Honey Bunny: 13

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Lunch in Barcelona
Ally in her Bunny outfit
Sometimes it is more important to listen to your inner voice than those around you.


Honey Bunny
Chapter 13

by Louise Anne Smithson

Copyright © 2015 Louise Anne Smithson
All Rights Reserved.

 


 
Chapter 13 The dress blue

As far as I was concerned the second cruise of the Fair Maid of Southampton proved to be even more successful than the first one. This was mainly because we all understood what we were doing and what to expect from each other this time. Our regular performances with the Young Bucks continued to go well and George and I finished the arrangements of our three new dance numbers so that the Bucks could work out the instrumental parts and Beth and Carol worked out some new dance routines for them. As requested, we began to develop two distinct performance styles – a more family oriented one during the afternoons and a sexier and more sophisticated one in the evenings, when we wore our short dresses or the Bunny outfits. Once again, Alex was entirely forgotten about for the duration of the voyage and Ally was accepted by everyone.

This total immersion into life as a young woman was beginning to have its effect on me. I lost count of the number of compliments I received from colleagues of both sexes about my 'new look' and felt more confident in mixed company. I was no longer worried that I might accidentally give myself away. Using Ally’s voice all the time came quite naturally to me and it would take a conscious effort to revert back to Alex again. Having long hair constantly in place, even when I was in bed, now felt quite normal to me and I was no longer anxious that I might be called out of bed in the night. Beth presented me with a half bottle of a perfume which she no longer used and I started to wear it on a regular basis. The lingering aroma served as a constant reminder to me of my new identity.

Maria took an active interest in the way I looked and gave me instruction in how to look after my hair and complexion after work each evening. In fact we all benefited from her help and advice as we were preparing for our evening performances. I’d become fairly proficient in the mechanics of using make up under Carol’s guidance, but Maria took things to another level showing me how to highlight and contour different parts of my face to achieve a more feminine look - although as she pointed out I'd not looked particularly masculine in the first place. She also taught me about the importance of colour and texture combinations to match the clothes I was wearing and which of the various finishes I should use and when. That is not to say I was now wearing more make up than previously but I was using it more effectively and I grew to look forward to the half hour or so that I took to make up my face each morning as a time when I could concentrate on me. I also developed the habit of checking up on my appearance and fixing anything that required attention whenever I had an opportunity to do so during the day. Equally I noticed that Carol and Beth had also began to wear make up more often and were more conscious of their general appearance when we were not performing. Thus we all seemed to be taking seriously Frank’s request for us to ‘enhance the glamour’ , not only in our evening performances but also in our everyday lives on board. To some degree, though, I was still hampered by my limited personal wardrobe based on clothes from the cheaper High Street retailers. I would have loved the opportunity to wear some of the dresses that I saw worn by the passengers, but they could afford expensive clothes and holidays and I couldn’t.

I continued to coach Maria in the English language for at least an hour each day and we all corrected her at other times when we were together. Thus, whilst she was teaching us about hair styles and makeup, she was simultaneously learning her English grammar and extending her vocabulary. There was no doubt that she was improving as a result of living and working in close proximity with native English speakers and from the one to one attention she received from me during our daily lessons. I was enjoying the role of a language teacher and began to wonder whether this might make a worthwhile career for me. I loved performing as one of the Bunnies but realised that we were not good enough to be really successful and in any event the others would be leaving to return to their University courses come September.

By the time we were due to make our second call at Barcelona, Carol and Beth had arranged to go ashore with their new boyfriends, Richard and John. They asked me if I wanted to come with them, but I’d no particular wish to play gooseberry, or to end up on a blind date with one of their male friends. I considered tagging along with the guys who planned to visit the 1992 Olympic Stadium and then take the cable car to Montjuic Castle, but I wasn’t a sports fan and those games took place four years before I was even born. I was also beginning to run short of suitable clothes to wear.

‘Maria, are there any good markets for clothing in Barcelona?’ I asked after one of our lessons.

‘Beth said that you were all planning to visit the Parc Guell.’

‘I’ve decided not to go with them this time. I really need to buy myself a new dress.’

‘There is the Mercat Del Encants in the Plaça de les Glories Catalanes but it would not be wise for you to go alone as there are many bolsa ladrón.’

