Transformers

One

It was the usual Wednesday evening routine -- straight off the train and into the Duke of Wellington. Known locally as 'The Welly', it was the nearest pub to the station and I had become an expert in beating the rush as every thirsty commuter seemed to make a beeline there on the way home.

A mixture of knowing which carriage to use and fast walking meant I was usually through the gate and onto Station Approach ahead of the others. That night was no exception and I found myself in front of a hitherto empty bar a mere ninety seconds after stepping down from the train.

Trinity was behind the bar with her back to me, tidying the bottles, no doubt dreading the coming rush. I watched her for a moment, her lank hair hanging down her back in a loose ponytail, flabby arms wobbling as she reached up to put a bottle of gin on a high shelf. As she did so, she caught a glimpse of me in the mirror and turned towards the bar. I was aware of the usual build-up of customers alongside me as I took in her red eyes and a strained expression on her face. Oh dear, what had happened to the poor lass this time?

Seeing her demeanour, I attempted to liven things up. "Hi Trini -- Wednesday early-evening usual please!"

Without a word she went about making my spritzer and there was no sign of her normally talkative nature and bubbly persona. She barely managed a grunt as I offered my payment card to the machine and she turned to the next customer.

Trish, the assistant manageress, saw the puzzled look I gave Trini's retreating back and shook her head at me. "Give me five minutes to see to this lot, Alice -- I'm off at six thirty. Grab your usual table and I'll be over." She rolled her eyes and I left the bar wondering what the hell was going on.

It was my weekly job to get to the pub nice and early and blag the best table in the house, ready for the Pub Quiz later in the evening. It was nice to sit and catch up with my social media for an hour and nurse my spritzer until Mags and Heidi arrived after seeing their kids to bed. We were utterly useless in the Quiz, but it had been a weekly ritual since we were all single and we enjoyed the catch-up and the frisson of excitement as the results were read out. The whole pub would rejoice and cheer loudly if we managed to avoid bottom place; let's just say there hadn't been much cheering for quite a few weeks.

And just to clarify, Mags and Heidi were very much attached, but yours truly was not. I wasn't exactly celibate, but a pretty unpleasant bust-up a year or so earlier had left me a little disillusioned and not exactly looking for a long-term commitment. I was still the right side of thirty, so there was no rush and I never envied Mags' and Heidi's harassed looks as they hurried into the pub after holding down full-time jobs and seeing to the needs of one and two toddlers respectively.

One by one the usual suspects were served, downed their drinks in double-quick time and headed home to an evening of domestic bliss. A few early birds for the Quiz settled in and I got some friendly nods from what could hardly be called our competitors, since we obviously did not compete.

As the rush died down, Trish made her way over, eyes rolling once more. "She'll be the bloody death of me, that Trinity." Huffing and puffing, she sat down opposite me and took a long pull from her pint of lager.

Poor Trini. She was a lovely lass, but completely downtrodden and firmly under the heel of a delightful 'gentleman' called Wayne. He had an addiction for putting his not inconsiderable wage as a scaffolder on equine quadrupeds. The ones he backed invariably had less chance of winning a race that me and the girls had of winning the Quiz. To help pay for his mounting debts, Trini worked all day as an Estate Agent's clerk in town and as soon as she finished there, she crossed the street to the Welly to begin her second job.

Wayne's reputation around town was positively toxic and luckily for us, he never frequented the Welly, which despite being a little run-down and faded was way too upmarket for him. Besides, if he was in the pub in which his wife worked, she could see what he was up to and given the nefarious deals he was usually involved in, he really didn't want that, however much he ruled over her.

Dreading what was coming, I took a drink. "So what's he been up to this time?"

Trish sighed. "I think I speak for us all when I say that I am delighted to announce that Mr. Wayne Terrence Jones has finally left dear Trinity, buggered off back to Wales and is apparently shacked up with a girl that is barely legal, but is unfortunately living proof that he is still fertile."

Despite wanting to laugh at Trish's inimitable deadpan, I grimaced. "Oh, poor Trini. To think she won't have to put up with a domineering, sleazy, drug and gambling addict with a debt the size of a small banana republic anymore." I glanced across at her, now listlessly wiping down the bar, her usually sparkling grey eyes red-rimmed and dead-looking behind her thick glasses. As well as the wattles of flesh hanging from her arms, her chins wobbled and her heavy boobs threatened to knock glasses and bottles from the bar as she worked.

