Went and done it now!

[AKAMichelle]

I flew last night to Springfield, MO to meet with a client who could become a partner of sorts tomorrow. The flight started much better than my last flight.

I arrived at the airport in plenty of time. I was getting everything out of my car when a security guard asked if everything was ok - Miss? I replied yes and continued getting my stuff together for the walk into the terminal. Once there I went through security and breezed right on through. The walk to my gate 2 miles away left me out of breathe and sweating again. i had 40 minutes after I arrived at the gate before the flight left. So when it was my turn I got on the flight. This was the first time flying that my wife knew what I was doing. The other time that I had flown she knew nothing about it. So yes I had to tell her contrary to her fears I didn't get the strip search.

The trip takes a very interesting turn here. I got off the plane and got the picture shown below before heading out to get my rental car. Now I hadn't paid attention to how many gates there were until I got to the exit. Count them 6 gates. :D I left the security area only to find one carousel for luggage and it was in the same room as the check-in area and rental cars. I thought I had just entered the twilight zone. i could hear the music in my ears as I walked through the door marked rental cars. What I found on the other side was odder still. No buses but a bunch of cars. It was dark so I couldn't tell what to do. Went back up to the Budget desk and asked them what to do. Then she checked my information and I got my car keys. Then I proceeded out the same door and a few feet from the door was my rental car. I was so shocked and then it hit me. I was probably the first cd'er through those doors because nobody with enough sense would have flown into this airport. Well that leaves me out.

I got to the hotel and checked in where I decided it was probably good to get my clothes changed before getting something to eat. This town was way too small for my liking all of a sudden. So after I got done eating I came back to the hotel and talked with the clerk. Told him he acted perfectly checking me in and we discussed being a cd'er. He told me that in all his years he had only seen one cd'er many many years ago.

Now this trip keeps biting me in the rear. I got to the client's office this morning and was talking with the client when he told me that a friend of his was on my flight with me. Then things began to click. The plane held 50 people and he was describing a blonde who sat in the row in front of me, but I never told him that I recognized her from the description. The way he described her left me with the impression that it was his GF. What are the odds? Nevermind I know. I hit all of the longshots except when I buy a lottery ticket. The only response that I could come up with was that there were a lot of great looking blondes on that flight and I didn't remember the one he was describing. That was way too close for me. I work so hard to keep my personal life private and I may have just outed myself if she comes to the office tomorrow and recognizes me.

[Kate17]

Michelle

count yourself lucky that you did not get the seat next to her!!!!

[AKAMichelle]

you said it. :eek: I didn't even think how lucky I would have been on that one. So much for hiding then. I might as well have sent an email to every client telling them at that point.

[lisalove]

It's all an omen, because you didn't tell me you were comin to my area :)
I could have takin you out on the town, and shown you a good time.

[TxKimberly]

Welcome to my world and well done! LOL
Being told his girlfriend was on the same flight and only one seat in front of you would be a real heart stopper - can't wait to hear if any hints are dropped in the morning. If they are, I'd ignore it, don't get excited or upset, and just act as if the crossdresser on the flight had absolutely nothing to do with you. LOL

[AKAMichelle]

You were one of my inspirations after reading about all your flights. It's funny nobody seemed to notice me on the flight or anywhere else for that matter. People didn't seem to notice me at all. I made sure to use a feminine voice while on the plane. They probably just thought of me as the ugly broad, but that is still a woman so I won anyway. :D

[Laura Evans]

That was close but remember, if she knew you were on board she would have been looking for a man in male clothing and probably did not take a second look at you. What one percieves is not always what one sees as our perceptions are influenced by our expectations, among other things.

[Missy Tanya]

That was way too close. You could have just as easily sat right next to her and hit it off. Then your client and gf would had had something to talk about over dinner. But still the two might not have made the connection. She just met a wonderful C/Der, he just had his gf on your same flight.

That's right, you did win. PS your not that old or ugly,, Just different, like the rest of us!!!

Way to go, from another old ugly broad, Tanya

[AKAMichelle]

That was close but remember, if she knew you were on board she would have been looking for a man in male clothing and probably did not take a second look at you. What one percieves is not always what one sees as our perceptions are influenced by our expectations, among other things.

