48 __Joe_Bates_Saga__________________________________________________________ 48. Chapter As they walked up the steps to the health club, Joe started to become apprehensive. Would anyone recognize him? He had been here, like this, twice before, but both times with someone else. First with Jay, and most recently with Linda. Both times, someone else presented their membership card, and the girl at the desk was allowed to assume Joe to be their guest. This time, he'd need his own card. Tim wasn't a member. The membership card wasn't a photo ID, it just had his name, Joel Bates. He didn't even know if the records had him recorded as male. Even if it did, his new drivers license would serve to prove his current gender, if there was any doubt, and he could claim someone made an error. Then again, before the change, he had been a two or three time weekly visitor. Surely some of the employees had to remember him. Joe held the card in his palm as he walked to the counter. He recognized the pretty, young woman on duty. She might even remember the old Joe. He had asked her out once, a few years ago, but something, perhaps a revised work schedule, he couldn't remember, it just never came to pass. Joe wished his hair was longer. The still short, male cut only served to draw unwanted attention. He took a breath and dropped the card on the desk. The woman was folding towels from a large cart and only momentarily glanced at the card. She looked up briefly, and then idly entered the data on the keyboard in front of her. She apparently didn't remember anything. "This is my friend Timmie." Joe said, trying to hide a smile of relief. Timmie. Was that even a girl's name? "She'll need to sign in." The young woman ordered, without looking up. Hmmm, I never had to do that, Joe thought. Wonder why not? This girl is probably just a little more diligent than the others. "Name, address and phone number." The woman said as Tim signed the log. She offered them large towels, which they both accepted. Now Tim will be inundated with membership offers, Joe knew. The first gauntlet ran, Joe and Tim walked to the lockers. There was an aerobics class in session, and Joe checked to see if Susan, the girl he met the other day, might be there. He didn't spot her. In a way, he wished she was, since he'd probably miss their Thursday meeting. He had kind of been looking forward to it. When they reached the locker room, Joe looked at Tim and gave a mischievous wink. He opened the door and went inside, a nervous Tim hot on his heels. There were three rows of lockers and benches. Most of the women were in the aerobics class, and it had just started, so there were only a few persons in the room, most still dressing from the previous class. Joe picked the middle row since there were only a couple of doors open there. Everyone was either outside, in the showers, or relaxing in the whirlpool. Joe found an empty locker, and claimed it as his own. He hooked his padlock to the door. "If you have anything to lock up, you can put it in here." Joe offered. "Put your whole bag in, if you want. Opening his gym bag, Joe pulled out his royal blue leotard, white Capri pants, sport panty, bra, socks and Reeboks. He hung the clothes on hooks in the locker. Tim watched with interest, then found a locker of his own. At the store, he had placed his new underwear back in the original package, so he had to remove it from the box. He looked around for a trash can, but there was none to be found. Joe noticed what he was doing. "Just toss it in the locker, I guess." Joe suggested. "You can take it along later, if you want." Joe removed the silk blouse, found a hanger, and carefully hung it in the locker. Tim watched as Joe then unhooked his bra and massaged the little red marks under his bare breasts. He then stepped out of the light wool skirt, and searched for a hanger for that. "I thought this place was full of babes." Tim whispered. "They're all out there." Joe said, pointing towards the aerobics area. "Uhh-huh." Tim said, grinning. He just finished saying that as a towel wrapped woman walked around the corner. She went directly to an open doored locker, acknowledging them with a quick, friendly smile. She innocently removed the towel and finished drying herself. The woman was probably in her early thirties and quite average looking. But she captured Tim's eye. The former young man kept his eyes fixed on the woman's nakedness as he slowly pulled the T-shirt over his head and unfastened his own bra. Joe understood the paradox the young man/woman in the little pink underpants was experiencing. Even though his/her own body had already become just as female as the woman's, long established habits and curiosities were very difficult to ignore. Joe was watching too, but he tried to avoid staring as obviously as Tim. Completely oblivious to the powerful sexual tension she was creating only a dozen feet away, the woman finished drying herself and carefully applied underarm deodorant. As Tim stepped into the new underwear, Joe watched how he gently touched himself between the legs. Joe knew Tim was sexually aroused because