E’volvo’lution Chapter 2

After we had eaten I thanked him for my lunch and he smiled, “It’s no bother, I hope that we can sit together many times in the future.”

We then had a quick look at the ‘Adrenaline Area’ where they do burn-outs and have motor-cycle stunt riders. We were not so interested in that so then went to look at the older trucks and the military display, finally getting up into ‘Answer’ to have a quiet rest.

“Greger, I hope you don’t mind me saying this but your artwork isn’t the same as all of the other trucks. They’re all macho and muscle while yours evoke history or, in the case of this one, love. I gather that you haven’t had much success with awards at this show.”

He laughed quietly, “You have the insight of your sister and mother. No, I haven’t had much success but I can’t make myself paint the other type of pictures on my own trucks. I’ve done many on customer orders and there are a few here today, but never on my own ones. I suppose that the heavy-metal macho thing does nothing for me. If I may be so bold, I think it does nothing for you as well.”

There was a knocking on my door so I put the window down and a guy said “Antonia, can I get a few pictures of you for the official record?”

I looked at Greger and he smiled, “This is the first time this has happened, if you do it I ‘ll give you a bonus.”

So I smiled sweetly while the guy took a few of me in the driving seat and then got out while he took some more with me in front of the picture. I did my best to look like a wild woman and it must have worked because he gave me a hug and thanked me before picking up his gear.

I got back into the cab and Greger was in the back, sitting on the bed and laughing fit to bust.

“What!!!”

“You’ve really done it now. When those pictures get posted on the official website tonight there’ll be guys coming to this show tomorrow just to see you. That’s priceless. There aren’t many girl drivers in this man’s world and you, young Antonia, have just set a very heavy wheel into motion. They all think that you are, indeed, a beautiful girl and tomorrow we should try to give them that, if you’re game.”

“How on earth are we going to do that, I’m really a guy, for pity’s sake. I’ve never borrowed my sisters’ things and ----- actually, I did borrow a few of her tee-shirts before she left home but they were just like guy ones.”

He pulled his phone out and rang someone.

When they answered he said, “Astrid, I need you to do a big favour for me tomorrow morning. I want you to help and make a guy look like a girl so she can flaunt herself in front of one of my trucks at the show.”

I heard Astrid tell him he was crazy, “I‘m sending you a picture, taken today. If you think it’s impossible don’t bother calling back.”

He picked out one of me in front of the painting and sent it to her.

We sat quietly for almost ten minutes and I thought I might be off the hook.

Then the phone rang and it was Astrid, “You don’t need any help, you buffoon, that was a girl in that picture. All I can do is a hair-do and make-over and she will be a real babe.”

“Believe me, dear sister, the girl is a guy and he is called Anton. Can you help?”

She told him that she would need to see me today to do the preliminary work which would make it easy tomorrow and they agreed to meet up for dinner in the city.

We spent the afternoon walking around some more and, this time, Greger pointed out the trucks with his artwork on them that were a world away from his own.

As the light faded we went back to his three and turned on the running lights and locked the cabs. In the dark the lights were something else again. The electric had LED bulbs inset into the van bodywork which changed colours in a swirl of light and movement.

The FH was more mundane as a flatbed but the Globetrotter was a riot of colour, reds, blues, pinks and yellows swirling around the painting and across the front of the cab. The lights were so tiny I had missed them during the day.

“I‘ll come back later and turn them off” said Greger, and we walked to the car park where he opened the passenger door of a Series Five for me to get in.

When I looked in the sunshade mirror I realised that I hadn’t put my hair back into a pony-tail since the first pictures.

At the restaurant we were shown to a table where another two couples were already seated.

“Anton” said Greger, “I would like to introduce you to my sister, Astrid, and her husband, Erik.”

Astrid looked at me and exclaimed, “No way!!!”

“These are my parents and the founders of the company. Mum and Dad, this is Anton Berg, son of Mats Berg, and he has agreed to work for us driving ‘Answer’ as well as working as a diesel mechanic in the firm. He has all of the paperwork as well as experience working in the Volvo factory in Sweden.”

There was a strange moment when a waiter pulled out a chair for me but we just carried on as if it was usual.

The father, Anders, asked what had been going on today and Greger gave him a quick run-down of the events while Astrid looked at me in a professional way.

When we got to the photo-shoot and centrefold his father grinned, “I always like those centrefolds, the girls all look hot,” and his wife gave him a punch on his arm.

Then we got to the bit where I would be up on the website and Astrid picked up her phone and looked it up.

She laughed, “You don’t need any help, young lady” and passed the phone around. It was a picture of me doing my Wild Woman impersonation and I blushed with embarrassment.

Anders said “As the patriarch of this family, I must say that today has been extraordinarily different. We have never been featured like this before and a centrefold article on the company would generate a bit of business. How are you taking it, Anton?”

I thought for a bit, “I’d been taken for a girl since school and it’s been a hard thing for me. Today I’ve been called Antonia a lot of times and it’s been with respect, rather than a put-down. I’m grateful to Greger with the work offer and I would love to drive ‘Answer’ for you.”

