Transvestia

I was thunderstruck, I could have kissed her. I didn't!

I continued, "I'll have to be standing for quite a while, so I'd better get the right size".

"Oh yeah, they'll kill you if you don't", she said over her shoulder as we headed for the shelves. After discussing the type, she asked me what my normal shoe size was and showed me what she had in that range. Then came the biggest surprise of all! When I had made my selection of style I asked if there was a back room where I might slip one on---to be sure.

"Do it right here", she said. She noticed my rapid glance about the salesroom and for the first time smiled "Oh, they wont notice you. They're too busy saving money". Then she handed me the shoe box, sat down be- side me and started thumbing through her salesbook and paid absolutely no attention as I went through the sheer ecstasy of trying on the shoes. I tried to be as casual

as I could, but my hands were shaking as they held the shoe and my foot slipped comfortably in place. After I mumbled something about their feeling good, she said "better take a few steps to be sure", which, to my sur- prise I did without hesitation.

At the wrapping counter, where I waited for a re- ceipt 'so I could get my money back from the company", she took me aside and explained that if I didn't mark the sales, I could probably return them for a full refund, "after the show".

Upon leaving the store, I was so elated, I bought myself several pairs of nylons--just to celebrate.

The point of this whole episode is I believe, that we TVs create many of our own problems in our own minds. I am sure that the scene I described--the expe- rience I lived--has happened before to salespeople and will undoubtedly happen again. We are the ones who create the aura of an "Historical First" in our own minds when we live through them. If our fables are realistic enough in their creation and execution, we have little to fear-----under these circumstances.

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