I'll let you browse," she said, "Just ask if I can be
of further assistance."

     "Thank you," he said, removing the sexy thing as she left the
small room.

     He was putting his shirt back on when his breasts reminded him
that he should get a bra to wear while trying on clothes. 
Besides, he probably should have more than one of these things
anyway.  He left the pink bra, and his sweatshirt, in the dressing
room, and went back out to select another.  "Well, now I know what
size I am at least," he thought, grinning.

     As he looked, he decided that he did not want any type but
front close, since he figured that those were difficult enough.  He
picked a flesh tone, seamless cup number, he knew Linda wore that
kind, and she sure looked good in it.  Reconsidering, he grabbed
two of them, wondering if Linda's breasts were larger, or smaller,
than his.

     He concluded they were probably about the same, and realized
he was grinning like some kind of idiot.  As he made his way back
to the dressing room, he decided to get one more.  It was plain,
and white, like he imagined a nurse might wear, and of course, it
was front close.  "A proper bra for a guy like me," he thought,
sarcastically.

     Entering the cubicle, he removed his shirt again.  More
experienced this time, he carefully put the white bra on, and
adjusted the straps for fit.  "How does it feel?" he mimicked to
himself.  "Damn weird," he answered silently.

     After he had paid for the underwear, giving the girl the empty
box and telling her he was wearing the white one, he walked out
into the mall and thought how funny it was that he had bought
panties and bras at Sears, the place he usually thought of only for
tools to work on his sports car.

     Walking down the corridor he entered a shoe store and started
to look at the women's shoes.  A man came over and asked if he
could help.  "Yes," he said, and selected a few pairs to try on. 
One of them had a low heel.  He sat, and removed his oversize
shoes and his socks.  The salesman came over and measured his foot. 
"Got to remember this size," he thought.

     The man returned with some boxes, and handed him some cut off
nylons.  Looking at them he wondered why, then he remembered that
women wore nylons.  While trying on shoes the foot had to be
covered for some health department reason.  He slipped the nylon
booty on, and tried on his first pair of "girl shoes."

     They were simple navy blue, with a two-inch heel, and they
fit, though it seemed as though they stopped too early on his foot. 
He awkwardly walked a few steps, all the while thinking he did not
know how he could possibly fake anyone into thinking he was a
woman, wearing these things.  He decided to get a pair of women's
exercise shoes too.  They would be easier to walk in, he knew.  He
then paid for the shoes, and after receiving the change, decided it
was time to get a purse.

     Next, he entered Dillard's.  As he walked into the store, his
nose was assaulted by the smell of cosmetics.  Normally he could to
get a headache just walking through this section of a department
store.  A woman walked up, and asked him to try a perfume.  He
started to say he did not wear perfume, when it occurred on him
that he had no makeup on, and he figured women usually wore makeup,
at least in public.  "Oh, hell," he thought.  "What am I going to
do about this?"  He nodded, "No thanks," and moved over to a
cosmetic case and began to look.

     A woman in a white smock saw him, and offered to help.  He
nodded yes, and she led him over to a mirror and a chair.  Looking
at his face, the woman said, "If you have some time, I have some
things that would look very nice on you.  Did you have anything
special in mind?"  Joe replied that he did not, but that he would
like to see what she could do for him.

     Sensing a good sale, the woman walked behind the counter and
came out with a whole series of things.  In the next fifteen
minutes, the saleswoman did complete make-over of his face.

     Starting with a base, she applied a very light layer to his
entire face.  Then she moved to his eyes, and applied first
eyeliner, then some mascara, and finally some shadow.  She then
applied some blush to his cheeks, and finally offered a lipstick. 
All the while, she kept chattering about how to apply the makeup,
the pros and cons, and telling him with both words and looks that
he was starting to look pretty good.  She commented on his rather
exotic hair style.  "Yea," he thought, "exotic."

     Finally she held a mirror to his eyes so that he could look,
and look he did.  He appeared completely different, completely
female in the face, and, he thought, attractive.  Not drop dead
beautiful, but attractive.

     Standing back with her arms folded, the saleswomen asked what
he thought.  "I like it," Joe replied.  "It's very nice."

     With that, he began buying all the makeup the women suggest-
ed, until finally, he began to worry about the cost.  As he reached
into his jeans, he noticed that he was down to a few hundred
dollars and that amount was about to be severely damaged by this
purchase.  Nevertheless there was nothing he could do about it. 
The salesperson noticed his American Express card, and said that
they accepted American Express.  He offered her the card, and she
rang up the sale and dialed in the number on the verification
modem.  As she did that he remembered the card was in his name, and
that it was his signature on the back.  The salesperson did not
even look at the back, but gave him back the card and asked him
to sign his name.  When he thought about it, he decided that she
probably thought he was his own wife.  It would be a perfectly
natural assumption.

     Next stop, some clothes to wear outside the underwear.  He
took the escalator up to women's dresses, and began to go through
the racks looking for something.  He was not sure of what he
wanted, what size, or color, or style, and was actually relieved
when a saleswoman asked to help him.

     "May I help you, miss?" she said.

     Together, they picked out a navy blue skirt that he said he
liked, two blouses, which the saleswoman recommended, and a couple
of dresses.  One had small flowers on a light background, the other
was a simple knit dress.  Then they moved back to skirts, and
selected a couple which Joe thought looked as though a school
teacher might wear.  He picked a couple of silky blouses worn by a
mannequin which caught his masculine eye.  "What the heck?" he
thought.  "If I have to wear them, I might as well like what they
look like."

     The saleswoman took the clothes, and led him to the dressing
room.  He hoped she would not expect to go in with him while he
undressed.  He was wearing his men's black bikini briefs, and they
looked a little strange, with their "contoured pouch" bunched up
between his legs, but she only showed him to an empty cubicle, and
helped him carry his many selections.

     Here, in the ladies fitting area, he could see women through
the wide slats, which served for doors to the small dressing areas. 
They were trying on dresses too, and were in various stages of
undress.  His male eyes, and brain, could not keep from looking.

     A young woman, probably about his age, was in the compartment
directly across from his.  She was a goddess, with long blond hair,
almost to her waist.  She was standing in her underwear, an almost
transparent flesh-toned bra, with matching panties, which hid
nothing, from the tip of her toes to the tips of her firm breasts. 
He stared as she pulled a sweater over her head, unconsciously
wriggling erotically as she did so.  His heart pounded, and he
thought he would die right there.  He felt familiar stirrings of
arousal coming from his groin, and he reached down to rub his cock. 
The damp softness he encountered, brought him back to reality. 
"She ain't for you right now, tiger," he sighed.  Frustrated, he
looked away, and back at the rack of clothes.

     He tried the little floral print dress on first.  Not knowing
if it fit well, he walked out barefoot, into the mirror area where
the woman waited for him.

     "That looks very nice on you, sweetie," she said.

     He turned around in the dress and found himself looking over
his small shoulder, into the mirror.  He looked so much like a
woman, it almost made him cringe.  He went back, tried on the rest
of the clothes, and, to the saleswoman's delight, purchased all of
them.

     Again, he offered the American Express card, and again, no one
questioned his signature.  Laden with packages, he started to the
escalator when he came to Parklane Hosiery.  "Pantyhose," he
thought.  "I'll probably need some to wear with these dresses."

     He started reading the back of the packages, and figured out
his size.  He now knew he had size thirty-four hips.  He purchased
three pairs, in as many colors.  He looked around the store, at the
plastic legs covered with all types of sexy stockings and panty-
hose.  He saw some ladies' athletic type cotton socks, and decided
he should get some like that to go with his exercise shoes.

     Going down the escalator, he ran over his mental list of
things to get, and felt satisfied that he had gotten everything. 
He left the store and started back to his car when he remembered
the purse.  He ducked into a store, and quickly selected both a
purse and ladies' wallet.  He had to return home, and get in
costume.  He had a meeting with Jay for lunch.
                             Chapter 3
                           GETTING READY


     Joe parked his car in the parking area.  The back of his
sports car was filled with packages from his morning shopping
spree.

     Returning to the apartment, Joe felt exhausted, but relieved. 
The shopping trip had been only moderately difficult since he still
felt like a man, and was still dressed like one, but soon he would
be meeting with Jay for lunch, while pretending to be, and dressing
like, a woman.  The very thought of going out in public still
embarrassed him, and left him with a queasy feeling in the pit of
his new, flatter, stomach.

     A part of his brain kept waiting to wake up, saying this had
to be one wild dream, but another part seemed resigned to the
changes, which were beyond his ability to accept.  So far, his
disciplined mind was experiencing them with curiosity and humor. 
He considered everything to be temporary, to last only until he
could figure out what had happened to him, and correct it.

     He went to the bedroom to change clothes, and started removing
the underwear from the packages.  One by one, he examined each
item, and tried to imagine wearing it.  As he started to unbutton
his shirt, his eyes were fixed on the things he was about wear.  As
he undressed, he again became aware of the sensations caused by his
new shape.

     Having breasts was different.  He could feel his nipples
rubbing on his clothing.  Having smaller biceps and triceps was
different too.  His arms actually seemed longer because they were
thinner.

     Sliding the shirt off his narrow shoulders, he looked down at
his chest, which was partially covered by a white bra.  The bra was
without lace, or decoration, just functional underwear whose
primary purpose was the support he now needed.  He carefully opened
the front clasp and opened the bra, exposing his breasts.  His
chest, which only hours ago was flat, broad, and covered with dark
hair, was now smooth, soft, and rounded, with large pink nipples. 
Free from the covering of the bra, his breasts felt cold and he
could feel their slight added weight on his chest.

     He touched his left breast, and could feel his nipple harden
between his slim fingers.  The feeling made him quiver, and his
breasts shook as if they had minds of their own.

     He sat on the edge of the bed.  Removing his socks and jeans,
he stood before the bed in his men's black low-rise briefs.  He
hooked his fingers into the waistband, and pulled them down his
hips.

     The sights and sensations he was experiencing should have
given him a raging erection.  In fact, it felt like he had one, but
when he looked down there, he felt and saw the crotch of his
underwear was damp with secretions.  The moisture made him feel
uncomfortable.  A musky scent was noticeable.  Time for another
quick shower, he mused, and walked into the adjoining bathroom.

     Turning on the shower, he felt the water temperature.  As it
warmed, he again noticed that his skin felt thinner, more sensitive
to touch and heat.  He entered the shower and soaped down.  The
soapy water on his body felt great.  "At least this situation isn't
all bad," he thought.  He lingered in the shower, enjoying the
sensations, but when he turned toward the spray, the streaming
water hit his soft breasts, he was jolted awake by a sharp stinging
sensation.  "Enough of this," he thought, and attempted to wash his
unfamiliar genitals.

     He was not exactly sure how to begin.  He soaped his hands and
rubbed the soap bar on his pubic hair.  Then, using his fingers, he
carefully cleansed the creases and folds which replaced his penis. 
It felt good.  Innocently, he gently began exploring a sensitive
little bundle of tissue near the top of his genital opening.  Could
this be what a clitoris felt like?  With the added lubrication of
the soapy water on his fingers, the feeling was familiar, yet
different.

     When he finished his cleansing exploration, he rinsed off the
remaining soap, and noticed that although his body was now almost
completely hairless compared with before, he did have considerable
hair under his arms.  He thought about it for a moment, and decided
that he had better remove it.  He had never shaved that area
before, but there were all kinds of new things today.  He went to
the cabinet and got his razor and a can of shaving cream.  He
squirted some cream into his small hand, and rubbed it on the soft
hair under his arms.  He then took the razor, and began shaving the
light hair.  "I never imagined I would be doing this today," he
thought to himself.

     As he was shaving, he noticed his legs, and thought about the
pantyhose he bought.  "I suppose I'd better do those too," he
decided.  Feeling and seeing the jiggle of his breasts as he was
applying the shaving cream to the light hair on his legs, he
chuckled to himself about the irony of his situation.  "If Linda
could see me now," he said to himself, out loud.

     When he completed shaving his legs and underarms, he rinsed
the remaining cream off his body and stepped from the shower.  He
grabbed a bath towel and dried himself.  He felt better now, and
actually smelled good.  He felt his smooth legs and was actually
impressed with his looks.  "I'd better be careful," he thought to
himself.  "I might actually start to like this female stuff."

     He found some underarm deodorant, the most "feminine" he had. 
"It smells okay to me," he thought to himself.  Naked, he then went
back to the bedroom to attempt to dress.

     Fresh from the shower, he went to the dresser mirror.  He
looked into the glass.  What he saw looking back was a young woman. 
He did not have a sister, but if he had, she might have looked like
he did now.  He had not washed off the makeup the lady at the mall
had applied, and it had held up well in the shower.  He actually
looked quite attractive, with only the short hair on his head to
raise any question of his sex.  He had seen women with hair as
short as his, but he did not like the way it looked on them.

     Even though he certainly looked like a woman, he still felt he
was a man, and his brain still thought like a male.  He could feel
a trace of lust surfacing, as he gazed at this naked person in the
mirror.  "Well, this is one babe you won't be screwing, you horny
stud," he thought to himself.

     As he could feel himself getting aroused, he looked at himself
in the mirror.  His new clitoris felt just like his penis.  It did
not feel nearly as small as it looked.  In fact he could not even
see it, but he could certainly tell it was there when he became
aroused.  He figured he better get dressed if he was going to make
his appointment with Jay.  He would have to go with wet underpants
again, if he continued to gaze at his new shape.

     Trying to put his mind on something else, he moved away from
the mirror.  He looked at the array of new clothes on the bed.  He
picked up a pair of panties, and held them up.  "Well, they sure
don't look like they'll fit," he thought.

     He looked at the narrow, cotton lined, crotch strip, and
sighed.  He felt perverted, like he was considering putting on
Linda's underwear.  Bending down, he placed one smooth leg into the
small pink panty, and followed with the other.  He pulled them up,
over what seemed to him to be his huge, soft, butt, and found that
they came up only to his slightly protruding hip bones.  He looked
down at himself, and what he saw was both familiar, and unusual. 
He had seen quite a few girls, women, in their underwear before.

     Now, as he looked at himself, he could see he looked just like
they did.  He felt the same as always too, but when he looked in
the mirror, the familiar bulge of his penis and testicles was gone. 
The snug fitting panty emphasized a small mound which was a little
higher up than where his penis had been.  Below that, the crotch
gusset outlined, with sexy sleekness, a flat area which replaced
his absent male parts.

     He reached down to feel the smoothness of his mound, and could
feel his pubic hair through the thin fabric.  He went down further,
and felt the warm softness of his crotch.  The touch made unfamil-
iar muscles in his groin contract, and he moved his hand away.  He
grinned, and put it back, pressing on the slick softness.  It
seemed the changes he had undergone were never more evident than
right now.

     As he gently rubbed the silky area, he began to feel moisture. 
"I suppose I'd better stop this," he said to himself.  He had to
keep his mind on getting dressed.  He had to meet Jay for lunch.

     He looked over at the bed and picked up the white bra he had
worn home from Sears.  He was about to put it back on when he
decided to wear the pink one, which was also lying on the bed. 
While the white one was plain and simple, this one was different. 
It was sheer, with small lace edges around the cups.  It was an
underwire, and even felt different from the white one.  He was
talked into this one by the salesgirl, who said it would be just
right for his figure type.

     He had no experience in that area, but it was a front close,
the one thing he insisted on, and the girl was cute, so he bought
it.  Now, as he carefully untangled the thing, put his arms through
the straps, and was clasping the plastic latch between his breasts,
he realized that he could see his nipples right through the sheer
seamless cups.  He squeezed the softness with his hand, and just
stared at his new shape, and his erect nipples pressing against the
thin fabric.

     He reached down and grabbed one of the packages of pantyhose. 
The wrapper said, Hanes Silk Reflections, Barely There.  He ripped
open the package and looked at the wrinkled mass of nylon.  "Okay,"
he said, "let's get on with it."

     He decided that the best way to approach it was to sit on the
edge of the bed, and slide the hose up one leg at a time.  He
eventually had both legs in and the waist about mid-thigh. 
Awkwardly, he struggled to stand up, and finished pulling the tight
fitting monstrosity up above his natural waist.  He looked down at
his legs.  "Pretty good," he thought, but the crotch was still
about three inches from his butt.  He grabbed and pulled some more
until he had them fitting the way he thought they should.  They
made his legs feel slick, and very warm.

     Looking at the mirror again, he saw himself in panties, pink
bra, and the shiny pantyhose.  Seeing himself, all he could do was
sigh in a defeated manner.  "Am I going to be stuck like this
forever?" he thought.  He could not even imagine such a thing. 
"No time to worry about it now," he decided.

     Glancing at the clock told him the time for daydreaming was
running short, and that he had to get moving.  He reached for the
new white blouse and slipped his arms through the sleeves.  Then he
buttoned the blouse starting at the bottom until he had buttoned
all the way the neck.  Then, realizing that he was not going to
wear a tie, he unbuttoned the top button.  He looked down to see
that his nipples could still be seen through the bra and sheer
white fabric of the blouse.  He looked carefully, and imagined that
he was staring at a woman's breasts.  "These little babies are
yours, big fella," he said, out loud.

     He decided that the outfit was not too risque, and went back
to the pile of clothes on the bed.  He decided that the navy skirt
would look the best.  He always did like solids anyway.  He took
the skirt and slipped it up his smooth legs, and fastened it around
his thin waist.  "The darn zipper is in the back," he thought to
himself.

     He looked at himself in the full length mirror on the closet
door.  "Looking good," he said, turning around, but something did
not seem right when he walked.  The skirt clung to his legs and
bunched around his crotch when he bent over.  He thought about the
problem, and concluded that he probably needed a slip.  He forgot
about that.  "Heck, I couldn't think of everything," he thought.

     He was trying to decide what to do and, when he went to the
closet, he spotted some of Linda's clothes hanging on hangers. 
"Too bad she's smaller than I am," he thought, and then reconsid-
ered.

     Although he used to push six feet, now he was closer to five
feet five, or six, about the same as his girl friend.  As he poked
through her things, he decided that she would not mind, and would
probably get a chuckle out of it, if the shock did not kill her
first.  There were slacks, a shirt, and her red, one piece
swimsuit.  He began to think of Linda.  She looked great in that
red suit.  How would she feel about him, now that he could probably
wear it too?  The last hanger held a short black skirt, and under
it, he found a silver colored half slip.  "Just what I need," he
thought.

     He took it off the hanger and stepped into it.  It was a
struggle to get it up under his dress, but when he finally did, it
felt all right.  Now, when he walked, the skirt moved smoothly and
did not stick to his legs.

     Looking at the clock, he saw he had just enough time to look
in the mirror and he brushed his short hair into the most feminine
look he could muster.  He then looked into his plastic bag of
cosmetics, and decided that maybe just a little lipstick touch up
would be good.  He wanted to be careful; he did not want to get
carried away, and end up looking like a clown.

     He took a last look into the mirror and decided he was ready. 
He felt a strange feeling around his upper legs and pulled up his
skirt and slip.  His pantyhose was hanging down again, and he
contorted about in a struggle to get them where they belonged. 
That's better, he said to himself, and stepped back from the mirror
for a last look.  "My god, now I've got to take a leak!" he said
out loud.

     He walked back to the bathroom and stood in front of the
toilet.  Suddenly, he realized that he could not just stand there,
unzip his pants, and relieve himself.  He had to turn around, pull
up the skirt and slip, hold it, and slide both his pantyhose and
panties down, only then could he sit and pee.  "Unbelievable," he
thought.

     As the flow started, he felt familiar relief.  He carefully
wiped, got up, pulled up his underpants, which were around his
ankles, then the pantyhose, went through the whole tugging and
stretching thing again, and then smoothed his skirt down.  "All
this just to pee," he thought.  "I'll sure be glad when I get back
to normal."  When he finished, he went back to the bedroom.

     He looked at the stuff he bought, and found the shoe boxes. 
"Well," he thought, "we have a choice of white and pink Reeboks, or
blue pump girl shoes with a medium heel."  The Reeboks were
definitely out with this outfit, but the "high-heels" were
downright scary.  "Take it like a man," he joked to himself, and
slipped the blue heels on.  He stood up and felt like he was on
stilts.  The heels seemed much higher than the two or three inches
they appeared to be.  Also, his jerky movements made his breasts
bounce when he walked.

     From habit, he felt for his wallet, feeling only his very
soft, slick, and rounded butt.  Realizing his mistake he grabbed
his new purse, and checked that his wallet was in it.  After
locking the door to the apartment, he rushed down the stairs. 
Actually, he didn't exactly rush, but hobbled, down the stairs in
the shoes.

     As he reached the end of the staircase, he stepped out into a
beautiful spring day, with fragrant flowers blooming, and tree buds
bursting into leaves.
                             Chapter 4
                            THE MEETING


     The traffic was heavy.  Joe drove as quickly as he could to
his lunch appointment with his attorney and best friend, Jay Logan.

     It was about ten minutes after the agreed upon time when he
finally pulled into the parking lot of the Beacher Restaurant.  He
parked, awkwardly got out of his sports car wearing the skirt and
heels, and tried to walk into the establishment with as much
dignity as he could muster.  He stepped up to the head waiter's
podium, and told the young lady that he was to meet with a friend,
who might already be here.  She asked his name, and he said Joe
Bates.  She looked at her notes, and said, "Please follow me, Ms.
Bates."  Joe walked behind her and almost fell against her as they
went down a few heavily carpeted steps.  She led him to a softly
lighted table where he saw his pal Jay seated, sipping on a Corona.

     Jay looked up at him, confused, and said, "May I help you,
ma'am?"

     Joe did not know exactly what to say, or how to start.  He did
not want to go into an explanation with the waiter standing there,
so he just said, "May I sit, Mr. Logan?"

     Jay stood and pulled out a chair for Joe as he took his seat. 
At the waiter's inquiry, he ordered some white wine.  The waiter
said, "Of course," and went away.  Jay looked at him, puzzled.  Joe
just stared at Jay.  Before, he was larger, and heavier than Jay,
who now seemed huge.  Joe got up his courage, and blurted out,
"Jay, it's me, Joe!"

     Jay grinned, "Right, and I'm Margaret Thatcher!"

     Joe had not realized that he might have trouble convincing his
best buddy who he was, but the problem was quickly becoming
evident.

     "Jay, I don't know what has happened to me," he pleaded, "but
I need your help."

     Jay looked at his watch, and said, "It's a little late for an
April fools' joke, don't you think?"  Then he said, "I'm pleased to
meet you.  I didn't even know Joe had a sister, much less one as
good looking as you."

     "Oh, no!" thought Joe.  "Now he thinks I'm my sister!" He
pushed on, though, saying, "Jay, I don't have a sister, and you
know it, and don't give me any come-on crap."

     Jay looked at him closely.  "What's going on here?" he asked.

     "I really wish I knew," Joe said.  "I woke up this morning
looking like this, and I don't have clue as to what is going on."

     "You're serious, aren't you?" Jay said.

     "Never been more serious in my life, Jay," Joe answered.  "I
really don't know what I should do.  If you saw what I did this
morning, you wouldn't believe it."

     "I'm not sure I do," said Jay.

     "Okay," Joe said.  "Remember Wednesday evening, at the health
club, you snapped the ball at me, and I almost broke my neck trying
to get to it?  My knee still hurts."  He watched for signs of
acknowledgment on Jay's face.

     "Okay," Jay replied.  "Let's say you are my friend Joe, and I
must admit your face does look a lot like him.  What can I possibly
do for you?"