We had to consult her dictionary as neither of us knew the equivalent translation for what turned out to be bag-snatchers.

‘Would you be interested in coming with me?’ I asked.

‘Sorry Ally, but I have arranged to take the lunch with my family in Vallcarca.‘

‘No problem.’

She thought for a moment.

‘I have a dress blue at my house which I mistake when I bought and looks bad on me. I wear it only once but I think it would look good on you. Will you come to my home and I will show it to you? I have told my family how much you help me with English and they would like to thank you.’

‘It should be a blue dress; in English the adjective goes before the noun that it describes. But I hope you haven’t told them the whole story about me?’ I asked.

‘Oh no, I say that you are my girlfriend who shares my cabin, otherwise they would not approve.’

‘Alright, I should be happy to come home with you, and if I like the dress I will repay you the cost of it.’

I put on a fairly non-descript grey skirt and pink blouse both of which I’d inherited from Susan’s box of cast offs and felt a little dowdy after the rather glamorous image that we’d portrayed recently. But the shoes that I wore looked quite stylish and I attempted to make up for the rest with my hair and makeup, so Maria and the other Bunnies confirmed that I looked fine. We travelled on the green line together with Carol, Beth and their boyfriends as far Lesseps, where our friends alighted to spend the day visiting Gaudi’s Parc Guell. Maria and I travelled on to the next station, Vallcarca, before walking about half a kilometre to the family flat above their beauty salon. Maria gave me a little background as we approached.

‘We will take la comida with my parents at 1.30pm. This is the largest meal of the day in Spain and has several courses, with wine. My parents speak no English and our home language is català – the Catalan language - but they will speak in Spanish today for your sake.’

‘I hope they will speak slowly,’ I replied.

‘You can ask me in English if you do not understand – they will not be offended.’

I found the couple of hours that I spent with Maria’s parents to be a humbling and draining experience. They could not have been more friendly and hospitable to me, but now our positions were reversed and I was the one struggling with a language that was not my own. Up to that point it had been easy for me to feel clever as I corrected Maria’s speech, but now I realised just how difficult it was when someone thought in one language whilst attempting to speak in another. I’d only just managed to get my head around operating in a different gender from the one in which I’d been raised, and now I was trying to speak in a different language as well.

The meal was sumptuous affair - bean soup with fresh bread and butter followed by a variety of fresh seafood, fried potatoes and a green salad. The dessert was a fruit flan with home-made ice-cream. My wine glass was topped up with cava each time I took a sip. I began to worry that if I ate any more I would never fit inside the dress that Maria had in mind to sell to me. The meal was finished with a cup of black coffee that was so strong it made my head spin, but I was able to decline the offer of a liqueur or glass of brandy without offending my hosts.

Eventually we made our exit and went up to Maria’s bedroom, where she opened her wardrobe.

‘Here it is Ally, what you think?’

It was a lovely looking royal blue sleeveless, mid-length dress with a ‘V’ neck, but I could see at a glance that it would be wrong for Maria with her colouring. It also struck me that I was beginning to think about clothes as a girl might do.

‘I think it’s lovely. May I try it on?’

‘I will help you.’

I slipped out of my skirt and blouse and Maria helped me to put on the new dress, zipping it up at the back for me. It was well tailored, nicely lined and seemed to fit me perfectly. It showed just enough cleavage to make my artificial boobs appear like the real thing.

‘Why did you choose this dress if it was not right for you?’ I asked.

‘Every girl has a dress in her wardrobe which was a mistake. It will happen to you one day in the future. I like the colour and the dress looked good in the shop. My boyfriend said I looked good but later I discover he is colour-blind and has no taste. When I went out in daylight it made me look ill. Come with me to the balcony and we will see if it still looks as good on you.’

I followed her instructions.

‘See, it looks better on you in daylight. The colour is right for you.’

‘How much did you pay for it?’ I asked, hoping that it wasn’t as expensive as it looked.

‘My boyfriend pay the bill, but now he has another girlfriend to buy dresses for.’

I could see that the dress didn’t have particularly good memories for her.

‘But how much did it cost?’

‘That is my secret. I give the dress to you.’

‘Maria, I can’t keep taking gifts from you.’

‘Ally, you give me piles of your time, and I hope you continue to do so.’

‘I think you might mean ‘heaps’ or better still ‘plenty of your time’,’ I corrected with a smile as I took another look at myself in her bedroom mirror.

