"You aren't alone."

It was an interesting day...

As some of you might know, this girl is a bit of a ferroequinologist.  And I've purchased some railroad artifacts over the years, one of which is an unusual type of switch lamp.  It's quite rusty, and needs restored, though I know that sometimes restoring things causes them to decrease in value.   But I'm not planning to sell it, so it will look much nicer being displayed after restoration!   And I sure can't put a rusty, greasy old lamp in the corner, on white carpets!  So I've been scouring Delmarva auto body shops for ones with glass beading cabinets, to have someone clean away the rust before I repaint it.  (Rust-Oleum is NOT necessarily the answer here.  Maybe after glass-beading.)  After a fair amount of searching, I found one which is fortunately not too far from home...

I met the proprietor (male, 30-something) outside his shop, wearing my usual stirrup pants and turtleneck outfit, with pantyhose, necklace and flats.  And I noticed that he gave me a visual once-over as we met.  (Maybe he was already subject to gender confusion about me?)   When we got inside, and began talking about how he could help with the lamp restoration, he started to address me as "Sir,"  but like many of our politicians do on many issues, walked that back, and changed to "Ma'am," offering an apology.

Another minute or so of discussing business, and I must have become enough of a feminine  enigma that he interrupted his "train of thought" with "I guess it would be best if I address you properly...so, I'll ask - are you a woman, or a man?"  I debated that answer for a few seconds, but finally decided honesty is the best policy.  "A man."  "Oh, OK then.  But you like to dress as a woman occasionally?  You can answer honestly, as what you do doesn't matter to me."  While that day I wasn't really trying to accent my femininity,  I said "Yes, occasionally." "What's your name?"  I gave him my male name (which is now widely-recognized as female.)  "How about your real name?"  So I told him the same name.  Wow, you use your real name, no matter what you're wearing.  Well, (insert real name here), you certainly look like a woman today..."  (And incidentally never used Sir or Ma'am for the rest of my visit - avoiding anything remotely gender specific.)  Then to my surprise, he suggested that I might want to take a few minutes and stop in at the nearby auto parts store.  "You're not alone, trust me."

He  re-railed his so-called "train of thought", and we discussed business again.  Then we negotiated a price for the glass-beading.   I'll provide the labor to disassemble and reassemble the lamp and save money, then drop the appropriate pieces off at his shop.  He might just do the job while I'm there.   And I might just take along a picture for him to see the "real Mandy," if he does the work while I wait. 

But by now, curiosity had gotten the best of me.  Once the lamp and its pieces were safely tucked back in the trunk, I detoured over to the auto parts store.  And to my surprise, there was a 20-something guy back in the parts racks (apparently not attempting to "pass",  just looking comfortably casual), wearing his long hair in a ponytail, with a company shirt and a just-above-the-knee black skirt,  pantyhose and a pair of ballet flats, while pulling a customer's order.  I did some "shopping" to see if I could get a better view.  (And not knowing her preference, I'll use female forms of address from here on.)  Her outfit looked very nice, something I'd wear in a heartbeat.

Eventually she came out to the register with an order, and rang it up for her customer.  She might have noticed me as I walked right past her, but I doubt it.  Certainly co-workers did (several checked me out), but nothing was said to me.  Guess that means I'll have to go back there to shop for some car things on occasion (fortunately my daily driver gets 35+ miles per gallon.)

Will I get to meet her on the next visit?   Could I possibly arrange for her to wait on me?   If so, is she personable enough to want to talk about our common interest, or too shy?  After all, it's not often that a guy in stirrup pants and flats, carrying a purse, meets a guy in a skirt and flats, who is busy at her work.  If you're wearing outfits like ours (and I certainly include myself in this category), you can expect to be noticed - especially by another girl!  I'm envious of her freedom to wear whatever she wants to work...though I admit I took some liberties at the office, before I retired.   (Another long story, maybe for another day.)  If next time I go there, I can arrange to have her wait on me, I won't embarrass her by forcing conversation, but if she's talkative to a sister, I'm getting a little better about not being particularly shy.  Time will tell...

But bigger questions regarding the shop proprietor who pointed me in that direction still remain: is he a part-time girl like so many of us?   Or perhaps an "admirer?"  How did he know about transgender folks having female names/identities? Does he surf transgender sites?  And how is it that he came to know about the parts store employee?  By accident, or is that the "talk of the small town?" Maybe one day I''ll find out answers to these...and other... questions.

One thing is for sure, I won't be showing up at the parts store or the body shop looking as I do in the following picture...   I owe many thanks to Elizabeth Ann Taylor for "making me over" into my finest feminine appearance, back in 2014!  The outfit and wig turned out to be feminine enough that even my own mother doesn't recognize me in this photo!  (I have to assure her that it's really me.)

I hope to visit Elizabeth's studio again, one of these days.   And next time, I'll wear Mom's chandelier earrings with her necklace and bracelet!

That's all for now...

Mandy