     "I have to prove to everybody that I am still Joe Bates no
matter how I look on the outside," Joe returned.  "I know you can
help me do it.  Then I need to get medical help to get my normal
features back, or, God help me, if I'm stuck like this, I've got to
get my records changed so that I can function without the legal
problems I know that I will have.  My personal problems, I'm not
sure about.  I don't even know what they all are yet."

     "Well, don't worry, Joe, I'll help," said Jay, seeing his
friend looking so grim.  "I'm not sure what will have to be done,
but we will do whatever is necessary to help you.  Can I ask a
rather personal question, though, Joe?"

     "Sure, Jay," Joe answered.  "I trust you, and besides, you're
my only hope right now."

     "I'm embarrassed to ask, but I'm about to die of curiosity,"
Jay said.  "Joe, you sure look like a woman.  Are you female?"

     Joe looked at his buddy, and saw his longtime pal was eyeing
his curves.  "I don't know, Jay," he said.  "I don't really know
what I am, but I can tell you that what you see is all me.  You
should see me in Jockey shorts."  He grinned at his buddy, saying,
"I don't believe I'll be chasing babes with you, for a while at
least, much as I would like to.  I don't feel like a woman.  In
fact, I feel like a rooster in the hen house.  You can't imagine
what it's like just to take a shower looking like this.  I don't
know if my heart can take it."  He figured Jay would understand his
predicament if anybody would, or could.

     The waiter returned with Joe's wine, and brought the menu. 
Jay said, "Give us a few moments, please."  The waiter nodded, and
left.  "I think I'll have just the salad bar," he said, turning
back to Joe.

     Joe agreed.  He was not even hungry.  His stomach had never
quit feeling like a can of worms.  He felt the warmth of the wine
as it went down.  "Everything is more pronounced now," he thought. 
"I could probably get tipsy on this little glass of wine, especial-
ly since I have yet to eat anything today."

     When the waiter returned, they ordered.  They both went to the
salad bar together.  Jay followed, watching his friend walk
awkwardly in the heeled shoes.  When they returned to their tables,
he said.  "Joe, if I had any doubts about you telling the truth,
watching you walk to the salad bar removed them.  No real woman
would walk like that if she tried."

     "You should try it sometime, pal," Joe said, smiling demurely,
"and walking in these shoes isn't the half of it."

     As they ate, Jay discussed some of the things they would need
to do.  He said he had a friend on the police force, who was a
specialist in proving identification, usually on murder related
cases where the victim is unknown.

     "You were in the Air Force, so there's a record of your
fingerprints," Jay said.  "Do you think your prints have changed?"

     Joe said, "I don't know, Jay.  I do know that my knee is still
sprained from the other night with you, and even though my arms are
smaller, my right one still has scars I received from an auto
accident twelve years ago.  Damn it, I don't know what's happened
to me!  I feel the same, at least as much as is possible, but I do
seem to look female.  If you're having a problem with this, think
about it from my side.  I have to live with it continuously."  Joe
looked like he was ready to burst into tears.

     "I'll call you as soon as I make some contacts, probably
tomorrow morning," Jay said, as they finished lunch.  "We'll get
this worked out as quickly as we can.  What are you going to do
now?"

     "I can't go to work like this, so I guess I'll go home," said
Joe.  "I have to call Linda, but I don't know what I'm going to
tell her.  Hell, I've got her slip on!"  He blushed, continuing,
"This is so embarrassing.  I'm so worked up and tense, I don't know
what to do."

     Jay looked at his confused and dejected friend, not knowing
what to say.  "Hey, it's Friday," he said.  "Let's meet at the
health club at five-thirty, for our usual game."

     "Aw...  uh...  Jay I don't know," Joe protested.  "I don't
know if I'm ready for that."

     "Hell, Joe," Jay countered, "exercise is just what you need to
relieve tension, and it might take your mind off your problems for
a little while."

     "Well, okay.  I'll be there, but I don't know how well I can
play.  I haven't been myself lately," Joe said, realizing how funny
it sounded only after he said it.

     "I'll get this one," said Jay, as the waiter came up with the
check when they were finished with lunch, "but I expect to see you
this evening."

     "I'll meet you there," Joe promised.  He was concerned about
how he would react in a meat market like the health club, but he
decided he could not hide under a rock either.

     As he walked out to his car, he thought of what he would need
to play racquetball, and where he would go to get those things.  He
decided that he must go back to his apartment to take stock, and
plan another shopping sortie.

     Joe drove back to his apartment, thinking, and decided that he
should call Linda.  She would be expecting a call, and he decided
he had better make one.  As he sat by the phone, he considered what
he should say.  What he would do.  He dialed Linda's number.  After
a few rings he heard Linda answer, "Hello."

     "Linda?" Joe asked, trying to think of something to say. 
"What's up?"

     "Who is this?" Linda asked, confused.

     "Linda, it's me, Joe," he answered.

     "Joe?" Linda replied.  "Joe, what's the matter?  You sound
strange.  Is something wrong?"

     "Linda, I have to talk to you," Joe said nervously.  "I have
a little problem.  Can I pick you up about seven-thirty, so we can
talk?"

     "Sure, Joe, but what's the matter?" Linda said, sounding
confused but concerned.  "Do you have a cold?  What do you want me
to wear?"

     "Let's go to Bennigan's," Joe said.  "You'll find out when I
pick you up.  See you about seven-thirty."

     Joe quickly hung up the phone, not knowing how to deal with
Linda.  Their relationship was very close, but he did not know how
she would take him in his present condition.  "Hell, I don't even
know what sex I am," he thought.

     He decided his next task was deciding what to wear to play
racquetball with Jay.  In a way, he was glad to have something to
take his mind off his relationship with Linda.  "One problem at a
time," he thought.

     He went to the foyer closet and retrieved his athletic bag. 
He carried it to his bedroom, and emptied it on the bed.  The bag
contained one smelly towel, his running shorts, an Adidas
tee-shirt, his safety goggles, racquetball glove, three racquetball
balls, and an athletic supporter.  His racket was attached to a
holster on the side of the bag.

     "Well, it doesn't look like much of this is salvageable," he
thought, picking up the jockstrap, and stretching the waistband. 
Another trip to the mall would be required.  He looked at what he
had on, the white blouse, blue skirt, and heels, and decided that
would be appropriate to wear to the mall.

     He arrived at the mall, and entered Sears for the second time
that day.  He was thinking about what he would have to get.  He
remembered a small shop called She Sports, and decided to look
there.

     Walking into the little shop, he was surrounded by ladies'
athletic and dance wear.  As he looked at the colorful leotards,
bike shorts, and form fitting bra tops, he thought about how he
might look, wearing things like this, playing racquetball with his
buddy, Jay.  "Hell, I'd still beat him," he thought, grinning.  "He
couldn't keep his eyes off my butt."

     He was stretching the spandex of a jogging bra, when the young
saleswoman walked over, and asked, "What can I do for you, miss?"

     "I'm looking for something to wear to play racquetball," he
said.  He felt much more confident than this morning, but he did
not know if it was because he was more familiar with his anatomy or
his clothes.

     "What did you have in mind?" the woman asked.

     "I don't know," Joe replied.  "What do you recommend?"

     "What is your size?" the woman countered, eyeing his body
through the skirt and blouse.

     "Thirty-four, twenty-two, thirty-four," Joe replied, grinning
smugly.  He knew what he was doing now, or so he thought.

     "Well, you're in shape, aren't you, but what are your clothing
sizes?" she said with a laugh.

     "I think I wear a size seven or eight," he said, embarrassed.

     "How much coverage are you looking for?" she asked.

     "Coverage?" he replied, looking confused.

     "Do you wear tights?" the woman asked, holding some of the
items up as she talked.  "Do you want shorts or pants?  What kind
of top are you thinking of?"

     Joe decided to use his standard, "What do you recommend?"

     The young woman looked at Joe.  "I think a leotard under some
nylon shorts with a crop-top would look great on you," she said. 
"Do you have underwear?"

     "Sure," Joe said.  "I've got panties, and a bra."

     "How about an exercise bra?" the woman suggested.  "You'll
feel more confident with the support of Jog-Bra like this.  I also
suggest a cotton sport panty with an absorbent terry liner."

     "Okay," said Joe.  "Sounds like what I need all right."

     "Let's see which colors look best on you," said the woman,
walking to the colorful leotards.

     Joe followed, thinking, "Colors again.  I didn't realize
women's clothes revolved around color until now."

     "I think royal blue sets off your figure," said the woman,
"and some white tights will make a nice contrast.  Maybe with these
little shorts to set it off."  She held up matching blue light
nylon shorts which seemed to have a panty built in.  She also had
in her hand a little blue thing which looked like a short tank-top. 
Joe figured that it must be a crop-top.

     "Come with me," said the woman, taking the selections, and
leading Joe to a small fitting area at the back of the store.  He
followed and she hung the items on a hook in the little cubicle,
and left Joe to try them on.

     He closed the curtain, and removed his blue pumps.  He was not
sure if needed to remove the pantyhose, with all the trouble that
entailed, but decided he better if he wanted to see if the snug
fitting clothing fit properly.  He removed his skirt, and carefully
hung it and his blouse on the hanger provided.  He stood there in
his pink panty and bra.  He looked at the capri-type tights, and
figured that they would be a lot like pantyhose, so he pulled them
on.  They made his legs look great.  He was not sure if he should
remove his bra, and decided it was best to leave it on.  He
squirmed into the leotard, and arranged his breasts and buttocks. 
It felt snug and sleek.  Finally, he pulled on the little shorts,
and felt his slick butt.  He was glad that the crop top concealed
his nipples, which, when erect as they often were, poked through
even with the bra and snug fitting leotard.

     He walked out of the cubicle, and looked in the full length
mirror.  He was impressed with his appearance.  "Jay won't be able
to take his eyes off me," he thought, and then realized the impact
of what he was thinking.  "Am I turning gay?" he worried.  "What is
considered homosexual for me?"

     The sales lady returned, interrupting his thoughts.  "How do
you like it?" she asked.

     "I think it's perfect," Joe said truthfully.

     "Well, you certainly have the shape for it," said the woman,
walking to the counter.

     "Yea, that's the problem," thought Joe.

     "Did you want the underwear?" she asked, holding up a sport
bra.

     "Yea, I guess I'd better," Joe said, considering.  He figured
he better get everything she recommended, since this was his only
chance, before the "dress rehearsal."

     "White?" the woman asked.

     "Colors again," thought Joe, saying, "Yes, I think white would
be fine, don't you?"

     "What's your size?" she returned.

     "I need a 34B, and my hips about 34 also," Joe replied.

     "Yes, that's right," said the woman, with a slight trace of
envy in her voice.

     Joe continued to look around the shop as he was talking.  He
decided he better get one of these more feminine looking gym bags
to carry this stuff in.  He decided on a white and blue bag, which
matched what he had on.  He also took a little white terry cloth
headband, and at the suggestion of the sales woman, some blue leg
warmers.

     "Do you have shoes and socks?" the woman asked.

     "I have a new pair of Reeboks," he replied.

     He was about to say he had everything when he saw a little
terry cloth romper thing, which looked like something women might
wear in the locker room.  He added it to his stack of clothes.  "I
believe this will be all," he said.

     After he put the pantyhose, skirt and blouse back on, he went
back to the counter.  He took his American Express card from his
purse and gave it to the woman.  She rang up the sale and he signed
the bill.

     He was walking down the hallway in the mall, when in a shop
window, he saw a blue jumpsuit.  "That's just what I need," he
thought.  "It looks like something a woman could wear most places,
with low shoes, even Reeboks."  The loose fitting top would not
emphasize his shape, and he would not have to be so careful about
how he walked and sat.  It would also make getting into his RX-7 a
piece of cake.

     He entered the store.  A young girl of about nineteen came up
to him.  "Can I help you?" she asked.

     "Yes, I'd like to buy a jumpsuit like the one in your window,"
he replied.

     "What size and color would you like?" she asked.

     "I guess I'd be a seven or eight, make it eight," Joe
answered, "and do you have it in royal blue?"  He thought he looked
good in blue.

     The girl went to the racks, and selected the size and color he
needed.  She asked, "Would you like to try it on?"

     He held it up to himself.  It looked the right length, and it
was loose fitting enough to probably fit with no problem.  He said,
"If it doesn't fit, can I bring it back?"

     "Of course," the girl said.  "If you don't like it for any
reason, just bring it in.  I can give you an exchange or a full
refund."

     He did not want to undress again, and was happy to take the
jumpsuit without that hassle.  "I'll take it." he said.

     He took his packages out to his car.  As he was driving
through the parking lot near the mall entrance, he saw a drug
store.  He figured he probably should get some girl things like
deodorant, and maybe body powder.  He was not sure why he needed
the powder, but he knew that Linda always had it when she showered. 
He stopped and went in.

     He walked down the aisles, looking for items a person who had
a body like a woman's, might need.  He got some Secret deodorant,
and looked with a new interest at things like Massengill douche,
feminine hygiene sprays and powders.  He thought he had read
somewhere that a healthy woman did not need things like that. 
Anyway, he thought he smelled pretty good in that area.  He looked
at feminine napkins and tampons.  Again he thought about his
genitalia, and realized that he might actually start to have
menstrual periods.  He could not accept that.  "What choice do I
have?" he considered.

     He looked at the little thin pads called panty liners, and
thought maybe he should take a box of those.  "Just in case," he
thought.  He did not trust his new parts, but he was learning to be
ready for anything.  "Who knows?" he thought.  "This morning I
find my cock is missing.  Tomorrow morning I might be on the rag. 
What's a guy to do?"

     He took a box of Lightdays panty liners, deodorant, and Shower
to Shower body powder, to the counter.  He paid for the items, and
drove home.  He had a racquetball game to get ready for.
                             Chapter 5
                             THE GAME


     Joe drove home from the mall with his latest purchases.  He
took the clothes and placed them into the new blue bag.  He went to
the bathroom, and selected a large bath towel to take along.  He
dumped the sack of drug store items onto the bed.  He placed the
bath powder, and the deodorant into a little compartment on the
side of the bag.  He looked at the box of panty liners, wondering
what he should do with them.  Should he put some of them into the
bag?  Should he put some into the purse he started carrying?  He
did not know if he would need them, and carrying them around seemed
to put more of a permanence to his situation.  He just could not
accept that.  Everything was just temporary.  It had to be.

     Leaving the box lying on the bed, he removed his blouse, and
blue skirt.  After struggling out of the pantyhose, he flopped down
on the bed.  Sometimes, the situation just overwhelmed him, and he
found he was having one of those times.  He looked at the clock
radio beside the bed.  It said four thirty.  Just one hour till he
had to meet Jay again, this time under much more difficult
circumstances.

     Again, he doubted if it was a good idea.  The health club was,
among other things, somewhat of a "Meat Market."  Muscular studs
went there to show off their bodies, and stare at the attractive
women working out.  Although Joe appreciated good looking women, he
did not go to the club to ogle women.  He did not go to strut his
stuff either.  Now, he did not know.  He never did consider himself
a muscular stud, but this was completely different.  He could not
even use the men's locker room.  Under different conditions, the
idea of invading the private domain of the ladies' locker room
might perk his interest.  Not now.  He would not just be a fly on
the wall.  He would be going in there to change his clothes,
women's clothes, with other women around, and he would look like a
woman too.  Hell, he might actually BE a woman for the rest of his
life.  He could not accept that.

     Lying there, he felt tired, but decided he better get dressed. 
He got up off the bed, and picked up the royal blue jumpsuit he
just bought.  He stepped into it, and zipped up the front.  He
looked at himself in the dresser mirror.  It fit well.  It was
attractive, and yet did not place a strong emphasis on his new
shape.  He liked it immediately.

     He went to his old gym bag, and removed his racket from the
side.  It seemed too large now.  It would have to do, he thought. 
He looked through the bag, and found his safety goggles.  He put
them on, and they were too large for his smaller features.  He
threw them back into the bag in disgust.  He could feel tears
welling up in his eyes.  He noticed that happening quite often
today.  It seemed that he was more emotional now, or at least, it
was much harder to contain his emotions.  Was that part of the
change?  It was difficult to tell.  He knew that women cried much
more easily than men, but he always thought that was because of
differences in the way they were brought up.

     Maybe there was a more physical difference, hormones maybe,
and now maybe those things were affecting him.  What else would
they do to him?  He decided that no matter what he looked like, he
was still a man, but would he still feel the same way next week, or
next year?  The problem would be solved before it lasted that long,
he decided.  He did not think he could stand to grow old looking
like this.  There had to be a way back.

     Joe went into the bathroom mirror, and made one last check of
his hair, and general appearance.  "Ready to go," he decided.

     He took his bag, and racket, and went to his car.  It was
getting easier.  He had no trouble walking in the new Reeboks, and
the jumpsuit seemed more familiar than the dress he wore last time
out.  "I can almost forget about the changes," he thought.  Putting
the seat belt on again made him aware of his new body.  There was
no forgetting it.  "Just as well," he considered.  It might really
be embarrassing to forget at the wrong time.

     He pulled into the club parking lot.  His heart was pounding
with fear.  He noticed Jay's car in the lot, and pulled next to it. 
Jay was waiting for him.  As he got out of his car with his gear,
Jay walked over.

     "Hi, Joe.  I'm glad to see you made it," Jay said.

     "I'm still not sure if this is a good idea, Jay," Joe
returned.

     "It will be okay, Joe.  Where do you get all those sharp
clothes?" Jay asked, honestly.

     "Come on, Jay," Joe replied.  "You know everything I do now
seems to involve getting different stuff.  Nothing fits, and I have
more differences than just being a few inches shorter.  If I don't
figure a way out of this, I'll go broke buying all the stuff I
need, if I don't go nuts, first."

     "Well, you look really good, if that helps any," Jay said as
they walked up the steps to the entrance to the club.

     "I guess that's the problem, isn't it," Joe said, as Jay held
the door for him.

     Although both Joe and Jay were regulars at the club, and were
known on sight by the attendant at the counter, Jay sidestepped
Joe's possible identity problem by telling the girl at the counter
that Joe was his guest.

     As they arrived at the men's locker room, Joe said, "This is
where we part company, Jay.  I'll see you on the court."

     Joe walked over to the door to the ladies' locker room.  He
took a deep breath, and walked in.  As entered, he noticed other
women, some of whom he recognized as regulars to the club.

     "Well, it does smell better in here," he thought.  His nose,
which seemed more sensitive now, picked up the scent of perfume,
and cosmetics, not the old sweat sock smell of the men's locker
room.

     Although the layout of the rooms were similar, this one was
arranged to provide more privacy.  There were still rows of
lockers, with benches down the center, but the showers were
partitioned, and there were some couches, and vinyl upholstered
seats available.  "I've moved up-scale," Joe thought to himself.

     He chose a row with only one young woman seated on the bench,
tying her shoes.  Selecting an empty locker, Joe opened his bag. 
He removed the capri tights and leotard, and quickly hung them on
a hook in the locker.  He slowly unzipped his jumpsuit.  Nervously,
he looked around.  The girl at the bench paid him no attention.  He
pulled the suit off his shoulders, and stepped out.  Standing there
in his underwear, he rummaged in the blue bag for the running bra,
and exercise brief.  Finding them, he laid them on the bench.

     He quickly unhooked the pink bra, and took it off.  Feeling
vulnerable, he looked at the running bra.  It did not have any
hooks, or adjustments.  He had to pull it over his head.  It fit
snugly, and sort of pressed his breasts against his chest.  He
shook his chest, and for the first time since the change, he did
not experience the jiggling he felt even while wearing the other
brassiere.  He liked the feeling. It was almost like before... 
almost.

     He removed his panties, and could feel the cool wetness as the
air circulated around his crotch.  He looked down, and saw that the
pubic hair on his mound was matted flat.  He reached down and
roughed up the hair, the way he might have scratched his balls
yesterday.  Again, he looked over at the woman, but she did not
even notice he was there.  He took the stretchy white brief, and
pulled it on.  It was a good fit, not tight, but the cotton lycra
fabric followed his contours like second skin.

     Looking down at himself, again he felt the first sensations of
arousal.  "Lucky me," he thought.  "Now I can get a boner, even
without clothes on, in public, and nobody can tell."

     He picked up the tights, and put them on.  The glistening
slickness felt great.  He rubbed his hips and upper legs.  He
stepped into the light blue leotard, and pulled it over his
shoulders.  The light blue color emphasized his shape and buttocks. 
His breasts, flattened to his chest by the sport bra, looked
smaller.  He took the crop top and pulled it over his head,
thinking that if he got too warm, it could be removed.  He decided
to leave the little nylon shorts in his gym bag.  He liked the way
he looked and felt in the leotard and tights.

     He thought of Jay.  "What will he think when he sees me?" he
thought.  He was not sure how his friendship might be affected by
the change.  "He seems to treat me the same to this point," he
thought, "and I certainly need his help."

     He put on the white and pink Reebok socks and shoes, and tied
them.  He got up from the bench, and hopped up and down.  Since the
change, he of course, felt smaller, but also more flexible.  It
seemed he could bend his body easier now than he could ever
remember before, even when he was a small boy.  Actually, he
considered, he felt great.  He took a towel and his racket, and
closed his locker.  Walking toward the door, he passed the sinks,
and mirrors.  Looking at himself, he brushed his short hair with
his fingers.  He thought he looked pretty good, too.

     From the locker room, Joe walked to court three, the one they
had reserved.  He entered the small door.  Jay was already on the
court swatting the ball against the wall.  When he saw Joe, his
eyes widened.  Joe suddenly felt self conscious with Jay looking at
his body, and crossed his legs, and held his racket in front of his
body.  He could feel the blood rush to his face.

     "Wow, you are gorgeous, Joe!" Jay exclaimed.  "I didn't know
you looked like that."

     "Just keep your mind on the game, you horny toad," Joe said. 
"Don't forget, it's me in here, and I'm not about to put up with
any shit from you."

     "I'm sorry," said Jay, continuing to stare at Joe as he walked
to the corner and bent over to put his towel on the floor.  "It's
just that...  I knew you looked feminine, but I wasn't ready for
this.  You... You're beautiful!"

     "Now you have some idea what I'm going through," said Joe.  He
could feel that the bottom of the leotards had ridden up on his
buttocks.  He grinned at Jay as he pulled them down.  "I feel just
like you do.  I just look like Debbie Winger."

     Jay had the ball.  "Ladies first," he said, and tossed the
ball to Joe, grinning.

     Unsure of his abilities, but wanting to do well, Joe served
with what he felt was more power than usual.  The ball went where
he aimed, but did not have the speed he wanted.  "My arms just
don't have any strength," he thought sadly, and felt his small
biceps.  "I not only look like a girl, I guess I play like a girl."

     Jay easily returned the ball, but, not taking advantage, he
hit the ball back to the wall with an easy lob, which Joe had no
trouble hitting.  Joe ran and back handed the ball with all the
force he had.  He felt awkward when he ran, since he still was not
used to his wider hips and lower center of gravity.  The ball went
right to Jay, who snapped it back with his old familiar speed.  The
ball ricocheted to the opposite corner.  Joe dove for all he was
worth, but he could not get to the ball.  Jay's point.  The game
progressed in this manner with Joe getting a point for every two or
three scored by Jay.

     The game progressed, with Joe getting trounced.  As Joe stood
at the back of the court, and prepared to serve.  Jay, standing in
front, was bent over, ready to receive the serve.  Joe hesitated,
looking at Jay, at his buns and broad shoulders.  He studied Jay,
checking himself for signs of arousal, but he found he was not
nearly as interested in Jay as Jay obviously was in him.  He saw
the bulge in Jay's shorts.  He knew an embarrassing erection when
he saw one, but doubted that he had ever caused one before.  Jay
saw him staring.