the snug panty had immediately developed a noticeable wet spot at the crotch. When Joe caught Tim's eyes, he grinned and looked down at the panty. Tim bent over and saw the wetness. He grinned sheepishly and shrugged his soft shoulders. Hearts pounding, Tim and Joe finished dressing. They had purposely lingered until the woman put her outerwear on, then they took their racquets and towels to the courts. Tim was using Joe's old racket, since he didn't have one of his own. When they reached court six, they opened the door and went inside. When he was sure they were alone, Tim spoke. "Gee, you were right." He said. "That was just too cool." "Well, you haven't seen anything yet." Joe bragged. "You need to join in one of the aerobics classes, then you'll have a whole roomful. Welcome to your new peer group." "We can join a class?" Tim asked. "Why not?" Joe responded. "We are physically and legally female. But, even regular guys are in the class. Of course, you'll need to join the club." "I might just do that." Tim said. "Becky would never take me to a place like this." "Why not take her, then?" Joe suggested. "She can always use the workout, too." Tim grinned. "Joe, you haven't been looking at my sister, have you?" "What if I have?" Joe teased. "We're both just girls, right? What could I do, anyway?" "Well, that's the honest truth." Tim agreed. "I thought I was going to wet my pants back there. I don't know what's worse, a rock-hard boner sticking out, or these soggy drawers." Tim bent down to check if the clammy wetness he could feel, was still visible. Straightening up, he pressed the flat palm of his hand between his legs. "You know, it still feels weird when I touch myself." Tim confided. "Only then does it really hit you that something is actually missing down there." "Yeah, I know exactly what you mean." Joe agreed, laughing. "When you touch it, or when you need to pee." "Right. Then too. No way to aim. I guess real women don't miss something they never have. But, I sure do." Tim added. "Will you change back if you get the chance?" Joe asked. "Hmmm... I don't know. I guess I do kinda enjoy some of this stuff. A lot of it, even." Tim admitted. "But then, I liked being a normal guy, too." He laughed. "Think you'd ever like to make it with a guy?" Joe asked. "Aren't you curious what that might be like?" "Sure... I guess." Tim answered. "Aren't you?" Should he tell him, Joe wondered? "Of course." Joe responded. "Me and Jay messed around a little." Joe divulged. "What was it like?" Tim asked. "Did you like it?" "Yeah, I did like it." Joe admitted. "At first, I was scared and it seemed a little weird, but as we got more into it, it actually felt kind of natural." "Just what did you do?" Tim asked, his curiosity piqued. Joe grinned sheepishly. Decision time. "Well... Quite a bit, I guess." Joe confided. "You screwed him?" Tim asked. "Yeah... Or, he screwed me, I suppose." Joe said, grinning with modesty. "You did it with a guy? With Jay?" Tim breathed, his amazement showing. "Yeah. I did. A few times, even." Joe admitted. "Was it much different?" "Oh, yeah, of course it was different." Joe explained. "But there are similarities too." "Did it hurt?" Tim wondered. "A little, at first, but the pain went away almost immediately." "Better, or worse, than before? "Hmmm... Better in some ways... Maybe about the same in others. "Just how was it better? Joe thought about it. Not a simple answer. "Well, there's more feeling, I guess, in more places... You know what I mean." "Did you... Did you come?" "Not the first time, but later on, yeah." "Good?" "Excellent." "Did he touch you... Down there? With his hands?" Joe grinned mischievously. "Sure. Of course he did. And I touched him too." "Were you really scared?" "Well, not afraid, really. Nervous, I guess, not afraid." "I think I would be. To let somebody else go inside me..." "Feels awful good when it happens..." "Yeah, but what about... They say we could get... knocked up." "Maybe, yeah. I used birth control." "They said we shouldn't..." "Condoms." "I think I still like women too much." Tim confided. "I like women, too." Joe admitted. "But it felt pretty natural, with a guy... Not bad at all, really." "I guess I'll need to try it... if I ever get a chance." Tim decided. "But right now it's time for you to get that cute little ass kicked." Joe reminded. "You serve." Tim ordered. "Ok." Joe agreed. "Here goes." They volleyed back and forth. Although now much smaller than Joe, Tim was quite capable of holding his own. He moved effortlessly around the court, like the youngster he appeared to be. He continually matched Joe point for point. Joe could feel his strength further reduced, even since he played Jay. "You know, I kinda like the feel of this top." Tim confided, as he breathlessly chased the ball. He found it difficult to admit enjoying wearing a BRA. "Yeah." Joe agreed. "Mine holds me even flatter than yours does. I can almost forget I got these things." He put his hands to his bosom. "Helps more than that damn jockstrap ever did." Tim mused. But, you know, even these new little underpants feel sort of good." "I