Trish shook her head. "Hopefully she'll soon realise what an absolute c-word he's been and once she no longer feels that toxic little worm in her gut, she'll start to sort herself out." She looked over her shoulder as Trini gave another customer a fixed, rictus grin and went about serving her. "Bloody hell, Alice -- I was at school with her and she was bloody gorgeous. Could have had any lad in the county eating out of her hand. At least she could until she went on a bloody school trip to Wales and got knocked up by that verminous little turd. I always wished for her sake he'd leave her when she lost the baby, but the little shit moved back here with her just to torment us all."

I was shocked. I knew Trish was only a year older than me and therefore Trini must be as well. I had grown up and gone to school in a neighbouring town, so I hadn't really socialised with her and the other girls until I had moved in my early twenties when I joined Heidi's company. "Bloody hell, I always assumed Trini was in her late thirties!"

She blew out her cheeks. "Amazing what lack of self-esteem can do to you, eh? Years in the clutches of someone who puts you down all the time, tells you how worthless and ugly you are. She told me once he wanted her to lose her looks so she wouldn't be able to run off with anyone else." She picked up her phone and pressed a few buttons and flicked her finger sideways. She held it up to me. "Me and Trini Watson - as she was then - down in Brighton. Seventeen, we were."

Trish was obviously still the same -- a pretty little blonde with a winning smile. I swallowed hard at sight of the bright-eyed, slim girl with a lovely gamine grin waving at the camera, lustrous jet-black hair tumbling down almost to her waist, which was wasp-like and svelte. I had to bite my lip as I glanced at the bar and tried to imagine what had transformed her into the sad sight she was today. The only thing I recognised were her eyes.

I handed the phone back to Trish and she took it with tears in her eyes. "Three months later, she comes back from a weekend in Cardiff, glowing about this great bloke. Three months after that, she starts showing and the next thing we know she's married to him, he's living up here and she's miscarried."

She took a long drink and sighed as she put her phone away. We turned to pleasanter topics for a few minutes until she finished her drink. "Sorry to have burdened you with it, Alice, but I needed a shoulder to cry on."

I held out a hand and took hers. "Hey, she's your friend and there's still a good lass in there somewhere. We'll look out for her, yeah?"

She gripped my hand, trying to hold back tears. "Thanks Alice. Pardon my French, but If I ever see that cunt round here again..." She shook her head once more as if ridding him from her thoughts. "Never mind, he won't be bothering her again, so that's something."

She turned towards the bar and shouted her goodbyes to Trini, but barely got a response back. She gave me a wry smile. "Friends eh? Right, I'm off for a night out with the girls for a change -- I'll leave my Lord and Master in charge. Oh and good luck for later -- just try not to be last again, yeah?"

I poked my tongue out at her and at least she went off laughing. I waved to her 'Lord and Master' Greg, the leaseholder and landlord, as he came out to start his evening behind the bar. They were a great couple and made sure the pub had something for everyone.

As I tapped at my own phone, I couldn't shake the image of seventeen-year-old Trinity Watson as I kept glancing up and seeing her alter-ego, Trinity Jones, as she was now.

It was a long forty-five minutes until Mags and Heidi arrived, but at least by then I had been cheered up somewhat by the arrival of my travel documents in a nice little package of PDF files. As the proper drinking started prior to the Quiz, my spirits began to lift immeasurably as I thought of my forthcoming business trip. Four months in Paris at the start of Spring. What was not to like about that? Ok, the work would be hard and the hours would be long.

But after work? Well, that was a completely different proposition.

I hadn't seen Camille or her friends for a while and where they were concerned, even a week was too long. We had a lot of catching up to do and the things she had planned made my heart skip a few beats at the thought of them. I recalled the last time I had been at Club Vertigo with them all and I could barely contain my excitement at the thought that my twenty-eighth birthday party was going to be held there in a couple of months.

Somehow, despite my thoughts being elsewhere for most of the evening, we managed to come third from last. As we wound our way home, the triumph of coming thirteenth out of fifteen teams was not the only thing I was feeling good about.