     "Sorry Joe," Jay said.  "I don't know what's come over me."

     "No sweat, buddy," Joe replied, grinning.  "I just wish that
Woody would slow you down a little, so I could catch you.  Looks
like I'm going to need all the advantage I can get."  Seeing male
arousal from the other side for the first time, he realized that no
matter how Jay felt about their friendship, as long as he looked
like he did, it would never be the same as before.

     The game continued quickly, with Jay scoring at will, and Joe
getting run all over the court.  His light blue leotard was getting
dark spots where the sweat was beginning soak through.

     At the end of the third game, and near the end of their hour
court time, Jay came up and held his hand out.  Joe took it, and
shook the big hand of his buddy.

     "Good game, Jay," Joe said.  "You beat the pants off me."

     "Considering the pants, you did pretty good," Jay joked.

     They picked up their stuff and walked out of the court, toward
the locker rooms.  As they passed the exercise machines, Joe could
see that the guys working out were eyeing him as he walked by.  He
knew that he probably looked appealing to them, but he just felt
tired.

     "I'll see you in a few minutes," Jay said, as he walked on
toward his locker room.

     Joe entered his locker room.  He wiped the sweat from his
forehead as he walked to his locker.  There were three women on the
benches near him.

     "Looks like you had a tough workout," one of the young women
said.

     "Yeah, I got beat three times," he said, wishing they would
leave.

     He opened the locker and removed his gym bag.  He pulled the
crop top over his head.  He was soaked except for the outline of
his bra.  He pulled his arms out of the armholes of the wet
leotard.  He then realized he still had his shoes and socks on and
sat on the bench.  He removed his shoes and socks, stood up, and
pulled the leotard down and stepped out.

     He looked over at the women getting dressed to exercise.  He
was too embarrassed to get completely undressed with them there. 
He fumbled around, hoping that they would finish and leave.

     After a bit the women gathered their things and walked out. 
Joe removed his underwear and, taking a bar of soap and a towel
which he held in front of himself, he walked quickly to the
showers.

     Joe hung up the towel and turned on the shower head.  As it
warmed, he adjusted it to a comfortable temperature and stood under
the streaming water.  It felt great as it pelted his tired sweaty
body.  He let the water stream on his face, holding his hands over
his sensitive breasts.  Suddenly, he felt the sting as the water
washed some of the mascara into his eyes.  He realized then that he
was washing off all the cosmetics that the lady in the department
store applied.  Though it had held up well during his earlier
shower, now he had washed it away, or at least he had messed it up
so bad that he would have to wash it all off.  He did not think he
could put it back on with the skill of the saleslady, but it was
too late now.

     After soaping and rinsing, he took the towel and dried himself
quickly.  He wrapped the towel around his body, and walked back to
the bench.  He took the towel and quickly dried his hair, and then
poked through his bag looking for his underwear.  He found the
panties he was wearing when he arrived, and put them on.  The silky
nylon again felt unfamiliar, and he thought to himself that maybe
he should get some underwear more like the cotton lycra sport
panty, which was not so feminine, and also seemed to firm up his
soft butt.  He slipped into the pink bra, and quickly put on the
jump suit.

     Suitably clothed, he took his hair brush and went around the
corner to the sinks and mirrors.  He studied his face.  Without the
makeup and mascara, he looked much different, a little more
familiar, but not really like he used to.  He decided not to try
anything here, and besides, he had not brought anything along
anyway.  He just brushed his hair over to one side, making it look
as feminine as it could.  He went back and collected his things and
placed them into his bag.  He noticed the bath powder, and wondered
when he should have used it.  He then took the bag and walked out. 
It was not nearly as difficult as he had feared.

     Jay was not standing near the men's locker room door, so he
walked to the front alone.  He saw him standing at the counter
talking to the girl who staffed the desk.  Jay grinned when he saw
him, and walked over to him.

     "I asked about your membership," Jay said.  "They have no
problem with it, as long as you have identification."

     Joe's face turned beet red.  "You told her about my problem?"
he said quietly turning away from the young lady, who knew him as
a man, and was looking at him with curiosity.

     "Well, Joe," Jay answered, "I don't know how to help you
without talking to people about your situation, and besides, there
will be no way to hide from it.  You might as well get used to it."

     "No!" Joe insisted.  "I won't get used to it.  This is only
temporary until I can figure a way out of this situation.  I'm sure
that doctors will be able to help.  For God's sake, they can do sex
change operations on men to make them women, they ought to be able
to make me look like a male again."  Joe was visibly shaken, and
almost to tears.

     The girl called to him, "Joe, come over here, please.  Let me
talk with you."  She had a friendly smile.

     Joe walked over to the counter.  "I don't know what's happened
to me, but I'm sure it's only temporary," he said quickly.

     "Whatever has happened, I'm sure we can help you," she said,
reaching across the counter, and taking Joe's hand.  "If there is
any way I can help, or if you have any questions which I might be
able to help you with, don't be afraid to ask.  My name is Judy."

     "She's treating me like I'm really a girl," Joe thought,
pulling his hand away in embarrassment.

     "I really appreciate your concern, but I don't think you can
help me much, Judy," Joe said.  "I think it will take a doctor to
get me back to normal."

     "Well, don't be afraid to come in here, or call me at home if
you want.  I work from five to ten every evening except Sunday. 
I'll let you in here ... with or without Jay," Judy said smiling
knowingly.

     "Thanks, Judy," Joe said, and walked toward the door.

     Jay followed him out, and when they were outside, walking
toward their cars, Jay looked at Joe.

     "Joe, I'll help you in every way I can, but you will have to
trust me," Jay said.  "I won't do anything to embarrass you if it
is possible, but I think your problem is going to be difficult, and
you're going to have to get over your embarrassment.  Damn it, Joe,
it just might be possible that you will have to remain as you are. 
Would that be so bad?  You are a GOOD looking woman."

     "I'm NOT a woman!" Joe almost shouted.  He looked around the
parking lot, and hoped no one heard his outburst.  "I'm a man, and
I will always be a man."

     "Well, mister, you have the nicest ass I've ever seen," Jay
said sarcastically, but grinning, "on a MAN that is.  Just in case
you were wondering how you looked."

     "I'll call my friend at the forensic lab tomorrow morning,"
Jay said, suddenly getting serious again.  "Maybe he'll see you
tomorrow even if it is Saturday."

     "Thanks, Jay," Joe said quietly.  "I'm sorry I snapped at you. 
I just don't know how to handle this sometimes."

     "That's okay buddy," Jay said, patting Joe on the back, and
squeezing his soft shoulder.  "You're doing such a good job that
sometimes I just forget that you're really a guy.  You look so much
like a woman, and are doing a pretty good job of acting like one. 
I just forget that you aren't one."

     "I have to meet Linda tonight," Joe said as he remembered.  "I
have to tell her about this myself."

     "Well, I don't envy your relationship with Linda," Jay said. 
"I'll call you tomorrow morning."

     "Thanks for everything, Jay," Joe said.  He took Jay's hand
and squeezed it in his small one.

     Joe opened his car, threw his bag in the back, and slid into
the seat.  He decided to go get Linda wearing the jumpsuit.  He had
an hour to go until the time he told her, and he felt most
comfortable dressed like he was.
                             Chapter 6
                               LINDA


     Joe arrived at Linda's home more than thirty minutes before
the time they had agreed upon.  He sat in the driveway, wondering
if he should go to her door, or wait a while.  He decided to go up
and ring the bell.

     Linda called out, "Just a moment," and then, "Who's there?"

     "It's me, Joe," Joe returned.  "I'm sorry, I'm a little
early."

     "Hi, Joe," Linda said, opening the door.

     Linda was not ready yet, and was wearing a satin robe.  She
looked at Joe.  "Joe?  Are you Joe?" she questioned.  "You told me
something was wrong, but I don't understand.  You look different;
smaller."

     "Unfortunately, size isn't the only difference," Joe said,
entering her apartment.  "I'll tell you about it, as much as I
know, anyway."

     "Why are you wearing that jumpsuit?" Linda asked.  "It makes
you look sort of feminine."

     "Linda, I...  I...  When I woke up this morning, I found that
I've gone through some kind of change," Joe stammered.  "I...  I
don't know what caused it, but there are some significant differ-
ences in my appearance.  In fact, I look VERY feminine." He pulled
the zipper of the jumpsuit down a few inches, revealing his
hairless chest, the cleavage of breasts, and the lacy top of a bra.

     Linda's eyes widened when she saw his chest.  She reached out
and touched the edge of the bra, and quickly drew her hand back.

     "You're not Joe," she said.  "I don't know what you're trying
to do, but this is not funny."

     "Linda, I AM Joe!" he protested.  "I know I don't look the
same, but I am still Joe.  I don't know what has happened to me,
but I'm still the same person, and I still love you."  Joe sprawled
in a chair, looking like he was ready to cry.

     "Joe?  It is you, isn't it," Linda said, going over to him.

     "Linda, I'll understand if you don't want anything to do with
me," Joe said, reaching out for her.

     She sat down and he pulled her to his lap.  It was awkward
since she was now about the same size as he was, and he was not as
strong as he thought he was.  They wrapped their arms around each
other, and hugged each other tightly.  Linda looked into his face,
and could see that it was really Joe, the guy with whom last night
she had talked marriage plans.  The man she loved.  The man who
loved her.  As their breasts touched, Linda pulled back.  She
grabbed the tab of his zipper, and pulled it down further, below
the front clasp of the bra.  With her finger, she pulled on the
lacy edge of one of the silky cups exposing a nipple.  He looked
into her eyes.

     "They're real, aren't they," she said, seeing the nipple
become erect to her touch.

     "Well, they sure feel real to me," he said, taking her hand,
and squeezing it.  "I don't know what's going on, but I'm going to
correct it."

     "Where did you get those clothes?" she asked.

     "I've made two trips to the mall today already," Joe said. 
"None of my old clothes fit, and I'm really at a loss as what I
should do.  Jay knows, and he's helping to find a way to solve my
identity problems, and I've got to find a doctor to get me back to
normal."

     "What can I do to help, Joe?" Linda said.  "I'll gladly help
you in any way I can.  I still love you, too, no matter how you
look."

     "I'm waiting for a call from Jay," Joe told her.  "He knows
people who can help, at least I think he does.  Until then, I just
have to make the best of it."

     "What do you want me to do?" Linda repeated.

     "I don't know, Linda," Joe said.  "Just let me be with you. 
I need a somebody to talk to right now.  I don't even know what
kind of problems I'll have next."

     "Do you want me to stay with you?" Linda asked.  "I might be
able to help with some of your problems.  I am a woman."

     "I don't know," Joe said again.  "I guess I could use your
advice though."

     "Okay then, I'll do whatever you want," Linda told him.

     "Are you hungry?" Joe asked.  "I did say we would go to
Bennigan's."

     "I haven't eaten since lunch," Linda replied.

     "Well, then let's go get something to eat," Joe said.  "I'm
famished."

     Linda got up from the chair, and Joe stood and zipped his
jumpsuit.  Linda watched him as he straightened his clothes.

     "Are there any other changes?" she asked, her eyes on his
crotch.

     "I'm afraid so," Joe said.  "I'm not completely certain, but
it's likely we could be mistaken for sisters."

     Linda went to her bedroom to finish dressing.  Joe sat, and
waited.

     When Linda came back, she was wearing jeans, and a white
cotton top.  Usually when they went out on Fridays, she dressed up
more.  "She's probably just trying to match my jumpsuit," Joe
thought.

     They went out to Joe's car.  Joe opened the door for Linda,
and she smiled at him, and got in.  He went to his door and buckled
in.

     As they drove toward the restaurant, they did not talk much. 
Linda put her hand on Joe's arm, as he kept his hand on the shift
lever.  Joe looked at Linda, and smiled.

     "Whatever has happened, I'm sure there is a biological reason,
and if there is, there must also be a way for me to get back to
normal," Joe said, not sure if he was trying to convince Linda, or
just thinking out loud.

     "Don't worry, Joe," Linda returned.  "We'll work it out,
whatever happens."

     When they arrived at Bennigan's, they were quite busy, as they
usually were on Friday evenings.  They had to wait for a table. 
Joe told the girl at the door they would sit at the bar until they
were called.  He and Linda went to the bar and found two stools. 
There were other couples at the bar, and five men.  Joe and Linda
took their places.  The bartender asked Joe what he would like to
drink.  Joe looked at Linda, letting her order first, as he usually
did.

     "I'll take a Michelob Dry," Linda said.

     The bartender looked at Joe.  "How about you, miss?" he asked.

     Joe could feel his face get red from embarrassment from the
bartender's words.  He looked at Linda, but she did not notice, or
pretended not to.  "I guess I'll have the same," he said.

     As they sat at the bar, waiting for their table, Joe noticed
that the men at the bar were watching Linda and him.  Suddenly he
realized why.  "They figure we're two single women, out on the
town, and they're sizing us up," he thought.

     Before they were done with their beer, the waitress came to
them and directed them to a table.  Joe started to help Linda with
her seat, and then reconsidered.  He would have to stop that kind
of stuff in public, he thought.

     They ordered.  Joe passed up his usual big order, and tried to
copy Linda in the amount and type of things he ordered.  With his
smaller size, he probably could not eat as much anyway, he figured.

     Every time he looked at Linda, their eyes met.  He realized
she was watching him very closely.  He looked at her and smiled
shyly.

     "Don't worry, I'm the same guy," he offered.  "I feel the
same.  I think the same.  I just look different."

     "You certainly do look different," Linda said.  "What does it
feel like?"

     "What do you mean, what does it feel like?" he asked.  "I feel
just the same as always, and sometimes, that's a problem.  I guess
I do look like a woman, but I don't know what it feels like to be
one.  I still feel like a man, and men don't usually go to the
places I've been today."

     "How do you feel about me...  now?" Linda asked.

     "Damn it Linda, I feel the same as I ever did," he replied,
touching her hand discreetly.  "I love you as much as ever, but I
guess I just can't do much about it."

     "Don't worry Joe, I'll help you get through this, no matter
what happens," Linda said, looking at him, and smiling.  "I love
you, no matter what you look like."

     "It really helps to hear you say that," Joe said honestly. 
"You don't know how alone I've felt sometimes today."

     The waitress brought the food, and they started to eat.  Linda
started taking about what happened with her that day, and Joe
almost forgot his predicament for a few minutes.  Linda worked as
a Realtor, and spent her days showing houses.  She always had a
story to tell about the people she met while showing houses.  She
was good at her job, and made good money.

     When they were finished eating, Joe picked up the bill.  Linda
got out her purse, and pulled out a twenty.  She dropped it on the
table, and looked at Joe.

     "Let's split the bill, okay?" she said, looking at Joe for
understanding.

     Joe saw what she was doing.  She was not with him.  They were
together, as equals.  Joe pulled some crumpled bills out of one of
the pockets of his jumpsuit.  He was not used to taking a purse,
and just had his credit cards, drivers license, which he hoped he
would not need to show, and some folding money stuffed in the
pockets of the somewhat loose fitting jumpsuit.

     Joe and Linda walked out of the restaurant to Joe's car.  This
time, Joe did not open the door for her first, but got in on his
side, and then unlocked the door for Linda.

     "Where to now?" he asked.

     "Do you have anything you need to do?" Linda asked, looking at
him.

     "I don't think I should push my luck in public any more than
I have already today," Joe said, "and that beer really made me
tired."

     "Yeah, me too," Linda said.  "I worked my butt off today.  I'd
be happy to just go home, and watch a movie till I fall asleep
which won't take long."

     "Your place, or mine?" he asked, grinning.  Then he again
realized what he was thinking.  He was no longer capable of doing
what he was thinking.

     "You pick," Linda said.

     Joe looked at her.  She looked at him, and grinned a devious
grin. "Don't worry Joe, we can have a slumber party," she teased.

     "That's about all I'm capable of," Joe replied sadly, not
feeling any reaction to her attempts at humor.

     They arrived at Joe's apartment.  Linda got out, and Joe
reached in the back of his car and retrieved his new gym bag.

     "What's in there?" Linda asked.

     "Believe it or not, I played racquetball with Jay today," Joe
said.  "These are the clothes I wore, and I'd better let them dry
out."

     "You went to the health club?" Linda seemed surprised.  "You
ARE a brave soul."

     They walked up the steps to his door, and Joe opened it with
his key.  Linda entered first.  Joe followed, and went straight to
the bedroom.  Linda followed him.  He opened the gym bag, and
removed the damp towel, and the sweaty clothes.  Linda looked at
the leotard, bra, and panty.

     "I'm sorry," Linda said, holding the leotard up.  "I just
can't believe you're wearing things like this."

     "It's much harder for me, I assure you," Joe said.  It was
easy to talk with Linda.  She seemed to understand him better than
anyone.

     "I'll throw these things in the washer," Joe said, taking the
clothes and walking to the laundry area in the hallway.

     "Better take these too," Linda said, holding up the men's
black bikini briefs she found lying at the side of the bed.

     Joe grabbed the underwear, and added it to his pile of
clothes.

     "Those things will last longer if you hand wash them," Linda
said.

     "Hand wash?" Joe asked.  "I hope I don't need them long enough
to wear them out.  They'll stand up to at least one machine
washing, I think."

     "Then use the delicate cycle," Linda called from the bedroom.

     "Yes, mother," Joe whined.  He put the things in the washer,
added some other items waiting to be laundered that were lying on
the dryer, put some detergent in the machine, and, setting the
controls to delicate, started the washer.

     When he was finished, he returned to the bedroom.  Linda was
holding the box of panty liners he bought at the drugstore that
afternoon.

     "What are these for?" she questioned.

     "I was at the drug store this afternoon, getting some things
I would need, and I saw those," Joe said.  "I don't know if I need
them, but then, I don't know what I'll need next, and I thought I
better be prepared for anything."  He took the box from her and put
it in the cabinet under the sink in the bathroom.

     "You seem to be adjusting pretty well," Linda said.

     "No, I'm not, really," Joe replied.  "I'm able to handle it
because I'm sure it is only temporary.  I know I won't be like this
very long." He came back into the bedroom, and from the gym bag,
took some deodorant and bath powder and carried it into the
bathroom.  "I bought this powder this afternoon, but I don't really
know when to use it," he told her.

     "What do you mean, don't know when to use it?" Linda said. 
"After your bath, or shower, you just dust it on.  It makes you
feel soft, and smooth."

     "Well, I feel too soft and smooth right now," Joe said.  "I
hardly need something else to help with that."

     "Joe, I know you aren't a woman, and don't want to be a woman,
but as long as you look like one anyway, even temporarily, there is
no reason you shouldn't enjoy the things which can make a woman
feel good," Linda told him.

     "I'm doing my best to make this a learning experience," Joe
said.

     "I don't think I could do as well as you, if I were put in the
same situation," Linda said.  "It's almost possible to forget that
you are not a real woman."

     "I don't forget," Joe said.  "I'm getting stiff from the
workout I got playing Jay this afternoon.  I got beat three out of
three.  That never happens."

     "What you need is a hot bath," Linda said.  "I know you never
take a tub bath, but you might like the feeling of a warm soak in
the bubbles."

     "I don't have any bubbles," Joe said, "but a warm soak might
feel good.  It's amazing how much more sensitive my body feels
now."

     Linda went into the bathroom.  She looked through the
cabinets.  Finally, she said, "You're right, you don't have any
bath beads."

     "Why would I?" Joe said.  "I've never had the desire for a
bubble bath before, and my girlfriends never found time to soak in
my tub until now."  He winked at Linda.

     "No matter, the warm water will feel good anyway," she said,
and started to fill the tub.

     Joe watched her as she filled the tub.  He still felt the same
about her, but wondered how she really felt about him, now that he
looked like this.  He decided that he would not worry about it
until it became a problem.

     "Come on, Joe," Linda said.  "Get out of that jumpsuit.  I'll
have the tub ready in just a minute."

     "You're gonna get in with me, aren't you?" Joe asked,
grinning.

     "I don't know," Linda answered.  "Do you think I should?"  She
looked concerned.

     "We're consenting adults, aren't we, and besides, what would
it hurt?" Joe asked.  "What indeed," he thought.

     Joe went back to the bedroom.  He unzipped the jumpsuit, and
pulled it off his shoulders.  He sat on the bed, and was removing
his Reeboks and socks, when Linda came into the room.  She saw him
sitting on the bed, removing his socks, and stepping out of the
jumpsuit.  She stopped, and stared at him, her eyes wide with
curiosity.

     "You really do look like a woman, don't you?" she said.  "I'm
sorry, but I just keep getting confused by the contrast of who I
think you are, in my head, and what I see with my eyes."

     "I know, I have the same problem, but you can bet it's even
worse for me," Joe said.

     "Forgive me for staring, Joe, but I just can't help myself,"
Linda said.  "I still think of you as a male, but as I see you
standing there, you look so different."

     "I think of myself as male too, and I hope you continue to
feel that way about me," Joe said, removing his bra.  The bra had
made lines in his breasts where it rubbed the soft skin.  He
scratched at the area with his hand.  He walked into the bathroom,
still wearing his panties.  Linda followed, just watching him walk.

     "Amazing," she said.  "Except for your hair, you look like an
exact copy of yourself, except female.  What could have caused this
to happen?"

     "I wish I knew, and I WILL find out," Joe said firmly,
removing his panties.  Again Linda could not take her eyes from
him.  He felt self conscious.  "Except for this damn wetness, I
feel almost exactly the same.  Sometimes, I even feel like I'm
having an erection.  I just can't see it, that's all.  Don't you
ever feel like you're having an erection?"

     "Gosh, Joe, I don't know," Linda answered.  "I've never had an
erection.  Unlike you, I've never been a man, you know.  How would
I know what one feels like?"

     "Yeah, I guess your right," he said sticking his foot into the
tub, to test the temperature.

     He got in the tub, and sat slowly.  The temperature was just
right.  He leaned back.  The porcelain was cool on his back, but
warmed quickly.  He closed his eyes.  He heard Linda wet her hands,
rub them with soap, and then felt her soft hands massaging his
tired and sore neck muscles.  It felt good.  He kept his eyes
closed, and enjoyed the relaxing feeling.

     "I must be doing something right," Linda said, breaking the
silence.  "You're grinning like a cat."

     "It's unbelievable how different everything feels now," Joe
said, looking at Linda.  "It seems like all my senses are much
sharper.  I feel hot, cold, pain, and pleasure in such a different
way.  I kind of like it."

     "So being a woman isn't so bad, huh?" Linda said, grinning. 
She reached down and gave his right nipple a little tweak.

     "Ow!" Joe exclaimed.

     "You've done that to me so many times, I just couldn't
resist," Linda said, laughing.

     "Are you going to take off those clothes, or will I have to
pull you in here with them on?" Joe asked, pulling on her arm.

     "Okay, okay, I'll get in, but you'll have to promise you'll be
nice," Linda teased.

     "What could I possibly do?" Joe said, trying to look as
innocent as he possibly could.

     Linda removed her jeans and blouse.  Joe watched her, as she
removed her underwear.  In his mind, he was comparing her body with
the one he now had.  They were about the same size, Joe maybe an
inch taller, and probably about the same weight.  Linda's hips were
larger, even though his seemed larger than before.  They had about
the same size breasts, but his were a maybe little firmer.  "Of
course, mine are only a day old," he thought, and he touched them,
just slightly.

     As Linda got in the tub, at the other end, he grinned at her,
and poked her butt with his foot.  They interlocked their legs to
find room in the tub.  Linda rubbed Joe's leg, which was practical-
ly tucked behind her back.

     "Your legs are so smooth," she said.  "Where did the hair go?"

