I was a little sorry that Sue decided to stay at Rusper again last night as I hadn’t seen her all week, and I was going to be at work when they called in to collect Karen and Josie this morning, and would then disappear for another four days. That’s teenagers for you, I suppose! However, I have spoken to her on the phone and I’ve had Karen and Josie for company this last week. In fact the house will seem quite empty once they leave.

‘Girls, would you like me to fix your hair for you both?’ I asked last night.

This usually went down well with my two, and so I assumed that it would also do so with Josie.

‘Yes please Mum, I need to wash my hair,’ said Karen. ‘I’ll have a shower and shampoo now, and then Josie can go in whilst you are rolling up my hair.’

‘By the way Josie, are those breast forms of yours still quite comfortable?’ I asked.

‘I think they are alright; the surrounding skin shows no sign of soreness or discolouration and they’re both still securely attached despite my having taken several showers and a bath this week. In fact they feel quite comfortable now that I’m getting used to the feel of them,’ she answered.

‘In that case I suggest you leave them in place until you’re back from your trip to the seaside.’

‘That’s a relief, I wasn’t really looking forward to taking them off.’

Karen left us to have her shower, but Josie seemed to want to have a talk with me.

‘Aunt Jean, do you think that I am transgendered?’ she asked.

The question was hardly an earth-shattering surprise given the fact that Josie had recent taken to wearing dresses and lipstick like a duck takes to water, but I suppressed any temptation to respond with the question ‘is the Pope a Catholic?’

‘Well Josie, as I understand it, that the term covers a number of different conditions, some of which definitely do not apply to you. However, the fact that you seem to be so happy and comfortable when you are dressed as a girl compared to how shy and serious you were when dressed as Joe makes me suspect that you may be experiencing some, shall we say ‘uncertainty’ over your gender identity. I am no expert in the matter and it may just be a phase you are going through.’

‘I’d never thought about dressing as a girl before the week before the convention, but as soon as I did so it felt so right for me. I’m not now looking forward to changing back again next week,’ she admitted.

‘Do you feel that you would like to change your sex, and become a girl full-time then?’

‘I just don’t know, I feel totally confused about who I am and how I feel,’ she answered and a tear began to roll down her cheek.

I felt really sorry for her and wondered how I would react if she were my child.

‘The important thing is that you should choose what to do with your life, and not worry too much about what other people may think. However, you must also realise that you could face bullying, hostility and even perhaps violence from ignorant people if you remain openly living as a girl. I would encourage you to discuss your feelings with your mother next week.’

‘Do you think she knows?’

I smiled.

‘She certainly knows that something unusual is happening to you. But you do not need to face it alone. You have a mother, and sister, and friends. The main thing is talk to them and don’t try and keep your feelings to yourself.’

‘Yes, I suppose so.’

‘Promise me that you’ll talk about the way you feel with your mother this weekend,’ I said.

Josie agreed to do so and dried her eyes, and soon afterwards heard that the shower was free.

Whilst Josie was taking her shower I spoke with Karen as I was putting her hair in rollers.

‘What do you think about Josie?’ I asked.

‘I get on very well with her,’ said Karen.

‘But is it a good idea for Joe to spend so much time living as Josie?’

‘I guess that is up to Joe or Josie to decide; certainly she seems to like doing girly things and looking feminine.’

‘But what do you feel about it?’ I asked my daughter.

She shrugged her shoulders.

‘I quite like Josie’s company as a girlfriend, but I am not sure how I will feel about Joe when I next meet him.’

‘What do the others think?’

‘Sue isn’t really bothered. Jenny is a little anxious about where it all might end, and how it might affect her reputation at school. We all agreed that we were happy to have Josie with us as a friend during the next few days, but we would like to know how long it is to be for so we can make some plans.

Josie didn’t need to wash her hair, and once she emerged from the shower she was wearing her new nightdress, negligee and slippers. She did look nice.

‘That shade of blue suits you,’ I said.

We chatted for a while whilst I brushed her hair and put in some rollers.

‘If you don’t mind Aunt Jean I should like to go to bed early as I have to pack my case for tomorrow, and there are a number of articles about transgenderism that I’ve downloaded from the Internet and have not yet had a chance to read.’

‘Alright then, goodnight Josie.’

‘Goodnight, Josie.’

‘I may not have much time to talk with you in the morning so I hope you enjoy your trip to Southport and be sure to have that talk with your Mum,’ I said.

‘I will,’ she answered, ‘and thank you for everything you’ve done for me recently.’

‘It has been my pleasure,’ I replied, and kissed her on the forehead.

Karen also needed to pack her case and paint her nails, so I used the opportunity after they’d both gone upstairs to telephone Carol. I told her about my discussion with Josie and suggested that she should find some time to have a long talk with her son/daughter over the next few days.

‘I’m going to need to get some professional advice, it sounds as if she’ll want to remain as Josie once we get back from Southport,’ said Carol.

‘I think that may be so, but how will she cope when everyone knows her identity?’

‘I’ve no idea.’

‘She would be welcome to continue staying here for a little while, but it is only a matter of time before somebody else starts to wonder what has happened to Joe and who is this new girl,’ I replied.

‘The invitation to go and stay with Denise and her family would give us all a little breathing space, whilst we decided what to do. It would take her away from the possibility of discovery, but it would be irresponsible not to tell Denise’s parents who Josie really was. How do you think they would react, and can we trust them to keep it a secret?’

‘I only know Alice,’ I replied. ‘She’s rich, and perhaps a little spoiled, but fundamentally a decent sort. I suspect that she would be alright. It is a pity that you couldn’t have had a face to face meeting before she left for North Wales, so you could make up your own mind.’

‘I suppose I could ring her as Josie’s mother; that would be quite natural, and then I could see what I think’ said Carol.

As I’d anticipated, I barely had time to talk to the girls this morning before I left for work. I just checked that they were both up and had finished their packing. Karen looked very smart and well-organised, as I knew she would. Josie looked a little apprehensive but also quite lovely. She seemed to look good in whatever she chose to wear and appeared to have a natural ability to use cosmetics to good effect which the best looking girls will sometimes lack. It was difficult for me to picture that just over two weeks ago she was an awkward teenage boy.

‘Well good luck and I hope all goes well for the five of you over the next few days,’ I said.

‘Thanks Mum, and I hope you enjoy the peace and quiet without us,’ said Karen.