I had never had someone that close to finding out about me before. I was pretty good on my feet and figured out to say that there were a lot of pretty blondes on the plane. There was only one blond in her late 20's and she was sitting very close. The reason I noticed was because I may have been dressed but not dead. :D I always notice a beautiful woman no matter where I am and what I am wearing. If he had the right flight then that was her. Good thing I wasn't sitting next to her as I might have said something which would have served as a clue which they could have figured out. Now they may suspect but most likely not. I have 2 hours and then I am clear.

[TxKimberly]

I had never had someone that close to finding out about me before.. . .

On the very vast majority of trips< I travel and work alone. In the last 10 years, I may have worked with other engineers from my company maybe 5 times, and those were all planned well in advance. Well, on one of my typical solo trips I had a voice mail when I landed (dressed) something along the lines of "Hey Matt, I just just heard you were going to be working in XXXXX. I just happened to be in the area on a service call so I am going to meet you at the hotel and work with you for some OJT."
Talk about panic! I called him part way to the hotel and and as near as we could figure, he was about 20 minutes behind me. When I arrived at the hotel, I literally ran to the check in counter in heels and then on to my room. I swear this is no exaggeration - less than five minutes after I was in my room getting cleaned up, I got a call that he was already checked in and in his room. He must have been RIGHT behind me. . . .

[AKAMichelle]

it is scary sometimes hiding our secret and having people almost find out. It takes a few stiff drinks to calm our nerves after that. I have to say that yours is a lot closer than mine. I will gladly let you win this one. :D

[CallMeMeg]

I flew into KC and had to drive to Topeka. It's amazing how fun and exciting and EASY it can be! I didn't tell my wife before my first trip. I may if I fly again.

Everything's in my blog (http://youCanCallMeMeg.blogspot.com) if you care to check it out.

[Ashleythenewgirl]

That was a close one Michelle, but I think you are safe. I still can't get over flying dressed....talk about guts. Wow....

[AKAMichelle]

I went to lunch with the clients today and it was confirmed it was a GF. Apparently she never saw anything strange about me so it didn't come up

[Daenna Paz]

Apparently she never saw anything strange about me so it didn't come up

I so much want to interject something here ... :devil: :devil: :devil:
But I'll be good ... :eek:

[Philippa Jane]

Hi Michelle.
A lucky escape and a nicely put story. Good on you for pulling it off so well.
Let me be the first to say how nice you looked in the photo and do I detect white blonde hair instead of grey?
PJ

[Annie D]

I think we make way too much of being recognized in male mode and then dressed enfemme or visa versa. People who you encounter just don't expect the unexpected. Let me give you an example:

I had to have some body work done on my car and returned to the same business that did work on my daughter's car. I dealt with the same representative, Regina, both times and in the course of doing business she got to know what I do for a living, about my family, etc. My car is very distrinctive, a bright red Toyota convertible, and she wanted me to leave it longer than necessary so she could drive it (just kidding). One day I was in my local nail salon getting a pedicure and nails painted when lo and behold enters Regina and she sits down in the pedicure chair right beside me. As I am just about finished, I say to myself, oh, what the H*ll, she recognizes me so I might as well speak to her. I open the conversation and she replies and there is no recognition on her part, so we continue chatting. When I am finished, I inquire if she knows who I am and she replies that she did not! I ask her to follow me to the entrance of the salon, I point to my car in the parking lot and she exclaims, "Oh my God! I didn't recognize you and you have children!"

I go on and explain a little bit about us and she kinda understood but she did say that she would never had dreamed that I represent myself as two different people. I guess her not recognizing me is a good thing but I learned that people don't expect changes in aquaintances or semi-familiar business associates.

[kimdl93]

Was the GF present at lunch? I bet she never noticed the other blonde on that flight!

I'm loosely paraphrasing Eleanor Roosevelt in saying that " "You wouldn't worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do."

[AKAMichelle]

I think we make way too much of being recognized in male mode and then dressed enfemme or visa versa. People who you encounter just don't expect the unexpected. Let me give you an example:

I had to have some body work done on my car and returned to the same business that did work on my daughter's car. I dealt with the same representative, Regina, both times and in the course of doing business she got to know what I do for a living, about my family, etc. My car is very distrinctive, a bright red Toyota convertible, and she wanted me to leave it longer than necessary so she could drive it (just kidding). One day I was in my local nail salon getting a pedicure and nails painted when lo and behold enters Regina and she sits down in the pedicure chair right beside me. As I am just about finished, I say to myself, oh, what the H*ll, she recognizes me so I might as well speak to her. I open the conversation and she replies and there is no recognition on her part, so we continue chatting. When I am finished, I inquire if she knows who I am and she replies that she did not! I ask her to follow me to the entrance of the salon, I point to my car in the parking lot and she exclaims, "Oh my God! I didn't recognize you and you have children!"