The next morning I was heading to Paris and I could forget about my quiet little commuter town for four whole months. I didn't have to think about Pub Quizzes or baby-talk or the trials and tribulations of a once-pretty barmaid.

I was going to be with Camille again -- the woman who, along with some of her very good friends, had changed my life immeasurably for the better some six months earlier.

Tomorrow night, she'd be doing her thing with the ice again.

I barely slept.

I couldn't fucking wait.

Two

It had never really occurred to me to have an affair with another woman. I'd had a pretty healthy sex life since my late teens but when I broke up with a guy I had been with for a few years, it hurt me a lot. I met him when I started a new job in London after a year or so working locally with Heidi's firm. At first, it felt great to be commuting, but my feeling of self-importance soon wore off when I realised the job was just as tedious as the one I had left, and now it was at the end of a long train and tube journey instead of a ten minute stroll. And of course, I was at the mercy of the appalling commuter rail services that serve the great capital city.

We had split our time between my flat in the Home Counties and his small apartment in West London and all was well with the world until I arrived back early one day to find the bed unmade and a pair of panties on the floor that were definitely not mine.

The girl they belonged to worked in the same department as me, so it was a double whammy. Two months later, I was in a new job with better money and the chance of overseas travel. I put my heart and soul into it to help get over the sting of rejection and had the odd night of wanton abandon just to keep myself sane.

Mainly though, it was me and a purple rabbit vibe that I had bought on a getting-over-it break in the States. I missed the cuddles afterwards, but at least the rabbit didn't want to come on my tiny titties.

I won't say it happened by accident, but it certainly was not planned - at least not be me anyway. Maybe Camille had given it a bit of forethought, but I certainly had not. I never even met her until three nights before it all happened and once everything got underway, I was caught up in a little whirlwind that picked me up, spun me round a few times and spat out a different person.

Cami, as I soon came to know her, worked in our Paris office and had been in London for a few weeks, though our paths had never crossed. I was due to spend some time in Paris in preparation for a large project I was going to be working on and was looking forward to it immensely. I had spent some time there on school trips back in the day and now I had a couple of weeks on my own to explore the place and hopefully have a little fun here and there if the opportunity arose. If not, there was always my pet rabbit to round off the evening.

The night before I was due to travel, I was getting ready to go home when I heard a voice behind me. "Excuse me, but you are Alice Bell, oui?"

I turned to find a woman of about my own age smiling up at me. A little taken aback, I smiled in return. "Yes that's right."

Seeing my hesitation and puzzlement, she laughed. "Sorry, I seem to have you at a disadvantage. Je m'appelle Camille -- I am going back to Paris tomorrow and Suki has booked me on the same Eurostar as you. Hope you don't mind but she's put us together in Business Premier, so I thought I'd say hi!"

She seemed pleasant enough and it would be nice to have someone to travel with and practice my awful French on. We made small talk for a few minutes and as I left, I said I'd see her on the train in the morning.

She grinned. "Nice time to travel -- not too early and late enough for lunch. Maybe a naughty little bottle of something to accompany it, oui?"

Returning her smile, I said it sounded like a fine idea and went home to finalise my packing.

I was already settled in my seat by the time she came on board, pulling a huge case and totally out of breath. She was tiny, at a scrape over five feet tall, and the case seemed to dwarf her. She crashed down into her seat and grinned. She had a lovely smile that made me want to smile back. "Foof, just made it. Hate using the Underground at the best of times, but with a with a case that size? Mais non!"

As the train departed, we got into small-talk mode again and I found her very easy to get on with. Her accent was mesmerising and her smile and laugh infectious. By the time we emerged from the Tunnel we were well into a very pleasant bottle of fizz and she raised her glass. "Welcome to my home, Alice. Hope you have a good time -- work hard and don't forget to see the sights of my wonderful city!"

By the time we pulled into Gard du Nord, we were chatting like best friends and another bottle of fizz had been demolished. She grinned at me as we stood. "Well that was lovely, Alice. Thanks for being great company. Hopefully see you round the office -- be nice to catch up for drink one night, hey?"

I said that sounded great and she gave me a lovely Gallic hug as we went our different ways.