     "Well, I don't have as much hair as I did before," Joe said,
"but I did shave my legs and underarms this morning.  I didn't want
to look like a French farm woman."

     "Certainly not, my dear," Linda teased.  "We must look
ladylike."

     "I've never seen a naked woman with hairy legs and armpit
hair, so I thought I better clean it up before I went to buy some
clothes," Joe explained.  "I wasn't sure if I should, but I didn't
like the way I looked the other way.  When I get normal again, I
guess it will have to grow back."

     "I see you still have the scar on your arm from the auto
accident," Linda noticed.  "It seems that you are feminized, but
still have the same body."

     "Yeah, I guess so," Joe said.  "I know I sure feel mostly the
same, except for the different equipment, of course." He grinned at
her, and stuck his chest out.

     "Do you like it?" Linda asked.  "You look so good, so natural,
wouldn't you like to stay this way?"

     "I'm a man," Joe insisted.  "I'm still a man, and I want to
remain a man.  This whole thing is an interesting experience, but
I couldn't imagine staying this way.  I don't want to grow old
looking like a woman."

     "Would it be so bad?" Linda countered.  "I'll be old someday,
and although I can wait, I don't dread it."

     "You were once a little girl, though," Joe said.  "You
probably dreamed of becoming a woman, maybe a mother, and all that. 
Someday I'd like to be the FATHER of your kids.  Not the mother of
some guy's."

     "Yeah, your right," Linda said.  "I guess if I were suddenly
changed to a male, I would react pretty much the same as you.  I
probably wouldn't handle it as well as you though."

     "It sure ain't easy," Joe said.  "Sometimes, I want to cry,
and sometimes I just want to punch something."

     Joe started rubbing his leg against Linda's smooth upper leg. 
She looked at him and smiled.

     "You feel so nice now that you're soft too," she said, "but of
course, I like you the old way better."

     They lingered in the water for a while longer, enjoying each
other's company, until the cramped quarters became uncomfortable. 
Joe felt his legs going to sleep.

     "I'm going to have to get out of this tub, or you will have to
help me out," Joe said.  "My butt is completely numb."

     Joe got up and stepped over the side of the tub.  He went to
the towel closet, and removed two bath towels.  He gave one to
Linda, as she got out of the tub.  They dried off, watching each
other, and smiling.

     "Show me how to use this bath powder," Joe said, getting it
out of a drawer.

     "There's no secret," Linda said.  "Even a GUY could use it if
he wanted to."

     "Okay then, I want to try it," Joe said, and opened the cap. 
He gave it to Linda.  "Show me."

     She finished drying and took the powder, sprinkled a little in
her hand, and rubbed it on her breasts, buttocks, and legs.  Joe
watched intently.  When she finished, she gave the powder to him.

     Joe awkwardly sprinkled some powder on his hand.  He rubbed it
on his breasts very self consciously.  He took some more, and
applied it to his legs and soft butt.

     "There, doesn't that just feel great?" Linda asked.  "It makes
you feel so soft and smooth."  She touched Joe lightly on his arm.

     Joe went to her, and put his arms around her.  Both naked,
they just hugged, standing right there in the bathroom.  Joe
thought that Linda seemed so big, but realized it was his smaller
size which made the difference.  He was just a little taller than
Linda now, and did not have to look down at her as he held her
close.  "Hell with it!" he thought, and kissed her.  Linda tensed
up at first, but then she reacted like always, willingly kissing
him back, and rubbing his soft back.  "It feels the same," he
thought.  "She just seems bigger; that's all." He wondered what
Linda was thinking.  He decided to ask her.

     "Does this bother you?" he asked.  "I'll stop if this seems
perverted, or anything, to you.  I'll understand, but I just need
to hold you if I can."

     "Joe, I told you I still love you, and it doesn't seem at all
perverted to me.  You are a man after all, no matter what you look
like, and besides, you're so soft, and smell so nice," she said,
winking at him.

     Joe picked up his underwear, and took it into the bedroom.  He
was going to put it in the laundry room, when Linda called from the
bedroom.

     "Do you have any Ivory Snow?" she asked.  "Those things should
be hand washed here in the sink."

     "I have Ivory Liquid dish washing liquid in the kitchen," Joe
replied.  "I'll get some."

     Joe quickly went to the kitchen, and got the squeeze bottle of
detergent.  He gave it to Linda.

     "Now, where is your lingerie?" Linda asked.

     Joe looked at her.  "Lingerie?" he questioned.

     "Your underwear, Joe.  I'll show you how to wash it out,"
Linda said, shaking her head.  "Men."

     "Oh, I see, I didn't think about doing that," he said, and
went to retrieve them from the top of the washer.

     "And bring your exercise clothes from the washer while you're
there," she called.  "They are surely done by now, and we can hang
them in the shower with our other things."

     Joe brought the blue leotard, the little top, and the
underwear.  Linda had the sink full of soapy water, and was already
washing out her panties, and bra.  She took Joe's things, and put
them in the sink.  As she finished each item, she carefully wrung
the soapy water out, and placed each garment on the counter in a
little ball.  When she finished washing Joe's things, she drained
the sink, and rinsed each one under the tap.

     "Dainty things last longer, and look better, if you hand wash
them," she said.  "You may be a temporary woman, but I'm not, and
I hate to see you wash them in the machine.  Besides, they can dry
hanging in the shower, and they'll be ready in the morning."

     Linda took each item and hung it over the glass doors of the
shower.  Joe got a strange feeling, seeing his underwear, panties
and bra, hanging side by side with his girlfriend's.

     "I hope you're happy now," Joe said.  "You have my bathroom
looking like two women live here."

     Linda pinched his breast again.  "They do, Joe," she said. 
"They do."

     Joe went into the bedroom.  He and Linda usually slept in the
raw, but now he did not know.  He went to his drawer, and got two
old football jerseys.  He would at least offer one to Linda.  Linda
came out of the bathroom, and Joe held up a jersey.

     "Do you think we should wear these?" he said.

     "Why?  Do you wanna play football?" Linda teased.  "Will it
make you feel better?  If it bothers you, I'll wear one."

     "It doesn't really bother me, but I am a little self conscious
letting these knockers hang out," he grinned, shaking his breasts
provocatively.

     "Wear one if you want to," Linda said.  "I don't think I love
you for your bustline."  She went over to the television, and
turned it on.

     She turned on the VCR, found a cassette, and popped it in,
without looking at what it was.  When it came on, she saw it was an
X-Rated movie they had watched together some weeks ago.  She left
it playing.

     Joe was busy cleaning off the bed, and turned around when he
heard moans of ecstasy coming from the television.  Linda pulled
back the spread and sheet, and spread out on the bed.  Joe put the
football jersey on the dresser and lay down on the bed next to
Linda.

     "What are you trying to do to me?" Joe said laughing.  "Here
we are, in an almost perfect situation, and I'm stuck looking like
this."

     "Are you having an erection?" Linda teased.

     "I've had one ever since you hopped in the tub with me," Joe
said.  "Can't you tell?"

     Linda reached down, and with her soft hand, touched him
lightly.  She cupped his new parts with her hand.  Joe closed his
eyes, and became very tense.

     "Do you like this?" she asked.

     "It feels pretty good," he said, not wanting to open his eyes.

     "I know," Linda said.  "I know what it feels like.  Light
touches are the best.  Always remember that."

     As Joe lay there, enjoying what Linda was doing, he thought of
the things he and Linda had done in bed, other times.  He realized
he had been much too rough with her.  Now she was showing him the
error of his ways.

     With the fingers of her other hand, Linda gently circled the
nipple of his left breast.  It felt like there was a warm wire,
stretching from his nipple, to his crotch.  He began to feel a now
familiar warmth.  He reached over to Linda, but she pushed his hand
back.

     "No, you just lie there," she said firmly.  "I am doing this
for you."

     He lay back and enjoyed the feeling.  He relaxed his muscles,
but constantly had the urge to push against Linda's hand.  Linda
barely moved, but kept slight pressure on the sensitive area at the
top of his opening.  It felt so good that he was gasping.

     "Oh, God ...  Oh, God!" was all he could say.

     Linda continued in with her manipulations, until the sensation
became so intense that Joe thought he would die, and held his
breath as waves of pleasure flooded his mind.  He fell back to the
bed, and Linda took him in her arms and hugged him tightly.

     When he recovered, Joe looked directly into Linda's eyes.  She
was smiling sweetly at him.

     "You devil," he said.  "How did you know about that?"

     "Joe, I'm a woman, remember," she said.  "I would know about
things like that."

     "Why didn't you tell me to do that to you a long time ago?"
Joe asked.  "I would love to make you feel this good."

     "It's hard to tell a man how to do it," she explained.  "You
have to be a woman to understand.  You're fortunate to have had the
experience."

     He thought about what she was saying, and he understood.

     "You can pay me back for the lesson any time you'd like,"
Linda said, winking at Joe.

     He moved toward her, and gently touched her, the way she had
just done to him.  They continued throughout the night, waking in
the morning in each other's arms, to the light of the television
which had glowed unnoticed all night long.
                            Chapter 7
                          THE SECOND DAY

     The sun was just making itself known as Joe woke up.  The
first thing he noticed was the snowy glow coming from the televi-
sion on the other side of the room.  He also realized that Linda
was with him.  She was still asleep, her arm lying across his
chest.  He looked at her.  He thought she was lovely.  The dim
light made her look almost angelic as she lay there, breathing
softly.  He thought of last night, and the things they did.

     He felt his body.  He somehow hoped that he would find he had
changed back to normal, but the now familiar softness told him that
he was entering the second day of his new body, and he was doing it
in bed with his girlfriend.

     Joe reached for the remote control laying on the stand at the
other side of the bed.  Moving as softly as he could, he reached
over Linda to get the device, and switched off the television.  His
movements woke her.  She mumbled something, and reached for him. 
He took her hand, and started stroking her arm.  She closed her
eyes as he rubbed her back.  He thought she was so soft, and so
beautiful.  The way she made him feel last night, and the way she
taught him to please her, still seemed like a dream.  He did not
feel self conscious around her at all.  He began to wonder about
himself.  Was he destined to be a Lesbian?  No, he figured, he did
not think, or act, like a woman, but last night, he did experience
better sex than he could ever remember.  He really had not missed
his penis.

     Joe rubbed his crotch.  The excitement last night left his
pubic hair matted and stiff with dried juices.  He roughed it up
with his hand, until it became soft again.  He was getting
accustomed to his new shape, but it still felt strange when he
touched himself there.  He wondered what the doctors could do to
give him a working male organ.  He had to be able to be changed
back.  This body was an interesting experience, but nothing more.

     He looked at Linda.  She had not fully awake, but had rolled
over to face him.  She was naked also, and breathing moved her
breasts very provocatively.  Joe could feel himself becoming
aroused again.  You horny dude, he told himself.  You can't let up
one minute.  He thought about it.  It was true, it seemed he was
much more easily aroused now, and had far quicker recovery, than
even when he was a teenager.  He wondered, do women all feel like
this?  If they do, how do they keep their composure the way they
seem to.  Linda was always great in bed, but never before had she
taken the initiative like she did last night.  Did his new body
turn her on?  Was he less intimidating now?  Or was she just more
uninhibited, now that the risk of pregnancy was nil.

     The thought of Linda getting pregnant made him consider
something else.  He loved Linda, and he was sure she loved him too,
but he realized that no matter what happened, if he stayed as he
was, or submitted to doctors and surgery, or whatever, he would
probably never be able to give her a child.  He stared at the
ceiling.  "Hell, I just realized!" he said to himself.  "I'm
sterile."

     Then, he reconsidered.  "Maybe I'm NOT sterile!" he thought. 
That was even a bigger problem.  Until this minute, he had never
really even considered that HE might become pregnant.  Was it
possible?  He certainly looked female, and everything SEEMED to
work.  Then he realized that he could not get knocked up without
having sex with a guy, and he could never do that.  He mulled it
over.  No matter who he considered, he could not picture himself
having sex with them.  No, pregnancy would not be a problem.  "Oh,
God," he prayed, "please, just give me my normal body."

     Joe lay there thinking, and looking at Linda, when he had the
urge to pee.  "It seems I have to go more often now," he thought. 
"I must have a smaller bladder too, I guess."

     He pressed on his abdomen, trying to feel for differences
between his male organs and whatever he had now.  His stomach was
a little flatter than before, and a little softer, but he could not
tell any difference, otherwise.  "I wonder if I've got female
internal organs?" he considered.  His testicles were gone.  Maybe
he had ovaries.  He remembered from biology that ovaries were
connected to a pear shaped organ, the uterus.  "Do I have a
uterus?" he wondered.  It was at the top of the vagina, he
remembered.  He had personally explored a few vaginas, and some, he
knew, had something inside, which felt sort of like the head of a
penis.  That, he knew, was the opening to the uterus.  He consid-
ered probing his vagina to check for a uterus.

     Although he had already examined his new parts somewhat with
his fingers, it was a little uncomfortable to do, and he had not
gone in very deeply.  He now realized how difficult it was for
women just to see their genitalia, much less examine them.  Till
now, he had not actually seen his own vagina except while standing
at a mirror.  He could not see much that way, and what was visible,
was partially hidden by his pubic hair.  He needed a hand mirror,
but he did not have one.

     He got out of bed as quietly as he could.  He tiptoed to the
bathroom, and closed the door without latching it.  He went to the
toilet, raised the lid and sat.  Soon, he felt relief.  He was
getting familiar with this difference too.  "No real problem as
long as you're not dressed," he thought.  He finished, and returned
to the bedroom.

     Linda was awake, and watched him walk back to the bed.  She
smiled at him.  He laid down next to her.  She moved over to him,
and kissed him on the lips.

     "I heard you in the bathroom," she said.  "It must be
difficult for you to be like this."

     "I guess I'm getting used to it a little," Joe replied, "but
being a guy definitely has some advantages, especially in the
bathroom." He grinned.

     "You don't miss what you never have," Linda said.  She hopped
out of bed and scurried to the bathroom.  Without shutting the
door, she sat and relieved herself too.  It was the first time Joe
had seen her do that.  She quickly finished, and returned to the
bedroom.  She did not get back in bed, but stood at the end,
looking at Joe.

     "What are your plans today?" she asked.

     "I'm expecting Jay to call, or I'll call him soon," he said. 
"He said he has a friend at the police who can help me prove my
identity."

     "What will he do?" Linda asked.

     "I'm not sure, but I think he'll want to take my finger-
prints," Joe said.  "I think I'd have a problem if I had an auto
accident, or something like that right now."

     "Do we have to stay here at your apartment?" Linda asked.

     "I don't see any reason to," Joe said.  "Why?  What do you
want to do?"

     "I'd like to go over to my house," Linda said.  "I have a few
things to do there, and if you like, we can swim, or lie at the
pool a bit."

     "Okay," Joe said.  "I'll get my swim trunks"

     "Trunks?  You're gonna wear your trunks?" Linda laughed. 
"Well, no one but me will see you, so you can, if you want."  She
winked.

     Joe grinned, and said, "Okay, okay, so I forgot.  I'll get a
girl's swimsuit."

     "You don't really need to, Joe," Linda said, seriously.  "That
blue leotard would be ok, and I probably have a suit that would fit
you.  I'm sure a two-piece would."

     "I don't know, Linda," Joe said, "Wearing one of your suits
might make me feel strange."

     "Whatever you want," Linda said.

     "We can try it," Joe said.  "I'll call Jay in a little while,
and then we can do whatever we want."

     Joe got out of bed, and walked into the bathroom.  "I'm gonna
take a shower," he called, noticing all the underwear hanging from
the shower door.  A little embarrassed, he removed the dainty
things, and took them into the bedroom, and put them on the bed. 
He walked back to the bathroom, and started the water flowing.

     He adjusted the water temperature, and got in the shower.  He
stood under the streaming water, holding his hands over his
sensitive breasts.  He soaped quickly, and rinsed.  The warm water
felt good, but he did not want to linger.  He finished quickly,
turned off the water, and got out of the shower.  Taking a towel
from the cabinet, he dried off, and walked into the bedroom, where
Linda was sitting on the bed, looking at his clothes.

     "You played racquetball with Jay yesterday," Linda questioned. 
"Why did you wear clothes like this?" She held up his blue leotard.

     "What do you mean?" Joe asked.  "What should I wear?  My
regular gym shorts and tee-shirt wouldn't fit me, and I don't think
I need my jock strap in my present condition."

     "What did Jay think of you, in this sexy outfit?" Linda asked
jealously.

     "I guess he was surprised that I looked like this," Joe
replied.  "He saw me earlier, at the restaurant wearing a skirt,
but I don't think he got the full effect of what has happened to
me, until he saw me wearing this."

     "Why did you wear it?" Linda asked.  "Were you trying to
excite him?"

     "Excite him?  Excite him?" Joe asked, getting confused and
irritated.  "Hell, I was trying to be as inconspicuous as I could
be, considering I woke up that morning with a body of another sex. 
I wasn't trying to excite him, it never really occurred to me that
I might be able to.  I went to the store to get some gym clothes,
and this is what the lady recommended.  I guess I should have worn
coveralls or something.  Damn it, Linda, give me a break, will
you?"

     "I'm sorry Joe," Linda said.  "I guess I'm just a little
jealous, and of Jay, no less.  Considering how you look now, I'm
trying to sort out how I should feel about that."

     "How you should feel?" Joe asked.  "How should I feel, for
that matter?  I know I look different, like a woman, but I don't
want to be treated like one, not by people who know me, at least
not yet."

     Joe went on.  "I know our relationship might have to change,"
he said, "but I don't want it to, unless it has to.  I still think
of you as my girl, but I realize it may be difficult for you to
think of me as your guy, especially when you can share swimsuits
with me, and all, but I won't look like this forever.  I won't, so
don't worry.  I'll be your man again.  It will just take me some
time to sort this out."

     "Joe, I'm sorry I jumped on you," Linda said.  "I know you're
doing your best.  We'll both have to be understanding, if we're
going to get through this."

     "Let's get dressed, and I'll call Jay," Joe said.  He looked
at the underwear on the bed.  He sorted his from Linda's, then put
it in his underwear drawer with the other things he bought
yesterday, as well as his men's underwear.  He selected pastel blue
panties, and a beige bra like the kind he knew Linda wore.  He
tossed them on the bed beside Linda.  She was dressing too, and the
bra she was wearing was like his.

     "Is this stuff okay with you?" Joe said, joking.

     "Yeah, Joe, it's fine," Linda said, smiling.  "I'm sorry."

     Joe took his panties and slipped them on easily.  He was now
familiar with the way they fit his hips, and the new sleekness of
his crotch.  He picked up the bra, and sorted the tangle of straps. 
When it was arranged, he stuck his arms in the appropriate places
and fitted the cups around his breasts.  As he was hooking the
plastic clasp, he noticed Linda was watching.  He looked at her,
grinned, and shrugged his shoulders.

     "Hey, I'm doing my best," he said.  "This is only the fourth
time I've ever put one of these things on."

     "It's not that, Joe," Linda said, smiling.  "I guess I was
comparing your boobs with mine.  Yours are so firm, and you don't
even want them."

     "If I could give them to you, I would," Joe replied.  "I know
they look okay.  I still have a male brain, you know, but it just
ain't the same when they're mine."  He grinned, stuck his chest
out, and shook it suggestively.

     Linda wore the clothes she came with, but Joe did not know
what he should wear.  He did not want to wear a dress, and the only
thing that he could think of was the jumpsuit, or maybe try some of
his men's clothes that might be made to work.

     "What do you think I should wear?" he asked Linda.  "I don't
have anything but this jumpsuit, and some dresses, or, maybe I can
try some of my blue jeans, but they're way too big for me now."

     "Wear the jumpsuit," Linda said.  "I'll help you find
something later."

     Joe got the jumpsuit, and stepped into it.  It was his
favorite thing to wear now, it did not emphasize his new shape, but
it did look attractive.  He zipped up the front, and smoothed out
the sides.  Covering up his new body helped him forget his
problems, just a little bit.

     As Linda finished dressing, Joe lay on the unmade bed, and
picked up the phone.  He punched the auto-dialer for Jay's house. 
He waited while it rang, for about a minute.  He then hung up, and
selected the number for Jay's office.  Jay himself answered, almost
immediately.

     "Good morning Jay, Joe here," Joe said.  "Have you found
anything?"

     "Hi Joe.  Yeah, I've got some news," Joe responded.  "I just
got off the phone with a friend of mine, his name's Dan McGuire. 
He works in the coroner's office, at the hospital.  He is familiar
with proving identification, usually on unknown murder victims, but
he said he could work on living persons too as a favor to me."

     "The coroner's office?" Joe said.  "I hope he don't want to
hang a tag on my toe." Joe laughed.

     "No problem there, Joe," Jay said, "but you can go over there
any time you want, even today, between nine and five."

     "Okay," Joe said, "I'll run over right now." He glanced at the
bedside clock.  It said ten minutes after ten.

     "Let me know what happens," Jay responded, "and what did Linda
say when you told her?"

     "Linda is understanding," Joe said, watching Linda as she
buttoned her blouse.  "She's gonna help me with the things you
can't.  She's with me now."

     "Well, that's great Joe," Jay said.  "I'm glad you're getting
by.  Be sure you call me with whatever Dan finds."

     "Thanks, Jay," Joe said.  "I'll let you know as soon as I find
anything out.  See you later."

     "Later, Joe," Jay said, and hung up.

     Joe looked at Linda.  "I need to go to the coroner's office
for a little while," he said.

     "The coroner?  What can he do?" Linda asked.

     "It's not the coroner," Joe answered.  "It's one of Jay's
friends who can help me prove my identity.  I don't actually know
what I'll have to do, but I can't prove that I'm me with this
body."  He grinned, and then frowned.

     "I'll be a witness for you, if that will help," Linda
volunteered.

     "I'll see what problems I'll have soon," Joe replied.  "Let's
get going."

     "I'm ready," Linda said, picking up her purse.

     Joe felt his pockets.  He had money, identification, charge
cards, and his keys, in the pockets of his jumpsuit.  He took the
small handbag anyway, but felt silly carrying it.  He took it
because he thought it would look more appropriate if he did.  Linda
watched him, and almost started belly laughing.

     "Joe, no matter what sex your body is, you look like a guy
trying to look like a woman," she said.  "Try to be more calm, and
slow down a little."

     "Right," Joe said.  "If you think this is easy, try dressing
like a guy today.  I'll be YOUR girlfriend."

     "No deal," Linda said.  "I couldn't act, or look like a man,
even if I had something happen to me like whatever happened to
you."

     "You might be amazed what you do when you don't have a
choice," Joe replied.

     They left Joe's apartment, and walked to his RX-7.  Joe
unlocked the door on his side, got in, and unlocked the door for
Linda.  She got in, and they belted in, and Joe started the engine.

     "I never realized how these seat belts could pinch a boob
until now," Joe said as he arraigned his shoulder belt.

     They drove directly to the hospital.  Joe was impatient to
find out what Jay's friend would want him to do.  As they drove
into the lot and parked, Linda walked behind him as he walked onto
the main entrance.  They looked at the board in the entrance to
find the coroner's office.  It said Room 23, the basement.  They
went to the elevator, and selected the down button.  When they
reached Room 23, Joe walked in.  Nobody was in the office, but
there was a door in the back.  Joe walked through the office, and
stuck his head through the open door.  He saw a guy sitting at a
desk, filling out forms.

     "Hi, I'm Joe Bates," he said.  "Would you be Mr. Mcguire?"

     "Good morning, Joe," the man said.  "Jay told me you would
probably be stopping by today.  Please call me Dan."

