RANSVESTIA

the woman came forward and asked if she could help me. I told her that I was in Montreal to buy a woman's outfit to wear myself, and that I needed a foundation; could she supply me with a girdle and bra?

She started to tremble, and I can't say that I blame her, for at that time I was sixty years old; and although I am only of average height I give the impression that my masculinity stands ten feet tall. In the meantime her husband had acquired a sickly look and gone into hiding behind the racks of garments. She said, "What size would you require?" and I replied that I would like to see a 36B and 38B bra and a high-rise girdle to fit a waist 30.

With unsteady hands she went about the business of pulling out a box here and a box there, and eventually I found myself in possession of two girdles and two bras, trusting to luck that the girdles, which obviously were not too large, would not turn out to be too small when being pulled-on. I got back to my first shop a little the worse for wear, with the clock advertising the time as being 11:10 a.m.

The ladies greeted my return by pointing out the size 16 sections on the racks. They invited me to make my choices, take them into a fitting-room at the rear, and try them on. The choice was bewildering, but it wasn't long before I had selected a navy-blue skirt with an off- white printed blouse to go with it, and a long, slinky evening gown in black crepe. On my way to the fitting room the saleswomen as- sured me that I would not be disturbed whilst trying on, and at that time there were no customers in the shop apart from myself. The time would be getting on to 11:30 a.m. I should mention at this point that it was sale time, and they were having a big sale at this shop, with lots of bargains on display.

I went into the fitting-room, closed the door, and took off all my clothes. One of the girdles was a high-rise, the kind which hooks-up first, then closes with a zipper. I put on the bra first, stuffing the cups with paper tissue, then started to pull on the girdle. Well, it was too small, but it was worth having anyway for the thrill of stepping into it and pulling it up. I was dithering with delight at the thought that this delicious garment was about to enclose my torso. But I couldn't get it over my hips. In desperation I tugged and pulled this way and that, and whilst I was in the middle of all this I suddenly became aware of a tremendous hubbub in the shop. In that district there are lots of

71