RANSVESTIA

keeper to my mother. The role of "maid” in America is not too high a position, but she had been a "housekeeper" in England for a high ranking lord and in his house she managed a staff of 30 so it was a considerable job. At any rate she interviewed for mother and mother was very taken with her and she went to work for her. I was only slowly and reluctantly being lured back into the family good graces after the disowning threat and since "D" always ate with the family I saw quite a lot of her whenever I would be invited for dinner. In fact, my mother decided to play matchmaker and tried to throw us together with "why don't you kids take the car and go to a movie," etc. We did on occasion and gradually it became clear to me that this girl had fallen for me but not me for her. I had the interesting exper- ience of having to sit on the rocks at the beach one night and explain to her that I couldn't fall for her because she just didn't have what it took to attract a red-blooded American boy like me. She had the body alright but she was English and wore tweeds, low heeled suede shoes, tortoise-shell glasses, amber beads, and kinds of frumpy dresses. The whole ensemble just didn't make it with me and I had to tell her so.

She found out about Virginia one night around New Years Eve when I was going to go to a party. I decided that I wanted to wear mother's velvet evening wrap. So I got dressed at my apartment and drove over to my parents' house. They were out at a party themselves but "D" was in the living room with my aunt who was visiting us when I tripped in and went upstairs. I got the wrap and spent some time admiring myself before the mirror. When I came downstairs she commented acidly, "I suppose you've been admiring youself all this time!" I said, "Sure, why not?" with a happy smile and went off to the party. After that we had many talks and I explained things to her and she asked questions and time passed. Then one night about three in the morning the phone rang and I drowsily answered it. Her voice came over the wire saying, "I just had to call you and tell you that I understand!"

"You understand what?" I asked, not getting the import of her

message.

"Why, why you like to dress up, I understand you now." Well that was great and we went on from there. She came to my apartment and met and talked with me when I was dressed. I began seeing her of my own volition and got her out of her tweeds, flats, tortoise shell and

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