     Linda peeked through the door.  Joe and Dan both looked at
her.

     "This is my girl...  uh...  my friend Linda Mitchell," Joe
said.  "Linda, this is Dan Mcguire, Jay's friend."

     "Glad to meet you too, Linda," Dan said.  "Jay told me a
little about you, Joe, but I must have misunderstood.  I thought he
said you were a man."

     "Dan, until yesterday morning, I WAS a man," Joe said, a
little irritation showing.  "Linda is my fiance.  I don't yet
understand what's happened, but when I woke up yesterday morning,
I seem to have undergone some kind of change.  I...  uh...  I seem
to have become female.  Near as I can tell, I've turned into a
girl."

     "You were a man?" Dan asked incredulously.  "Have you been
taking hormones?  How extensive are the changes?  Do you...  uh... 
err...  Do you have male genitalia?"

     "No, I wasn't, and no, I don't, not anymore," Joe answered. 
"I was about five-eleven, but I must be about five-seven or eight
now." He zipped the jumpsuit down a little so that Dan could see
his bra-covered breasts.  "It seems I've got these now too.  I
think I've got a real problem."

     "Amazing," said Dan.  "I've never seen anything like this."

     "Can you help me?" Joe asked.  "Can you prove that I'm still
the same person?"  Joe was almost pleading with him.

     "Joe, if your body is the same, I can prove it," Dan said in
a matter of fact way.  "Jay said you were in the Air Force?"

     "Yeah, I was in for more than eight years," Joe said.  "I had
a Secret security clearance too."

     "Well then, we'll just take your prints, and a blood sample,
and that should be enough to do it, as long as you still have the
same body.  I never heard of anybody changing bodies, but then I
never heard of your situation either," Dan said, shaking his head.

     Dan got out a small ink roller and a card with little squares
on it.  He rolled some ink on a little pad.  "Please come over
here, Joe," he said.

     Joe went to him, and he held out his small hand.  Dan took it,
and in turn rolled each finger on the ink, and then on the card, in
the appropriate square.  When he was done, he gave Joe a tube of
hand cleaner, and a roll of paper towels.

     "Next, we go up to the examining room," Dan said.  "I can't
draw blood here."

     Joe cleaned off his fingers, and they all went up the
elevator.  They followed Dan into a regular examining room.  Dan
asked Joe to take a seat.  He walked out of the room, and returned
in a minute with a nurse.  He quickly introduced her, and from a
cabinet she took a syringe and a small test tube.

     "Please roll up that sleeve, Miss," the nurse said.

     Joe pulled the sleeve up.  He was amazed at how easy it was,
now that he had such small muscles in his upper arm.  The nurse
wrapped a length of surgical tubing around his arm, above his
elbow, and started feeling for a vein.  She quickly found one, and
deftly stuck the needle in.  The syringe filled with his blood
quickly.  She pulled the needle out, and gave Joe a small cotton
ball to hold over the wound.  Dan gave her a form, already filled
out, and the nurse left the room with the tube of Joe's blood.

     "There, that's done," Dan said.  "I should have the results by
Monday at noon.  I'll send for your military records, and I should
have them about the same time.  Call me Monday afternoon.  Better
yet, give me your number, and I'll call you as soon as I have some
news."

     Joe was holding his arm crooked, with the cotton ball soaking
up the small amount of blood which oozed out.  He shook Dan's hand. 
"Thanks a lot, Dan," he said.  "I don't know what I would do
without help from people like you."

     "Well, don't worry, Joe," Dan replied.  "Whatever your problem
is, I'm sure we can help you out."

     "I hope you're right," Joe said, less sure about it.

     "Nice meeting you too, Linda," Dan went on.  "Help this guy
through this, will you?"

     "I will," Linda said.  "He's doing pretty good, so far."

     "He certainly is," Dan said, lightly hitting Joe on his
shoulder.

     Joe and Linda walked out of the office, and went back up the
elevator.  As they went through the hospital lobby, they saw a
woman who was checking in.  She was obviously very pregnant.  Joe
looked at the woman, and then looked at Linda.  She saw him staring
at her.

     "What will happen to us?" Joe asked.  "You know, whatever they
do for me, I doubt I will ever be able to father children.  Hell,
I don't know what they can do for me, assuming they can do
anything."

     "Joe, whatever happens or whatever doesn't happen, I'll be
with you," Linda reassured him.  "Maybe we won't have kids
together, but let's cross those bridges when we get there."

     They went out to the parking lot, and get in Joe's car.  Joe
looked at Linda.

     "Where to now?" he asked.  "Are you getting hungry?"

     "Yeah, I sure am," Linda replied.  "Let's go to the mall, and
look for some more casual clothes for you.  Maybe some shorts and
tops.  We can get a quick bite there."

     "Okay," Joe said.  "It seems everywhere I go, I have to get
clothes first."

     "Well, I wish I could get new clothes every time I went out,
you're kinda lucky actually," Linda teased.

     "Right.  I'm with my girlfriend going to the mall, to buy
myself women's clothes, because it seems I woke up one morning with
a new body.  Yeah, I guess I'm real lucky all right," Joe lamented.

     "It could certainly be worse, Joe," Linda scolded.  "You're
healthy, and you don't know, there might be a simple answer to your
problem."

     "Well, if there is, I sure will have a bunch of useless
clothes, won't I?" Joe returned.

     "Don't ruin them, I think they'll fit me," Linda teased,
laughing.

     "I hope I can turn them over to you, real soon," Joe said.

     They pulled into the mall.  Joe parked by Sears, as usual. 
They went inside.  It was hot outside and very cool in the mall. 
They walked through the women's lingerie section.  By instinct, or
whatever, Linda stopped by one of the tables, which was now covered
with colorful panties, all on sale, thirty percent off.  She
rummaged through the things, sometimes pulling a pair out of the
pile, seemingly at random.

     "Now is the time to buy these things," she told Joe.  "You can
save a bundle when they're on sale like this."

     "Great," Joe said, grinning a sarcastic grin.  "I foolishly
went out and bought mine yesterday, and NOW they're on sale!"

     Linda looked at Joe, and realized that he was a little
uncomfortable in the lingerie section with her.  Maybe he looked
like a woman, but he was standing there with the somewhat interest-
ed, but embarrassed look most men have when they are in the women's
section with their wives, or girlfriends.

     "Lighten up, Joe," Linda tried to reassure him.  "You don't
look at all out of place here, you know."

     "Well, that makes me feel a LOT better," Joe said somewhat
sarcastically.  "Now I look right at home, digging through the
panty pile at Sears."

     "Quit your complaining, Joe," Linda admonished.  "If your
problem can be corrected, I will help you with it.  If it can't,
and you have to stay like you are now, I'll help you with that too. 
Just don't bite the hand that's feeding you."  Linda was smiling,
but serious.

     "I'm sorry," Joe said.  "I just get so frustrated with this
whole thing sometimes."

     "I think you are doing great, Joe," Linda said.  "Now, how
many pairs of underwear do you have?"

     "I don't know," Joe replied.  "I guess I bought...  let's
see...  one...  two...  three...  Yeah, I think I have five.  Three
sort of like this, and two like these."  Joe pointed at styles in
the pile as he talked.

     "Well, you might have enough then," said Linda, "but it
wouldn't hurt to get a few more.  If you suddenly don't need them
anymore, I think they might fit me.  You do seem to have smaller
hips, though."

     "Do you know what size you wear?" she asked.

     "I think the ones I have on are size five," Joe replied.

     "Five, huh.  You're smaller than me," Linda said.  "I wear a
six."

     "Well, they're not tight on me," Joe said, holding his arms
away from his hips as if to show Linda.

     "Okay, Okay, you don't have to rub it in, Joe.  You have
smaller hips than I do," Linda said.

     "Yeah, and firmer breasts, too," he said, grinning and
sticking his chest out as far as he could.

     "See how they look like when you've had them almost twenty
years, you teeny bopper," Linda reminded him.

     "Touche," Joe said.

     Linda selected a few panties for herself, and helped Joe to
decide on which he would take.  She suggested he get some stretch
cotton type which had a narrow "V" front, with leg openings that
went high up on his hip.  He was curious how they would look on
him, so he took them.  Linda selected black, and light blue; he did
not have a preference, so he agreed.  They took their selections to
the cashier, and paid for them with Linda's charge card.  Linda
then took Joe to Dillard's, to look for shorts and tops.

     "I think you would look good in a tank top," Linda said. 
"What do you think, Joe?"

     "I don't know," Joe replied.  "Isn't a tank top a little
breezy?  Kind of open on the sides?"

     "No, you'd look great in one," Linda went on.  "I'll show
you."

     She went through the racks with the speed and confidence that
showed that she liked shopping for clothes, and did it, a lot. 
Joe, who was out of his league shopping with her, decided to watch,
in amazement.  Linda quickly selected a light cotton top, with
little hot air balloons across the front.  "It was kind of cute,"
Joe thought.

     "Here, this is just the thing for a pilot, Joe," Linda said. 
"I'll bet you would look good in this." She was serious.

     "Gee, Linda, I don't know if I'm ready for something this
cute," Joe said, but he took the top from Linda, and held it in
front of himself.

     "Joe, you have to wear something other than that jumpsuit all
the time," Linda said.  "Something like this is just right for
you...  the way you look now."

     "You don't have to remind me," Joe said.  "Okay, I'll take
it."

     "No, Joe.  You have to try it on first," Linda said.  "Never
buy clothes like this without trying them on first.  It's part of
the fun."

     "Fun?" Joe asked.  "I NEVER thought trying on clothes was
fun."

     "Well, it is, and it's time you found out," Linda insisted. 
"Darn it, Joe, you look like an attractive woman, if you like it or
not.  You might as well try to enjoy it while it lasts."

     Linda took the top and walked to the dressing rooms.  Joe
followed, still feeling like an outsider in this area.  They
entered the small closet sized booth, and Linda turned to Joe.

     "Take that off, and try this," she said.  "I know you'll like
it."

     Joe unzipped his jumpsuit, and pulled it off his shoulders. 
He left it around his waist.  Linda gave him the top, and he pulled
it over his head.  The cloth was so light.  He still was not used
the lighter construction of women's clothes.  The fabric seemed to
float on his shoulders.  He looked down at his chest.  He now had
three hot air balloons aloft over the hills of his breasts.  He
stood up straight and put his arms up.  He let go of the jump suit,
and it fell to his knees.

     "Take the jumpsuit off," Linda insisted.  "I'll find some
shorts that will go great with that top."

     She went back out into the store, and Joe sat and tried to
pull the jumpsuit from over his Reeboks.  He decided to take his
shoes off, since he figured he could not get the shorts Linda would
soon be bringing back over them, anyway.  He stood there, in the
top with the balloons, his light blue panties showing out the
bottom, and his white sweat socks with little blue Reebok logos on
them.  He raised his arms again, looking down at the large armhole
openings on the little top.  He just knew people could see the
sides of his bra through the large openings.  That did not seem to
bother REAL women, and before, he had always thought the little
peek at their undies was kinda sexy.  Now that it was his undies
hanging out, he felt like he was half naked.  He adjusted the top,
pulling the little thing up, down, back, and forth.  It did not
make any difference.  It always seemed like he was hanging out.

     He was still worrying about it when Linda returned with two
pairs of shorts, one white, the other blue.  They went to just
above his knee.

     "Try these on, Joe," Linda ordered, handing him the white
pair.

     He opened the zipper, and stepped into them.  They were a
little baggy.  He buttoned the button at the waist, and pulled the
zipper up.  They were loose at the waist too.  Just a little.

     "I guess they're okay," Joe said, smoothing them down, and
arraigning the top, trying to keep his boobs from popping out the
armholes, or so it seemed to him.

     "No, they're too big," Linda insisted.  "I bought the size
that should fit me, but you're a size smaller, darn it, and yet
you're still a little taller than me too."

     "Isn't this top a little loose too?" Joe asked, hoping that
she would agree.  "I seem to be hanging out at the sides."

     Linda stood back a little, and looked at him real close.  "No,
the top is just right," she decided.  "What do you mean, you're
hanging out?"

     "Just look at this," Joe explained.  "You can see my underwear
through the armholes, can't you?"

     "No, it fits just right," Linda said again.  "Maybe it just
seems like you're hanging out because you've never worn anything
like this before.  Actually, you look great in it, Joe."

     Before he could protest any more, Linda took the blue shorts
back out, looking for a size smaller.  Joe decided to remove the
white shorts.  As he bent over to pull them off his feet, he caught
himself looking down the neck of the little top, sneaking a peek at
his own breasts.  It was weird.  They just did not seem like they
attached to him, and he felt wicked staring at them.  He took a
long look, and then stood up, grinning.  He rubbed his chest
through the light top, and could feel the slick nylon of the
seamless cups.  "I guess I'm still not used to having these things
after all," he thought.

     Just then Linda returned.  The big grin on his face made her
curious.

     "Just what is so funny?" she asked.

     "Oh, nothing," Joe answered.  What could he say?  He was just
copping a feel of his own boobs.  "Nothing at all."

     "Well then, try these on," Linda said, handing him some more
white shorts, and holding another blue pair.

     Joe put them on.  They were much more snug fitting.  Not
tight, but they fit his hips and buttocks in a fitted way that
looked just right.  Joe buttoned up, and pulled the zipper.  He
felt his buttocks.  "These are sure snug," he declared.

     Linda stood back again, and gave him the critical eye. 
"They're perfect!" she declared.  "Here, try these on."  She gave
him the light blue shorts and went back out.

     Joe was removing the shorts when Linda came back.

     "Leave those on and come along with me," she ordered.

     In his socks, Joe followed politely along behind.  They went
to the racks of tops again.  Linda started looking for another.

     "If you see something you like, let me know," she said.  "I
want you to get what you like."

     "Oh, really?" Joe asked, grinning.  "Are you starting a new
policy, all of a sudden?"

     Linda looked at him, and saw he was grinning, almost laughing
out loud.  "What's going on with you anyway?" she asked.  "Is
something funny going on that I don't get?"

     "No, I'm just in awe of the seriousness with which shopping
seems to envelop you," Joe replied.  "I guess I've never shopped
with a woman, for women's things before.  It's an art form for you,
isn't it?" he laughed.

     "Okay, okay, I'll try to lighten up a little," Linda said.  "I
guess women do take clothes more seriously than most men.  I never
thought about it much before."

     Together they selected another top for Joe.  A light blouse,
tailored more like a man's shirt in off-white, with little trees
printed all over it.  Joe liked it when he tried it on, but had a
little trouble with the buttons, which were the opposite of a man's
shirt.  They paid for the things, left the mall, and went outside,
to Joe's car.  "Where to now?" Joe asked.  "We've got the whole
day."

     "Let's go to my place," Linda said.  "I think a few hours at
the pool would feel pretty good right now."

     "Rats!" Joe said.  "I forgot the swimsuit.  We have to go back
in."

     "No, Joe.  I think I have a couple that will fit you," Linda
declared.  "I know they're a little tight for me, at least on the
bottom."

     Joe looked at her.  She looked at him.  They both grinned.
                             Chapter 8
                               HOME


     Joe and Linda drove from the mall to Linda's house, in Joe's
RX-7.  They had the rest of Saturday afternoon with nothing special
to do, and decided to spend some time at Linda's pool.

     Linda was in the real estate business, and she did well as a
salesperson for commercial and residential property.  She worked on
commission, and during the last two years had done very well.  She
had spent some of her earnings investing in her house, which was
surprisingly large, and impressive.  She did not really need all
the room, but she had liked the place as soon as she'd seen it.

     The owner, who wanted to sell quickly, accepted her offer
immediately, and so she bought the place.  It had a large drive in
front, with the detached garages in the back.  There was a large
pool, and a gazebo which housed a Jacuzzi.  It was quite a place. 
Inside, there were five bedrooms, a large family room, a big dining
room, and even a hand made room, which now only contained a Schwinn
"Air-Dyne."  The well equipped kitchen had its own eating area, and
there was even an outdoor breakfast area.  At least, that's what
she called it.  The house was really much too large a place for one
person, but she considered it an investment, and she loved it.  She
was still in the process of buying furniture for three of the
bedrooms.

     Joe drove up the drive, and pulled around back, parking in
front of the garage.  They got out, and Joe took the packages
containing clothes they bought.  There were a couple of tops and
shorts for him, and some underwear that they had bought on sale at
Linda's insistence.

     Linda took her key and opened the door.  They entered her
kitchen.

     "Let's take those things to the bedroom," Linda said.

     "Okay," Joe said.  "Do you have anything cold to drink?"

     "Sure, what would you like?" Linda replied.  "I've got iced
tea, three kinds of beer, and milk for you health nuts."

     "Better make it iced tea for me," Joe said.  He remembered how
the beer he drank last night made him feel.  He could hardly keep
his eyes open after drinking just one.  "I think my metabolism is
screwed up, so I better lay off the beer."

     "Your metabolism isn't screwed up," Linda kidded him.  "You're
just not used to being a woman."

     "Well, whatever it is, I can't hold it anymore," Joe lamented.

     "You shouldn't drink beer anyway if you want to keep that
figure," Linda teased.  Joe had been teasing her at the mall, about
how he had a better figure than she did.  It was true, and it
bothered her a little.

     Joe took the packages into Linda's bedroom.  He laid them on
the bed.  The clothes Linda had on when he first saw her last night
were lying on the bed too.  She had changed clothes when he picked
her up, so that she would not be overdressed compared with his blue
jumpsuit.  He decided to try on the new clothes they bought at the
mall.

     He removed the jumpsuit.  He liked wearing it because it
concealed his body better than the other things he had.  It was
just too warm, however.  He slipped it off his shoulders, and sat
on the bed.  He could feel the cool breeze of the air conditioning
on his shoulders and back as he removed his Reeboks.  He stood and
pulled his legs out of the jumpsuit.  The cool air on his sweaty
body felt great.  He looked up, and saw someone in the full length
mirror on the closet door.  He did not recognize her.  In his
mind's eye, he was still Joe Bates, one-hundred ninety-five pounds,
five-eleven, and MALE.  The person he saw looking at him in the
mirror was about five feet seven, maybe one-hundred-twenty pounds,
and FEMALE.  "She was kind of cute," Joe thought, "standing there
in those little blue panties."

     Her small but nicely formed breasts were concealed by a bra
with shiny seamless cups.  She was wearing white sweat socks, which
reminded Joe of a cheerleader he knew from his college days.  Her
hair was too short for his taste, though.  He stared at the mirror. 
When he raised his hand to scratch his nose, he broke the spell. 
He was the cute in the mirror.  He raised his hand and touched his
left breast.  He rubbed a finger over the slick fabric, feeling the
softness it contained.  He could feel a nipple hardening to his
touch, both with his fingers, and as a warm twinge which went from
his nipple to his crotch, which reacted by contracting in a way
that was becoming familiar to him.  It was an unusual but pleasant
sensation, and he liked it.  It was a feeling the one-hundred
ninety-five pound, five-eleven Joe Bates never knew, and could
never know.  He wondered about the old Joe.

     He WAS the old Joe, but he was beginning to have trouble
remembering what the old Joe felt like.  The old Joe was strong. 
He worked out, and he had well developed biceps.  Joe touched his
arm.  It was not flabby, but it was small, and face it, it was
weak.  It did not even look like a man's arm, but then, maybe he
was not a man anymore.  Was he?

     He looked in the mirror again.  His narrow shoulders did not
look like a man's.  He looked lower.  Those little blue panties
covered hips which, though not really wide, sure did not look like
they belonged to a man, and his crotch.  The gap between his legs,
with its tiny bulge, and a little damp spot, right in the center. 
No, this was not what a man looked like.  What was he then?  Was he
a real woman now?  Did he feel like a woman?  What did a woman feel
like, anyway?  No, He was still a man.  He knew what a man should
feel like.  He liked the way a man felt.  Of course, he enjoyed the
way his body felt now, too, but this was not real.  These were not
feelings a man should have, but then, it did feel good.

     "Good idea, Joe," Linda said, breaking Joe loose from his
thoughts.  "Get out of that darn hot jumpsuit."

     Joe went back over to the bed he opened a bag, and took out
two pairs of shorts.  One was white, and the other blue.  "Which
should I wear?" he asked Linda, his fashion advisor.

     "Wear the balloon tank top, with the blue shorts," Linda
recommended.  "It'll look so cute."

     "Yeah, cute," Joe said.

     Joe pulled on the blue shorts, and fastened the button at the
waist.  He zipped the zipper up and opened the boxes, looking for
the balloon top.  He found it in the second box.  He took it, and
easily pulled it over his head.  He looked down.  Across his
breasts, three hot air balloons now flew in formation among some
clouds.  It was cute all right.  He raised his hand and checked the
area under his arm.  He found he could touch the side of his bra. 
He could even feel the cup.  No matter what Linda said, he still
felt like his breasts were showing through the armholes of the
little top, but Linda thought it was ok, so maybe he should forget
about it.  He looked at himself in the mirror.  The cute young
woman was looking back again, but she was even cuter now.  He
decided that if the top was all right for a real woman, he would
try it.

     "Joe, you look great," Linda said.  "If you have to be a
woman, even against your will, at least be glad that you're so
pretty."

     "Guess it would be worse if I woke up yesterday, and looked
like an ugly woman," Joe said, grinning.  "I just can't get used to
what I see when I look in the mirror."

     "I'll bet there are people who would give an arm to see what
you do when THEY look in the mirror," Linda said.

     "Is the tea ready yet?" Joe asked.  "I'm going to die of
thirst if I don't drink something soon."

     "Yeah, it's probably about brewed by now," Linda replied.  "Go
get it, and put some ice in it, will you, please?  I'm going to
change into something cooler, too."

     Joe went into the kitchen.  He walked to the counter, and took
the tea from the electric brewer.  When he stood at a counter now,
his waist did not quite reach the top.  He did not actually feel
shorter, everything else seemed bigger.  He searched the cabinets
for a pitcher.  He found one, and poured the tea in.  He then went
to the refrigerator.  Linda's refrigerator had an ice dispenser in
the door.  He took a glass, and filled it with cubed ice.  Joe
poured that into the pitcher, and repeated it until the pitcher
looked like it had enough in it.  He then filled the glass with the
cold tea, and drank it down quickly.  He got another tall glass
from the cabinet and put a little ice in it, and then filled it
with tea.  This he carried back to the bedroom.

     "Here's some tea, if you want," he told Linda.

     "Thanks, Joe," Linda replied.  "I was hoping you'd bring me
one."

     Linda was putting on her swimsuit.  It was a sleek fitting
black tank suit.  She was just stepping into it when Joe came into
the room.  She pulled the straps over her shoulders and took the
glass from Joe.

     "I have a couple of suits that you can try," Linda said after
taking a sip of tea.  "You're a little taller than I am, but I
think my two-piece suits would fit you."

     "Okay, Linda.  I'll give it a try," Joe said.  He pulled his
top over his head, and removed his shorts.

     Linda was searching through the drawers of her dresser.  She
pulled out a flowered bikini and a sort of fluorescent lime green
suit.  She arranged them on the bed for Joe to inspect.  Joe had
never seen Linda in the flowered bikini, but he had seen her in the
green suit.  The green suit was made by Body Glove, and had a
zipper in the top, between the breasts.  The top looked like it had
more coverage than the flowered suit, which just had little strings
which the cups attached to.  You had to tie the strings.  He picked
up the bottom of the lime green suit.

     "I was hoping you'd try the little bikini," Linda chided him. 
"You sure would look good in it."

     "Maybe next time, Linda," Joe said with a grin.  "It looks a
little skimpy to me, and I'm pushing my limits already."

