RANSVESTIA

"Sit down-now what's this all about? Where is Keith? Why couldn't he come and see me himself?"

I sat on the sofa, my handbag at my side, and drew off my gloves one by one. As I smoothed them on my lap I began, nervously, to tell my story.

"He's well we travelled down from Scotland together and after he'd rung you from the station he left me I don't know where he's gone-he said to say he'd contact you later."

"You'd better say what he told you to tell me than."

I've never known Alan so unsympathetic or so short and it was even more nervously that I told him my story, although with a few crucial omissions. I explained how I-Karen-had been travelling away from Edinburgh (where I'd been visiting my fiance) to London when at Benbrae station my compartment had been invaded by Keith looking anxious and distraught (and not dressed in women's clothes). How he was so upset that he had, after a while, told me the story of being attacked by the homosexual and of his flight and instinctive hiding in the van, of the resulting journey to Benbrae and of his decision when he arrived there to go home to his flat to sort himself out. As I spoke I noticed that Alan's antagonism lessened considerably when I told him that I'd never met Keith before he entered my compartment.

"So he's gone to his flat now?"

"No-well I don't think so-he said something about going some- where to think-I don't know where his flat is but he said something about an hotel I think."

Again that lightening of the atmosphere. In a flash of intuition I realised what was upsetting Alan. He was jealous-as a female he was jealous of Karen because of an imagined association with Keith. But Keith had never for an instant imagined that Alan considered him anything more than a good friend. To the surge of pleasure that his jealousy of Karen produced-I must really be a believable girl-was added the incredible happiness of knowing that as a female he was fond of Keith. Despite my problems life began to glow as it had never done before. With an effort I concentrated on the immediate moment.