Transformed

*Author's Note: I've been asked hundreds of questions over the years. Some of the most often-asked are: Why is everyone in your stories beautiful? Why is everyone rich? Why does everyone fall in love so fast? And many others.

Not everyone is beautiful. See Plain Jane and Eye of the Beholder.

Not everyone is rich. This story is a good example.

As to love at first sight, that doesn't always happen, either. Where it does, keep in mind these are stories. Free stories, at that. :-)

They're often (at least partially) my fantasies as the only reason I write is for my own enjoyment. I love that others enjoy my work, but I would still write what makes me happy even if that wasn't true. I don't care to spend pages and pages talking about the two or three years it took for them to realize they're in love, and this just works for me. Most of the time, anyway.

Not to get 'deeply philosophical here, but sometimes it just...is what it is.

That said, my sincere thanks to the many readers who've sent me an email since I started writing again to let me know you enjoy my work. My favorites are from folks over 70 who tell me my stories always bring a tear to their eye. From the large number I've received over the years, I'm guessing there are a whole lot of them.

I hope you enjoy this one as it may be one of my favorites!

On that note, if you have a favorite, please let me know. It will be interesting to see if our answers coincide!

*****

Grove City, Ohio

"Let me do this for you. Please?" her best friend asked or rather pleaded.

"Why? I don't want a man who wants me for how I look. I want someone who'll love for me for...me."

"Megyn? Why are you so opposed to even trying something different? For that matter, why is it you can't see the connection between appearance and attraction? You know men think differently than we do. They're visual, and like it or not, appearance matters."

Megyn Cantrell had just turned 35. She'd also recently turned...divorced. Her husband of eight years left her for a 21-year old college student who, according to him, did everything she wouldn't.

When asked what that meant, her ex said, "Look at her. She's everything you're not."

Megyn thought that his reply was circular.

"So she's everything you want because she's everything I'm not. Ah, okay. That makes so much sense," she replied mockingly.

"Yes! Wow, I can't believe you're finally getting it. Why couldn't you understand this years ago when I brought it?"

He'd brought it up many times over the course of their marriage, but she really never knew exactly what he meant by it. It may have been the way she wore her hair or possibly even the way she dressed, but she was raised to be modest, and as she hit 30 the thought of trying to change that seemed absurd. And...wrong. Even more so she was a free spirit. A Bohemian. And she just wasn't going to change that. For anyone.

Now her best friend since high school, Andrea Pace, was essentially telling her that her former husband was right and she was wrong.

"Megyn. I'm not asking you to do something totally radical. Maybe just make a few changes. Or even one at a time."

"Such as?" Megyn asked, the annoyance she felt showing up in the way she said it.

"Look. You're very pretty," Andrea began which brought a 'ha!' from Megyn.

"You are!" Andrea insisted. "You're freaking beautiful, for crying out loud."

"Right. I'm so attractive that my husband left me."

Megyn was getting very frustrated and let it show.

"I'm also intelligent, Andrea. If men can't see that, I don't want to go out with them anyway."

"You are. You're very smart. Lord knows I wish I had half your brains, or for that matter, your looks. But Meg, that's what kills me. You're really, really smart, but for some reason you're not smart enough to put two and two together."

Now both hurt and offended Megyn let it fly.

"I have NO interest attracting shallow, sex-crazed men who only want one thing from a woman. I want someone who'll recognize my better qualities and love me for them, not for the way I look!"

Andrea had only seen Megyn this angry once before, and it was nearly two years ago when she found out about the college 'bimbo' her husband was having an affair with. She decided to tread lightly and try one more thing before giving up.

"Megyn. The thing I think you're missing is that in order to find anyone to love you, you first have to...attract...them. And I'm just saying that if you made a few small changes--mostly cosmetic changes--you'd be like...some kind of...man magnet."

Megyn had a solid background in science to include physics, and when she thought about herself being magnetized with the ability to literally drag men to her from across a room, she laughed.

"What? Why is that so funny?" Andrea, who was now also hurt, asked defensively.

Megyn's countenance softened and she spoke politely but didn't explain the laugh.

"Okay, okay. I'll think about it. I'm not making any promises, but I promise I'll consider what you said."

"Really? You're serious?"