The dress felt comfortable to wear and went well with the heels that I was then wearing. I took out the fake Lauren sunglasses from my handbag and put them on. It looked even better. I felt quite sophisticated.

‘In that case, thank you very much, Maria. May I continue to wear it back to the ship this afternoon?’

‘Of course! I will give you a bag plastic to carry your other clothes.’

As we came down the stairs from Maria’s bedroom to the living room, her mother took one look at me and said: ‘bella dama.’

I smiled.

‘Gracias señora.’

She’d clearly been preparing a small speech in English.

‘Maria say you help her much with the English. We thank you.’

With that she handed over a gift-wrapped parcel.

‘Productos cosméticos,’ she explained, smiling.

‘Maria, I can’t accept these,’ I whispered.

‘Please take them. It will make my mother happy. Many of them come free to owners of the salon beauty.’

‘But I already have everything that I need on the ship.’

‘These are for you to use at home, when I am not there to help you.’

‘There are enough here to last me a lifetime.’

‘Not for a lifetime, once you have opened a product you should not keep it longer than a year.’

I smiled and accepted the gift and attempted to respond to her mother in Spanish. I wanted to say that I was embarrassed to accept such generosity.

‘Estoy embarazada,’ I began, looking for the right words.

Maria’s mother’s face showed an element of surprise.

‘Ally, you have just told my mother that you are pregnant!’ Maria whispered.

I went bright red, realising that I’d just committed the ‘schoolgirl howler’ of confusing the Spanish word for pregnancy (embarazo) with that for embarrassment (vergüenza).

My mind went blank and all I could manage was ‘Muchas gracias.’

Maria then said something to her mother in Catalan which clarified the situation and we all laughed at my mistake.

Before we left I once again thanked Maria’s parents for a wonderful meal and their generosity and in return they said they hoped that I would come again for lunch on the next occasion I was in Barcelona. On the way back to Drassanes and the Ferry terminal Maria explained to me that she’d had an abortive love affair over the last academic year.

‘I waste my time trying to please a stupid man, then he find someone else and I fail my exams. Now I must spend my Summer vacation learning English,’ she complained.

I turned and gave her a hug, something that Alex would never have thought to do.

‘Don’t worry, Maria, there are plenty more fish in the sea.’

‘Fish? What do I want with a fish?’

I laughed.

‘It is just a phrase we use to remind people that there are many more men out there, especially for someone as good looking as you.’

‘Thank you, Ally, but first I must pass my exams, then I find a good looking man.’

‘I think you will pass next time and maybe we can have some good times together as well,’ I replied.

‘I hope so,’ she answered, now smiling.

Beth and Carol and their new friends had arrived shortly before us and were chatting with the security staff on the quayside before returning to the ship.

‘How was your day, Carol?’ I asked.

‘Fine thanks, we’ve had a great time. It looks as if you two have been out shopping together,’ she said referring to my new dress and the carrier bag I was holding.

‘Ally, you really are beginning to develop your own ‘look’, that dress is exactly right for you,’ said Beth.

‘Thanks, it is nice of you to say so.’

Maria and I exchanged glances and smiled before returning to the ship.

It occurred to me that no one had ever complimented Alex on how nice he looked or his choice of clothing.

~o~O~o~

That evening the six of us performed for the first time in the theatre on a full-sized stage before a large audience. It went well but I began to realise our limitations as a group. Musically, our performance was pretty good and the audience certainly showed their appreciation, but none of us were first-rate dancers, especially me. Maybe the guys would be able to go on to become full-time professional musicians, but the Bunnies were getting by partly on the basis of our voices and also to some degree on our looks. If I were honest, there were any number of girl groups who were equally as good as we were, many of which had useful contacts in the business. Maybe we might make it as performers for a year or two but it was not going to be a career for any of us.

If I want to remain living as Ally in the longer term, I’ll have to find some other means of supporting myself,’ I found myself thinking. This time though I was no longer alarmed by the implications of having such a thought.

