It was time for my October haircut. I decided to go to my seamstress' shop and drop off some clothes and change clothes. Then I would go get my haircut. Instead of my normal seamstress, however, I visited a new one.
Having a dress pinned up
I stepped into the shop and a well-dressed foreign woman greeted me. I told her that I sometimes wear women's clothes and asked her if she could help me. She told me, "Of course." I went back to my car and got my bag of clothes. She showed me to her changing room. I put on a dress that I had bought second hand. It fits great in the shoulders, but it too big elsewhere. I put on shoes. I already had on pantyhose. I walked out and she had me stand at her mirror on the pedestal. Then she immediately had me step down from the pedestal. There was too much of a height difference. She pinned me up and treated me like I was an average customer. She was kind and sociable. She was neither uncomfortable nor patronizing. It felt very warm and natural.
Out to my car in the dress
Next, I wanted to put on a skirt, a pullover top and a button-up shirt. I wanted to have the button-up shirt altered. Like the dress, it fits me in the shoulders, but not below. In the changing room, I realized I left the pullover shirt in my car. I stepped out to my car in the pinned up dress. When I turned around to return to my car, I noticed an employee of an adjacent shop was looking at me from inside at her desk. She had a subtle smile on her face as though she was amused. I defaulted to an, "Oh well," smile and waved. She smiled largely at me and waved back at me.
Back inside, I asked the seamstress if she had other men who dress like women. She said she had two others. I thanked her for being understanding. She said, "This is something you see in my line of work. You have to get used to it."
I talked with her for a few minutes while getting my nerve up to go out of her shop to my car in my skirt and top. I told her I was going to go get a haircut. She asked me where I go. I told her. She said that her coworker happened to be there now. She told me to go ask for her.
I stepped out to my car and drove away.
At the hair salon
At my hair place, I walked in and there were two workers and three customers. I spoke briefly to the customer in the lobby asking if she was the other seamstress. She was not. I was seated promptly and introduced to the other seamstress in the next chair. My haircut was uneventful. My hair lady and I talked like usual. After my hair was done, I asked her to take my picture.
haircut3.jpg
Then I went over and talked to the other seamstress. We talked for a couple minutes. It was hard because her head was in a dryer. I told her that I had left something in her shop and that her coworker told me to tell her hello. She talked to me about what I had brought in. She said she would see me when I came back in to get my stuff.
Talkative customer
Here is where something interesting happened. I walked to the lobby to pay. The other employee was there. A new customer was standing in the lobby. As the employee and I walked to the cash register, the customer stopped moving completely and looked right at me. I said hello, I think. I turned and paid. Then as I turned to go to the exit, the woman was still there and she looked right at me again. I assumed that she disapproved of my clothing practices from her behavior and unchanging facial expression.
I walked past her. She was Hispanic. I said good-bye in Spanish. She responded. I put my hand on the door and I heard her say, "Where are you from?" I turned. She had this whole conversation with me. She thought I might be from elsewhere because I had spoken Spanish. She talked to me about her husband's nationality and how well each of them speak the other's language, etc. She never mentioned my clothes. She was friendly and social. Her facial expression did not change. She was just that way, I guess. She was not obviously disapproving. I had to break off the conversation in order to go.
Back to the seamstress
I went to my car and drove away. I thought, "Now, where am I going to change back into my menswear?" I decided to go to the seamstress shop again and ask if I could change back. She said, "Yes, of course! Any time!" While I was in the dressing room changing, she told me to come back anytime if I want to dress and visit. She asked me if I saw her coworker. After I changed, we talked for about ten more minutes after I had changed. We talked about family and clothes. She asked me where I shopped. She recommended a store. She even suggested that her coworker might even be willing to take me shopping. I turned that down. (I do not go places with women because I am married. It is one of our healthy ground rules.)
Finally, I told her good-bye and I went back to work. I look forward to when I go back to pick up my "new" clothes!