"Hey, I've been alone for over a year and my ex was 'doing' his new girl-toy for a year before that, and I have to admit I'm...kind of...lonely."

It was hard for Megyn to admit that, but it was true. She wasn't just lonely. She often ached for a man's love. She just couldn't get herself to believe that changing her hair or clothes was the way to find it. It was all so...superficial.

She knew she was still, what did Andrea say? Oh. Pretty. She had long, straight, light-brown hair and a what some called a killer figure. She didn't even have any wrinkles around her eyes and people often took her for being in her late 20s. But she really loved the Bohemian look she'd adopted in high school. It worked for her, and the thought of letting it go was scary.

Or at least it had worked for her. Now, after hearing the same thing from her best friend she had to admit that maybe it wasn't working anymore. The question was whether or not she could make these changes and still be true to herself.

"Oh, honey!" Andrea said sympathetically after hearing Megyn admit she was lonely. "Come here!"

She gave her dearest friend a hug and told her she loved her.

"I love you, too, and I'm sorry I was nasty. I just...."

"It's okay. Change isn't easy. But sometimes it's essential."

"Yeah. Maybe so," Megyn kind of admitted although somewhat reluctantly.

"All I can ask is that you'll give it some thought," Andrea said as she let go.

"I will. I promise."

And with that the two 35-year old women moved on to a less controversial topic as they got ready to go out for lunch.

Megyn seemed distracted, and there were a few times when Andrea had to ask her if she'd heard what she'd just said. Megyn would come out of her 'state' then say, "Sorry. What was that?"

After they finished eating, Megyn surprised her by asking if they could stop by the mall on the way home.

"What? Yes! Of course," Andrea said, excited at the change of heart.

"I've been thinking about what you said which is what...assface...said."

Andrea laughed so hard she had to cover her mouth.

"He was an assface, wasn't he?"

"And a dick."

"No argument here!"

"So let's go see if we can find some new look for me that isn't too radical."

Andrea started to agree when Megyn held up her hand.

"Don't get your hopes up too high. I'm not making any other promises. I did think about it, and I'm willing to look. Just don't push too hard, okay?"

"Okay. That's fair. I'm just thrilled that you're going!"

"Yeah. Me, too," Megyn replied with a hint of sarcasm which in no way deterred Andrea.

Megyn immediately gravitated to the same stores and the same things she'd always worn. Andrea didn't say much other than things like 'that's probably not what we need' which cause Megyn to look at her and say, "We???"

"Hey, this is for both of us, okay? When you find someone, both of us will happy, right?"

Megyn knew her friend really wanted her to find someone, and in spite of her tendency to get pushy, Megyn loved her dearly, and realized she was probably right.

"Okay, how about you try and find something? For...us. And who knows? Maybe if you spruced up your wardrobe a little, you'd find someone, too."

"I thought you'd never ask!" Andrea replied with a twinkle in her eye and a devious little smile on her face as she ignored the 'you, too' dig. "Follow me!"

Megyn cringed when they walked into a store frequented by teen girls and nearly left when Andrea held a tube top up to her chest.

"Um..no. That is not happening! Not now. Not ever," she said, taking the stretchy, six-inch top and putting it back on the rack.

"Okay. I have a better idea," Andrea said as she pulled her friend along.

The next shop was different. It had nice looking outfits that weren't so far outside of Megyn's comfort zone that she'd couldn't even consider them. They were definitely things she would never have even looked at before, but as they browsed around, she made up her mind to give this a go.

"Hey. Check this out!"

"A crop top? Andrea. Please!"

Megyn looked around on her own and flipped through some tops herself then stopped.

"What about this?"

She held it up then watched Andrea's face.

"Oh...my...gawd! That is SO cute!"

"It's a little short, but with a high-waisted skirt no skin would show," Megyn said, finally feeling a little less intimidated by this whole thing.

"Perfect! That would look amazing! Try it on!"

Two hours later Megyn had four new outfits that were very pretty, kind of sexy, and best of all they didn't make her feel slutty. Uncomfortable, yes, but not slutty, and that was saying something.

As they were walking out with the bags full of new things, Megyn was actually getting into this whole 'transformation' thing and shocked Andrea with her next comment.

"Hey. I wanna change my hair."

