short hair, we went down and got in her convertible and drove off to those wonderful shops in Miami.

She said I had nothing to fear from the clerks as they were all old friends of hers and they all knew what was going on. First things first, so we want to a hairpiece shop. We were greeted cordially by the shop owner and were escorted into a back room where the fitting was to take place. We went into the room and were immediately sur- rounded by many beautiful wigs in an amazing number of coiffures. I lost all my shyness in that moment and for the next few hours I had the time of my life trying on the different hairpieces. We fin- ally decided on a long blonde wig in the pageboy style. With the wig on my head I felt so different, so feminine with the long tress- es caressing my neck.

Now that I had long hair like any other girl, and a figure sec- ond to none, I lost the rest of my residual shyness and put all my enthusiasm into my new role. Edwina noticed the change in me and stated, "Now Valerie, you really aren't sissy enough to like the clothes you're wearing. All I could do was blush and she turned away with a satisfied smirk. The rest of the day seemed to pass in a whirlwind, with one shop right after another, each more exquisite than the last. I went around in a spell, the feelings, the perfumes, the beautiful clothes, all my senses were overwhelmed. We arrived back at the apartment in the late afternoon, our arms loaded with boxes of clothes, formals, swimming suits, dresses, lingerie, shoes- the works. As I gazed at all the clothes I could only think what an exciting time it was going to be to wear this wardrobe.

"

After we got settled down Edwina said, "Now the hard part be- gins, you must not only think, talk, act and look like a woman but in your own mind you must be a woman. In the next week you are to forget you ever were a man, understand?" I nodded in agreement, not feeling very masculine anyway in the clothes I was wearing. She said that it is not easy to be a woman, but she thought I had the necessary qualifications or she wouldn't have picked me. She said there were five items that I was going to have to perfect in order to be a convincing female: (1) makeup, (2) dress, (3) voice, (4) feminine idoi syncracies and (5) confidence in my new role.

I went to sleep that wonderful night with my head reeling from the new sensations I had experienced the previous day. When I awoke at the first insistent sounds of the alarm clock, for a moment I forgot where I was, and all I could do was revel in the gossomer

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