“If people want to see me as a woman, then, so be it. I’m not cutting my hair. It’s part of me. There’s no way I can change the looks my genes have given me so I suppose I had better take a deep breath and do the right thing tomorrow. I’m sure it will be a lot of fun and, if it turns bad we all suffer, so I‘ll do my best to help Greger and the company.”

“Well said, you’re a credit to your family. I’ve met your father a few times when he picked up loads at our depot and you have the same moral ethic. Astrid, I will fund whatever it takes to turn Anton into Antonia tomorrow. I must say that already I like him more than I did the original Antonia.”

His wife smiled and agreed, while Astrid just snarled, “That bitch was no good for you, Greger, she was only after your money but couldn’t leave her lust behind. She had no class.”

Greger looked a bit sad, “I believe you’re right. I never thought it before but I’ve just spent all day with Anton and feel easier with him than I ever did with her. I can officially announce that I’m over my sulk and I, for one, am looking forward to tomorrow.”

We had a pleasant meal and I chatted with Anders about my time in the Volvo factory and the reasons behind me not being fully accredited.

“Leave that with me,” he said, “I’ve some contacts and I’m sure we can get you through the final modules and you can get your papers.”

As we were about to leave he took me aside, “Anton, I guess you’ve realised that Greger isn’t the big macho man. Don’t be surprised if he takes a real shine to you, I can see it in the way you interact. This is an enlightened society in an enlightened age and I don’t think he would have been man enough for that Antonia had they married. His mother and I were very happy when they split up. It’s been hard to see him turn inward since then. Tonight he’s back to his old self and I have to thank you for that. I think that we’ll come along to the show ourselves to see the fun.”

Astrid told Greger to take Erik home for her as she would take me to the Hostel tonight when we had finished. She left her car where it was and we walked a block to her shop.

When she opened up and turned some lights on I saw that she had a multi-product shop. One side was a beauty salon and the other a ladies underwear outlet. She turned off the alarm and locked the door behind us and led me through to a room with a high bed.

“OK, Anton, no blushing, strip totally. You’ve nothing I haven’t seen before as we do quite a lot of these types of make-overs, especially around Halloween. I have to thank the Americans for spreading that around the world.”

Over the next couple of hours I had just about every hair on my body removed, my eyebrows plucked, a manicure, pedicure, hair wash and set. All the time she kept up small talk and I learned a lot about life here in Tallinn and the new vibrant place it had become.

I learned that I had been very lucky that Greger had spoken to me as the family was well connected. The country was extremely diverse, over a hundred different languages spoken and almost an equal number of ethnic groups.

The Lundin family were descended from pre-Russian settlers and there were a lot of ‘Coast Swedes’ along the north-west and the islands. It was only a few years ago that the ‘Rannarootslased’ had been formed, a committee of Swedish speakers who would have a say in the running of the country.

A lot of ethnic groups had a similar input to the parliament. I also found out that voting was entirely internet based.

The final indignity, or so I thought, was getting both ears pierced and studs put in. Astrid said that we would put better ones in tomorrow. When I complained she showed me the picture of the painting and there were ear-rings on the girl showing clearly.

She helped me slather my whole body in a soothing cream and then wiped my chest so that she could fit forms, as she called them. When I asked if I could just put them in tomorrow she told me that I would have to get used to the weight and movement and that this way was so much safer.

She laughed, “Just think of what you would say if you jump out of the cab and one of your tits fell out?”

Finally, and this time she said that it was finally, she measured me and went off to the underwear section and came back with some panties and bras, as well as an item that looked like a pair of heavy underpants.

These were put on first with a lot of extra effort which left my groin looking featureless. She glued these in place with the same sealant that she had used for the forms. I was then fitted into some panties and instructed how to put a bra on.

She put my own things in a bag, along with extra panties and bras and a nightie I was told to wear tonight. Then I was put into a towelling gown and slippers for the walk back to the car and the trip back to the Hostel.

She walked me up to my room and commented on how Spartan it was, to which I replied that I was on a tight budget. She said that she would pick me up early and not to have any breakfast but to make sure I had a good shower but not wet my hair.

She then did something so unexpected I just stood there and then watched her leave. She gave me a big hug, kissed my cheek and said, “Welcome to the real world, sister. I’ll support you as much as I can because you’ve made my brother happy. I think that there’s more happiness to come.”

I sat on my bed and considered the day. It had been very odd, to say the least. It ended with me sitting here in a bra and panties, smooth and hairless legs, arms and body, and a face and hair so much like my sister it was almost scary.

I took everything off and put the nightie on, feeling the difference in my body mass with every move I made. I had no conception of what tomorrow would bring, just knowing that I would be spending it as a girl was bad enough but I felt better when I realised how much it could advance my career.

Morning came far too quickly, especially after a night where I dreamed that I was back in school but now being called Antonia. I didn’t mind it because I was wearing a red dress and no-one can do anything bad to a girl in a red dress.

The other odd thing about the night was that every time I needed a pee I had to sit down. Mind you, it was a little painful when my body thought it was time for a morning glory and there was no room for it.

I had a shower, as ordered, and put on fresh panties and bra, in bright red, also as ordered. I wrapped the gown around me and it wasn’t long before Astrid knocked on my door.