"You...what?" her bug-eyed friend asked.

She put her hand on Megyn's forehead then said, "I think you're feverish. Maybe even delusional."

It was so good to see her friend laugh and even better when she said, "Come on. Let's do this!"

The salon was booked solid, but someone called in and cancelled while they were there. The stylist told her a slot just opened up, but she'd have to come back in an hour. Megyn almost passed on it, but when Andrea told her she was lucky they could even fit her in, she said she'd take it.

As it turned out, the wait was well worth it when Andrea saw her 'new' friend. Megyn had also asked for a makeup tutorial and a makeover but didn't tell Andrea. The look on her face said it all when she finally saw the new Megyn.

"Megyn? Is that really you? Oh...my...gawd! You look...stunning! You are SO hot!" Andrea told her as they looked into a mirror with Andrea behind her. "This is so you!"

"You really think so?" Megyn asked as she looked at the almost-platinum blonde woman with smoky, sultry-looking eyes and glossy lips staring back at her.

She'd also done the unthinkable and had her hair cut. It wasn't parted in the center and no longer fell straight to the middle of her back and was almost shoulder length. It was still nearly straight, but she now had some wispy bangs, a side part, and her hair curled under at the bottom.

The best part of the day for Andrea came when Megyn turned around and thanked her friend for not giving up on her. Andrea teared up and hugged her and told her she'd never give up. Ever.

"Now we just have to find Mr. Right as in...right for you."

An old feeling resurfaced as Megyn said, "Oh, goody. Now I'll be able to attract the shallow end of the gene pool. Lucky me."

"Stop! I'll admit you'll probably do some of that, but there's no reason you have to go out with any of them. Just wait them out until someone more...suitable...comes along. And trust me, they will."

Megyn stared her down until Andrea relented.

"Okay. No hot-but-dumb men. Got it."

Megyn turned back around and took one more look at herself.

"It feels so impossible."

"It isn't. I promise."

She turned back around, put on her best smile then told Andrea, "Okay. This is the new me. I'm now a...prepster.

She sighed loudly then said, "In for a penny, in for a pound, right?"

"That's the spirit!" Andrea told her.

"Okay, then. Let's do this!"

It was Friday, and both women decided to go out and see how well Megyn's makeover would work in the real world. With her hair and makeup already done all she had to do was get dressed.

But what to wear? She laid the new outfits on her bed and imagined herself in each one of them. It didn't take long to decide, and although it was really a little outside of her comfort zone, she found herself somewhat excited as she got ready.

The top was a long-sleeved, icy-pink colored, rib knit top with a crew neck. It came to just below her waist, and to her relief, with the high-waisted black skirt she'd bought, it didn't show any skin. There were hints of bareness when she raised her arms or bent sideways, but all in all it looked very nice. The skirt, of course, showed off plenty as it was a good six inches above her knees.

She mumbled something to about how at least her legs still looked good, and that was true.

She looked again then asked herself, "How did you go from Bohemian to...this?" with 'this' meaning preppy.

Andrea suggested heels, but that was where Megyn drew the line. She was nearly 5'9" and heels would make her 6'2". She bought a pair of very cute black sandals to go with the outfit and thought they were perfect. A new coat of lipgloss was all she needed, but she added some white, hoop earrings and took one last look.

Her new look was everything she wasn't, and yet it was also exhilarating because it was so new to her. And somewhere in the back of her mind was the hope that maybe her friend was right. What if she could attract a man who wasn't the kind who swilled beer and belched and only wanted to f...screw...her then never see her again?

She felt optimistic, but Megyn couldn't decide if this was something she could do in the long run, but now that she was determined to at least try it, the whole thing seemed less daunting. Besides, she still had all of her baggy, comfy clothes, and if this bombed, she could rapidly run back to what was comfortable.

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained," she told herself as she looked at the stranger staring back at her. The part she liked was that it was a very cute stranger doing the staring.

Grove City was a town of about 40,000 located some 11 miles southwest of Columbus. It had plenty of bars and clubs of its own, but tonight Andrea was in the mood for something different.