just wish I hadn't lost so much of my strength." Joe lamented. "No matter how hard I try, I can only sort of wimp the ball, now." "I haven't got any strength either." Tim admitted, looking down at his skinny right arm. "But, on the other hand, I feel so light and flexible now. I think I can almost bend in half." "I know." Joe agreed. "I have the same feeling, sometimes. I think we all do." They played continuously for another ten minutes. Joe was quickly tiring, and he could tell fatigue was affecting Tim also. "About ready to call it a day?" Joe asked. "Getting tired, old lady?" Tim teased. "No worse than you." Joe countered. "I am getting pooped I guess, but I'll stay with it as long as you want." "I heard the music stop while ago." Joe noted. "That means the girls are back in the locker room." "Then what are we doing here?" Tim asked. "Let's hit the showers!" "Men!" Joe snorted. "Hey, we get our jollies were we find them, right?" Tim said, laughing. "I guess you're right." Joe agreed. "I think I really need a shower, anyway." "Yeah. Who said women don't sweat!" With that, they gathered up the ball and left the court. Tim's hopes were fulfilled. The room was full of ladies. The area around Tim and Joe's locker was crowded with women in various stages of undress. Some women were older, some were probably the same age, but none looked young as Tim. Tim was feasting on a voyeur's dream come true. Next to him, a young woman, perhaps early twenties, removed her top and presented an outstanding tan except where a swimsuit top had kept her pert breasts lily white. Tim actually had to conceal a gasp as the woman removed her exercise shorts, exposing a tiny, white, thong panty. Tim took one glance, looked over at Joe, then back at the woman, then back at Joe. They both grinned and winked at each other. Again, the poor woman had no idea of the havoc she was wreaking right next to her. She innocently slipped out of the panty and went to the showers to rinse off. Tim quickly pulled off the rest of his own clothes and followed her. He adjusted the spray away from his own sensitive breasts as he watched his dream woman. Joe could see Tim, but the woman was out of view. He did his best to surpress a laugh. Although he appreciated the scenery here too, Tim had obviously retained more testosterone than he did. In a moment his eye locked onto another girl nearby who was just starting to put her underwear on. "Joel. Hi. I thought you wouldn't be back here till Thursday." Joe turned and looked at the pretty girl who was placing her gym bag next to his on the bench. "Hi, Susan." Joe exclaimed when he recognized who it was. "Are you just getting here?" Susan asked. "No. No, we just finished." Joe stammered. "Oh, are you here with Linda?" Susan asked. "No, another friend, Timmie." Joe answered. "We just finished playing racquetball." "You play racquetball?" Susan asked. "I didn't know that." "Do you play?" Joe asked. "No, I never have. I guess I should try to learn." Susan admitted. Susan and Joe began to undress at the same time. Joe was impressed by Susan's long blond hair, and of course, that fantastic body. When it was time to go to the showers, Joe spoke. "Well, I have to hit the shower." Joe said. "Hope to see you around one of these days." "Are you going to be here Thursday?" Susan asked. "I have to fly to Minneapolis tomorrow." Joe said. "I may not be back in time to make it Thursday." "I hope so." Susan said. "We've just got to get out together sometime." "Yeah, I'd like that." Joe agreed. Joe reluctantly left Susan and walked toward the showers. Out of the corner of his eye he examined another of his roommates as he walked. Would he ever get used to this? It seemed women's bodies displayed much greater physical variety than those of male gender. Curvy, flat, round, pointy, or saggy. The best were fantastic, the worst, even uglier than men, if that was possible. Tim and his new friend were still in the shower. Tim was trying to make small talk. Joe didn't know the etiquette women used. He had talked to Susan, so maybe it was OK. She was extremely attractive. Tim had excellent taste. Joe watched as the woman soaped herself, then shield her breasts with those small hands as she rinsed in the stinging spray. Tim, looking like her little sister, watched cow-eyed. Joe wondered what the woman thought of Tim. She must have noticed the unabashed staring by now. "I guess we need to get going." Joe said to Tim as the woman finally finished and left the shower room. "Yeah... Good idea." Tim agreed, without thinking. He started to leave the shower, but Joe grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "Stay here a minute, why don't you." Joe ordered. "She's probably going to think you're queer, or something." "Yeah. Yeah, I guess you're right." Tim conceded. "Joe, I think I'm going to have a heart attack right here." "You might as well try and get used to it." Joe advised. "This is the way it'll be, probably from now on." "Yeah. I suppose so." Tim agreed. "I, ahh" Another woman entered the shower. It was impossible to talk without others hearing, so Tim went