     Joe unhooked his bra, and slid his panties down his hips.  He
took the green bikini bottom, and stepped into it.  It felt very
snug, as he pulled it up his legs and over his hips.  When he felt
it was on correctly, he stepped over to the mirror.  It fit his
bottom like a second skin.  He thought he could even see the cleft
of his vulva, outlined in green lycra-spandex.  He could definitely
see his pubic hair hanging out the sides of the very narrow, "V"
cut crotch of the bikini.  Linda was inspecting him too.

     "You're going to have to trim that bikini line, Joe," Linda
decided.

     "Bikini line?" Joe asked.

     "Pull that bottom off, and come into the bathroom," Linda
ordered.

     Linda went into the bathroom, and Joe removed the tight suit
bottom.  Naked, he went into the bathroom.  Linda had a ladies'
electric razor in her hand, and turned it on when Joe entered.  It
was buzzing away softly.

     "Put your leg up on the stool here," She ordered.  "I'll show
you how to do this."

     She pushed his leg apart, exposing the bush of his pubic area. 
She trimmed the soft hair away from his inner leg, almost to the
lips of his genitals.  She worked quickly, and Joe was concerned at
the speed she moved around this new, sensitive area of his body.

     "Be careful, Linda," Joe said.  "I don't want to have any less
down there than I already have."

     "I won't hurt you, Joe," Linda assured him.  "Okay, put your
other leg up." She repeated the process on his other side.  Joe
could not really see what she was doing, and craned his neck to
look.  "If you're that curious, try this," Linda said, and gave him
a hand mirror from the sink.

     Joe took the mirror, and positioned it so that he could watch
what Linda was doing.  He was also getting his first real look at
his new genitalia.  As Linda trimmed his pubic hair, Joe examined
himself intently.  Where his scrotum used to bulge, he now had soft
pink skin, divided down the center by two little darker pink folds
of tissue that joined at the top approximately where his penis had
been.  A bit of tissue, smaller than a pea, protruded slightly from
between the folds, near the top.  Linda finished, but Joe continued
looking at himself.

     Using a finger on each side, he carefully spread the folds,
exposing a moist pink slit with two openings.  The small one, he
decided, was probably his urethra.  Below that was a much larger
orifice, which he recognized as a vaginal opening.  The image in
the glass was hard evidence for what he had suspected, but hoped
was not true, but it was a fact.  He was now a woman, inside and
out.

     "Really looks different, huh?" Linda asked.

     "Yeah, really different," Joe repeated.  "I can't believe it's
me."

     "Gee, I didn't take that much off, Joe," Linda said.  "Just
enough so that you won't have to worry about showing when you wear
that suit."

     "No, that part's fine," Joe said, repositioning the mirror to
another angle.  "It's just that I've never really seen myself since
the change."

     "Oh, I didn't think about that," Linda said.  "This IS all new
to you, isn't it."

     "It's strange," Joe went on.  "I feel almost like I always
have, but when I see myself, it's just difficult to accept that I
look like this."

     "Remember that about half the people in the world look like
you do, so don't think you're so unique," Linda replied.

     "Maybe they do," Joe conceded, "but most of you were like this
from the day you were born."

     Linda put the shaver into the drawer.  Joe looked up from the
mirror.  He saw Linda watching.  She was smiling at him, sort of
the way a big sister might look at her little one.  He smiled back
at her, and handed her the mirror.

     "Okay, I've seen enough for now, I guess," Joe said, rubbing
the new slickness of his pubic area.  His bush was now a very
narrow triangle, just like Linda's.  He had not realized she shaved
herself that much.

     "If you don't keep it shaved close now, you'll regret it,"
Linda warned.  "It'll itch like crazy.  I suggest you get a hot wax
like mine.  It's a little expensive, but it lasts a long time."

     "You keep talking like this is permanent," Joe said.  "Let's
operate on the idea that I look like this temporarily."

     Joe went back into the bedroom.  He could feel the difference
around his crotch area as he walked.  It made him start to analyze
again.  When he had a male body, his primary sensation of sexual
arousal emanated from and around his penis.  Now, it seemed, his
whole body was a sex organ.  It was simply a completely different
feeling than his experience as a man.  Sometimes, just the act of
walking felt mildly erotic.

     He went to the bed, and picked up the swimsuit bottom.  He was
pulling it up his hips when Linda stopped him.

     "Maybe you better put some powder on that shaved area," she
said, pointing to a little cut glass container on her dresser.

     With the suit bottom around his knees, he removed the ornate
top and found a little puff inside.  He pushed the puff to the side
and taking a little body powder on his fingers, spread some on the
shaved areas, and for good measure, dusted some on his pubic hair. 
He then pulled the suit up, and tugged it till it felt right.  It
fit very snugly, but was comfortable.  He felt between his legs,
but could feel no trace of hair sticking out.  He rubbed his
buttocks and stuck his fingers under the leg openings, pulling the
bottom down properly.  He reached down, and took the suit top and
looked at it.  He was not sure how to put it on.  It had a zipper,
but it did not open all the way.

     "Just pull it on, over your head," Linda instructed.

     Joe put his arms in the arm holes, and stuck his head into the
top.  As the suit went passed his face, he could smell it.  It
smelled good.  The scent reminded him of Linda.  "It must have some
of her perfume on it," he thought.  That made him consider what he
was doing.  No matter what he looked like, he still the Old Joe,
and he was standing there putting on his girl's, no, his fiance's,
clothes, and she was watching.  It was exciting, but at the same
time embarrassing.  He quickly pulled the top over his breasts.  He
looked down at his chest, and was trying to decide how far up to
pull the zipper between his breasts when Linda pulled him over to
the mirror.

     "Just look at yourself Joe," Linda exclaimed.  "You're
beautiful."

     Joe looked in the mirror.  Linda was right.  The lime green
suit set off the light tan of his skin.  He had not been in the sun
since the change, so he must have the same skin as before.  He
always did tan quickly, and did not easily burn.  He stood
straight, and then turned to get a side view.  The green suit
looked like it was made for his shape.  He was impressed.  He could
not resist clowning around, striking poses like those he saw in
magazines.

     "You can have that suit, Joe," Linda lamented.  "Now that I've
seen you wear it, I never want you to see me in it again."

     "I do look pretty good, don't I," Joe said proudly.  "Of
course, I don't think you'll be breaking any mirrors either."

     Linda went to the closet, and brought out two beach towels. 
Then she went to the bathroom and brought out a tube of sunscreen. 
She gave them to Joe and, taking her tea glass, she walked to the
kitchen.  Joe followed her with his hands full.  He could not keep
his eyes off her butt as she walked in front of him.  "She did look
good," he thought.

     "Do you want some tea to take to the pool?" Linda asked.

     "Yeah, sure, that's a good idea," Joe replied.

     Linda, with the tea, led Joe, with the towels and sunscreen,
to the sliding doors, and out to the pool deck.  She stopped at the
table, and got her sunglasses from her purse.

     "I wish I had mine," Joe said.  "Of course, they wouldn't fit
anyway."

     "I'm sorry, Joe, I had another pair, but I broke them the
other day," Linda said.

     "No sweat," Joe said.

     They went to the lounge chairs, and Joe lay the towels in the
cement deck.  They moved the chairs to face the sun.  Joe gave
Linda a towel, and she spread it on her lounge, as he did the same
on his.  When she lay back on the lounge, Linda pulled the straps
of her suit down from her shoulders.  Joe saw her do it, and tried
to do the same with his.  His straps were too wide, and it was not
easily possible.  He lay back, and felt the sun warm his body.  He
continued to watch Linda.  Due to their positions, she could not
see him as well.  She was carefully rubbing herself with tanning
oil.

     "I'll do you, if you'll do me," Joe said suggestively.

     "Sounds good to me," Linda replied, handing Joe the tanning
oil.

     Joe took the oil, and squirted a small amount on his hand.  He
started smoothing it on Linda's leg.  She put her head back and
closed her eyes.  Joe coated her upper thigh, and went all the way
to her feet and toes.  He carefully massaged each toe.  When he
finished, he moved to her arms, softly smoothing them with the oil. 
He then oiled her shoulders, and then moved to her chest.  He
carefully avoided getting oil on her suit.  She rolled over on the
towel and Joe then coated her back.  Linda was glistening with the
protective oil.  When he finished, he took her head in his hand,
and kissed her softly on the lips.  She answered his kiss by
flicking her tongue into his mouth.  Joe took a deep breath,
relishing even the smell of her hair.

     After a short while, as they just sat close and looked at each
other, Linda sat up in the lounge chair.

     "Okay, Joe, lie down," Linda ordered.  "It's your turn."

     Joe went to his lounge and lay on his back.  Linda took the
suntan oil and started rubbing it on his legs as he had done for
her.  She worked carefully around his suit, so that no oil touched
it.  He spread his legs slightly, and she rubbed some oil on his
inner thighs.

     "You dog!" Linda exclaimed.  "Do you realize your body has
absolutely NO cellulite?"

     "What are you talking about?" Joe questioned.

     "Look at this," she replied, pinching about an inch of Joe's
outer thigh.  It was perfectly slick and smooth.  She then pinched
the same amount of flesh on the same area of her leg.  The pinched
tissue was slightly dimpled between her fingers.  Not a lot, but
not smooth either.

     "This is what I'm talking about," Linda continued.  "You have
almost no fat on your thighs.  It just isn't fair."

     She then continued her application of sunscreen.  She moved
down, and caressed his feet, as he had done for her.  Joe had not
realized how good it felt, to get his feet massaged like this.  It
was almost erotic.

     When Linda finished with his feet, she asked Joe to lie on his
belly so she could oil his back.  He complied, and put his face in
his arms.  In this position, it seemed he could detect Linda's
scent again.  He wasn't sure if it came from the suit he was
wearing, from the suntan oil, or if he was smelling her directly. 
He seemed to have a much more sensitive sense of smell since the
change, and he was aware of odors more now.

     Linda was softly rubbing Joe's back, and Joe closed his eyes,
and enjoyed the sensations.  He suddenly felt his right breast get
pinched between him and the lounge chair.  The slight, but
unexpected pain made him jerk up quickly.

     "What's the problem?" Linda asked.

     "Oh, nothing," Joe replied, rubbing his soft boob through the
suit, and feeling embarrassed.  "I just got pinched, that's all."

     "Welcome to the club," Linda said, patting him on the back as
he carefully lay back down.  "I could think of a few guys whom I
wish could get the opportunity to experience what you are."

     "Well, I wouldn't wish it on any guy," Joe replied, trying to
find a position that kept his breasts out of the way.

     Linda finished, and Joe rolled over.  They both just sprawled
on the lounges soaking up the warmth of the sun.  A while went by,
and suddenly they were jolted awake by the ringing of the tele-
phone.

     "It never stops, does it," Linda lamented.  She grabbed the
cordless phone that lay near her lounge chair.

     "Hello," she answered.  "Oh, hi, Jay.  Yeah, he's here.  Just
a minute."

     "It's Jay," she said, handing the phone to Joe.

     Joe took the phone.

     "Hi, Jay.  What's up?" Joe spoke into the phone.

     "How you doing, Joe?" Jay said.  "I just called to find out
what you thought about Dan."

     "I don't know, Jay," Joe said.  "I think he is understanding,
and he acted like he really wanted to help."

     "He does, Joe," Jay said.  "He's good, too.  I've known him
for some time, and I can assure you, he knows his job.  If there's
any way to prove who you are, he will know what it is, and find it. 
I think he's the best."

     "That's great, Jay," Joe said.  "I have good feelings about
him too."

     "What are you doing this afternoon?" Jay asked.

     "Well, right now, I'm lying at the pool at Linda's house," Joe
answered.

     "Gee, I thought I called your house," Jay said, a little
confused.

     "Maybe you did," Joe replied.  "I used call forwarding to
transfer my calls over here in case you or Dan wanted to find me."

     "You damn engineers and your toys," Jay chided him, "but
seriously, I was wondering if you had some time, later on."

     "What you got going, Jay?" Joe wondered.

     "I finally got that ROM chip for the Bosche injection on my
car," Jay answered.

     Like Joe, Jay was into sports cars, and owned a Red Porche
944.  He found it a source of irritation that Joe's RX-7, which
cost less, but was equipped with a high performance wankel rotary
engine, could run away from his pride and joy.  In their informal
road races, Joe's "Rotary Rocket" could always take the four
cylinder engine that powered Jay's Porche.  Jay was always looking
for ways to reverse the situation.

     A friendly rivalry was the result, but Jay was actually at the
mercy of Joe, and his engineering background, to help improve the
performance of his complex engine.  In both cars, all fuel metering
functions were performed by electronic fuel injection, which in
turn was controlled by a digital computer.  An electronics engineer
was actually more at home with a machine like this than a mechanic
would be as long as the basic engine was healthy.  Joe, who had
experience with avionics, including electronic fuel controls on jet
engines, was not above using those skills to improve the perfor-
mance of his sophisticated auto engine.  Jay was in the process of
improving his engine, too, but he went the costly route of buying
a performance chip from the after-market sellers.  It was expen-
sive, but then, everything was expensive on a Porche.  He wanted
Joe to help him install the chip in the computer.

     "Okay, Jay, when do you want to put it in, as if it will do
any good anyway," Joe said.

     "When can you do it?" Jay asked, sounding like a kid at
Christmas.

     "What do you have planned for this afternoon?" Joe responded.

     "I don't have anything going till later, when I was planning
to get Barb, and we would go out," Jay said.

     "How about coming over here later?" Joe suggested.

     "What time?" Jay asked.

     "Just a minute," Joe said, and called to Linda.  "What did you
want to do later?" he asked Linda.  "Jay's going to take Barb out,
but wants me to work on his car a few minutes first, if I have the
time."

     "Tell Jay to bring Barbara over," Linda suggested.  "We can
put some steaks on, and have a little patio party.  I haven't seen
Barb in a few weeks."

     "Jay, Linda says you should bring Barb over, now if possible,"
Joe relayed.  "We can put some steaks on and after that, I'll work
on your car."

     "Okay, that sounds good," Jay replied.  "I'll call Barb, I
know she can be ready."

     "Tell her to bring a swimsuit," Joe said.  "Bring yours too. 
The pool looks pretty inviting."

     "Ok, Joe, I'll see you in about an hour or so," Jay said.

     Joe handed the phone back to Linda.  She put it beside her
seat and lay back into the sun again.  Joe took a long draw of his
tea glass.  He thought of the irony of the situation.  He would be
working on his buddy's car, maybe wearing this suit.  "I might be
one of the best looking fuel injection specialists around," he
thought to himself, grinning like an idiot.

     He lay back on the lounge and closed his eyes.  In a little
while, he turned, presenting his other side to the rays.  In what
seemed like no time at all, he heard the powerful rumble of Jay's
944 come up the drive.  Linda got up when she heard the car.  She
walked to the driveway gate.

     "Hi, Jay," she called.  "Barb, I'm glad you came."

     "When you said food, Jay couldn't resist," Barb teased.

     Barb was in her mid-twenties, and very attractive.  A little
shorter than Linda, with red hair, and a great figure.  She was
wearing a cover-up, and obviously had her swimsuit on under it. 
Jay was wearing a loud Hawaiian type shirt and shorts.  They both
carried bags which had a change of clothes inside.  They walked
through the patio gate, where Joe stood, feeling self conscious
again.  Jay saw him first, and his eyes widened when he recognized
him.

     "Joe!" Jay exclaimed.  "How you doing?  God, you're looking
good.  Real good."  Jay could not take his eyes from his friend.

     "Hi, Joe," Barb said, looking him over, obviously curious.

     "Hi, Barb, good to see you," Joe said, smiling.  He was
embarrassed standing there in the close fitting swimsuit.

     "Jay told me about your...  err...  situation," Barb said,
trying to help Joe feel more at ease.  "I must admit, I've ever
heard of anything like it before.  You certainly look, err...  a... 
Well, healthy."

     "Yeah, I guess healthy is a good word for it," Joe said,
amused at Barb's description of him.  "If I get any healthier I can
run for Miss America."

     Joe saw that Jay hardly took his eyes off him.  He went over
to his pal.  "So you think that chip will give that four-banger of
yours enough guts to take the rotary, huh?" he joked.

     "I hope so," Jay replied, "At least until you pull another
rabbit out of your hat with that damn Japanese clone car."

     "You can call it a clone when you get an engine as good as the
wankel," Joe returned.  He felt better talking with Jay.  It seemed
more like normal.

     "Right now I'm going to cool down," Jay said, sticking his
foot in the pool.  When he decided it was all right, he dived in
and swam to the other side.

     "It's great!" he said.  "Come on in."

     Linda and Barb were already sitting in the lounge chairs,
talking about who knows what.  Joe did not know about getting in
the water with Jay.  "What the hell," he thought.  "I don't really
want to sit through girl talk."  He walked to the edge, and,
without stopping, dived in as gracefully as he could.  He surfaced
in the middle, and noticed that he could stay afloat much easier
than he ever did before.

     "This is weird, Jay," Joe said as Jay swam over to him.  "I'm
floating so easy, much easier than before."

     "You got those natural life preservers now," Jay teased him.

     "Maybe that's it," Joe considered, grinning.  He was smaller
and lighter.  He probably did have a higher fat to bone and muscle
ratio.

     "Come on ladies, get your butts in here," Jay yelled.  "You
can talk later."

     Linda and Barb looked at Jay.  He waved them over to the pool. 
Joe hoped they would come in too.  He wanted company.  The girls
came over and sat at the edge of the pool.  Joe swam over to Linda. 
He went the last few feet under water, and grabbed her foot.  He
tried to pull her in, but he just did not have to strength to
overpower her when she resisted.  She realized that he could not
force her in, so she let herself be pulled in.  Joe could tell that
she did it.  When they bobbed to the surface together, he looked at
her.

     "I couldn't pull you in," he said, knowing she already knew
it.  "I didn't have the strength to pull you in," he repeated.

     "Don't worry about it, Joe," Linda tried to reassure him. 
"That's not important at all."

     "It is to me," Joe said.

     Barb had a beach ball, and threw it at both of them.

     "Let's toss the ball around," she called.  "Pick your sides. 
How about boys against girls?"

     "Come on Barb, that's low," Joe said grinning.  It hurt, but
he knew she was trying to keep his spirits up, but did not know
what to do.  It was an awkward situation for everyone.

     "Aww, Joe, she was only teasing," Linda came to her defense. 
"You're going to have to get used to it, and you're among friends
here."

     "I'm sorry, Joe," Barb said.  "I guess it seemed like a dig,
but I really meant I wanted you on my side."

     "Okay, then," Joe said.  "Let's all take him on."  He swam to
the end of the pool.  Linda and Barb followed him.

     Jay went to the other end.  He had the ball, and when they
were ready, he tossed it to the other end, aiming at Barb.  She hit
the ball, but it went straight up.  Linda was under it and slapped
it back to Jay when it came to her.  Jay swatted it back, and Joe
got it that time, easily returning it to Jay.  They played fast and
hard for about ten minutes.  They were all getting exhausted, Jay
the most, since it was three to one, and they kept him moving in
the deep water.

     "I'm getting hungry," Jay lied.  "Let's stop and get those
steaks on the grill."

     "Yeah, good idea," Linda said.  "I've been out here a few
hours already, and I'm going to be burned alive if I don't get out
of this suit."

     "I'm ready to quit too," Barb said.  "Let's get out."

     They all went to the side and struggled out.  They went to the
chairs and took towels and dried off.

     "I'm going to get out of this suit and get the steaks ready,"
Linda said.

     "I'll help," Barb said.  "You two start the grill," she said
to Joe and Jay.

     "It's a gas grill, so all we need to do is turn it on and put
the steaks on.  I'll start it anyway, and let it heat up," Joe
said.

     They went indoors.  Jay and Barb retrieved their bags.

     "Jay, you can use the hall bath to shower and change," Linda
said.  "Barb, you can use my bathroom if you like."

     Jay walked to the bathroom with his bag, and shut the door. 
Barb followed Linda into her room.  Joe did not know what to do,
and stood in the hall.  Linda noticed him standing there when she
turned to close the bedroom door.

     "Get in here.  Joe," Linda ordered.  "You don't mind if Joe
changes with us, do you Barb?"

     "Joe?  No, of course not," Barb said.  "Not unless it bothers
him."

     "No, you guys don't bother me," Joe said, blushing, "and I
suppose I'm on your team now."

     Joe entered the room, and Linda closed the door.  Linda went
to the bed, and pulled the straps of her suit down.  She pulled the
suit down, and removed it.  She took the suit, and her towel with
her into the bathroom.  Joe heard her start the shower running.

     Barb looked at Joe, and smiled.  She was embarrassed, and
tried to break the ice with conversation.

     "Gosh, Joe, what's it like to have a different body?" she
said.  "I can't imagine what it would feel like."

     "It's hard to describe," Joe said honestly.  "It's different,
and yet it's the same in a lot of ways.  I really don't have a
different body.  It seems that I just changed...  a lot."

     "I'm curious, are you a real woman now?" she asked innocently.

     "I don't know, Barb.  What's a REAL woman?" Joe returned.

     "Well, you know...  boobs, and...  well...  you know," Barb
stammered.

     "See for yourself," Joe answered, unzipping the top of his
suit, and pulling it over his head.

     Joe then pulled his suit bottom off, and wrapped the damp
items in his beach towel.  Then he stood up, and put his arms out
and turned around slowly, allowing Barb to inspect him.

     "My god, Joe, You ARE a woman, aren't you," Barb exclaimed. 
"You really did change into a woman."

     "I may LOOK like a woman," Joe corrected, "but I don't want to
concede that I am one, until I have medical proof.  I still feel
like I'm a man."

     "Really?" Barb asked.  "You feel like a man?  How can you? 
It's obvious that you don't have the necessary parts."  She was
genuinely interested.

     "Whatever parts I have now, they feel pretty much the same,"
Joe said, "but every nerve in my body seems more sensitive now, and
of course, there are the obvious physical differences."

     "There sure are, Joe," Barb said.  "You really look good."

     Barb removed her swimsuit top.  She eyed Joe, who tried to
look away.  She then took her bottom off, and Joe was surprised to
see that her pubic area was completely shaved.  It made her look
very erotic, and Joe could not pull his eyes away.  Barb saw him
staring, and she smiled.  "It itches like crazy sometimes, but Jay
likes it," she explained, smiling.  "I think you know what I mean,"
she said pointing at his closely trimmed bush.

     "Yeah, I guess I do," Joe said, scratching his pubic area. 
"Linda showed me how to do this, so I wouldn't stick out of that
suit."

     The shower stopped, and they heard the shower door slide open. 
Linda came back into the room, wrapped in a towel.  She saw Joe and
Barb standing on each side of the bed, naked.  She stopped, but
just looked at Joe, then she smiled at him.  "I see you two have
got to know each other better," she teased.  "What do you think of
Barb's trim job?"

     "Well, as a guy, I think it's sexy as hell," he answered
carefully, "but as a woman, I...  uh...  I still think it's sexy as
hell."

     "Maybe we should take Joe in the shower, and shave him bare,"
Linda told Barb.

     "No, absolutely not," Joe insisted.  "I already have more
taken off that area than I should.  I suspect I'll already be
getting some looks when I see the doctor."

     "You look fine, Joe," Barb assured him.

     "Don't forget, I'm really a man," Joe said.

     "Well, mister, get your butt in there and take a shower,"
Linda teased.

