Tranford Tales - Dilys

One of the councillors came to see us privately, a well-respected alderman, and showed us a picture of himself in a dress. It had been a secret between him and his wife for thirty years. He had tears in his eyes as he said it was a beautiful idea.

There were a couple of other people involved who came to see us. A civil servant had a son who liked to dress as a girl, and one of the bosses of the local builder had a daughter who had partially transitioned and was having difficulty getting accepted as a man. It's more common than most people think.

It took some time. Perhaps the biggest difficulty was getting people to believe that it was true. But via the transgender and related charities and support groups, there was no difficulty in finding people wanting the first few houses. They were respectable middle-aged and middle-class couples, willing to sell their existing homes, and commute to work in the area, or self-employed professionals, willing to move.

There were some negative comments in the local paper, which petered out, because there was nothing to see immediately (and possibly some pressure from the alderman, a local businessman who advertised in the paper.) It probably helped to make us better-known on the grapevine.

A charity running care homes for the elderly told us that they had a significant number of men who would prefer to dress as women, and it would be good to have a place where this was acceptable but not compulsory, and might be in the long-term interests of our present residents for such a place to be in the village, so this was added to David's plan.

The council approved a limited number of possible business premises for services or light manufacturing as well as affordable homes and flats, and was very keen on his proposal for the laying of full-fibre internet to every dwelling and premise, which could allow a range of occupations from home.

Not all the enquiries were from transgender or cross-dressing people. The would-be home-builders included a couple of gay men and two young cisgender couples who were glad to live in a more tolerant community, as they had friends who had had a hard time with their gender.

We had the first house, of course.

The next six houses were occupied by eminently respectable couples with nice cars - older husbands and wives. Two had managed to be accepted at their workplace, but four of the wives dressed as men to go to work. By the time we had all twenty houses completed, one had become a full-time housewife and community activist, another had managed to brazen it out at work.

Peter told me I was brave. Some of these women had been a lot braver.

We were lucky that our first residents included a nurse and a dressmaker, who fitted or supplied clothes for our ladies, and eventually had a successful internet business.

The brewery agreed a special deal to get the pub open again. It had once been popular, but the building site had put people off. They hoped there would be business from the full community, and people would come from Tranbrook for meals. It was better for the sake of the fabric to keep it occupied, and for marketing for it to be available. We got a lovely couple as tenants who were enchanted to have their own pub serving food.

By the time the twentieth house was occupied, work was underway to build a community centre and a local shop, and the other site was having roads and services installed, along with foundations for the first self-build homes.

CHAPTER 10

One of the problems was time. It was impossible for Peter and I to manage everything in just evenings and weekends, so we eventually agreed part-time employment for me in Tranbrook, and part-time employment on the project. Peter was now the manager of the company office. He could have gone higher up, if he had been willing to move to London. I felt a twinge of guilt that he could not. He had been ambitious, but now that was just for me and the project.

I think he would have made a wonderful dad, and felt bad that I was also denying him the chance.

In all, I had a lot to feel guilty about, including David.

It was bittersweet. I was spending time with David. It was business, but we joked, we had lunch in the pub, we were the first contacts for the new residents - David and Dilys. Some of them mistook him for my husband.

But we never held hands or kissed.

Forget sex. I would have given almost anything to be taken in his arms and kissed properly!

Anything but Peter, of course.

If only David had a girlfriend! I felt guilty that he was being celibate just for me. Somehow waiting and hoping.

(Sometimes at night I had the fantasy of Peter being unfaithful, and offering me an open marriage so David could be my lover! Or a ménage à trois! Going from one bed to another in a shared house!)

I could have managed it, but I was sure neither of them could. Unlike my Dad, their morals did not come from a book, but from within. I couldn't imagine either of them being dishonest or mean in any way. Peter could not be unfaithful, and David would not interfere in a marriage.

They were similar and I loved them both. But I couldn't have them, and was hurting them both at least a little.

If I had known only one it would have been the perfect marriage. I would have just loved being around him, day and night. Hugging and kissing and sex was great, of course, but simply sharing a life would be enough.

Then I thought maybe there was another reason why he did not have a girlfriend. Maybe I should not have let him go at university. We could have been a gay couple, hugging and kissing. I could suck him off and let him fuck my arse as much as he wanted. In fact, I still would.

Peter could have my cunt and David my arse!

I fingered my pretend clit, I stuck a finger in my cunt, in my arse, but it did no good. It was not the sex I wanted, really, except as a gift to the men. What I wanted was the whole man, holding me close afterwards as each of them had done.

I couldn't choose. I had Peter, but I couldn't forget or ignore David.

There was a new girl on the block. An electrician who had been a young man on the main site, until David brought her into the pub in a dress and announced "This is Chloe!"

She was obviously grateful and it seemed she liked him even more than that. We had a dinner together once, and she was looking adoringly at him, but he didn't respond. I knew he still fancied me.

The community centre was finished in time for Christmas, and we had a party, of course. David danced with me and kissed me! For the twelfth time. He also danced with Chloe, of course, to be polite, as they were the only unattached pair, but it didn't look like anything special.

I was actually a bit sad for her, and guilty if I was keeping David away from her.

Things had all started with me being punished for things I was not guilty of. Now I had lots to feel guilty about, and that alone was the punishment.

Something must have happened over Christmas, because in the New Year, David and Chloe were an item. Eventually they had a lovely wedding and pretty well everyone from Tranford was there.

It was just before, when Chloe talked with me.

"David told me all about you, of course. Did he tell you about me?"

I said no, of course not.

"We've got more in common than you might suppose," she said, looking sad.

"You really were his first love, you know. He had a really hard time breaking up with you. He's just not gay, but he loved a gay man, and he couldn't reconcile his feelings. You wanted sex, and he didn't know how to refuse you because of his emotional attachment. You were both young, of course. Maybe you could have been close without the sex, but that didn't seem an option, then."

"The other thing is that we were all on the same course by that bastard Johnson. We were in the same sleeping quarters and came across each other later on building contracts. You and me didn't know each other of course, but he told me what happened at university with you."

"I don't expect you two not to have feelings, because I've seen the way you look at each other. I think it's possible to love two people, and I hope we can still be friends."

Afterwards Peter kissed the bride, of course - on the cheek. I kissed David - on the mouth. He held me for a moment longer than he should, and whispered "Goodbye."

I'm glad. It doesn't stop my feelings, and I am sure David still has some for me. But we each have our special person in life, and I am comfortable with the situation. I couldn't wish for a better husband than Peter, and David and Chloe seem so happy together.

There is no point in obsessing about lives that might have been. Instead, Chloe and I are grateful to have such lovely men, and are proud to be Tranford Wives.