My moments are very small, much smaller than the accomplishments of some others I have read here, but I feel they should still be shared to show those who follow that you must seize your opportunities and successes where you can.
Today was my first day to give ShayLeigh her face; to put on full makeup, a wig, an outfit and just be "me/her" for the day. A female friend from work (who is one of four people, other than my doctor/therapist, who know I question my identity, gender or otherwise) gave me some makeup for my birthday and I have not had sufficient opportunity to experiment with it. Fortunately, I am an information sponge, and research is my watchword. I have hours and hours of background study in the theory of makeup as well as experience with makeup from High School theatre. I took pictures, and sent them to my friend, and she made a recommendation of a "darker lipstick".
This led to First the Second: A foray into the great outdoors Dressed!! There is a Rite Aid drug store a mere block from my house, so at 8:00 AM I walked my pretty skirted butt (mid-calf length, I'm no hoore) over there. I spent 15 minutes or so looking for a new lipstick. and since I was there I got an eyebrow pencil, and a roll-on powder eyeliner in purple (my color palette is currently shades of brown). With my selections, I walk up to the counter to pay... Which leads to:
First the Third: The young lady who was my cashier never batted an eye. Never questioned, looked askance, made comment or e'en gave appearance that she wished to comment. So I pushed my luck. I commented that I hoped the lipstick color would be right, and she proceeded to tell me about the store's makeup return policy with nary a hitch in commentary. Now, to be fair, my natural speaking voice is on the high side of normal for a typical male, and I was pushing it just a touch higher to ensure a more "feminine voice", so maybe this isn't too surprising, but still. I paid and we said our "have a nice days". And I went home.
First the Last: As I was switching back to drab (because the wife doesn't know yet) I noticed I didn't have a makeup specific face cleanser (to ensure it ALL comes off so as not to give away the store), so I did the best I could with what I had at hand, and made my second trip to the drug store for the day. I walked over, walked into the store and lo, who is still on shift? The same young lady who checked me out this morning... I collected what I needed and wanted, and walked up to pay. And again I pushed my luck. Call me stupid, call me whatever, but she helped me feel normal and I felt that deserved a "thank you" of some sort. So, as a boy, I said "Thank you for helping my sister this morning." NO CONNECTION MADE! I reminded her of the lipstick, and she remembered helping me as ShayLeigh, and bought hook, line and sinker and the fishing boat too, my "story" that ShayLeigh was my sister. She commented on my concern regarding the lipstick to which I replied “It looked fine on her, I don’t know what she was concerned about.” I know, I was still feeding her lineand she was still eating it up. As she finalized my sale, she asked if I had a Rite Aid rewards card, to which I replied “no” then as my male self and that morning as my femme self, and again, as she had that morning, she asked if I’d like one. Considering that was the second time in the same day I had been there for makeup supplies, I responded “yeah, sure.” And she told me that because there was a keyfob and card, that both I and my sister could use the rewards card!
Maybe I shouldn’t have repeatedly pushed my luck and just accepted what wins I had already gained, but can you really tell a gambler to walk away from a hot streak?
Originally Posted by Isha
