Honey Bunny: 19

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A consultation with Doctor Martinez
Ally in her Bunny outfit
Sometimes it is more important to listen to your inner voice than those around you.


Honey Bunny
Chapter 19

by Louise Anne Smithson

Copyright © 2015 Louise Anne Smithson
All Rights Reserved.

 


 
Chapter 19 The Next Step

George and I made up for lost time during the first few days at sea of our third cruise – at least we did so in terms of our working relationship. We had several sessions together during which we worked out arrangements for a number of new songs which we later introduced to the others. We worked well and often had a laugh together and our past awkwardness seemed to be forgotten. He was no longer frightened of physical contact and so he would sometimes put his arm around me or we would exchange a friendly kiss if he walked me back to my cabin after one of the evening shows. This somewhat more relaxed atmosphere showed up in our performances which were better than they’d been of late. We even began to organise an amateur choir among the staff and crew of the ship with the idea of getting them to a good enough standard to be able to perform in front of an audience, perhaps making a collection for charity. I strong-armed Maria to take a break from her studies and come along to the rehearsals, whilst Carol and Beth encouraged their boyfriends to do so as well. Relations between the Bucks and the Bunnies also improved and the other guys in the band treated me no differently from Carol or Beth. We would often take our meals together, especially when Carol and Beth’s boyfriends were on duty and on these occasions Maria was treated as an honorary Bunny and we all tried to help her with her English.

Having an acknowledged ‘boyfriend’ on board, just like Beth and Carol, was useful to me as it meant that other guys in the crew were less likely to try their chances. As before, we all three received compliments from passengers of both sexes and sometimes indulged in a little mild flirting with the guys. However any invitations, no matter how innocent they might seem at first sight, were politely turned down.

In other respects things carried on much as they’d done on the previous voyage with the Bunny Hops held in the mornings when we were at sea followed by my giving Maria an English-language lesson after lunch and our regular performances during the afternoons and the evenings. With more clothes to choose from and more experience in dealing with my hair and makeup I began to take more responsibility for the way I looked when we were not performing. Maria was less likely to criticise my appearance although she continued to offer occasional helpful hints. She, in turn, continued to make good progress with her English language and was now far more confident than she’d been when she started.

~o~O~o~

As previously arranged, George and I went ashore together for a few hours when the ship called at Gibraltar on the outward journey. We took a cab to the Jews Gate and began the hour and a half long ascent of the Mediterranean steps, admiring the wonderful foliage as we went. It was hard work, especially upon my knees and I was glad that I was wearing sensible shoes, had bought myself a straw hat and that we’d both brought some drinking water. However, once we had reached the end of the trail the truly stunning sea views made it all worthwhile. We remained seated for twenty-minutes or so admiring the view, with his arm round my shoulders and my head resting on his but we both had things to do during the afternoon, so soon began to descend and make our way back to the ship. It was an innocent enough excursion, but this time we held hands as we walked along the quayside and exchanged a kiss when we parted at the top of the gangplank without worrying about who might be looking on. I don’t think either of us was madly in love with the other or felt there was likely to be a long term relationship between us, but I was enjoying being a girl and it was turning into a pleasant summer interlude, all the same.

I made my way to our cabin where Maria was waiting for her daily English lesson. On this occasion our roles were going to be reversed and she had promised to act the part of Dr Martinez, and I would attempt to explain to her, in Spanish, about my lifelong wish to be a girl and why I now wanted to begin hormone replacement therapy. I had been studying Maria’s translation of my email, which covered most of the points that I wanted to make. She asked me a few supplementary questions when I was not being clear or felt that the Doctor might require more information. By the time that Maria had to return to her work I felt I’d done as much preparation for the forthcoming interview as I could.

‘I haven’t mentioned my plans to any of the others, and I’d prefer not to do so, at least until after I have seen the doctor. Can you think of an excuse for me to explain why I would want to go ashore on my own?’ I asked.

‘Why not tell the others that you have been invited to take la comida with my parents again. That way, we would take the Green line metro together but you can get off at Diagonal and I will continue to my home at Vallcarca?’ she suggested. ‘After you have finished you can telephone me to arrange for us to meet before we return to the ship together.’