I go on and explain a little bit about us and she kinda understood but she did say that she would never had dreamed that I represent myself as two different people. I guess her not recognizing me is a good thing but I learned that people don't expect changes in aquaintances or semi-familiar business associates.

I think that is part of the point here. When we run into someone they are thinking one way and unless we nudge them to think another way they won't. Therefore they don't think of us as being that male guy they know.

[t-girlxsophie]

One of my funniest moments in Sophie's life came when I attended a Crossdressing weekend in the South of England,3 days sorrounded by CDers,making a lot of new friends,But on the last morning coming down for breakfast i was confronted by a sea of Men,all shapes and sizes,ages,hairstyles (or lack of hair:heehee:)And to be honest I had a job on my hands to recognise most of them,even in cases of ppl I spent the last 3 days sharing company with.

So I think there is many reasons why you wouldn't necessarily notice that the girl you see,Is the bloke you know

:hugs:Sophie

[AKAMichelle]

I just arrived home a little bit ago. I didn't have any problems on the way but I did notice the X-Ray person look at my luggage with my breast forms for almost 2 minutes. I guess in Springfield they don't see breast forms in carry-on very often.

[lingerieLiz]

It dosen't matter how far you go you will run into people you know. I have run into a friend from Alaska in Bend, OR. We weren't even there for the same thing. I was walking into a building as he was walking out. An old girlfriend 100 miles from where we used to live in a Target store. My dentist in a shopping mall 1500 miles from home. Three co-workers on the same flight. Two were flying together to an assignment, but one was on vacation and I was going elsewhere. Our flight originated 500 miles south of corporate and was headed east.

Soo just to let everyone know, you will run into people. I wasn't dressed so it didn't matter, but all of us were amazed that it happened.

[Christy_M]

This is a great story. I have to ask if there is some level of excitement when you get to your room and go over the day's event in your mine? For me, when I make a bonehead move or notice something that could out me I initially get scared and then later when I think about it I get a liitle (not sure the feeling but certainly good) thinking this may be something that will make me not have to hide anymore.

[AKAMichelle]

It did leave me with quite a rush but it subsided over time. The biggest part once I found out where I was that I wasn't going to McDonald's until I changed clothes. The town was looking very punny from the airport to the hotel on Chestnut. Nobody lived on that 4 mile stretch.

[RachelPortugal]

It did leave me with quite a rush but it subsided over time. The biggest part once I found out where I was that I wasn't going to McDonald's until I changed clothes. The town was looking very punny from the airport to the hotel on Chestnut. Nobody lived on that 4 mile stretch.

Yep, as I recall from flying into and then, a week later, out of Springfield, Missouri airport, if it wasn't for the fact that there has to be security, you could almost step from plane to car.

I have to ask, while you were there, did you get your kicks, being on route 66 and all. I just drove straight on by as I was visiting Branson of all places, a bit different from the previous week in Vegas!

[AKAMichelle]

Yep, as I recall from flying into and then, a week later, out of Springfield, Missouri airport, if it wasn't for the fact that there has to be security, you could almost step from plane to car.

I have to ask, while you were there, did you get your kicks, being on route 66 and all. I just drove straight on by as I was visiting Branson of all places, a bit different from the previous week in Vegas!

I was there on businss so it was much different for me. I have on route 66 out west some but not in MO

[SusanLCD]

On 2 occasions while dressed, I have encountered people who know me in male mode. In one case, we were simply walking past each other in Walmart. In the other case, we were in 2 different checkout lines at a clothing store. I recognized them and, with as little fanfare as I could muster, avoided direct contact. Neither of them recognized me among all the others in the area (or, at least, they haven't indicated that they did.)

Even more so, I have had occasion where I needed to return to drab mode before leaving a CD function I had attended with other CDers. Susan entered the rest room, but, her alter-ego emerged some minutes later. Every CDer present expressed the amazement that we all feel when we see someone who suddenly looks so dramatically different. Had they not seen the changeover, they would likely not have recognized me, either.

Others have commented here that we see what we expect to see. It's also true that we don't see what we don't expect to see. So, while the GF was on the same flight, it's unlikely she would make the connection between the woman in the row behind her on the flight with the guy at dinner with her BF.