~o~O~o~

After leaving Barcelona we had a day at sea whilst the ship sailed to the south of Sardinia and thence to Palermo in Sicily. We therefore had another busy day with a successful ‘Bunny Hop’ in the morning followed by performances with the guys in the afternoon and the evening. As a result The Bunnies were allowed ashore for a couple of hours in Palermo, whilst the guys helped with a coach excursion. Carol decided to stay on board as she was suffering from period pains but she encouraged Beth and I to go without her. We looked around for a while then gravitated to a café offering free wi-fi.

‘You do look smart these days, Ally. If we’re not careful you’ll be putting the rest of us in the shade,’ commented Beth.

I’d chosen to wear my blue dress once again.

‘I don’t think that’s likely, but if I do look alright it is largely due to my sharing a cabin with Maria. She takes an active interest in how I look and won’t let me leave each morning until she’s satisfied with my hair and makeup,’ I replied.

‘But it isn’t just Maria’s influence; I get the impression that you’re beginning to take a pride in the way you look.’

‘That’s nice of you to say so. I suppose I do so now that I’ve got a reasonable choice of clothes to wear and I’m gradually becoming more competent at putting on my makeup and doing my hair.’

‘You also seem to be more at ease as a girl on this voyage,’ she continued. ‘I don’t think that anyone suspected last time, but you did sometimes seem a little on edge.’

‘I was worried that I might inadvertently give myself away, but I think that’s less likely now.’

‘So now you can sit back and enjoy yourself as a girl.’

I smiled at the thought.

‘I like the way that people treat me as a girl, and find that I’m more friendly and chatty with them. However, I’m getting a little concerned with the longer term implications of what I’m doing?’

‘In what way?’

‘Working as one of the Bunnies is a wonderful summer job, but you and Carol will be going back to University in September and I’ll soon have to make some serious decisions about my future.’

‘Yes I guess so.’

‘Although I send regular emails to my parents, I suspect there may come a time when they either want to talk to me online, or perhaps even decide to come over and meet me. What am I going do then?’

‘You would either have to face them as Ally, or undertake a rapid switch back to Alex.’

I agreed, but at that point neither alternative seemed to be acceptable.

~o~O~o~

 
Next time: A day in Venice

Thanks to Angharad and to Bronwen for proofreading, and to everybody who has left a comment or awarded a kudo. Louise

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Comments

nice series

Alecia Snowfall's picture

I'm enjoying this series. I'll be nice and not make speculations of direction. We all look forward to the next chapter LouiseAnne.
*bumps the kudo with my hip then hops twice*

quidquid sum ego, et omnia mea semper; Ego me.
alecia Snowfall

I wonder......

D. Eden's picture

Is there any significance to the fact that the cafe' has wifi? Perhaps Allie's mother decides to try to contact her?

Although I still feel that her parents will simply show up on the ship unannounced in the very near future.

This has proven to be a great story, and I look forward to seeing each new installment.

Dallas

D. Eden

Dum Vivimus, Vivamus

Another good chapter

This has been a very interesting and entertaining story. I do appreciate very much your taking the time to write and post your stories for us.

Hugs,
Erin G <3

I thought it was rather a

I thought it was rather a foregone conclusion that Alex/Ally's parents were going to board the ship at one of their ports. At least this is what I surmised based on comments made by his/her mother when they were talking before. I also believe that they will not be as shocked regarding Ally as Alex might think, because I am pretty sure that Ally has been brought out to the world by Alex's Aunt. This chapter was another fun read and yes indeedy, different words or even inflections within a word can make words have an entirely different meaning in many, many various languages. What does a person who is learning a particular language do when it is discovered that that language may have over 4,000 different meanings in a particular word, and it is all based on how that word was used and sounded like in the beginning of recorded history. Then you have the meaning of words changing with the years, and centuries.
I might add, Alex/Ally looks darling and so very cute in her Bunny costume. Wish I had one. Janice

THANK SO MUCH

Christina H's picture

I am loving this story Thank You soMuch for taking the time to write it

Christina

Thank you,Louise,

Like all your stories this has really got me in and I hate waiting for the next posting, but it is always worth the wait.

ALISON

"Hey Good Looking, What You Got Cooking ?"

The easy way to breach Ally to her parents is to mail a photograph of the Bunnies to them and let them pick out Carol and Beth and OMG! THAT'S ALEX WITH THE BREASTS ! That way, after mum gets out of the hospital, the cruise will be over.
Ally can then get a job as a pole dancer to pay for her surgery and then, Bobs your uncle

Cefin