This time I was to leave all of my stuff in the room. It had a keypad for entry so I didn’t need to carry a key. Once Astrid had checked me over she led me out to her car and we set off.

She had made an arrangement with a friend to open her shop for us this morning and had sent a picture of the painting to show what we needed to recreate. Of course, I had no idea of what it takes to choose just one dress.

We got to her friends shop and were let in, the door being locked behind us.

The two friends hugged and Astrid said, “Agnetha, I would like you to meet the new and improved model of Antonia.”

Agnetha gave me a hug, “So this is the girl that Greger really loves?”

I laughed, “I don’t think so, considering that we only met yesterday.”

She showed me her phone which was full of messages from various friends with pictures of the two of us at the truck show. She translated some of the messages for me, most of which were commenting on how happy Greger looked. We then had a girls breakfast which I thought would not last me an hour, let alone the morning.

After that the very first dress was, I thought, perfect. Not so, was the decision and I must have tried on another dozen before the first was reconsidered.

It was a short-sleeved dress with a full skirt, or so I was told. At least they had found some reasonable shoes to go with it that gave me some support at the ankles and had a block heel that gave me a firm platform.

I thought that this was it but I was ordered to take it off again and was offered several other dresses, some skirts and tops to try on. Before I had the red dress back on I was the proud owner of several outfits and shoes, as well as a few bags.

I queried the whole thing and Astrid said that her father had ordered that we should do everything needed and that he would fund it. I said that it was just for today and both of the others looked at me hard and ordered me to sit down while they gave me the facts of life.

Astrid said “There’s people who will be there today who are going to be there to see just you. There’s one photographer who wants you in a centrefold. There’s Greger and his new lease on life and also there’s a need not to let him down again until he is strong enough to withstand it if you fall out with him.”

“And finally; there’s you. You’ll spend your very first day as a girl who is in demand. If you come back to me tonight and say you want to go back I’ll remove everything but I’m betting that you’ll still be Antonia this time tomorrow. Now, let’s put these bags in the car and we will go to my shop to turn you into the wet dream of the day.”

She thanked Agnetha who thanked her for the business and said that she would see us at the show, later in the day. We went back to the salon where Astrid did her magic on my face, added some drop ear-rings and a necklace that she had brought from home and gave me a spray of perfume once I stood up.

I looked in the mirror and there stood my mother and my sister in full beauty queen mode. Astrid said that there wasn’t enough time for me to fully learn how to walk and talk right but we did spend five minutes on sweeping my skirt when I sat and she helped me with my voice as we drove to the truck show.

When we arrived at the exhibitors car park the attendant waved us through, “Enjoy you day Antonia, there’s already a few gathering by your truck.”

Astrid was laughing so hard she needed two goes to get us into a parking space. I swivelled to get out and smoothed my skirt as I stood and then remembered my bag which I had been told held all the items I may need during the day.

Astrid linked arms with me and we made our way into the showground, all the time she was saying “Head back, boobs out, lead with your groin and you can’t go wrong.”

Before long we were being welcomed with calls of, “Antonia, look this way” and I would give a little wave at first and then it became a genuine smile when Greger came and linked my other arm, after hugs and kisses on the cheek for both of us.

“Antonia” he said, “I can’t thank you enough for this. You look magnificent, well done Astrid. There’s a crowd around the trucks already; I’ve never seen anything like it with a truck of mine.”

When we got to the truck there was a clamour of guys busting for selfies with me and the painting. Astrid helped me organise a queue and we got it into some kind of order. Greger was busy talking about the truck itself and the morning flashed by.

It was only broken up when Astrid would say that we needed to use the ladies and pull me away for a break. After the first trip I had no fear of being in there with the other ladies, as many complimented me.

We found some time to have a spot of lunch with Erik, Agnetha and the parents joining us. The café allowed us to use a table in the back so we had some time without being bugged.

The whole family was amazed at the way things had gone today. In the afternoon the official photographer was back for some more shots and I found, for the first time, how hard it is to climb into the cab in a skirt, much to the enjoyment of the watching guys.

I was just happy that I had worn matching panties. Somebody called out something and Greger said that some joker wanted me to fire it up and threw up the keys.

I’m sure that most of the guys thought I wouldn’t be able to but there was silence as I primed the diesel and hit the starter, all thirteen litres letting out a roar.

I hit the horn, revved it a few times and then let it idle while I lifted the lazy axle at the back and then put it down again. When I shut it down there was a burst of applause.

Greger called out, “Antonia has a licence to drive this and has already taken a double trailer unit to Moscow and back.”

A bit of a white lie but there was a crowd ooooh!

I had to think about Astrids’ warning as I went to come back down. I tossed the keys back to Greger.

I used one hand to pull my skirt to my bum as I got onto the rungs and, when I got nearly down, I felt strong hands at my waist so I allowed myself to be lifted down to ground level.

Greger pulled me to him and whispered, “Well done, they’ll talk about that for weeks.”

As I turned I said, “What, a girl firing up a Globetrotter or the sight of her panties.”

He had to laugh, “Both, my sweet, both.”

Marianne Gregory © 2022