     Joe took his suit and towel, and went into the bathroom.  He
turned on the shower and stepped inside.  The cool water felt good,
and he rinsed the chlorine off his body and out of his hair.  He
finished, turned off the water, slid open the door, and stepped out
of the shower.  He was drying off, when Barb came in the bathroom. 
She walked passed Joe, her full breasts swaying seductively, and
went into the shower.  It was like a dream come true.  Beautiful
women, naked, all over the place.  He looked into the mirror behind
the sink.  It was not a perfect dream.  There was one too many
naked woman here.

     Joe went into the bedroom.  Linda was dressed, and was drying
her hair.  Joe found his underwear, pulled on his panties, and took
his bra.  As he was putting his arms through the straps, he felt a
slight sting.  He looked at his shoulders, and saw the outline of
the swimsuit on his chest.  He had a slight tan from before, but he
still received a very slight burn.  His breasts were outlined in
lighter skin.  It sure looked sexy, but it did not feel very good.

     Linda saw his problem, and went to her dressing table, and
grabbed a little bottle with a pump.  She spread some white lotion
from her hand, to the pink areas around Joe's shoulders and
breasts.  It felt cool, and soothing.

     Joe took his bra and carefully put it on.  Once it was on, it
felt ok.  He actually liked the secure feeling it gave his breasts. 
He got the tank top from a hanger on the closet door knob, and
pulled it over his head.  The three balloons resumed formation on
his chest.  He found the blue shorts lying on the bed, and when he
attempted to put them on, he could feel that his legs had received
a little too much sun also.  He got the pump of lotion, sat on the
bed, and rubbed some on his legs.  He smelled strongly of Linda's
lotion.  He put his shorts on, and checked himself in the mirror. 
His short hair was mussed up, so he went into the bathroom to use
a brush to smooth his hair.

     Barb was out of the shower, and was drying her hair at the
mirror.  She was naked, and her breasts, which were larger than
Joe's, or Linda's, jiggled and shook as she brushed her hair.  Joe
needed to get into a drawer, but she was in the way.  He stood
there, watching her as she moved.  She saw him watching, and
stopped.

     "Uh, sorry, I need to get a brush out of that drawer," Joe
stammered.

     "Oh, okay.  I thought you maybe just wanted to watch me," Barb
said, smiling at him.

     "Oh, no," Joe stammered.  "I wasn't...  I didn't...  I mean... 
You do look good, but I...  uh..." Joe did not know what to say. 
It was obvious he was watching her.

     "Don't worry about it Joe," Barb laughed.  "If I suddenly had
to be a man, I would be much worse than you."

     Joe got the brush, quickly brushed his short hair into
position, and left the bathroom.  Linda was finished drying her
hair, and they both left the bedroom.  Joe went into the living
area, where Jay was sitting looking at his auto parts.  He grinned
when he saw Joe, wearing the cute tank top.

     "Hey, nice balloons," Jay teased.

     "Linda made me buy it," Joe protested.  "I told her it was too
cute."

     "You really do look good in it Joe," Jay said.

     "I think it's a little too feminine," Joe complained.

     "Well, if you've got it, flaunt it," Jay said.  He said that
a lot.

     "I've got it, I guess, but I'm not ready to flaunt it," Joe
said, grinning at his buddy.  "Let's see that stuff."

     Jay gave him the box of parts.  Actually, it was one small
part, and a little manual describing what the chip did, and how to
install it.  "This will only take a few minutes to put in," Joe
said.

     Linda came into the room, and when she saw them looking at the
parts, she shook her head.  "Barb and I will do the steaks, if you
two want to work on that darn car," she said.

     "Joe says it will only take a few minutes," Jay said.  "We'll
be finished before you have the steaks on the grill."

     "Get going, then," Linda said.

     "I hope you brought some tools," Joe said.  "I don't have any
here."

     "I have the small tool kit that I always carry in the car,"
Jay said.

     "As long as it has a phillips screwdriver, I think it will
work," Joe returned.

     They walked out to Jay's car.  Jay opened the hood, and gave
Joe a little canvas bag, his tool kit.  Joe opened the bag, and
searched until he found a screwdriver.  He bent over the fender,
and unscrewed the lid of the small black box which contained the
fuel injection computer.  The position was awkward, and Joe, who
was smaller now, found it difficult to reach the box without
difficulty.  He had to stretch to reach the assembly.  He got the
lid off, and started removing the old ROM.

     "Get me a flat blade screwdriver, would you please?" Joe
asked.

     Jay was standing there, bending over, and watching, but he did
not move.  Joe looked up from the fuel controller, at Jay.  He saw
that Jay was watching him.  He looked down, and saw what was
holding Jay's interest so completely.  From Jay's position, he had
a perfect view down the neck opening of Joe's tank top.  The large
and loose opening allowed Jay an unobstructed view of Joe's
breasts.  Jay's face turned red when he saw Joe caught him.  Joe
just grinned at him, and stood up beside the car.

     "They're pretty nice, aren't they?" Joe teased.

     "Well, yeah...  I mean...  I...  Damn it, Joe.  I'm sorry, but
I just couldn't resist looking," Jay stammered an apology.

     "I understand, Jay," Joe said "I feel the same way sometimes,
and it's my own body."

     "What's it like?" Jay asked.  "What does it feel like...  to
have a woman's body?  You know...  breasts and everything?"

     Joe went to Jay's side of the car.  He looked around.  There
was nobody else around.  Linda and Barb were inside the patio wall. 
He and Jay were alone.  Joe pulled his top up, exposing his bra
covered breasts.  Jay's eyes became as big as saucers, as he
watched his buddy.  Joe reached down and unhooked the catch between
his breasts, and pulled the shiny bra cups apart, baring his chest. 
His full nipples quickly became erect and hardened to little points
as they were exposed to the slight breeze.  Joe was as amazed as
Jay at how they reacted.

     "What do you think?" Joe asked his confused buddy, as he held
the bra open so that Jay could get a good look.

     "Ah...  err...  I don't know," Jay stammered.

     Joe interrupted him.  "That's what I thought," he said, "and
I feel the same way when I look in the mirror.  Remember, in my
mind at least, I'm still a guy, and I think the same thoughts you
do."

     "But...  what's it like?  Does it feel good?" Jay continued. 
"Is it better than before?"

     "It's hard to describe exactly," Joe said, fighting to find
the right words.  "Yeah, I guess it does feel pretty good, maybe
even better than before." Joe considered carefully what he was
saying.  "I'm still getting used to it, but generally, I have more
sensation all over now, not just in my cock, which is gone, of
course, but sometimes even it feels like it's still there. 
Especially when I'm turned on."

     "What turns you on...  now?" Jay asked, genuinely curious.

     "Same thing that turns you on old buddy," Joe said, as he
fastened his bra, and pulled his top down.  "I'm just now getting
over a boner nobody can see, but that I sure can feel, that I got
when I saw Barb's bare beaver."  He winked at Jay.

     "Barb showed you that?" Jay said, amazed.

     "She didn't SHOW it to me.  I saw it when we changed clothes,"
Joe told his buddy, who was beginning to show signs of envy, as
well as an erection powerful enough to rip his pants!

     "I'm amazed she undressed in front of you," Jay went on.

     "She was nervous around me at first, but when she saw how I
looked in MY birthday suit, I guess she accepted me as a girl," Joe
said, grinning at Jay's embarrassment.

     "You lucky dog," Jay said.  "You're living a voyeur's dream."

     "It may sound neat, but I can assure you, it's not that
great," Joe explained.  "I look like this all the time, and I have
to learn to relate to everybody in a different way.  Even you." Joe
pointed at the bulge at Jay's crotch.  "I'm just beginning to
realize I may never get back to normal."

     "Does that scare you?" Jay asked, as he arranged his pants.

     "How would you feel, if you woke up one morning, and found
your cock missing, replaced with a beaver and boobs, and it seemed
unlikely you would ever be a complete man again?" Joe answered with
the question that was now haunting him almost constantly.

     "I think I understand Joe, and I promise to help as much as I
can," Jay assured him.

     "Well, okay then, let's work on your car," Joe said.  "Look if
you want, but try to keep your mind on the task at hand." He hit
Jay on the shoulder with his fist.

     Joe put the ROM chip into its socket.  He put the cover back
on the computer, and screwed the lid back on.  It was time to test
the installation.  "Okay, get in and start it up" he said.  "If it
runs, we'll give it a drive."

     Jay got in, and cranked the engine.  It fired immediately.  He
blipped the throttle, and motioned for Joe to get in.  "Let's try
it on the road," he said, eager to drive it.

     "Okay, but be careful," Joe warned.  "I don't want to get
stopped, or brought in for questioning just because I'm with you
while you terrorize the neighborhood."

     "Don't worry about that," Jay said, as Joe got in, and clicked
his seat belt about him.

     Jay quickly turned around and went down Linda's driveway. 
When he reached the road, he turned right, and his tires chirped,
as he went through the lower gears.

     "Can you tell any difference?" Joe asked.

     "I think it has a little more low end, but I'm not sure," Jay
replied.  "We'll have to run each other on canyon road"

     "Like hell we will!" Joe exclaimed.  "Maybe when I match my
drivers license again, but not before."

     "Let's go back," Joe said.  He did not like the attention they
were receiving, driving crisply around the neighborhood in a red
Porche.

     Jay drove back to Linda's.  Joe was glad to be back.  The
bumpy ride in the Porche, which was fitted with competition
suspension, alerted Joe that he had to pee again.  No matter what
he was doing, things were different now.

     Joe and Jay went back to the patio, where Linda and Barb were
putting the steaks on the grill.  Linda looked at Joe, who had some
dirt on his hands.  Jay kept his car immaculate, but it was not
possible to work on it without getting a little dirty.  Joe grinned
sheepishly.

     "No matter what happens, it seems you can't keep a guy from
getting his hands dirty," Linda said.

     Joe went inside and washed his hands in the bathroom.  He
pulled his shorts down, sat, and urinated.  The sensation again
made him aware if his new genitalia, and when he finished, he stood
up, and rather than pull up his underwear and shorts, he went to
the mirror, and looked at himself.  His pubic area again looked
completely different.  Linda had trimmed the soft hair so close
that now he could easily see his genital cleft.  The sight of it in
the mirror again made him interested in his new body.

     As he looked, he could feel the first signs of arousal.  He
began to sense what felt like an erection, but he knew that was
impossible.  He touched his pubic hair, and then spread apart the
sensitive folds.  He could see what was probably his clitoris.  He
touched the small bit of tissue, and was amazed to find that it
felt exactly as if he had touched his penis.

     "No wonder I can feel an erection," he thought.  "I still have
the same nerves.  I still have my penis.  It's just that now it's
just a quarter inch long."

     Again, he considered his situation.  Looking at himself, he
wondered what it would be like if the doctors were to make him look
like a man again.  Would it feel like before?  That seemed
unlikely, since he figured that there would have to be some big
changes, and nerves, which he was still using now, were what made
him feel the necessary sensations.  They would probably have to be
cut or modified.  He knew enough about biology to realize that it
was difficult to perform surgery without destroying sensation.  Did
he want to lose the feelings he now experienced, to get back only
a mock up of what he once was?  He pulled up his panties and
shorts, and after touching a breast lightly with his hand, he
checked his short hair in the mirror, and decided he was ready to
go back out.

     Joe walked back out to the patio.  Linda and Barb had put the
steaks on the grill, and Jay was standing by it watching them cook. 
He motioned for Joe to come over.

     "How do you want your steak?" Jay asked.

     "Medium rare," Joe replied.

     "Okay, I didn't know your taste buds changed too," Jay said,
and winked at his pal.

     "You'll be one of the first to know if they have," Joe said.

     Linda was bringing out some vegetables and a bowl of macaroni
salad.  Barb had a table cloth for the table by the pool.  Joe went
over, and helped her put it on the table.  Linda put the things she
carried on the table.

     "Joe, would you help bring out some forks, and steak knives?"
Linda asked.  "Barb and I will set the table."

     Joe went inside and found the forks, and brought out four
steak knives.  He took them out and arranged them with the plates
that Linda put on the table.

     Soon the steaks were done, and they all sat at the table
eating, and joking with each other about the pool, and the quality
of the Jay's cooking.

     Before long, it was evening.  They all moved inside, to sit
and talk and listen to music.  At about ten, Jay and Barb said they
had to go, and they said their goodbyes.  Joe and Linda were alone
again.

     "I don't know about you, but I'm beat," Linda said.

     "Yeah.  I'm tired too," Joe said, "and I can still feel that
sunburn, too."

     They went into Linda's bedroom, and undressed.  Linda pulled
the sheet back, and lay down.  Joe lay next to her, and looked into
her eyes.  "What will become of us?" he asked her.

     "I wish I knew, Joe," Linda said.  "It will all work out
though."

     He held out his arms, and she wrapped hers around his
shoulders.  They went to sleep in each other's arms.
                             Chapter 9
                              DOCTORS


     Joe woke Sunday morning in Linda's arms.  He carefully
untangled himself, taking care not to wake her.  He pulled the
sheet away, but was no longer surprised by his appearance.  He was
getting used to the way he felt, too.  He gazed at his body, and
contemplated the way it looked.  He was always amazed at how some
women's breasts seemed to flatten, almost disappear, when they lay
on their backs.  Now, as he looked at himself, he observed that his
own chest seemed flatter too.  It was still hairless, and the
larger areolas affirmed that he still looked feminine.  He touched
them, feeling the now familiar softness.  No, they were not getting
smaller, and he was entering his third day as a woman.  The third
day.  How many more would he have to endure?  Would he ever be back
to normal?  The question began to haunt him again.  He could hardly
wait for Dan to call.  Dan McQuire was Jay's friend, and Dan was
going to help him with the reason why his body had somehow become
female, apparently overnight.

     Changed to female...  He was starting to accept it.  At first,
he reacted by denial, he was not really a woman, no matter what his
body looked like.  Yesterday, when he had seen what he looked like,
all over, he began to realize the situation he was actually in. 
His engineer's mind, trained to trust the facts and to keep an open
mind, was now fighting with the obvious fact that his body was no
longer masculine, and no matter what he thought, or what he said,
people now reacted differently to him.  He would have to relate
differently to them, too.  That included his friends.  Friends both
male and female.  That included Linda, too.

     Linda.  He thought about her.  She was unusually understanding
and tolerant of his strange problem.  Sometimes, she almost seemed
amused to watch his reactions, and the way he handled the differ-
ences.  He could not complain about her help or understanding.  He
really could not understand why she was so understanding.  In fact,
it almost seemed like she enjoyed his predicament.  He knew he
loved her, and that she loved him, but now.  What about now?  How
should he feel about her?  He felt the same as before, as when he
was male, and she was his fiance.  That would probably have to
change.

     Even if something could be done for him, and he could become
male again, even if not a completely functioning male, it was
unlikely they could, or would, continue as before.  Hell, they had
even made Lesbian love together.  At least it was like Lesbian
love.  He did not consider himself homosexual, but if he was now
female, then he must be, since he still loved women, loved to be
around them, and loved to look at them, and touch them.  Just like
before.  Just like a man.  Even his own body now turned him on
sometimes, but then, why not?  The change had transformed his body
into a quite attractive, female form.

     Joe got up, and went to the bathroom.  As he sat there, he
noticed the hand mirror lying on the sink.  He took it, and after
he finished relieving himself, he stood, and raised his leg on the
closed lid of the toilet.  He positioned the mirror to get another
look at that new genitalia.  He could hardly resist looking at
himself.

     It was so different.  It was like looking at someone else, but
there was no doubt that the image in the mirror was the reflection
of his own body.  Truth be known, he even sort of liked the way he
now looked, but he knew he would have problems if he tried to
forget his past, and resume his life with this new body.  He could
not expect everybody to suddenly accept him as a girl.  He did not
think he could accept it himself.  He had thirty years of experi-
ence being a boy and a man.  He did not even know how to act like
a woman.  He did not want to be treated like a woman either.  He
was a man.  He knew how to be a man.  He liked to be treated like
a man.  He wished, with all his heart, he could look like a man
again.  It would make everything so much easier.

     Disgusted, Joe put the hand mirror down, and looked into the
mirror over the sink.  He saw himself, his almost familiar face,
and his new body.  He turned to the side, looking at his profile in
the mirror.  His new shape would be a problem if he was to become
a man again.  He looked at his shoulders.  They were not as wide as
before, but might possibly pass for a man.  He looked at his waist
and hips.  His waist was much smaller, and his tummy flatter.  That
could easily change.  His hips.  He put his hands on his hips, and
ran them up and down, following the shape.  Maybe they were not
much different from before.  Maybe he was just smaller everywhere
else.

     He turned and examined his butt.  Now that sure did not look
like it did before.  It was softer and rounder, and completely
hairless.  He rubbed it with both hands, feeling the softness.  It
was nice.  Maybe his best female attribute.  He turned back, and
faced the mirror.  Yea, his butt was his best feature.  He examined
his breasts.  They were pretty good too.  They were firm, and
nicely shaped, but were, just maybe, a bit small for his body,
since he was somewhat tall for a woman.  He had been almost six
feet tall, but now he measured about five eight or so, and he was
thin, noticeably thinner than Linda, which made him look even
taller.  It might be difficult to pass as a man, but not impossi-
ble, if that's what he decided to do.

     Joe went back to the bedroom, and sat on the bed next to
Linda.  She was awake and turned to face him.

     "What's up for today?" she asked.

     "I don't know," Joe said.  "I hope I get a call from Dan, but
I doubt he works on Sunday."

     "Yeah, I'm sure you want to know what's going on, as soon as
you can," Linda said, smiling sweetly at Joe, "but I doubt that
anybody is working around the clock on your problem."

     "Mind if I take a shower?" Joe asked.

     "No, please do," Linda quipped.

     Joe looked at her, and stuck his underarm up to his nose.  He
smelled different, even to his own nose.  Like a woman.

     "I'm only teasing, Joe," Linda said.

     Joe did not say anything, but went into the bathroom and
turned on the shower.  He looked through Linda's drawers until he
found a razor and some shave cream, and took them into the shower
with him.  He carefully adjusted the water temperature, and then
wet his body down.  He took the shaving cream and applied some
under his arms.  He then took the razor and shaved himself smooth. 
His underarms felt real good without the soft stubble, which did
not feel at all like the stubble he used to get on his face.  He
touched his face, and felt a softness unlike any time as a male,
even immediately after shaving.

     He put some shave cream on his legs, one at a time, and
carefully shaved them, feeling them for stubble, and removing it
with the razor.  His legs felt great after shaving, too.  He felt
his bikini line, as Linda called it.  He carefully applied shaving
cream there.  He carefully used the blade to keep the outline of
his pubic patch a narrow triangle as Linda had done for him on
Saturday.

     When Joe finished shaving, he rinsed off, and soaped himself
all over with the bath soap Linda used.  He loved the way his body
now felt, and enjoyed the sensations when he caressed his body.  He
never felt like this when he had a male body.  He wondered if the
feeling would go away when the doctors changed him back, if they
could.  "Probably would," he decided.

     Joe rinsed, dried off, and went back into the bedroom.  He
found the underwear they bought yesterday.  He looked, and realized
that he only had fresh panties, no clean bra.  His other clothes
were still over at his apartment.  Linda saw his problem, and went
to her lingerie drawer, and tossed him one of her bras, just like
the one he wore yesterday.  He took it, and then decided not to
wear it, but put his old one back on.  He was getting accustomed to
wearing a bra, and even liked the more secure feeling he had when
he did.  Besides, his breasts seemed to bounce around embarrassing-
ly when he did not.

     Joe found the white shorts and the other new top, and put them
on.  He was hunting around the side of the bed for his socks when
Linda went into the bathroom.  She closed the door, but Joe could
hear her pee, and then turn on the shower.  He finished dressing,
and went out into the hallway.  As he passed the open door to the
hall bath, he noticed that Jay's swim trunks were still hanging in
the shower.  He walked into the bathroom, and picked them up.  They
seemed very large.  Before, he was slightly bigger than Jay, but
now, holding his trunks, Jay seemed huge.  They were dry, and Joe
held them up to his waist.  No, they would not fit.

     He held open the waistband and looked inside.  His groin
muscles tensed slightly when he saw the mesh pouch designed for
male organs.  It seemed strange now.  It had only been a few days
but he was already used to the contours, the sleek fit of feminine
attire.  This men's stuff, huge and baggy, already seemed alien to
him.  It was weird.  He put the trunks back, and wondered about it.

     Joe went to the kitchen, opened the fridge, found some orange
juice, and took it out.  He went to the cabinet, and found a large
glass and filled it with juice.  He took the glass and went to the
breakfast area.  He was looking through yesterday's paper when
Linda came into the room.

     "Would you like some breakfast?" she asked.

     "No, thanks, I usually don't eat breakfast," Joe said.

     "Well, I'm going to have a bowl of corn flakes if you don't
mind," Linda said.

     "Not at all," Joe replied.

     "I think I'll go over to my place for a while," Joe said. 
"I'll wash some things, and straighten the place up."

     "Joe, can we talk?" Linda asked.

     "Sure, absolutely," Joe returned.  "What about?"

     "Joe, You have some real problems...  changes facing you in
the next few days or weeks, or maybe even months," Linda went on. 
"Whatever happens to you, you're going to need some help.  Even if
you can change back, I doubt that it can happen overnight, and
you'll need someone to take care of you.  If you can't be changed
back, you'll need even more help adapting to the changes in your
life.  You're doing quite well, but I can see you'd need a woman to
guide you along.  I love you.  I love you as a woman loves a man,
and even if you must remain a woman, I'll still love you.  Don't
ask me what that means...  What that makes me, because I don't
know, and I don't care.  Whatever you are, or whatever you become,
I want to help you.  I'll be your girlfriend, lover, fiance, or
just your best friend.  Whatever you want.  Just don't drive me
away, whatever you decide to do." She had tears in her eyes.

     "While you live as a woman, why don't you move here...  with
me?" Linda asked.  "I have plenty of room, I can teach you the
things you need to know, and you won't get stares from your
neighbors if you stay here."

     "I don't have any problem with staying here" Joe said.  "I
still think of you as my fiance, but I don't know what we can ever
do about that."

     "You deserve more of a man than what I can ever be again," Joe
continued.

     "Don't worry about your damned manhood," Linda said, showing
an uncharacteristic irritation.  "That's not as important to me as
you seem to think."

     "Okay, I'll move over here, but I'll keep my apartment, at
least for a while," Joe said.  "I like it over there, and you may
change your mind when we find what's in store for me."

     "I'm going to drive over there, and clean up," Joe said.  "Do
you want to come along?"

     "Maybe later," Linda said.  "I better work on some papers
today."

     "See you in a little while," Joe said, and went into the
bedroom.

     Joe found his wallet in the jumpsuit.  He took some money,
credit cards, and his drivers license.  His shorts had only very
small pockets, too small for credit cards.  His top had no pockets
at all.  He did not know what to do, but then he had an idea.  He
pulled the loose top up, above his bra.  He slid the license and
credit cards into his bra, between his breasts.  He pulled his top
down, and looked in the mirror.  He felt his breasts, and could
feel the cards, but he could not see them.  They fit ok there, but
would be difficult to retrieve if he needed them.  "Tough," he
thought.  "A guy's gotta do what a guy's gotta do."

     With his key ring in his hand, Joe went out the patio door, to
get to his car.  He opened it, buckled up, and started the engine. 
He went down the drive, and carefully drove over to his apartment. 
It would really be hard to explain to an officer, after getting his
license from his bra, why although he was obviously a woman, he had
male on his license.  No, he must be careful.

     Joe entered his apartment, and looked around the familiar
surroundings.  He had lived here since he came to town, and liked
it here.  He did not know his neighbors, and there was a good
turnover in neighbors anyway, but every one was friendly, and there
was no crime in the area.

