Becoming Miss Cooper Ch. 02

Thank you so much to my editors Dpga4625 and incredimeters for all your help.

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Two months after I started my Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)

Chapter 1

Doc said I would have cravings and he was right. I thought about buying Kellogg's and Entenmann's stock I was eating so much junk food. He also warned me the hormones may cause mood swings. There was no "may" about it. I had a couple of days in which I was so bitchy I got sick of myself. Doc liked my physical development and Sal applauded my mental progress. Sal and I decided dress-up was all we would play together. We realized that it would be best to let our relationship stay in the friend zone. "Besides kid," he told me during one of our, how to be a woman classes, "I'm more into blondes."

"Liar," I said as I picked up a nice blonde wig and put it on my head. "I could be a blonde."

We both laughed. We played dress up a couple more times. I was, Golden Sparrow from The forbidden kingdom and then Shinobu Kocho. The costume manufacturer liked the pictures Sal took of me but sent me to a professional photographer, Jason Jackson to have more pictures taken of me as Sailor Mercury and Shinobu Kocho. I was so worried about modeling. I thought this might be some sort of scam. Then I was greeted by Jason's partner, Mia Lee, a current Mythical Clothes and Costumes model and former excellent bartender at Bill's. I wouldn't say we were friends but she always seemed nice and made an excellent Roy Rogers. (For more about Mia and Jason please read Photo Foreplay chapters 1 & 2).

After the shoot, I had a conference call with a marketing agent from Mythical Clothes and Costumes. They were planning to use my pictures for the costume packaging and wanted to put me on a retainer. They tried to lowball me but Mia stepped in and took over. Mia demanded twice what they were offering and she got it. Along with full health benefits; including pay for all my HRT expenses and a percentage of possible future body sculpting, 401K, vision, dental, and short-term disability. I also got to keep whatever costumes I modeled.

Mia and I went through the contract with a fine-tooth comb and I almost choked when I saw how little she was taking to be my agent. When I asked her why she was doing this for me Mia said, "Because I like you," then she moved a stray hair back behind my ear, "you're so nice and I really like working with you. I can't wait 'til this winter when we can do a swimsuit spread together."

While she was explaining to me that photo shoots were often one or more seasons behind the actual season, I realized I had signed a contract and I was now officially a model. I had an agent and, if I wasn't reading the signals completely wrong, Mia had a little crush on me. I was not sure how I felt about that. I also realized I was going to have to tell Dad soon before he saw me all over the place for Halloween. Little did I know that fate had other plans.

It had only been a couple of months but I was already starting to look more feminine in the face. My hair had grown two inches and was getting to the point I almost didn't need a wig anymore unless I was Sailor Mercury. Sal sent me the name of a woman, Dana Reed, that did hair on the side and that he recommended. The hair on the rest of my body had become so thin, I was only shaving my legs twice a week. By now I was spending half my day as a woman. I would make sure dad was gone, get dressed, do my makeup, and send a picture to Sal. He would approve my look for the day, then I would get on with the rest of my day. Today I was wearing my favorite waterlily dress with tan thigh highs and dark green Mary Jane's. I did my online courses in the morning and then started on my chores in the afternoon.

I had done everything I was supposed to do chores-wise. I had maid-rites cooking in the crock pot and had even taken a minute or 30 to draw a few pictures. I found that I liked drawing, I mean I always had, but forgotten how much. Greek mythology had been my main focus lately. I drew a water nymph and then what I thought Atlas would have looked like. I am sure this will shock you but he looked a lot like Dad in a pair of fur underwear. For some reason, I got really tired and decided to lay down for a quick power nap before turning back into Jared. I should have known better; it didn't work out so well for goldilocks.

The next thing I remember was the sound of Dad's voice, "Hey Jared. I'm home. Whatever you're making smells delicious."

I was still half out of it. Where am I? I thought. Dad's bed. "Hey, Jared where are you?" Dad asked.

I looked at the clock on the desk. It was 5:30 pm. I must have fallen asleep. Oh, Lord help me, I was trapped. I thought about throwing myself in the shower and saying mine wasn't working but if that was the case, how would I explain the fact the water had not been running when he came in the house? I thought about jumping out the window. Then I thought I could pretend to be my own girlfriend. I tried to formulate a new plan but didn't have time. Dad stood in the doorway. "May?" he asked. (My mother's name was May)

"Dad," I put up my hands, "This isn't what it looks like."

