This Is The Way It Was

Francene (21-D-4)

I was born in Lowell, Mass. in July of 1945. My transvestism didn't start until I was 5 or 6 years of age. Although I can remember watching my cousins undress and feeling sort of funny when I saw their underwear. My family was staying at my cousin's house while my father was finishing up the construc- tion of our new home. Both my cousins were girls and we had to sleep in one room because we were pressed for space. My cousins were 1 & 2 years older than I, therefore I had to be in bed earlier than they did. When I would go to bed I would stay awake and wait for them to come to bed. Pretending I was asleep, I watched them undress and looked at their underwear. It would often give me a tingle to see it and I imagine this was how I first got my inter- est in feminine clothing. On many occasions I would go to bed early and get a pair of panties to feel but I never tried them on.

A few months before we were to move into our own house it came time for the annual Church Minstrel show. My cousins were both going to be in the show. One was to be a hobo, the other was to be a ballerina. This ballerina costume really caught my eye. The costume itself was the usual type, but it had a pair of satin panties to be worn under it. These really

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