The next couple of days were full-on. I barely had time to think and Camille never crossed my mind. Late on the third day, I went to grab a coffee and heard a lilting voice behind me as I worked the machine. "Bonjour, Alice. Ca va?"

I turned and once again she was grinning up at me, both hands cradling a steaming espresso. "Long day, need a bit of a kick to get me through the final hour!"

I smiled back. "Yeah, me too. A bit hectic so far!"

"So, it sounds like you maybe need that drink, oui? I'm meeting some friends later, just a couple of blocks away. Join us if you wish?"

It sounded like a great idea and just what I needed. She was meeting them at six o'clock, but I was in a conference call until six-thirty, so she gave me the address of the bar and said she'd see me later. "We'll be outside in the square, so you hopefully can't miss us!"

The meeting dragged on and I was dying for a drink. Not being familiar with the area, it took me a little longer than I anticipated to find the place so it was nearer seven when I arrived. Camille waved at me from at an outside table she shared with two other women I took to be in their early thirties. There was a flurry of activity as I was introduced to Maxine and Lauren and the waitress was summoned to replenish the drinks.

The evening went by in very amicable company and all three women spoke perfect English, putting my GCE French to shame. For some reason, it never really occurred to me that Maxine and Lauren were an item. They just seemed very animated, typically French with big gestures and lots of hugs and laughs. As they got up to leave, Camille said her goodbyes to them and set off for a comfort break.

Lauren hugged me. "Lovely to meet you Alice. Hope you and Cami have a great night."

Maxine winked at me. "Ask her to do her thing with the ice -- oh, la glace -- ooh la la!"

Laughing, they left hand in hand. I suddenly realised the situation I found myself in and sat down feeling very embarrassed, wondering how the hell I had been so bloody naïve.

As she returned, Camille saw my obvious discomfort. She sat and took hold of my left hand. "Sorry, Alice -- I seem to have made a bit of a miscalculation." She gestured around us. "This is not your scene, is it?"

I looked around and now the penny dropped. All the tables were occupied by women. We had been so deep in conversation I had barely glanced at the surroundings.

I looked at her and could see she was genuinely concerned. I took in her lovely grey eyes, her sleek brunette hair that was short on one side and hung down over her left eye. She was undoubtedly very pretty and I had made out with guys in the past that I'd barely give a second look to now.

Maybe it was the fact that I had no time to think about it -- that it was thrust upon me without me realising. I have always been impulsive and it has got me into a few scrapes over the years. It has also led to some of the best moments of my life.

In a split second, I made my decision. I put my other hand on top of Camille's, which was still resting on mine. "What's the thing you do with ice?"

Camille sat back, eyes narrowed, stroking her chin. "Really want to know?"

I took a deep breath and smiled. "Put it this way, the company apartment is two minutes away and there is a large bag of ice cubes in the freezer."

The smile Camille gave me back would have outshone the Mona Lisa.

It was the most gentle, beautiful lovemaking I had ever experienced. From the moment she kissed me in the rickety elevator on the way up, to the shock of her sucking ice cubes from me and dribbling the melt water into my mouth, I knew I was hooked. I have always come pretty hard, but this was an utter revelation and I bit my pillow and gripped the bed covers with whitened knuckles as Cami took me higher and higher, my buttocks arching off the bed. I screamed silently as the most tumultuous orgasm I had ever experienced in my life racked my body and Cami clamped her sticky, wet mouth to mine as I lay panting and moaning in her embrace.

I was in Paris for ten more nights and seven of them I spent with Cami. Two of the other nights were with her, Maxine and Lauren and the last was at a club they frequented called Vertigo, where I swear I had sexual relations with more people in a single evening than in the previous ten or so years in total.

The next morning, as the train thundered across Northern France towards the Tunnel, I sipped champagne and thanked every deity I could think of that Camille Rougerie had been on the same outward-bound train as me. I gazed out across the countryside and already couldn't wait for my next visit in four weeks. As the train headed down into the Tunnel, I saw my reflection in the window and felt as though I was looking at a different person to the one that had left for Paris a mere fortnight before. I touched the glass and mouthed the words, "Hi, I'm Alice and I'm bisexual."