A New Chapter (For Stephanie)

 

 

 

For over three decades, Steve was working at the steel factory situated just south of Detroit. It was honest work, but it exacted a heavy toll. The air was thick with the scent of heated metal, the labor was backbreaking and Steve wasn’t getting any younger as he reached the milestone of 55 years old just last month. Years of surviving on a bachelor’s diet of processed convenience foods and takeaways had left him thick around the middle. The sheer physical stamina required to keep pace with the younger workers was slipping through his fingers. He couldn’t turn back time, but he could at least reclaim some control over his health. He joined a local gym, and threw out the junk food from his diet, supplementing his regiment with specialized dietary powders promising rapid metabolic boosts. The results were astonishing. His weight began to melt away, leaving Steve feeling lighter and more energetic than he was in years. But then, the supplements he was helping himself with were pulled from the shelves amid vague warnings regarding chemical contamination. The problem was that alternatives simply didn’t measure up to the effects so he turned to internet forums, eventually managing to import a batch directly from a pharmaceutical supplier in China. Two weeks later the package arrived and Steve resumed his routine, until one day he fell ill.

It began innocently with a dull ache in his joints, but quickly it escalated into a violent illness unlike anything he ever experienced. Steve was incapacitated in his bed, while a searing hot fever tormented his mind. Every muscle in his body felt like if it was being torn apart and he barely possessed the strength to lift up his head from the pillow, drifting in and out of a semi conscious fog. Then, after three days, the illness abruptly vanished. Steve woke up feeling absolutely fine. Then however, as he pushed himself up into a sitting position, a curtain of long, golden strands tumbled across his face. Startled, Steve brushed the hair away, his hand stopping mid air as he stared at his fingers. They were slender and delicate, definitely not touched by years of manual labor. A cold spike of dread shot trough him as he felt something strange on his chest. Tentatively, Steve pulled down the collar of his t-shirt and peered beneath. The heavy belly he had carried was entirely gone. His torso was slim, but what seized his breath was his chest as he saw a pair of rounded, perky breasts. A sharp gasp escaped his lips. In a blind rush of panic, Steve thrust his hand downward between his legs and to his shock found his penis was gone. In it’s place was a flat expanse and a shape his mind instantly recognized as a woman’s vagina. Steve threw off the blanked, stumbled out of bed and rushed toward the bathroom mirror. The glass did not reflect the middle aged factory worker. Staring back at him with wide, terrified eyes was a young, stunning woman who couldn’t be older than her early twenties.

Steve spend the next couple of days at the hospital, where the medical staff hovered around him. Every test yielded no rational answers. It was obvious the imported supplements had triggered the miraculous biological transformation, but the “how” or “why” remained a baffling mystery. Eventually with no medical grounds to detain him any longer, Steve was discharged from the hospital.

Returning to his normal life proved to be impossible. The steel factory demanded physical strength that his delicate female body simply did not posses. Worse was the suffocating weight of public scrutiny. Neighbors, colleagues, and relatives stared at him as if he was a freak show exhibit, bombarding him with invasive questions about his physical change. The spotlight was relentless, taking away what little peace he had left. Eventually, Steve made a drastic decision. He changed legally changed his name and gender, liquidated his modest assets and severed all ties with his past. He packed his belongings and traveled miles across the country, determined to start with a clean slate and start again under the name Amanda.

Finding stable employment proved to be the first major challenge. Steve’s entire resume was build around heavy industrial labor. Yet, as he stared at his reflection, a pragmatic realization dawned upon him. His new body possessed a high value asset he could take advantage of in a certain field. Looks. It was undeniable that Steve’s female form was strikingly beautiful and with the right clothes and a touch of makeup, he could turn men’s heads anywhere he went. With that in mind, Steve decided to test the waters of modeling industry. His first interview however was a disaster. While he looked like a high fashion model, his posture, his stride and everything about his moves were entirely masculine. He lacked the fluid and grace of a woman. But instead letting the defeat crush him, Steve set himself a new challenge. He spend hours studying women on the streets, dissecting their posture or the subtle choreography of their gestures. He set up an Instagram account, making it his personal training ground, posting photos in various outfits to build confidence. Slowly, the awkwardness began to fade. The way he walked softened, his movements grew fluid and natural and when he walked into his second interview, he was able to land his first modeling contract.

Time flowed and the work steadily rolled in. Steve was booking shots for online clothing retailers, secured features in mid tier fashion magazines and even landed a tv commercial for an organic skincare line. Sure, this was not the job he ever wanted and there were moments of lingering discomfort. Like when the first time he saw himself on a massive billboard, clad in nothing but red, lace lingerie. Steve felt a sudden flash of objectification, yet he reminded himself the reality demanded to swallow his male pride. At least it was an honest work and it paid the bills. His personal life was beginning to blossom as well. He had made a small circle of friends who knew him only as Amanda and he was slowly growing comfortable withing his new female skin.

Today a year had passed since Steve made the decision to start anew. He was just wrapping up the final shots of a commercial campaign for a new line of women’s swimwear. Tired, Steve walked off the set and headed toward the dressing rooms to change back into his every day clothes. He reached into his leather purse and retrieved his phone. The screen lit up with a notification for an unread text message. It was from Ryan. “Hey. I just wanted to say that I really enjoyed our coffee together yesterday. If you’re interested and hungry, I know a great place where we can grab something to eat”. A smile spread across Steve’s face. Ryan was the guy he had been casually hanging out with over the past few weeks. He genuinely liked his company and he knew that under different circumstances the two of them would have easily become best buddies. But it was obvious that Ryan wasn’t looking for a friend to grab a beer with. He was looking for a potential romantic partner and it was clear that he saw that very candidate int the woman Steve was today. Months ago the very idea of dating a man would sent a wave of panic through him, but now, the thought sounded remarkably appealing. The physical attraction was definitely there. Steve was attracted to men now, a reality that his male mind was denying for weeks upon the first time he discovered it. But now, he was slowly surrendering to the truth. With the smile still lingering on his lips, Steve’s thumb flew across the screen as he typed a quick reply “Sure. Is tomorrow ok?” He hit send and tossed the phone back into his purse, before beginning the process of changing out of the swimwear back into his daily clothes. As he stepped out of the studio into the cool evening air, his mind buzzed with excitement. As he was making his way towards the bus stop, Steve found himself genuinely looking forward to see how his relationship with Ryan is going to unfold.