‘Thank you, Maria; that will be helpful.’

We had one full-day at sea after Gibraltar arriving at Barcelona in the evening and docking, to enable the passengers to disembark first thing in the morning. That evening we were getting ready for our performance as usual.

‘Do you have any plans to go ashore with George tomorrow?’ asked Beth.

‘No the Bucks are planning to do their own thing this time, and I’ve been invited to lunch with Maria’s parents.’

‘I hope you have a good time.’

What are you two planning?’ I asked.

‘The guys have promised to take Carol and me for a surprise treat tomorrow.’

‘I hope it will be a nice surprise for you both.’

~o~O~o~

After our evening show I went straight back to our cabin with Maria where she showed me how to touch up my hair roots.

‘I will not always be around to help you, Ally, so you should learn how to do this for yourself. It is not difficult to do, but you need to take precautions by wearing an old tee shirt and using the gloves that you will find in the packet.’

I did as I was instructed. She then told me how create a parting in the centre of my hair and to mix the dye before applying it to my hair using the applicator provided. I then proceeded to massage it into my roots. She showed me how to do this on the first occasion and then watched as I created further partings and applied more dye until eventually there was no longer any trace of the darker roots and my hair colour was even and looked quite natural.

‘Have you decided what you are going to wear when you see Dr Martinez tomorrow?’ she asked.

‘Not really. I want to look feminine and smart to convince her that I am serious about my plans but I do not want to go over the top with the glamour.'

‘Ah yes, that is an idiom?’ said Maria. It means the same as ‘getting carried away’ or ‘going too far.
‘So in English you have idioms to replace other idioms – why don’t you just say what you mean?’

‘I don’t know, Maria.’

‘I think you should wear the blue dress that I gave to you and the blue wedges. You will then look both smart and sensible.’

‘Alright then, I am always happy to take your advice.’

‘Now it is time to wash the dye from your hair and put on some conditioner. I will then put it in rollers so that tomorrow we will have you looking your best.’

~o~O~o~

Twelve hours later Maria gave me a hug as our Metro train arrived at Diagonal station.

‘Good luck, Ally. You look very smart today.’

‘I may look alright but I’m feeling pretty nervous. Thank you for all your help, Maria, you have been a good friend to me.’

‘Do you have your local SIM card in your phone?’ she asked.

(Because we were regular visitors to Barcelona the Bucks and the Bunnies had all invested in local SIM cards as it worked out so much cheaper to make calls between ourselves avoiding the mobile roaming charges.)

‘Yes, I have plenty of credit.’

‘Please telephone me when you are finished with Dr Martinez.'

~o~O~o~

The clinic was a couple of streets away from the metro station so I was in plenty of time for my appointment. I introduced myself to the receptionist and was asked to take a seat. After waiting for ten minutes or so, I was approached by a motherly looking, but smartly dressed woman in her mid-fifties who invited me to come in to her office and take a seat. There is not a lot of point in my trying to repeat verbatim the rather tortuous conversation that we had with her imperfect English and my broken Spanish, but we understood one another. In this respect Maria’s translation of my email was an enormous help in answering most of her questions. I explained that I had begun taking an anti-androgen but was anxious to begin taking oestrogen under medical supervision as soon as possible. She asked me how much I knew about the effects of taking oestrogen on my body, and I explained that I fully understood the risks and long term effects of taking hormones but was certain that it was the right course for me. She nodded and did not seem particularly surprised. She then asked whether I fully understood the implications and potential problems associated with transitioning and spending the rest of my life as a woman: that there would be economic, legal and social as well as medical issues to be dealt with. In this respect my copious background reading came to my aid and I was able to convince her that I fully understood what I was doing. Once again, she was not surprised that I was so well informed.

Her final questions related to the more difficult matter of whether I’d discussed my plans with my parents and what was their reaction. I answered, truthfully, that I had not done so, because they would undoubtedly try and bully me into changing my mind, as they had done when I was a child. I said that I would tell them as soon as I had begun my hormone regime. She did not seem to be surprised by this and I had the impression that several of her patients had told similar stories. I ended by saying that I hoped to find a doctor who would oversee my transition so I would not be forced to do so using information acquired from the Internet.

