Aaron wakes up

With a snort, Aaron sat up, instantly awake. The sun was just beginning to lighten the sky outside. He had been asleep for a good long while, and yet he was still exhausted.

His eyes seemed dry and crusty, so he rubbed them. His fingers came back with large black smudges. He had forgotten about the stupid makeup! He turned to his pillow and sure enough, there was smeared makeup all over the pillow case.

Sighing, Aaron realized that until this masquerade ended, he would now how to make sure he washed his face to remove his makeup before bed. He grumpily trudged into the bathroom and peered into the mirror.

He was a mess. His makeup was completely smeared all over his face. He must have brushed his arm over his mouth while he slept, as his lipstick was smeared to one side of his face. Also, his hair was a complete tangle, something else he’d now have to take care of before bed.

He washed his face, working hard in removing the smeared mascara and eyeliner. He showered, using the femininely scented body wash, making sure he had no stubble anywhere. Stepping out of the shower, he dried himself off and began working on the rat’s nest that was his hair. After several, long, painful minutes of combing through knots, he was at least somewhat clean. He missed the days of quick morning rituals at this point

He resigned himself to wearing the short satin robe and went back into his room. He rummaged around in his drawers and pulled out the most masculine bra he could find, which wasn’t very masculine, what with it being a bra and all. He needed something to hold his breast forms up and to stop their annoying jiggling. Dejectedly, he pulled on some matching lace boyshorts and padded quietly downstairs to make some coffee.

He had just poured a cup when Sarah appeared in the doorway, leaning against the frame, yawning widely.

“Sorry,” Aaron said, “I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

“You didn’t,” Sarah said, shuffling over, grabbing a coffee cup, then pouring herself a cup of the coffee. “The smell of the coffee was too much to be ignored.”

She poured a splash of milk into her coffee. Holding the cup in both her hands, she took a sip and sighed contentedly. “Oh, coffee, how I love you,” she said, faux-gazing lovingly at the cup she held.

Turning her attention to her feminized father, he was looking at her with a slight scowl on his face.

“What?” She asked, slightly worried by his expression.

“Luke took me to the bank yesterday,” Aaron said flatly. “I now have a checking account.”

“That’s great! You...” Sarah started to say.

“No, it’s not. Erin,” and he gestured at his feminized self, “has a checking account. In HER name. As in my old account. Only Aaron, your father, has been removed from it.”

“So your old ATM card is dead?” Sarah asked.

“And the bank thinks Aaron, your father, is dead. So while it’s great for a paycheck, I’ll have to open a new account someplace else for male Aaron. But to do that, I need ID, so we’re right back to where we started.”

“Wait,” Sarah asked, “How’d you get the old account...”

“Luke. He knows EVERYONE here. He sweet talked the bank manager and got her to gloss over a lot of things.

“And he’s trying to get you a job at some greasy spoon he took me to called, ‘Bayou Betty’s.’”

“The place by the highway?”

“Yeah. So don’t be surprised if he mentions it to you or calls you or something.”

“Mentions it to me? When would I see...”

“He wants to do something with me this weekend.”

The last sentence hung in the air as the pair sipped their coffee in silence. After a very long, very awkward pause, Sarah finally said, “So, about the job....”

“What about it?” Aaron asked.

“Well... as much as I hate to say it, you should probably hit the salon again before you start work.”

“What? There is no way I’m going...”

“You need to keep looking female, Dad. For now. Until you get competent with your makeup and hair styling skills, you need help. Professional help. I can only do so much.

“And you could use another round of hair removal. At this point, do you want Ted or Luke or Brad or anyone to figure out you’ve conned them all into thinking you’re a woman?”

“But I haven’t...”

“They won’t see it like that,” Sarah said.

“I guess you’re right. Could you handle it? I mean, the appointment. I have no idea what all to ask for.”

“Sure. And don’t worry, the heavy lifting has been done. This is just a touch up.”

“Wonderful,” Aaron said glumly as he finished his coffee. He rinsed out his cup, , putting it into the dishwasher. He trudged back upstairs to get dressed. There was a ball game on today, and by God he was going to enjoy it.

He rummaged through the clothing he had and found some cut off shorts. Rationalizing them as jeans, he pulled them on. He found an old Cubs Jersey he had gotten his wife that she had never worn. He was the baseball fan, not her. He had never been able to convince her of the entertainment value of the game.

He remembered he had gotten her a baseball cap to match he jersey. Rooting around in the closet, he eventually found it. He plopped it on his head, but his new hairstyle hung awkwardly in his face. No matter how he tried to hold his hair back, the hat made it hang annoyingly around his face

Giving up, he went into the bathroom, found one of Sarah’s scrunchies, and pulled his hair into a ponytail. He put the cap back on and looked at himself in the mirror.

Without even trying, he looked like a sporty woman about to enjoy a baseball game.

Deciding against changing, he went back downstairs and flopped down on the couch, killing time before the game by watching random TV shows.

Sarah milled around until the game started, when she brought her father a cold beer.

He looked up at her, questioningly.

“You always have a beer when you watch your Cubs,” she said with a smile. “You’ve been through a lot the past few days. The least I can do is try to give you some down time.”

Aaron accepted the beet and took a long drink. Sarah was right, he had earned it. As the bottom of the first inning started, he leaned back into the couch and, for the first time in days, exhaled and lost himself in the game.