Part 1 - The Journey, Recent History, The Voyage Begins - is here.
The Atlanta Trip
Although I knew we were heading for Atlanta the next day, I couldn’t resist going out. It seems I had so much “going out” built up in me that I just had to get some of it released. Naturally, I headed over to BJ’s (a popular womyn’s bar). There was nothing particularly unusual about the evening except that the bar was kind of slow and it afforded me the chance to sit and talk at length with, and get to know Rose, one of the bartenders. One of the ladies in the bar bought me a drink and asked me to join her, but it was getting late and I *am* happily married. I headed for home about 2 in the morning, stopping in to see John at his store before heading for bed.
John was scheduled to show up at my house around 7 when he would transform into Sarah and we would begin our journey to Atlanta and the Sigma Epsilon meeting. I set my alarm for 6:30 and began my own packing and transformation. I took more time packing than I expected so I was happy when John didn’t arrive until almost 8. By the time we were both ready and out the door, it was well past 9. It certainly appeared that we wouldn’t have much chance of arriving there by 4 as we had hoped.
As it turns out, the trip was uneventful. It took us a solid 9 hours as the hotel is all the way on the north end of Atlanta and I refused to drive faster than the speed limit. I am not yet ready for my first “encounter” with a traffic cop! Sarah had worked all night the previous night, so she slept most of the way, waking up just for gas, food and necessary stops. We arrived just past 6, and had some difficulty getting a room, but good fortune smiled upon us and we were able to get a room with 2 double beds and we made everyone only slightly late for dinner as I insisted on changing clothes after the long drive.
We went to a very nice Russian restaurant for dinner. We had two carloads of people, about 9 in all. The valet seemed just a bit surprised when we all arrived, but he maintained his composure and treated us very nicely. The dinner was nice, although I wound up sitting at the smokers’ table! The only consternation came about when (what else?) we needed to use the restroom. As it turned out, they had two, neither designated by sex so it became a non-issue. One of the ladies at dinner with us that evening was Linda Peacock, the outgoing president of SigEp. I’m not certain, but I believe she is the first genetic woman to head a chapter of Tri-Ess. She is also on the board of directors for Tri-Ess and one of the driving forces for the SPICE conventions. Although her husband is a cross- dresser, and I am certainly envious of his spouse’s obvious acceptance, I am sure he is pleased that she has relinquished at least some duties this year. I am continually amazed at some of the truly remarkable people that become involved in our “community” or “para-culture.” While there are those who would bury it, hide it, or be shamed by it (and those for whom there is no other choice), there are also people like Linda who work hard to see that the world at large knows we are ok and that we each also know that we are ok.
Back at the hotel, I headed for bed. Sarah headed for the bar to watch the game and chat with the other ladies, but I was in serious need of sleep. The next day we had breakfast in the hotel dining room and after eating, the cashier commented on what nice nails I had. I knew Amelia would be proud! We had our meeting that morning and the number of new members surprised me. Counting Sarah and myself there were at least 10 people that had attended fewer than 3 meetings. They have a large and growing group in Atlanta. I think it is one of the oldest Tri-Ess chapters in the country. It was originally established as the chapter for the southeast United States and was based in Tennessee, I believe. In any event, they still have members from all over the Southeast and some that drive long distances to attend. Sarah and I, of course, had driven up from Tampa, but there were original members from as far away as Chattanooga, TN that try and make every meeting.
Following the meeting (which was held concurrently with the spouses’ meeting) we broke up to allow each of us to do our own thing. Several of us wanted to go to the infamous “Perimeter Mall.” I got a run in my nylons on the way to the mall so the first thing I needed to do was replace them. I bought a replacement pair at J.C. Penney and used the fitting room to change. I also picked up a couple of “cocktail rings” from their costume jewelry selection. Although I have a weakness for jewelry, it is one of the few areas I have managed a little restraint. This weekend was no time for restraint!
The trip to the mall was interesting from several perspectives. We had two gals with us that had never been to a mall dressed before (Sarah being one), myself - who had been a couple of times, and Michelle who was a regular. There was also another group of five from the SigEp meeting at the mall, but we never ran into them. I seemed to progress through several stages of “comfort” during the excursion. Initially, I was excited and a little apprehensive. As soon as we entered the mall and came face to face with other patrons, I immediately switched to panic. I dealt with that by directing my attention to the clothing racks. As soon as the panic left me, I turned my attention to the two who had never been before. If I was this nervous, they must be beside themselves. They handled themselves beautifully. After a short while (and after having replaced my nylons) I discovered that I was becoming more comfortable. No one was gawking at us; indeed no one seemed to mind us at all (that is not to say we went unnoticed!). I soon discovered that actually being in a store was much easier than being in the mall itself. In the store, you have only to deal with a sales clerk (almost ALL of whom are eager to help you) and a limited number of other shoppers, each of whom has their own agenda, which rarely includes noticing you. In the mall, on the other hand, there are no helpful sales clerks and most of the people are on a sightseeing mission and I felt like one of the sights! However, here again, I learned to deal with it. A direct look, a smile and an air of confidence worked wonders. I progressed to the point where I actually enjoyed observing the reactions of the other shoppers as they passed us. At one point, while I was stopped looking at some jewelry, I overhead two ladies as they approached my direction, having just passed my companions: “Did you see that? That was a guy!” “No! Really?!” “Yes, I’m serious.” They laughed good-naturedly and continued with their shopping, never even noticing me standing there, eavesdropping on their conversation. I learned at that point that, as long as someone didn’t approach me directly and tell me I was repulsive or ugly or offensive, I could handle this. Later that night I would learn that I could handle the direct confrontation as well.
