He laughed.
“This is getting rather deep.”
“Sorry, but you did ask,” I replied.
“Sandi, would you marry me?”
“Dave, you aren’t proposing to me, are you?”
“No, I want to know if you would, not if you will.”
“I would, if I thought you loved me, and that I couldn’t live without you, and that we could make a life together. But I don’t feel ready for any of that right now.”
“Neither do I, but I helps that I know.”
I looked at him.
“You’re daft,” I said.
“Would you mind if I did ask you?”
“No, but that doesn’t automatically that I’d say yes. Besides, it’s not legal in this country, yet.”
“What isn’t?”
“Marrying a transsexual.”
“Oh. I don’t see you as one of them.”
I smiled and hugged him.
“But there are other places that do allow it,” I said.
“Then we could get married there,” he said.
“Dave, I haven’t said yes, and you haven’t asked me.”
“You will, when I do,” he said, and we both laughed.
The end of term arrived, as did my name and pictures in the local papers. Jenny and I sat at the breakfast table looking at the paper.
Budding Supermodel Wins Top Prize.
Stunning leggy blonde bombshell, Sandi Lake, seen here winning the prize for most glamorous model at the Brighton High School’s Annual Charity Fashion Show, amazed staff, parents and guests by sweeping the board with her original designs and wonderful presence on the catwalk last Friday. The pretty seventeen year old showed that she had what it takes, as she was judged by fashion’s biggest names as a rising star in the industry. Jemima Overson, the head of one of the most prestigious modelling agencies said, “Sandi has everything that I look for in a really good model; looks, figure, charm, grace and a real twinkle. She came out smiling, and the whole place lit up, she captivated us with that smile, and whatever she wore was immediately better than the rest.”
However, the local lass was not to be swayed into believing that she was any better than the others.
“I think everyone worked really hard, and my designs were not as good as lots of the others. I only won two of the categories, and I don’t want people to forget that. I am pleased to have won the modelling award, but it was only one small part of the whole show. The fact that together we raised £2,500 for local charities is the whole point, and I would much rather we were all remembered for that.”
Head teacher, Brian Goodson, said, “Sandi and the other girls all worked equally hard, and it is to their credit that so much money was raised for charity. Their work is all part of the A level syllabus, and shows exactly what a high standard they are already achieving. We are all very proud of all of them.”
More pictures on Page 8
“Bugger!” I said.
“Why? It’s brilliant. You look really glamorous in this one,” said Jenny.
“Yeah, what happens when Frankie Holland sees this?” I said.
“Oh. He’s hardly likely to, is he?”
“I don’t know. But if he is looking for a Lake in the Brighton area, he doesn’t have to look far.”
“He’s looking for an Alexander Lake, a boy. Remember?”
“Hmm,” I said, not convinced.
But life went on, and still nothing happened.
6.
I came round from the anaesthetic feeling very odd. My brain was not attached to my body, and I got the giggles. But then I moved, the room started to spin, and the nausea hit me.
I tried to focus on a face that swum in front of my eyes, and as I succeeded, the pain began to creep up on me from my groin.
“Fuck. Ooh, that hurts,” I remembered to speak.
“Sandi, can you hear me?” this voice kept saying.
“Yes, but that fucking hurts,” I said, with some feeling.
“Sandi, look at me,” the voice said.
I looked at the face, and Dr Rogerson swam into focus.
“It hurts, doctor,” I whimpered.
“It’s going to, we’ll get some painkillers going, but you have had major surgery.”
I looked down, but I saw I was covered up. I felt disappointed.
“Did it work?” I asked.
He laughed.
“Yes, it went very well. And when you are a little better, I will come and tell you what else I found.”
“Else?” I asked, confused.
“Shh. Rest now, and I will see you tomorrow. The anaesthetic will make you a little drowsy and nauseous, so try to keep resting today. But you have a lot of work to do over the next week or so.”
“Oh, the dilators,” I said.
He smiled, “That’s right, but they’ll take you back to your room, and you can sleep for a bit.”
I remembered watching the light fittings flick past as I was wheeled back to my room, but I went to sleep before I got there.
I woke up in bed, and Jenny was sitting by the bed.
“Hi Jen’” I croaked.
“How are you, girl?”
I smiled. “A girl.”
“You okay?” she asked.
“Hurts like fuck, but it means it worked,” I said. I looked round the room, there were flowers everywhere.
“The flowers?” I said.
She went round reading from all the cards. Everyone I knew had sent some, so I cried and passed out again.
She was still there when I came round again an hour later.
“Sorry Jenny, it’s the anaesthetic.”
“It’s okay. Still sore?”
I nodded. A nurse came in.
“Hi Sandi, I’m Maureen, how are you feeling?”
“Sore and sick,” I said.
She looked at one of the two IV drips going into my arm.
“This one is pain relief, this tap here turns it up or down. You can do that yourself. If the pain gets too much, then turn it like this, and the other way if you start floating.”
“Floating?”
“It’s morphine based, so you do not want too much.”
“Oh. Leave it where it is for the moment then,” I said.
There was another tube coming from my groin, which was heavily bandaged. I assumed it was a urinary catheter.
“How long do I stay plumbed in?” I asked.
“We’ll take the dressings off tomorrow, and see how you’re doing.”
I felt pretty grotty, so Jenny gave me a hug and left me alone. I dozed off. My dreams were amazing.
The next morning the pain was still there, but the nausea was gone. I kept the pain control quite low, while I was awake it was fine, as long as I could concentrate on something.
The doctor came in and spent time taking the dressing off, and examining the area. I was allowed to see and it looked like a war wound - very swollen and sutures everywhere. They had shaved me, but it looked brilliant, I was a girl.
“Right, Sandi. You’re a complicated girl, aren’t you?”
“Why?”
“Well, you had a surprise for me. It’s no wonder you had some gender confusion. You had some female reproductive organs already inside you, but not completely developed. I’ve not been able to conduct tests yet, but I think you are either the product of two fertilised eggs coming together as one foetus. Or, whilst developing, you never lost those female vestiges that all foetuses have at some point. You were not a true hermaphrodite, as you never had a full set of organs from each gender. However, I can tell you that your pelvis is female, and your chromosomes are XX. So legally, physically and in every other way, you are now wholly female.”