Before deciding what to do, Dr Martinez asked to see evidence of my age. For once I was able to provide this by means of my passport, which I did not normally take ashore but had thought to bring with me at the last minute. She spent a little time comparing the photograph of Alexander and myself but then smiled and said I made una mujer Hermosa. I thanked her and did my best to explain that I was sharing a cabin with a beautician who was helping me with my presentation. She sighed but then seemed to come to a decision.

Fumas? she asked.

’No fumo, I’ve never smoked,’ I replied.

She nodded and seemed glad about that.

‘Bien, voy a recetar dos milligramos Estradiol para usted,’ she announced.

I understood enough to know that she just agreed to prescribe me the usual starting dose of oestrogen.’

Gracias,’ I replied, with a feeling of relief.

She wrote a prescription and handed it to me.

‘I give you three month supply. Then we reconsider dose. When you come to see me again?’ she asked.

‘My ship calls at Barcelona every ten days.’

‘Make appointment to see me in thirty days.’

‘Yes, of course.’

’Buena suerte con su nueva vida,’ she said, smiling, as I was about to leave.

I returned her smile and thanked her for her good wishes for my new life before getting up and leaving. On my way out I paid the fee for my consultation, to the receptionist. I emerged on to the Avigunda Diagonal in a daze. It all seemed to go so much easier than I’d imagined. I found a bar and ordered a café espresso and wondered how long it would take before my dosage was established and I could continue the medications on my own. I would have no difficulty consulting Dr Martinez at regular intervals until mid-September but thereafter it could work out expensive if I had to fly out to Barcelona each time I needed to see her. Eventually I took out my phone and called Maria.

‘Hi, Ally, how did it go for you?’ she asked.

‘Fine, she has given me a prescription for three months. I'll now need to find a pharmacy to supply them.’

‘Do not be too hasty. Let me call Juanita first, she may be able to get them for precio al por mayor.

‘What’s that?’ I asked.

‘The price they pay to the distributor.’

‘The English term is wholesale price,’ I said, resuming my role as her teacher.

‘What did the doctor prescribe to you?’

‘Ninety Estradiol pills, two milligrams, to be taken daily,’ I replied.

‘I call you back.’

Ten minutes later my phone rang.

‘You should go to the bar near to the Plaça Espanya where we met Juanita, at three fifty this afternoon. She and I will meet you there and she will provide your medications at a wholesale price.’

‘Thanks Maria.’

~o~O~o~

I now had more than two and a half hours to kill before my appointment and so filled the time by walking through the narrow streets of the old city before making my way to the Plaça de Catalunya where I sat for a while looking at the fountains and the sculptures. I was trying to come to terms with everything that had happened to me during the eight weeks since I’d arrived in the UK. My life had changed so much for the better, in so many ways and I so enjoyed myself as one of the Bunnies and in helping Maria, but was I sure that I wanted to spend the rest of my life as a woman? I’d been so sure of the rightness of my proposed course of action that I’d even got rid of Alex’s clothes. Yet I was also conscious that I was on the point of no return. Later that day I hoped to take my first dose of oestrogen and begin a process that would gradually turn me into a transgendered woman, and then there would be no going back. I would then have to face up to all the implications of that decision including explaining to my parents. Was I sure? Was I rushing in to things? Was I so enamoured with being able to wear nice clothes and makeup that I was not considering the potential difficulties that I would inevitably encounter? Maybe I should wait for a while and discuss it with my parents? But then I began to think about the implications for me of reverting to Alex and I remembered how lonely and unhappy I’d been over the last few years. I knew in my soul that if I did not go ahead now it would become progressively more difficult and I might never have the courage to do so again. I would regret that decision for the rest of my life.

It was this realisation that eventually spurred me into action to walk the kilometre to the Plaça Espanya, where I arrived ten minutes early for my appointment with Juanita and Maria, with a head that was clear of any doubts. They arrived at the agreed time and Juanita handed over a box of tablets in exchange for my prescription and thirty Euros. The price was somewhat less than I’d imagined, but I calculated with the price of the Aldactone and the Consultation Fees I would spend all the money that my parents had given to me for my birthday on my medications – and once again I asked myself what better eighteenth birthday present could they have bought for me, if only they understood?