"Who?" The confused look on Dad's face told me, the pretending to be my own girlfriend plan might actually have worked. "Jared? What, are you doing here? Why are you dressed like that?" Dad asked growing a little mad.

"Dad I can explain," I said, trying to calm the situation.

Turns out he was able to figure out what was going on pretty quickly. "Explain what? You're a crossdresser. Did someone in college talk you into this? How long has this been going on?" he asked.

"A while," I admitted. I hated to see how much it hurt him but it felt so good to finally be able to tell the whole truth for once.

"How long's a while?" he asked, his voice rising.

"I've been wearing mom's clothes for about six months," I sighed. "Before that, I was just looking at them."

"I knew something was up when you didn't take her old clothes to the shelter like you had planned." He started to cool down. "I figured you missed her and to be honest so did I. But I can't believe my own son has been hiding this from me for over six months."

At that moment a hormone or something in my brain shifted and I went into bitch mode. "The truth is; I have not hidden anything from you! I have worn several pairs of her jeans and even a few of her shirts right in front of you, and you never asked. Maybe if you watch anything other than sports center you would have noticed sooner," I commented.

"I notice plenty!" he shot back.

"You sure do," I raised my voice to match his, "like how the one team should bring in a lefty or if the officials blow a call. What you haven't noticed, is that I do all the work around here, cooking, cleaning, and taking care of all the bills. I wouldn't expect you to have noticed that I've been dressing like a woman for the last six months as I have been doing it primarily while you were at work. However, I have been on hormone replacement now for two months, so I figured you would at least notice my voice getting higher and my hair growing longer. If not that, at the very least I would think a man's-man like yourself, would notice that his son was growing tits, Tim."

I couldn't believe I had just said that. I don't think dad could believe it either. I had not called my dad, Tim, since I was eight. I tried to apologize, "Dad I..."

"Go to your room," dad fell back on an old chestnut. The pain and disappointment he felt was written on his face as clearly as if with a sharpy. I didn't move I think I was still in shock over what was unfolding. He pointed to my door. "Now, young man."

Being treated like a child and being called "young man" reignited my anger. "I'm a young woman now, Dad," I said out loud, then moved to leave and go to my room. I mumbled under my breath as I walked by him, "but I am sure you noticed that too."

I slammed my bedroom door and threw myself on my bed. I was so confused about what had just happened. I just couldn't stop crying. On top of that, I broke makeup rule # 17 and didn't dab at the corners of my eyes to remove my tears fast enough so my makeup mixed with my tears. I got mascara in my eye and started crying even more. I remembered dinner belatedly and shouted at the door. "Dad, unplug the maid-rites, or they'll burn."

I went to my bathroom removed all my makeup and washed my face. I thought about taking a hot bath but didn't have the energy. Twenty minutes later I heard a knock on my door. "Yes?" I called.

The door opened a crack and a white paper towel came fluttering in. I tried not to laugh but failed. "Enter," I called.

Dad walked in carrying two plates with maid-rites and chips on them. He had two bottles of water, one in each of his pockets. I giggled and said the first thing that came to mind. "Is that a bottle of water in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?" I asked.

Dad smiled and put one of the plates on my dresser and then handed me a bottle of water. I thanked him. Then he grabbed his own plate and sat on my bed next to me. I had missed lunch and so I fell upon my sandwich and chips like someone who had not eaten for days. Dad also seemed to eat with relish so I didn't feel bad.

"Well," he said when he had finished and put his plate on the floor.

"I'm sorry," we said in unison. Then we laughed together.

"Let me go first, please," I asked, and he just shrugged. "Dad I am so sorry. I am still getting used to these fluctuating emotions." I gave him a shoulder hug.

"I'm still getting used to this new you," he said, "I actually suspected something was going on with you but could not quite puzzle it out until I saw all the pieces put together. I must have been blind to not notice you had changed this much."

"No. You have been so busy."

"You're right, I have been busy. Too busy for you." He slammed his hand into his palm. It looked like it hurt. "Well, that stops tonight. I have been an insensitive jerk. I let you do everything, just like I let your mom do everything."