She knew a place called The Piano Bar that was located on High Street in the city and wanted to take her friend there. It served alcohol, but it was typically a quieter, less rowdy, more laidback kind of place where dueling piano players performed requests from the patrons. The music was always good, and it ranged from '40s boogie-woogie to slow and romantic songs from every era, a perfect combination for having fun. With any luck there might even be a little romance.

Andrea had never married, and she was as interested in finding someone for herself as she was in finding someone for Megyn, and she dressed the part. She wore a different style of clothing, but she was every bit as cute and sassy as Megyn, and both of them showered the other with compliments on how they looked.

She chose a glittery blue dress that was a good six inches above her knees with a plunging neckline that said, "Hey! I've got big boobs! Take a look!"

"If you don't get noticed tonight, you'll never get noticed," she told Megyn as they headed northeast on I-71.

"Me? Look at you over there, Dolly Parton!"

Both of them laughed, and Megyn didn't mention--again--that she wasn't interested in just being noticed. She knew Andrea was more than aware of her concerns. Rather than speak them out loud she only told her friend how glad she was that she'd encouraged her to step outside of her comfort zone.

The Piano Bar opened at 7pm, but it didn't typically get going until about 10 o'clock. The girls arrived a little after 9, and the place was already busier than normal.

The first thing Megyn noticed was the number of very cute girls who were there. Many of them were dressed similarly to her and Andrea. The difference was that they appeared to be closer to 20 than 40. She felt uncomfortable until she realized how many of the nice looking men were looking...at them.

"I feel like we're in a meat locker," she mentioned to Andrea who was leading her to a table.

"I know. Isn't it great!" her friend said as they listened to one of the piano players performing "Fortunate Son" by Credence Clearwater Revival.

"I've never heard CCR done to the piano before," Megyn said as they took a seat.

"That's one of the best things about this place. You can hear music from today to Bryan Adams to Elton John, and all the way back to Bennie Goodman," Andrea told her as a cute younger woman came over to take their drink order.

She stopped just before she got to their table and seemed to be looking across the room. She smiled, nodded, then kept coming.

"Good evening, ladies! I have been asked to put your first drinks on the gentleman's tab over by the bar."

They both turned to look and saw a rather attractive man of about 30 smiling at them. He raised a hand to let them know it was him.

"Tell him 'thank you' and ask him to join us!" Andrea called out over the music before asking her to bring two vodka tonics.

"What are you doing?" Megyn asked with concern as the girl walked away.

"What you should be doing!" Andrea told her as she gave the man a little wave.

"Ladies. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Chris, and you are both...beautiful."

Andrea laughed while Megyn forced a smile and thought, "You have got to be joking."

"Have a seat!" Andrea said just as their drinks arrived. The three of them clinked glasses and said 'cheers'!

Andrea slammed her drink as did Chris while Megyn took a little sip and set the glass down.

"You want another one?" Chris asked as he nodded to her empty glass.

"Why not!" Andrea said as the song ended.

The other player asked for the next request and someone hollered out, "It's Been Awhile!"

"By Staind?" the player asked, making sure he had it right.

"That's the one!" the same guy hollered back. "Cuz it's been awhile since I've been this lit!"

His buddies cheered, and the piano player brought up the music on a tablet that was mounted to the piano and began playing.

Megyn loved the song. It was sad and told the story of a guy who'd made a mess of his life. The title was about how it had "been awhile" since he'd felt anything but awful. Lately, she'd felt like that a lot, and as he played the first few bars, she settled in to enjoy the song.

"You wanna dance?" Chris asked.

Megyn was looking at the piano player and assumed he was talking to Andrea.

"What?" she finally asked.

As she turned his way she saw the hurt on her friend's face. This guy had been using her to get to Megyn, and that both disgusted her and angered her.

"Get lost," Megyn told him.

"You don't know what you're missing, sweetheart," he said as he stood up and sort of posed for her.

"Get over yourself already," she said, the disgust showing through.

Chris shook his head and mumbled, "Stuck up bitch," loudly enough for both of them to hear.

"You okay?" she asked Andrea once he was gone.

"I'm fine," she said as her second drink arrived.

Megyn could tell she wasn't and asked if she wanted to go.

"No! He's just...an assface," she replied.

They both laughed before Andrea said, "But even so, he was clearly into you."

"No thanks," Megyn said with the same level of disgust.