silent. They went back to the lockers and dried off. Tim's 'woman' dressed quickly and left. Joe couldn't tell of she hurried because she was suspicious of Tim, or just in a hurry. As Tim gathered up his clothes, then held up the little sport panty with one finger. "I've got to get more of these." He decided. "I love the snug, slick feeling." "Well, you know where it came from." Joe told him. "Nothing to keep you from wearing whatever you want." "I'm going to get a few of these, and a bunch of these." Tim went on, holding up the exercise bra. "I guess you can wear them every day, if you like." Joe said. "You look fantastic, Joe." Tim blurted, as he watched Joe drying off, breasts jiggling as he moved. "That woman was good, but you are just as beautiful." Joe grinned warily. "Gee, thanks Tim, I guess..." He said. "If I was still a guy..." Tim started, rubbing his aching pubic area. "If you were still a guy, you wouldn't even be standing there." Joe reminded him. "Don't forget that." Tim hiked the waistband of the pink cotton panties, pulling them into his crotch, emphasizing his shape in that area. "Kind of hard to forget." He said. "I've always got this to remind me." Joe laughed at Tim's antics, then looked around to see if anyone else was watching. It probably looked a little strange, seeing these two, especially if someone caught the conversation. Joe stepped into his pantyhose and then pulled the slip on. He was probably the only one there wearing business clothes. The gray blouse felt so soft against his skin as he slipped his arms in the sleeves. If Tim likes the feel of those underpants, he'll love the feel of a silk blouse, Joe considered. He looked over and watched as Tim pulled the little T-shirt over his head. The young man/woman was still so inexperienced, he was probably lucky to have all this happen to him now, if it had to happen at all. He'd might actually get a chance to actually experience growing up female. At least more than Joe and the others. They went from mature male to mature female, overnight. That was culture shock at its most powerful. But, it seemed likely Tim was going to get more, the chance to be an adolescent again, if he wanted. Maybe even if he didn't. Tim had become genetically female, just like the others, and his body had acquired all the normal external characteristics of femininity. He developed breasts, like the others. His genitalia had completely feminized too, and Tim was still adapting to the significant effects that was having in his life, and life style. Unlike the others, this boy had only recently become a fully mature male. And now, again like the others, he had to deal with the loss of ten years, or more, of maturity. For Tim, they were an important ten years. His body was still becoming younger looking, there was little doubt. So far, something caused him to retain most of the newly acquired signs of female maturity. Although his face, and to a lesser extent his hips, legs and torso, were beginning to exhibit signs of adolescent appearance, Tim still retained full, firm breasts. Joe hadn't seen his friend until a couple of days after they had been afflicted, but he couldn't perceive any noticeable loss of development. All the changelings had quickly acquired female pattern body hair. That meant mostly light fuzz, except on the head, legs, underarms, and pubic area. It was difficult to tell for sure, but Joe thought Tim's pubic hair was growing more like that of a pubescent teen than mature woman. Of course, he had little knowledge in that area. To his credit, Tim was accepting his fate amazingly well. Though he openly complained of how young he looked, but he never let it affect his ability to get along with others. Sometimes he even joked about it. It must have been difficult to get up in the morning and see a scrawny teenage girl staring back from the bathroom mirror, but Tim only spoke of it with characteristic humor. He had been pushing two-hundred pounds only a little over a week ago, but now he looked lucky to break a hundred. Joe knew from experience that it was difficult for a male to don female clothes, but Tim even wore his little-girl pink panties without complaint. Joe also knew that acceptance was partially the influence of hormones, but still, it was obvious that Tim also remembered that, under it all, he was still a born male. Joe noticed that after Tim pulled his shorts on, he put the socks and Nike athletic shoes back on. Like Joe, he probably discovered they were more supportive and comfortable than any "girl-shoes" that they tried. "Becky got me these sandals, but I like these much better." Tim declared, looking over at Joe. "I know what you mean." Joe agreed. As soon as I get home, I always put my Reeboks on. I don't know how women can stand it in these things all day." He pointed to his low-heeled pumps. "I didn't get any shoes like that for tomorrow." Tim announced, as if he just realized it. "I think I'm going back to the mall when you take me back to my car." "Get whatever you think you want." Joe advised. "You'll probably need it, eventually." "I might do that." Tim said. "But