"I like taking care of you."

"Yes, and I like you doing it, but I need to help more and I really need to prove to you and myself I can do it."

"OK. Fair enough," I acquiesced.

"Now next topic of discussion," he took a breath. "You're a woman now."

"Mentally I have kind of always been a woman," I explained, "and physically I am not a woman yet."

"Looks like you're well on your way and I can see you're going to be a lovely one."

I blushed, "it'll be at least another two years if not more before I can expect to see the full results," I pointed out and then tested the waters. "You don't seem to be too, upset about me dressing like a woman anymore."

"I was never upset about that," Dad began, "the fact is your mom sometimes wondered if you would go this direction when you went off to college. You were always kind of feminine. What got me so upset was that you didn't trust me enough to tell me what you were doing. That you thought you had to... (he obviously started to say lied but then thought better of it). That you felt you needed to hide this from me," he continued in a very matter-of-fact tone.

He was right and I felt like scum. Then he plunged the knife in further and twisted the blade, "I love you. You can tell me anything Jared, you know that."

"I'm so sorry," I began to weep again.

Dad was smart enough to let me just cry it out for a few minutes and then handed me a napkin.

I let out one very unladylike sniffle and agreed, "OK. Just like you, no more hiding for me." I looked at my cracked fingernails. "I can't wait to do my nails."

We both laughed again.

"Should I still call you Jared?"

"I will always be Jared." I affirmed, "Just like you will always be Dad. I am so sorry about earlier Dad; I can't believe I called you..."

He waved his hand back and forth, "already forgotten."

I wiped my eyes and blew my nose very unladylike on my sleeve. "Some people call me Ami."

"Ami." He stopped to think. "Like the girl from Sailor moon?" My heart swelled to realize he recalled such a small detail from my past all those years ago. He snapped his fingers and said, "Sailor Mercury, right?"

"Right," I confirmed and rewarded him with a smile.

"Ami, Ami," he tried it out. "That seems to fit." He reached out his hand to me. "Nice to meet you, Ami."

I took his hand and shook it like a flourish like I had when I was a kid. Then I hugged him and cried all over his shoulder. "You are the best dad, ever. I love you so much."

He started rubbing my back and I could have stayed in his arms forever. His chest was pressing against mine which, had been sore earlier but was feeling just fine now. I had the urge to kiss him. I kissed his cheek. It took everything to not kiss him on the lips but I thought, one major shock at a time.

The next morning, I slept in until 11. I found a Pop-Tart, a bottle of apple juice, and a note waiting for me. To: Ami. Sleep in if you want. Good talk last night. Love you always. Dad.

There was a missed call and five messages from Sal wanted to know why I had not sent this morning's picture. I gave him an abbreviated version of what had happened with my dad.

Sal: Glad he knows.

Aim: Me too.

Sal: Stress level?

Aim: Green.

Sal: Glad to hear it. TCK (Take care kid)

I took stock of my new life. Then just like mom had taught me as a little boy I knelt at the side of my bed and thanked God for sending me all these great people to help me. I wept for joy. It was a good thing I had not done my makeup yet or I would have had to do it all over again.

Chapter 2

That night after dinner Dad asked me about bills instead of going to watch a game or match of something. "Aren't they a football team?" I asked finishing the dishes.

"Hardy har har, little miss smart ass," he answered.

I showed him my excel spreadsheets and the paper statements from the two utility companies who refuse to join the 21^st century. He looked a little overwhelmed.

"How do you keep all this crap straight?" He picked it up and plopped the pile back down on the table.

"Most of it is already set up on auto-pay," I said showing him in my ledger the little AP, "So you just need to check balances and make sure we have the right amount we need in the account, then check things off when they get paid."

"Well, how do I know what's in the account?" I handed him his phone, which I had loaded with our banking app while we were talking. "That's easy."

"Then when something comes through, like here is the internet bill, you check it off." I showed him.

"What are these green numbers?" dad asked.

"Those are deposits." I pointed to the biweekly ones, "these are your paychecks."

"What about these other ones?" he said pointing at the payments.