     He went to his bedroom.  He was surprised at the smell.  It
was obviously a guys room.  He had not even noticed it before. 
Maybe his nose was more sensitive now, or maybe he was just used to
the scents of Linda's room.  He took a whiff of his clothes.  He
did not smell like that now, at least.  Did he even smell like a
girl now?  Probably did, he considered.  He probably did not smell
like a man, at least.

     Joe went around retrieving his dirty clothes, some under the
bed, others in the hamper, and even a dirty shirt in the kitchen. 
He sorted the clothes and threw a load in the washer.  As he was
tossing one of his shirts, he took it, and held it to his nose.  He
could smell his old familiar sweaty smell.  It made him feel
strange now.  It was the scent of a male, and he was beginning to
become accustomed to the sensations, and maybe, the urges, of being
a woman.  Even his own man smell was now slightly arousing to him. 
What was happening to him?  He did not even like to think about it.

     After he got the washer going, he went back into the kitchen. 
He opened the refrigerator, and took out a can of beer.  He was
thirsty, and it was all he had in the house.  He took the beer and
went to the couch.  He looked through his magazines on the coffee
table.  Flying, Car and Driver, PC Magazine, and Playboy.  The
latest issues.  He had only quickly glanced at the Playboy since it
arrived, so he selected it.  He thumbed through it, and as usual,
stopped at the centerfold.  He looked at the pictures of the young
woman in the magazine.  She was maybe mid-twenties, and beautiful. 
Joe looked at her, and felt the same excitement as always.  As he
looked, and imagined being in bed with her, he remembered the irony
of his situation.  The girl in the pictures could now be him.  He
put the magazine down.  It would take time to get used to the
different point of view.

     Joe finished his wash, and cleaned the place up a little. 
After all his male clothes were washed and dried, he hung them in
the closet.  He wondered what he would do with all this stuff. 
Most of it would not fit him anymore, no matter what sex he was, or
would become.  Maybe Jay could use some of them.  It was a problem
for another day.

     He gathered up his female clothes, and then went into his
bathroom.  He took his shaving kit, his deodorant, and his new bath
powder.  He selected his biggest and best bath towels, and took
them also.

     It took a few trips to his car to get all the stuff loaded. 
When he had it all, he locked up his apartment, and drove back to
Linda's.

     Linda was still working on her papers when he returned.  Joe
made some iced tea for both of them.  When Linda finished her
paperwork, They went out and sat by the pool the rest of the
afternoon.  That evening they went to a restaurant and then came
back to Linda's.  When they entered the house, Joe went in straight
to the bedroom.  He had decided to keep his things in the second
bedroom, which also had a bath of its own, and was quite nice, much
nicer than the bedroom of his apartment.  Joe removed his shorts,
and top, and, in his underwear, went back to Linda's bedroom.

     Linda's clothes were laying on her bed, and she was in her
bathroom.  Joe heard the toilet flush, and the shower start.  Linda
would have to go to her office in the morning.

     Joe lay down on the bed.  Soon the shower stopped, and Linda
finished in the bath.  She came out, wearing her short robe, and
sat on the bed with Joe.

     "Would you sleep with me?" Linda asked.

     "Try and stop me," Joe responded, taking her in his arms.

     They went to sleep, caressing each other, and enjoying each
other's company.

     Morning came quickly, and the clock radio on Linda's night
stand began to blast out in song.  Joe woke, and looked at the
digital readout.  Seven A.M.  Already, it was time for Linda to get
up.  She had an appointment at nine.

     Linda moaned and stretched.  She got out of bed, and went into
the bath room.  She brushed her teeth, and went to work on her
makeup and hair.  Joe lay in bed, and watched her as she went
through her normal routines.  He watched as she applied the creams,
powders, eye shadows, and other stuff that women did to make
themselves presentable.  Would this be his fate too?  He remembered
the other day, when the woman at the cosmetic counter gave him a
makeover.  He looked so much different afterwards, much more
attractive, though he looked pretty good with the well-scrubbed
look too.  He touched his face with his hand.  It was so smooth,
and soft.  He closed his eyes, and tried to sleep a little while. 
He would have nothing to do until he received a call, either from
Dan, or Jay.  He did not think he would be get a call from work,
since he said he would be going to the hospital for maybe a few
days.

     Linda finished in the bathroom, and came back in the bedroom. 
She was wearing black panties, and camisole.  "She looks so sexy,"
Joe thought.  She went into her closet, and brought out a gray wool
suit.  Joe watched as she selected black hose, not pantyhose, but
the kind that stay up by themselves, without garters.  She put them
on and when she stood, she saw Joe was observing her.  She smiled,
a little embarrassed to be watched so intently while she dressed.

     "Is something wrong?" she asked.

     "Absolutely not," Joe replied.  "I was just watching you,
thinking about how sexy you look, and about the things women wear
under their clothes, even to work.  It seems it would make you
excited, just thinking about what you have on beneath that
business-like, gray exterior."

     Linda looked at Joe with a devilish grin, and winked.  "Maybe
it does," she said.  "I guess it's one of the advantages of being
a woman.  Why don't you try it, while you can?"

     "Nope, I wore a skirt the first day, and I don't know what was
more difficult, that or the heels," Joe countered.  "It may look
great, but I know now it don't feel like it looks."

     "Well, it gets easier when you get used to it, but you're
right, it doesn't feel as good as it looks," Linda agreed.

     Linda finished dressing, and went out into the kitchen to make
some breakfast.  Joe got out of bed, and went across the hall to
his bedroom.  He opened the top drawer of his dresser, and looked
inside.  Yesterday he had put his underwear there, and now he
looked at the selection of panties, bras, and pantyhose.  His
things looked strange to him, there in the drawer by itself,
without any of his familiar men's underwear for company.  It sort
of made his situation seem more permanent, but for now, it was
probably for the best.  He selected the white cotton bra he
bought the first day.  It was the first one he had worn.  He picked
some beige nylon undies, and went into his bathroom.  This bath had
a shower, and a sink with a large mirror.  He decided he did not
need a shower, and just brushed his teeth.  He had not put his
underwear on, and the jiggle of his braless chest as he brushed his
teeth caught his eye.  "Never a dull moment," he thought.

     When he finished, he pulled the panties on, and found his
deodorant.  He rubbed some Secret on his smooth underarms.  He took
his bra, and put it on.  It was getting easy to do, now that he was
familiar with the procedure, and he even liked the way it felt.  He
shook himself, and was pleased by the limited jiggle.  "I see why
girls wear these things," he thought.

     He looked at his face.  His hair was still too short.  He took
his hair brush, and began brushing it back, and to one side.  It
was just too short to do much with it.  He tried brushing it
forward, and decided that was the best it could be.  He looked at
his face again.  He pursed his lips.  It made him think of the
cosmetics that he had bought.  He opened the drawer, and looked at
the things he had placed there.  He just did not know how to use
this stuff.

     He took the lipstick, and removed the cap.  He carefully
rubbed some on his lips, as he pursed them tight.  He did a fair
job of applying the color, which looked good as he examined
himself.  Only a little got on the area above his top lip.  He took some
toilet tissue, and was daubing the offending bit of color away. 
Suddenly, he realized what he was doing.  He was standing in front
of a bathroom mirror, putting lipstick on his face.  What was
happening to him?  He tried to get control of himself.  "What the
hell is going on?" he thought.  "Am I losing control of my mind?"

     Joe looked at himself in the bathroom mirror again.  The
lipstick had added some color to his tanned face, and made him look
more feminine.  He was trying to decide if he would try some of the
other cosmetics when Linda entered the open bathroom door.  She
looked at Joe, and smiled when she saw what he was doing.  She
looked at the things he had in the drawer.

     "Well, it certainly looks good on you," she said.  "Why don't
you try some liner and blush?"

     "I would, but I don't really know what I'm doing," Joe
replied.

     "Here, I'll help you," Linda said.

     She opened the lid of the powder and brushed some on his
face, and continued until the colors were as she liked them.  She
then used the eyeliner pencil very sparingly, to put some emphasis
on his eyes.  The effect was amazing.  Joe looked even better than
after the makeover at the department store.  The tasteful use of
makeup made his face look much more feminine, and attractive.  It
hardly looked like he had any makeup on at all, and yet he was
completely transformed.  He had to touch his face to believe it was
him looking back from the mirror.  Linda smiled at his reaction. 
He looked at her, and back at the mirror.

     "Very impressive," was all she said.

     She walked out of the bathroom.  Joe followed her out, into
his bedroom.  She did not stop, but went out into the hallway, and
toward the back door.  Joe followed, but realized he was still in
his underwear.

     "I've got to get going," Linda said.  "I'll see you this
afternoon."

     "Bye," Joe called, as she went out the door.

     Joe went back to his room.  He went to the closet, and was
looked at the few things hanging there, trying to decide what to
wear.  He grabbed the jumpsuit and took it out into the bedroom. 
He still favored it most of all, but he was getting more comfort-
able wearing more revealing, and cooler, clothes.  He stepped into
the light blue outfit, and zipped it up.  He then went to the
dresser mirror, and looked at himself.  The lipstick, and makeup
that Linda applied made him look attractive, but less familiar than
his plain face.  The loose fitting suit concealed his figure.

     Joe walked into the kitchen, trying to decide how to spend the
day.  He was snooping through Linda's refrigerator when the phone
rang.  He wondered if it was for him.  He had call forwarding at
his house, and had transferred his calls to Linda's.  He went to
the phone, and picked it up.

     "Hello, Joe Bates here," he answered.

     "Joe?  Joe Bates?" the voice on the other end said.  "This is
Angela Beaman, from Honeybone Avionics Personnel.  Sorry to bother
you.  I have a message for you."

     "What can I do for you, Angie?" Joe replied.

     "I had a call from Mr. Matheney, from Flight Test.  I believe
he's your boss," she said.

     "That's right," Joe answered.

     Joe was an electrical engineer, and often worked in the Flight
Test Department, testing new avionics hardware.  Thursday he had
worked on a new Nav receiver system which was designed to fix its
position from signals from satellites positioned around the earth
by the Department of Defense.  He and an associate had been using
the company Learjet 35, conducting ground and flight tests on it. 
Jim Matheney was the department head of the group which conducted
these type of tests.  The company Joe worked for had a number of
aircraft, a Gulfstream I turboprop and a twin Cessna 421, as well
as the Lear.  Joe was a pilot, and was checked out in all of but
the big G-I, which was almost never used for test work anymore.  It
was simply too expensive to operate, and they did not need the
room.

     "Mr. Matheney would like you to call him as soon as possible,"
the woman said.

     "Do you know what it's about?" Joe asked.

     "No, I don't, really, but I think it's regarding your
illness," she answered.

     "Okay, I'll give him a call," Joe said, not really hiding his
irritation.

     "Thank you, sorry to bother you, and I hope you get well
soon," Angie said, and hung up.

     Joe hung up the phone, concerned about what he would say to
Jim.  He did not want to go back to work like this, but what kind
of excuse could he use?  He decided to tell him that the doctor
recommended a week of bed rest, and would figure out what to do
later.  Everyone would know eventually, since not only was he a
girl now, but he was much shorter, and smaller in general.  No
matter what he did, he could not hide that from his associates.

     Joe dialed Jim's work number.  The phone was answered on
one ring.

     "Flight Test, Matheney," Jim answered.

     "Jim, this is Joe," Joe responded.  "I had a message you
wanted me to call."

     "Hi, Joe," Jim said curiously.  "You sound funny.  I hope you
are all right."

     "I have some medical problems, Jim," Joe responded, lying
slightly.  "I think I'll be out for at least a week of so."

     "That's what I called about, Joe," Jim said.  "I was wondering
what your problem is.  Dave Skinner called in and said he had some
kind of problem, and Mike Osborn called in Friday, but I haven't
been able to call him at home.  I was wondering if you all came
down with the same thing, or what."

     "Well, I've got some problems, but I don't know exactly what
they are yet," Joe offered.  "When I find out, you'll be one of the
first to know, but I suspect I'll be out for at least a week."

     "I was concerned when all three of you called in sick at the
same time," Jim said.  "I had to stop testing the GPS receiver,
since my engineer-pilots and technician all got sick at the same
time."

     Jim's words made Joe start to think.  Could the other guys be
having problems too?  Could they all have been exposed to the same
thing; a virus or whatever?  There could be some connection.  He
would have to call the other guys.

     "I'll call in a few days, and let you know how I'm doing," Joe
said.

     "Well, don't worry, just get well as soon as you can.  We need
you around here," Jim said.

     "See you later, Jim," Joe finished.

     "Later," Jim said, hanging up.

     A new turn of events.  Was there some significance in the fact
that all the men who flew Thursday called in sick?  He would have
to find out.  He got his company phone list out and looked up the
number of his friend, Dave Skinner.  Dave was married, and had two
boys.  He lived about a mile from Joe's apartment.  He found the
number, and dialed it.

     "Hello," a woman answered.

     "Cindy, this is Joe Bates.  Is Dave around?" Joe asked.

     "Hi, Joe," Dave's wife answered.  "Joe, Dave can't come to the
phone right now," she said nervously.

     "What's the matter, Cindy?  Is Dave all right?  What's wrong
with him?" Joe asked hurriedly.

     "Joe, I can't talk about it, but he's okay," Cindy said.

     "Come on Cindy, tell me what's wrong with Dave," Joe asked,
trying to get her to tell him what was going on.  "Has he changed
in any way?"

     "Nothing's wrong with Dave," Cindy almost shouted.  "He'll be
okay."

     "Cindy, has Dave changed.  Is he feminine...  female?" Joe
asked, taking a chance.

     "Uh, how...  Joe...  He's...  Yeah...  Yeah, he's a woman! 
His body has changed.  I don't know," Cindy stuttered.

     "Okay, okay, I understand," Joe said; his heart pounding. 
"Get him to come to the phone.  I have to talk to him."

     "He won't come, Joe," Cindy replied in tears.  "He won't talk
to anybody but me.  He's so depressed, I don't know what to do."

     "Cindy, listen to me.  The same thing has happened to me.  I
know what he's going through," Joe said.  "You tell him that, and
get him to get on this phone, or I'm coming over there."

     "I'll try," Cindy replied.

     Joe heard the phone drop, and he waited.  So Dave has the same
problem.  Interesting.  What could be causing this?  He thought of
Mike.  Mike Osborn was the technician on the test crew.  He was a
big guy, probably over two hundred fifty pounds.  He was strong
too.  He lifted weights, and was into body building.  He could not
even imagine Mike as a female.

     "Joe, Dave here," Joe heard a dusky female sounding voice said
the words with the curt manner of Dave Skinner.

     "Dave, this is Joe.  I heard what happened, and I want you to
know you are not the only one.  I have a problem too," Joe said
quickly.

     "Yeah, well, I bet you don't have tits and a pussy," Dave
said.  His feminine voice, with male inflection, sounding strange.

     "Yes, Dave, I actually do, and I know what you're feeling,"
Joe said truthfully.

     "What?  You turned female too?  What the hell is going on
anyway," Dave almost yelled, in his new, slightly higher, voice.

     "I don't know, Dave, but you can bet I'm going to find out,"
Joe said, hoping to calm his buddy, who was usually unflappable. 
"Somebody has to have some idea what's happened to us."

     "I'll tell you what has happened to me!" Dave yelled.  "I
can't pee right anymore.  I can't make love to my wife!  That's
what happened to me!  I don't want to have breasts big as Cindy's,
but I do!  That's what happened to me!" Dave's voice broke as he
yelled at Joe.

     Joe wondered what he could do for his friend, but could not
think of anything.  Hell, he had the same problem.  Of course, he
did not have a wife and family.  "Dave, we both have this problem,
and Mike has called in sick, too.  It must be something in the
Lear, or someplace we went that caused it," he said, thinking out
loud.

     "Mike turned into a girl?" Dave said quizzically.  "Big Mike
Osborn?"

     "I don't know, but I suspect he has," Joe said.  "He called in
sick, too, and Jim doesn't know what is wrong with him."

     "I can't imagine him like this.  It would kill him," Dave
said, suddenly more interested in Mike than in his own problems.

     "Well I'm going to give him a ring, and find out.  I hope
he'll answer his phone," Joe said.

     "What are you doing today, Joe?" Dave asked.  "How about
coming over here.  I've got to talk to somebody about this"

     "Maybe I will," Joe answered.  "I'll give you a call, later. 
I have to wait around here for a medical examiner to call.  I'm
getting myself checked out."

     "You had a physical, looking like a woman?" Dave asked.  "How
could you get the nerve?"

     "No, not a physical," Joe said.  "Just a blood test, and
fingerprints.  I'm trying to prove I'm still the same person.  If
I get stopped while driving, I don't want to get stuck in jail
because my license doesn't match what I look like."

     "I haven't even gone outside, much less drive a car," Dave
said.  "I'm too embarrassed to be seen.  Besides, my clothes don't
even fit.  Right now, I'm wearing some of Cindy's clothes, and they
fit better than mine do.  It's really embarrassing."

     "Tell me about it," Joe agreed, "but just think what Mike
might be going through."

     "Give me a call, Joe," Dave said.  "We have to get out of this
one."

     "I will," Joe said.  "Dave, let me ask a question."

     "Go ahead," Dave answered.

     "Do I sound like a girl ... a woman to you?" Joe asked.

     "Yeah, I guess so...  You sound a little husky maybe, but in
a sexy kind of way," Dave replied.

     "Funny, that's the same as I was thinking about your voice,"
Joe said.

     "Call me later, Joe," Dave said, and hung up.

     Joe sat there at the phone, digesting the new information. 
All the guys who worked on the Lear crew Thursday seemed to have a
problem.  At least two were feminized, or something.  He decided to
call Mike Osborn.  He looked up his number and dialed.  He let it
ring for a long time, and was about to give up, when he heard the
phone click as it was picked up.  No one answered.

     "Hello?  Hello?  Is anybody there?  Mike?  Mike, this is Joe,
Joe Bates.  Please answer," Joe said into the phone.

     Finally, someone answered.  The voice of Mike Osborn, maybe a
little higher pitch, but not much, said haltingly into the phone,
"Hello, Joe?"

     "Mike, it's Joe.  Are you okay?  Has anything usual happened
to you?" Joe asked.

     "Unusual?  No, I don't think so.  Everything is okay... 
fine," Mike said quickly.

     "Really," Joe said.  "Are you sure?  I heard you were out
Friday too, same as me and Dave.  I thought you might have the same
problems we're having."

     "What kind of problem is that?" Mike asked.

     "Well Mike, I seem to have undergone some kind of change," Joe
said as delicately as he could.  "I've developed breasts, and... 
well...  generally seem to have turned female.  I just got off the
phone with Dave, and he seems to be experiencing the same thing. 
We were wondering if you had the same problem."

     "Joe, I...  I don't know how to say this...  I do have a
problem," Mike Osborn carefully admitted to his friend.  "I don't
know what it is...  I...  my...  I...  my balls are completely
gone, my cock seems to have shrunk a lot, and I can't even pee
without sitting down.  I don't know what the hell is happening to
me."

     "Have...  are you...  changing into a girl?" Joe asked.

     "Hell, I don't know, Joe," Mike replied.

     "Well, have you developed women's breasts, and lost a lot of
body hair?  Are you smaller?" Joe asked his flustered buddy.

     "Smaller?" Mike said, recovering his composure a little.  "I
don't know, maybe a little, but not much.  Breasts, no, I don't
have breasts, but my chest...  my nipples hurt some.  I haven't
lost any body hair, at least it doesn't seem like I have."

     "Mike, could you meet me and Dave, at his house, in about an
hour?" Joe asked.

     "Joe, I don't want to go outside," Mike said.

     "Come on, Mike.  Do your clothes still fit?" Joe asked.

     "Yeah, they fit pretty good," a confused and embarrassed Mike
Osborn said, trying to explain his situation to Joe.  "I don't want
anybody to see me, Joe.  I have to pee a lot, and I...  my cock
seems to leak or something.  Something's sure not right down
there."

     "Well, Mike, if it makes you feel any better, I don't have a
penis at all, and I don't think Dave does either," Joe said.

     "What's happening to us anyway?" Mike asked.

     "I don't know, Mike, but I want to find out," Joe answered. 
"That's why I'd like to meet with you and Dave, at his house."

     "Okay, Joe, I'll be there," Mike agreed.  "Just don't laugh
when you see what I look like."

     "I think you'll be surprised when you see me, too, so don't
worry," Dave tried to reassure his big friend.

     "I'll see you in about an hour, Joe," Mike said, and hung up
the phone.

     Joe went back into his bedroom.  He went to the mirror on the
dresser, and looked at himself.  He would soon be presenting
himself to his friends, people who knew him as a man, and he was
nervous about it.  Even though Dave and Mike also had problems too,
he was not looking forward to exposing his problems to them and
soon everybody else, it seemed.  He was brushing his short hair,
when the phone rang.  Was it Dan, with some news?  He went to the
phone by the night stand.

     "Hello," He said carefully.

     "Joe?  Joe Bates?" A voice on the other end asked.

     "This is Joe.  What can I do for you?" Joe answered.

     "Joe, this is Dan McGuire, from Forensic.  I have a little
information for you already.  Do you have a minute?" Dan asked.

     "You bet I do!" Joe responded.  "I hope it's good news."

     "Well, I got your military records from the DOD, it was quick,
and much easier than it is sometimes," Dan said, obviously proud of
the job he had done so quickly.  "They had a lot on you too.  Your
Top Secret Clearance is still current and included some interesting
data.  You want to hear some of it?"

     "Sure, fire away," Joe was impatient to hear what he had
found.

     "Well, the blood types match, that's for sure," Dan said. 
"Your prints do, too.  I feel it's fairly certain that we can prove
that you are who you say you are.  I talked to some of the doctors,
and they want to do some genetic tests on you.  I might have some
results from that at any time.  A lot of people around here have
taken interest in your case, and you're getting top priority."

     "What will genetic tests prove?" Joe asked.

     "Well, they'll tell us if you are a man or a woman, at least
genetically," Dan explained.  "It's easy to see if your chromo-
somes are XX, or XY.  That's the basic test.  Any and all of your
cells will carry those chromosomes."

     "If it shows that I'm a woman, what then," Joe asked, "or a
man for that matter?  I'll admit I'd like to know, but what will it
help?"

     "Well, If it shows you are XX, or genetically female, some
real questions will be raised," Dan said.  "As far as I know, no
genetic female has ever fathered a child.  Your records show that
you did, thirteen years ago."

     Joe was amazed.  How did they know that?

     "Where did you get that information?  I was only seventeen
then, and Jane was sixteen.  She didn't even keep the baby," Joe
admitted.  He had almost forgotten that low time in his life.

     "When you're subjected to a National Security Agency investi-
gation, usually no stones are left unturned.  If you have any
skeletons in your closet they'll find them," Dan explained.

     "I didn't think anybody knew about it," Joe said, still
amazed.

     "Can you get in here this afternoon for an examination from
some of our doctors?  They sure would like to see you," Dan asked.

     "I have some news for you too" Joe said.  "I got a call from
my employer.  It seems that two of my friends, who had been in the
plane with me Thursday, the day before this happened, have been
inflicted with the same, or a similar problem.  What do you think
of that?"

     "Can you get them over here this afternoon?" Dan asked.

     "I don't know, I'm supposed to meet them in about an hour. 
I'll try," Joe answered.

     "Well, get them over here.  We'll do what we can," Dan said. 
"What have you guys got yourselves into anyway?"

     "I wish I knew...  I sure wish I knew," Joe said quietly, and
hung up.  He had to get ready to see his buddies.