I'm going home to change clothes first." They reluctantly gathered up their bags and, taking one last look at the locker room scenery, they walked to the door. As they got into Joe's car, Tim spoke. "Joe, I don't know if I could take too much of that." He said. "I didn't realize my heart could pump so hard." "Probably would have been more fun a couple of weeks ago, huh?" Joe teased. "I think it would have killed me for sure, then." Tim declared. "I still think I got the urge, but it's not nearly as strong it used to be." "And thank God for that, I guess." Joe added. "I don't think I'd want to be stuck looking like this, and still get all the same urges." "Hell, I think I still do." Tim admitted. "Do you think I'm queer, Joe?" "Do you think you are?" Joe countered. "How can anybody figure out what's happening? to us" Tim said, expecting no answer. "Damn it, we ARE still really guy's right? Even if we do look like this?" "I guess so." Joe agreed. "But I think I am changing a little... No, I'm changing a lot. But I do still remember what it was like before." "Sounds as if you prefer what happened." Tim offered. "I don't know... Sometimes I do." Joe admitted. "Sometimes I don't. But either way, I'm still stuck like this. Might as well try to get used to it, right?" "Yeah... Sure... You're probably right." Tim agreed. "But, I'm telling you, If you could have seen the boner I had while I was in the shower..." "Stop it, or I'm going to get wet pants." Joe complained, laughing. "Does that happen to you, too?" Tim asked. "Yeah. And I think it happens to real women, too." Joe mused. "Maybe just a little more for us cause everything is still so new." "I don't see how they stand it." Tim decided. "It all feels so messy." "They'd probably feel the same way about having a cock." Joe considered. "At least that has another use." Tim said. "I don't know how I'd go if I couldn't sit down, now." "It is sort of a pain in the ass, ain't it." Joe quipped. "I just hope it'd all worth it." Tim said. "Someday, I'm gonna see if all these new parts work." "Just what do you have planned?" Joe asked, grinning. "Well, I'm gonna find this real good looking guy... I'm gonna get dressed real sexy... Wear underwear like that girl in the locker room, and then, he's gonna get the screwing of his life." "That's it?" Joe asked. "No, that's not all." Tim continued, obviously thinking. "If it looks like there's really no way back, and I'm stuck like this permanently, then, someday, not right away, I want to get pregnant. I want to make a baby." "No kidding? You really want to do that?" Joe asked. "Don't you?" Tim countered. "I mean if we're really stuck like this? Don't you want to do it if you can? Just to see what it's like." "Not just to see what it's like." Joe answered. "Don't forget, if you do that, you'll be somebody's mother. That's forever. Think about it real hard first." "You can count on that." Tim reassured him. "I've been thinking a lot about that kind of stuff lately." "I have too, a little, I guess." Joe admitted. "I was engaged, you know. To Linda." "Bummer." Tim replied. "Yeah, right." Joe agreed. "We talked about having kids. She wanted two, and so did I." "What's she think about all this?" Tim asked. "I'm not really sure." Joe considered. "We still love each other, I guess, but it obviously just can't be like it was." "That's an understatement." Tim added, grinning. "We're going to have a big talk tonight." Joe continued. "I don't know if we'll decide what we might do about our situation then, but we might, I guess." "Good luck." Tim offered. "I have it bad enough just living with my sister. I think she's starting to like the idea of a little sister. I'm just having a hard time trying to act like one." "She's helping you adapt, isn't she?" Joe asked. "Yeah, sure." Tim admitted. "But do you have any idea how embarrassing it is to have your big sister tell you how wear a bra or shave your legs... Stuff like that?" "It would be a lot harder without her." Joe reminded him. "Swallow your pride. I'm sure glad Linda helped me." "Does she know about you and Jay?" Tim asked suddenly? "I think she probably does." Joe admitted. "Jay's going to be there tonight, too" "Well, I don't envy you." Tim decided. Joe drove to the Honeybone parking lot, where Tim's old Camaro was parked. The young man got out, hiked the gym bag to narrow shoulder, and held up his hand. "Tomorrow morning, at the hanger?" Tim asked. "What time?" "Oh... Oh-seven-hundred will give us plenty of time." Joe said. "No need to get up too early." "I'll be wearing something like you have on." Tim announced. Joe nodded his head. "If you like." Joe said. "You don't have to get too dressed up. Just try to look professional. I think the pax will be Company big-wigs." "I'm heading back to the mall." Tim announced. "If you want, you might give Norm a call. I'm sure he'd like to go along." Joe added. "Hmmm... I don't know..." Tim considered. "Think about it." Joe went on. "Norm's a nice guy... or whatever.. heh heh..." "Yeah, but he's about fifty years older than me." Tim reminded. "He don't look it." Joe countered. "He