"That's my retainer." Dad looked at me confused, "I started doing some modeling work a few months ago and they wanted me to only work for them so they put me on a retainer."

"You're a model?" He sounded a little more surprised than my ego liked.

I went to the MCC website and showed him the shots of me as Sailor Mercury.

"Wow," he said. "You look just like the cartoon."

"That's why they pay me the little bucks," I said with a smile. "Which reminds me, can you get two weeks off at the end of July and the start of August?"

"Probably. Why?"

"Ever been to comic con?"

The next week I got another surprise when Dad came through the door at 4:30. He walked in and kissed me on the cheek. "Wow, you're home early," I remarked.

"Now that I have a better understanding of how much things cost, I figured it was cheaper to just come home."

"Dinner will be a little bit. I have a nice table in the living room with a view of the TV if you would like to take a seat," I said in my best snooty maître d' voice.

I put a bottle of beer and a glass on a plate. Then for fun, I filled a candy dish with some mixed nuts and carried it over to him in the Livingroom. We both giggled at my joke. "Thank you, Ami," he said over his shoulder as I walked back to the kitchen.

The next day was the same and so was the following week. Finally, I had to ask, "Are you ever going back to Bill's or should I invest in a dart board and a jukebox?"

I had found a serving tray in the attic and started using it to bring out Dad's afternoon repast. Dad laughed. "Maybe sometimes but the food, prices, and service are way better here," he crunched a nut, then said in a voice so low he probably thought I couldn't hear him, "and the waitresses are cuter too."

I handed him the remote. "Recommend us on Yelp," I said. Then I did my best sexy runway walk back to the kitchen. I had been practicing it all week. Sal said it was pretty good. Dad seemed to like it too, judging from the reflection in the serving tray.

The following Monday, I was going to bring him his beer but he intercepted me in the kitchen. "I can get these burgers on if you want to relax," he said taking the plate and flipper from me.

I looked at the back of his neck. Then lifted his shirt to make sure he had a belly button. "Hey, what are you doing?" he asked pushing his shirt back down.

"Just making sure you had not been replaced by the pod people or one of those bug things from Star Trek; The Next generation," I explained.

"Oh, I loved that episode of TNG. Why didn't they do a follow-up?"

I could not believe I was talking 'trek' with my dad. "There were a couple of books. They were pretty good."

"I wish you had told me cooking was so much fun." He said loading the air fryer with burgers on one level and fries on another.

I gave him his beer and said, "remind me to put beer on the shopping list or you will not have one tomorrow, because that is the last one."

"Not necessary."

I nearly walked into the island that separated the kitchen from the dining room. Mom had been trying to get Dad to stop drinking beer for 15 years. Dad knew she didn't like the smell and neither do I. "Giving it up," he said patting his tummy, "want to lose some weight."

Thursday came and normally I would have spent the night drawing in my room. Instead, I decided to watch sports with dad. I made snacks and poured us both big glasses of green tea. He watched the pregame and I did my best to figure out who was playing. I got ready for bed, put on one of dad's football jerseys over black boy shorts, and sat next to him on the couch. "I thought the Cardinals were a baseball team. That guy just said," I motioned with the bowl of popcorn at the screen, "the other team is the Cardinals and this is a football game," I guessed, "right?"

Dad just laughed. "There is both a baseball team and a football team called the Cardinals."

I mouthed, "oh."

At halftime, I cleaned up and then returned to snuggle up with him. He put his arm around me which I was hoping he would, and I made it almost to the fourth quarter. I remember something about a late hit and an important 4^th and goal. The rest was a blur. I fell asleep in his arms.

The next thing I remember was waking up in bed. But it was not my bed, and I was not alone. After the game, Dad carried me to his bedroom and tucked me in next to him. I was not sure if I was still dreaming and I didn't want to risk it so I just went back to sleep.

Dad's alarm went off at 5:45. We turned to face each other. "Morning," I said. He still looked a little asleep.

"Morning," he said and smiled.

"I think someone's been sleeping in your bed, and she is still in it," I joked.

"Yeah, about that." He stretched and I got a very nice view of Dad's pectorals and abs. "I hope this was OK."

I snuggled closer to him and rubbed his stomach above the waistband of his briefs. "More than OK. Did you sleep well? I hope I don't snore."