I ended up spending more money than common sense would dictate, including buying a pretty black hat with a large feather that Sarah was sure would perfectly set off the little red cocktail dress I was going to wear that night. In any event, we all had a good time shopping, but I fear that one of our first timers got a little uptight the longer we stayed so we left a bit earlier than we might have otherwise. Nevertheless, it was a fun and enlightening experience for all of us.
We returned to the hotel in time to shower, take a short nap and change for the evening’s activities. I had purchased (from the Body Shop in Tampa) a slightly-too-small red cocktail dress, with off-the-shoulder sleeves and a gorgeous neckline that I had been dying to wear for some time. This evening seemed the perfect opportunity. By the way, the hat DID perfectly set off the dress and it was a success (the dress? Well, I thought it was nice; it MAY have been a bit short - it certainly was too tight! It actually gave me cleavage because it was so tight). Plans were made by several of us to attend a comedy show. Sarah opted to stay with the group that remained at the hotel; I opted for the show. In retrospect, I would rather have remained at the hotel. The show was enjoyable and I liked being out and about, but I got only a limited chance to chat with people and get to know some of the faces that I had identified on the BBS. I did have one noteworthy experience during our excursion to the Comedy Club, however.
After we had purchased our tickets, we were standing around outside, chatting. The earlier show let out and the patrons began to walk past us as they left. Most paid no attention to us, some looked at us and smiled and some studiously looked away. One young woman, however, made a point to come up to us and find out what we were up to. She had been drinking rather heavily and was a bit unsteady on her feet (and she wasn’t even wearing heels!) so she quickly bought the line that we were part of the show. After some quiet laughter at that we ‘fessed up that we weren’t really part of the show. She pointed to us with her beer bottle and said “As a girl, I know that girls always care about what other girls are thinking about them, so I just have to tell you all: ‘You’re ugly! I mean UGLY!’” We were a bit startled at the suddenness and directness of her comments, but given her state, we found it easy to laugh off. And, surprisingly, I discovered that she hurt none of us. I found, that I could consider the source and ignore such comments from small-minded people. I realized later that, among the whole group, she was the only one there that was truly ugly. Not one of us would have ever considered trying to hurt someone else’s feelings so directly. As they say: “Beauty is only skin deep.”
We got back to the hotel about midnight. I had to get out of that dress and into something less constricting. After I changed clothes, into a simple black skirt and a pretty red and black blouse, I headed back down to the bar to join everyone else. On the way, I encountered two men. They entered the hallway from the opposite end and spotted me walking their way. One gave a wolf whistle and the other an appreciative “Hello!” I smiled and continued to walk. They had obviously just come from the lounge and so were well aware of the number of CDs in the hotel and one of the guys turned to the other and said “That IS a woman, isn’t it?” “I sure hope so” the other replied. Again, I smiled, said nothing, and kept walking. They entered the elevator just as I arrived; I looked at them, winked and walked past just as the elevator doors shut.
In the lounge, I again got to meet some wonderful people with whom I had earlier “chatted” electronically. During one of these conversations, Sarah approached me to inform me that she and several others, including the wife of the BBS’s system operator, were headed next door to Denny’s for breakfast. They invited me to join them, so off I went. As I was exiting the lounge, however, a man reached out from the bar and grabbed my arm and gently pulled me over. Naturally, I was quite startled and I looked at him quizzically. “I don’t mean to frighten or embarrass you,” he started, “but - are you male?” I smiled at him and replied that I was neither frightened nor embarrassed and that, tonight, I also was not male. He smiled at that and asked me if I was a crossdresser with this group and I answered in the affirmative. He confided in me that he had a “friend” that was a cross-dresser and he found it fascinating. When I failed to respond to that he smiled again and said, “Well, I just wanted to tell you that you look stunning.” I smiled once again, thanked him, pulled my arm away and left to catch up with everyone at Denny’s.
We slept in late the next morning and then had to pack. Still, we made it down to the hotel dining room just in time for breakfast. Most of the attendees, that still remained, were now in their male personas, excepting Sarah and myself. After breakfast and much hugging and promises to keep in touch, we set off. I pulled into the Chevron next door to the hotel to fill up first and, by the time we actually hit the road, it was straight up noon. We didn’t get home until 9:10 that evening. A message from my wife was on the recorder. I immediately called her back and learned that I had only just missed her call. I pretended that I had been out of earshot of the telephone and didn’t even know she had called; I was simply calling to see how they were doing. My God! I hate to lie to her!
Next week: Out of Control, The Discovery, Learning Together
