Clothes

You hesitated for a moment, still thinking about everything the woman said. Your phone still clutched in your hand felt cold against your ear.

Alex's concerned eyes met yours, "What she say? Are you..." he question dragged off, he wasn't able to say the word.

"She couldn't say. Said we wouldn't know until the 48 hours are up. She also said there was a box." You said, as you turned away, your gaze drifting down the hall towards the living room.

You walked towards the living room, Alex close behind. There, on the coffee table, sat a box. It was unmarked, plain, but something about it made your heart race. It looked just like the one Jimmy had, the one he'd gotten the collar, the leash and those damned mittens...he'd gotten that stuff from the mysterious woman.

What was in this one? More things meant to humiliate you? You felt a chill run down your spine as you reached for it, your fingers trembling slightly.

Alex's breath caught behind you, and you could sense his unease. "How'd that get here?" he whispered, looking around as if the person who left it was still in his apartment, but you didn't answer. You quickly swung open the lid.

As you lifted the lid, expecting the worse. You were shocked to find Inside, neatly folded, lay a collection of plain female clothes—simple jeans, a few blouses, skirts, and a few sundresses. They looked your size. Beside the clothes was a sleek black handbag. You picked it up, the leather smooth under your fingers, and pulled open the zipper. Inside, you found your wallet containing all your cards and even a new ID. The first name was blank, but showed everything else. The face in the photo was yours, well your new female face. Astonished you showed Alex the ID with your new photo.

"Why doesn't it show your first name?" He asked, staring at the ID.

"Well I guess John doesn't work anymore." You said shrugging. As you stared at the blank space where your first name should have been, a strange mix of emotions swirled inside you.

"I guess I need to pick a name," you muttered, more to yourself than to Alex, who was watching with a mixture of curiosity and concern. The thought of choosing a new name felt odd, then you thought about how if you were already pregnant in 9 months you'd be picking another name. You pushed the thought from your mind.

Alex broke the silence, his voice soft but filled with a tentative optimism. "Hey, what about 'Jane'?" he suggested, his eyes meeting yours with a hopeful smile. "It's classic, and it suits you." He paused, then added, "Or maybe 'Lily'? His suggestions hung in the air.

You stared at the blankly into space, the weight of choosing a name pressing down on you. Nothing felt quite right—yet.

"How about Joanna? It's like the female version of John. We can can you Jo for short." Alex said excitedly.

That wasn't bad you thought, "hmm Alex and Joanna Smith" you muttered to yourself.

"What was that?" Alex said, leaning in closer to you.

Your cheeks flushed as you realized what you just said, and you quickly looked away, trying to hide the sudden wave of embarrassment. "Nothing, Joanna sounds good" you said frantically, fumbling with the clothes in the box to avoid meeting Alex's gaze.

"Hey look your ID updated!" He said amazed. You took it and looked at it. Sure enough the blank space was gone. In its place it read Joanna. Some how even after everything the mysterious woman had done, that simple trick still amazed you.

You returned to the box trying to find something to wear. As you rummaged through you glanced at Alex. He was standing next to you and you noticed at some point he put pants on. Suddenly, it hit you—you were still naked.

You quickly put on the sundress, feeling the it was the quickest way to get covered up. The material was light and airy, but it still managed to cover your body in a modest way.

You stood and faced Alex. "So... what do you think." You asked, showing off your new attire.