Gracias Juanita,’ I said

She smiled and said something in Catalan which Maria had to translate for me.

‘You should take one tablet each day, but do not swallow them. Place it under your tongue so that it dissolves gradually to give you a slow even dose of the hormone.’

I opened the packet and did as she instructed. At one level I felt no different, but at another level I knew that I‘d ‘crossed the Rubicon’ in my journey towards femininity and felt a great sense of relief. I would now take the next opportunity to tell the other Bunnies what I’d done, and then the rest of my family.

~o~O~o~

Maria and I arrived back at the ship shortly before five o’clock; there was no sign of the others. I handed my identity card to the guy at the end of the gangplank and he scanned it to record my presence on board once again. As he did so, a warning flashed up on the screen.

‘There is a note here saying that there’s a telephone message for you in the office, Miss, it is marked urgent.’

I left Maria and made my way to the office wondering who might want to contact me urgently. The secretary handed me a slip of paper. It proved to be from my Aunt.

Ally, I have been trying to ring you and Carol on your mobiles all day but there has been no response from either of you. As soon as you get this message telephone me, irrespective of the time or cost. It is very urgent!
Aunt Emm.

~o~O~o~

 
Next time: Unexpected developments

Thanks to Angharad and to Bronwen for proofreading, and to everybody who has left a comment or awarded a kudo. Louise

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Comments

Dang

I hate cliff hangers lol

Joanna

I Hate

I hate people who post what I was going to say, but beat me to it.

lol

Alecia Snowfall's picture

everybody hates that girl......so don't feel like the Lone Stranger. Then again I'm guilty of doing that.

quidquid sum ego, et omnia mea semper; Ego me.
alecia Snowfall

Mostly Standard Part of Serialized Stories

A big advantage with Louise Anne is that you can feel pretty confident that you'll see the new chapter resolving the cliff next Friday.

Honey of a story

I'm really enjoying this Honey of a story. I anxiously await each edition. Another Brian

parents cruise?

enb4448's picture

If I was prone to gambling, my bet would be that her parents are joining the cruise at Barcelona.

that's

That's exactly what I was thinking.

"Oh noes!"

Podracer's picture

My immediate thought was - family emergency, Ally must fly home right away :O
And just when she has had such a good day too.

"Reach for the sun."

My thought as well

Something has happened to one or both of the parental units I'm thinking.

My thought as well

Something has happened to one or both of the parental units I'm thinking.

My Thought Also...

Actually, the first thing that flashed into my mind was that our author was about to kill off both of the parents, but that'd be too much of a copout. A stirring deathbed scene at the hospital (either acceptance or rejection) with one of them, on the other hand…

Eric

is it her parents?

maybe they're on their way to meet her ...

DogSig.png

Sounds like a parental emergency.....

D. Eden's picture

I have the distinct impression that Ally is about to find out that her parents are meeting the ship in Barcelona. Who knows? Maybe they have already boarded and she will run into them before she can even get to a phone.

This could have a seriously detrimental effect on her employment if her parents cause a stink, but hopefully the other Bunnies, Maria, George, and the rest of the guys will stand behind her.

It seems that Fate may have taken things into her own hands.

Hopefully we won't be hanging on by our fingernails waiting for the next chapter for too long!

Dallas

D. Eden

Dum Vivimus, Vivamus

Something tells me

Renee_Heart2's picture

It's Alix's parents they are coming aboard or something bad happened to them.

I'm glad Ally has taken time to do things the right way I hope she gets her wish & her parents accept her for who she is.

Love Samantha Renee Heart

I'm Not Hanging By My Fingernails

joannebarbarella's picture

Because I came in late and so I'm only a click away from the answer to the cliffhanger!

" Suspician sets us apart"

Now Ally can speak with her parents, she may get a pleasant surprise ! But she must do this sooner, rather then later.
Ally has a great support group, but she needs her aunt to get on board, the only way is by telling mum and dad.
Can't wait to see what comes up next.
Wouldn't it be great if mom and dad saw Ally perform ?

Cefin