Well, I hope I passed, an encounter of the ??? kind!

[LeannL]

Well I am on a business trip to St. Louis and I decided to travel pretty. It has been a while since I have been able to do this but it felt great. (I hope to have the time to post more about this later.)

I arrived close to dinner time so I thought that it would be good to get something to eat in order to keep body and soul together. I chose a Chinese restaurant in University City. I was the first customer there so the waitress paid a lot of attention to me. I could not tell if I was read or not. One lady there did eye me a bit when I first got there but I couldn't tell. My waitress was one that liked to get close to you when she served me the food and to ask me how things were going. It wasn't a big deal the way she acted though. I finished and left.

The next day, I went to lunch in the company cafeteria with a number of my colleagues. I was the first to be ready to pay for my meal. So I headed to the single cash register and who was there? The waitress from the night before! Panic struck like it hasn't for quite some time! So quickly thinking, I delayed until one of my colleagues was ready, walked with him in quiet conversation with him. Spoke briefly with the checkout lady and didn't directly look at her. NO comments were made.

I know that most of the very few people who have seen both sides of me claim that they would not connect the male with the female but I have had one or two who have. So it wasn't a done deal that I would pass the test with her.

So, what do I do for lunch today? I can just hope that she is working at the restaurant or we have lunch coming in during our meeting since I am not sure my heart can take another encounter of this kind.

Happy dressing,

Leann

[Noel Chimes]

If you walk up to the cashier and she does a double take you've been made. However I don't think she will make a big deal about it. Trust me in THE St. L. we are all over the place and to try to remember everyone is impossible. BTW how long will you be here? I don't live too far from U. City. Would love to meet up for a Saturday night at Korners. (DADT in effect at home).

[Cynthia Anne]

Very interesting story! It's great you got to get out and be yourself! Have fun!

[Janet too]

Wow sounds interesting. Did you notice the thread Abigailf had in the meet up section? She is also in St.Louis, and we are going to try and meet up Thursday night at Novaks. Pm me if u would like to meet up while you are in town. Janet too , :):)

[LeannL]

Noel,
The chances that I would run into someone first en femme and then, less than 24 hours later, en homme in a metropolitan area as large as St Louis is simply mind boggling.

Whether or not someone would make a big deal about it all depends upon their experiences and beliefs. One could imagine the whole spectrum of responses and I only wanted one: no response! Thankfully, that is what I got.

Leann

PS. Please see my PM.

[Beverley Sims]

Sometimes I have had a double take and the sa has said I thought I recognized you from somewhere I usually say I wss looking at things here a couple of days ago or say I am often in the area and have seen you before.

[LeannL]

An Update: I had lunch in the cafeteria toady and the lady was there again. I chickened out and went to the other line which was not open yesterday.

Thinking back to when I last had a heart stopping encounter was again in a large metropolitan area: New York. I passed my daughter's college roommate as I cross the streat in front of Penn Station!

Leann

[docrobbysherry]

Oh, how complicated the webs we weave, Leann!

A perfect example of why I'm mainly a closet dresser!

[NathalieX66]

Well, that's an interesting story. I can relate.

Usually, as a general rule, I never stop into any place in my home town (supermarket, restaurant, etc.), for fear of running into someone that knows me. So, for me, it's always the next town over.

I have yet to "travel pretty" on planes but I am planning on changing that after the new year, as my goal and New Year's resolution. I was on a plane from Ft. Myers, Florida to New York City last week, and I thought to myself I can do it! Fortunately, I have a close friend, who is on this forum AbigailF, who is a master at "flying pretty" to rely on for advice. We both may actually do it for SCC in Atlanta next year.

I will say that I have "traveled pretty" by train on no less than 6 times.....that's 6 round trips. New Jersey Transit into Penn Station, NY. New York City is a blast for me, that I can handle.

Now, on to this topic of presenting two identities. Yes, it is difficult...and mostly psychological. Sometimes we want to fool people we are women, or at least transgender women, but combining both out guy and girl selves at various times can make any of us nervous....particularly in a job setting. I make it a capital rule not to present myself en femme in any way, shape, or form whether in person or photo at work, but even I have broken the rules by dropping into my office on a Sunday to take care of work matters while dressed female. I fear that the building superintendant will catch me, as he only knows the male side of me.