probably could use a younger perspective on things." "I'll think about it." Tim concluded. "Do that." Joe said. "See you in the morning!" Joe drove towards Linda's. He looked down at the clock on the dash. Four-thirty. Probably another hour till Linda came home. He could spend the time washing clothes and getting ready for tomorrow's trip. When he reached the driveway, he saw there were no other cars there. He'd be home alone. Joe went to his room and saw all the underwear still scattered about on the bed. Bras and panties. His really had become a girls room. It even smelled like one. He gathered up the frilly things, momentarily pausing sometimes to feel the silky texture and marvel at the fine construction. Joe took the garments over to a drawer and started to fold them and carefully store them away. He was building quite a collection. He wondered how things Linda had. She had a whole lifetime to acquire these things, not just a little over a week. The other day he changed clothes with her, in her room, and he had momentary peek in her underwear drawer. It was full, much fuller than his. Joe wondered if his fascination with these things was anything like that for her. For him it was all new. Before, his main involvement with these things was when he and a woman became intimate. Then, it was, for him, more like a decoration, a wrapper, for what was to follow. It wasn't that way anymore. These were his stuff... His underwear... And yet, there would probably never be a time when he could think of them like he had his BVD's. They contained too much mystique... Was that it? Mystery? Were female undergarments actually mysterious? Are were they just underwear? When he had everything put away, Joe sat on the bed and removed his blouse. The air conditioner felt cool without the protection of the silk, and Joe wondered what to wear. He went back to the drawers and selected a thin cotton tank-top, one of the first he purchased after the change. He really needed to do some wash. He slipped the top over his head, and looked down, remembering the self concous feeling the first time he wore it. The white cotton seemed almost transparent and you could easily see the outline of the bra underneath. In addition, the large armholes exposed everything. It was not the thing to wear when you wanted to hide your femininity. But, he was becomming more accustomed to things like that now, and besides, the light little top was really cool. Unfastening the button, and zipping the little back zipper, Joe slipped the skirt down his hips. He lay it on the bed and pulled off the half-slip. He couldn't wait to get the pantyhose off. Though he liked the way they looked, they were hot, and felt rather tight. Down to cotton panties, Joe rubbed his crotch, remembering what Tim said. "Until you touch yourself, you can't really tell something is missing down there." Tim was right. Over a week now, and it still made the hair on his neck rise whenever he touched himself. Again, Joe went to the chest of drawers, the third one down contained his shorts. He picked out some in yellow cotton. He slipped them on, and then hung up the wool suit. Next Joe went to the hamper and withdrew his laundry. He sorted the things to wash in the machine, from the stuff he'd wash by hand in the sink. Shorts, tops, bras, underpants. Typical women's clothes. Was he actually becoming a "typical" woman? He held up a little gray, nylon panty. He carefully examined the thin elastic waist and leg openings. He touched the narrow band of nylon that went between his legs, feeling the crisp stiffness of his own dried secretion. He turned it inside-out and the white cotton liner exhibited a narrow, light yellow stain where it had been in contact with his new genitalia. Just like a "typical woman's" underwear. Was he really becoming a woman? He might still think like a guy, but the soiled panties were undeniable evidence. He had really become a woman. Joe took the pile of clothes to the laundry room, sorted them, and started a load. He went back to his bathroom to hand-wash the delicate things. When he first was told of the need to hand-wash his underwear, Joe thought it would be a lousy way to spend time. Now that he had done it a few times, he found that it really wasn't, in fact, it was even sort of enjoyable. He loved touching and feeling his new underwear, and it actually only took a few moments to accomplish. And just doing it made him feel so damn feminine. Why did he like that? He didn't know why, but he did. Washing his bras and nylon or silk panties actually seemed somehow therapeutic. When they were all washed, rinsed, and carefully wrung out, Joe carefully hung them over the little cord in the shower stall. Along with the pantyhose he wore that day, they fill the entire length. The room smelled of soap. Joe felt happy, and began to hum an old Beatles tune. When he realized he was doing it, he started to sing, his now quite feminine voice resonating off the bathroom walls. "Elinore Rigby... Sits in a church where a wedding had been..." Why was he so happy? Only God knew. It would soon be time for Linda to arrive.