Midsummer Voyage: Chapter 1 - Flying Pretty, a flight to remember!
Untucked pink long-sleeve pink blouse over a wireless bra, heather grey leg trousers, which are all the rage these days, and a matching notched collar single button blazer that hits just below the waist, paired with flats and a pixie cut wig. Smaller forms, but unmistakably contouring and shaping the area above the waist to the likeness of a female.
I left from home wearing men's shirt and shoes with the grey trousers and blazer because of the inability to leave dressed enfemme from home but changed at a rest stop on the way to the airport. At least a third of my wardrobe consists of women's clothes like jackets, shirts, blouses, sweaters, pants and boots, and I'm able to wear them when leaving from home as long as I'm not presenting enfemme and the colors or patterns are not overly feminine. My SO doesn't care about that and has often complimented me on my outfit. Clothes are not an area of her interest, much to my despair. I do get to shop for her and style her exclusively but appreciation for that is rare. I packed the bra and a smaller set of forms in my carry-on, along with the foundation, concealer, powder and lipstick with a few pieces of fashion jewelry. I was able to wear the wig before entering the airport because it was a short hair wig, just styled as pixie cut. It was a business trip and I opted to pay the difference to get a first class ticket which made taking a large suitcase packed with Prazia's outfits and accessories quite a delight.
Although I checked in my luggage 90 minutes before departure, security screening took forever because of only two open lines early in the morning. The luggage scanners were the new ones which don't require liquids or laptops to be removed. So, I just took off my flats and blazer, put them in a bin on the scanner belt, and walked through the body scanner when my turn came.
The boarding gate for the flight was the farthest one. I had priority boarding and I didn't want to miss the rare opportunity to board early and get comfortable. I had about 20 minutes to get into my female persona. After seeing a sign at every family restroom that one must either accompany a dependent or a child or be disabled to use that bathroom, I decided to just suck it up and use the men's to wear bra, forms and makeup. Since I had been planning this trip for a few months, I had with me a 6 inch mirror in carry-on. I hung it on the hook behind the stall's door and was made up in just about time for boarding. I exited the stall, washed my hands once, tugged and pulled my blouse and blazer a little and walked to the boarding gate as the flight was beginning to board.
Asking those who fly pretty, have you ever seen those signs on the doors of family bathrooms? It wasn't just one, but all of them with signage for family and disabled and the text stating who could use it. Thet weren't all gender bathrooms.
My copassenger was a retired woman, who was a computer engineer back in her day and was more than willing to talk after her ipad refused connect to on board Wi-Fi. I had put on a mask before boarding out of respect to fellow passengers, at least half in the priority boarding line and I kept it on to respect my copassenger as she was traveling to see her adult daughter who had some medical tests due that day which required another family or friend to accompany her.
I chatted with her for about an hour, about our families and some very personal details, something she or any other woman wouldn't have shared if I were presenting male. I felt comfortable sharing my deepest personal life struggles, medical and emotional, sorrows, regrets and happy endings. It was the most intimate conversation I have ever had with anyone. None of the conversation was about gender or crossdressing. I did find her staring at my bust a couple of times and I later realized that one of the blouse's button had become undone and she could likely see my bra underneath the blouse. When I told her about my struggles with weight after an accident and during recovery, she said oh but "you're so thin and fit" (I struggle but am not obese now). She responded with "you never know what's in store for you" when I mentioned the desire to have another child and she told me about how her pregnancies were more than ten years apart. She talked about her struggles of motherhood and of raising children while separating and eventually divorcing an unsupportive wandering husband. When I mentioned aging in context of children and health, she mentioned "mood changes that come with that" and "but you're still young".
While I do inherently have a feminine demeanor, usually I'm pretending to be masculine in my everyday life, but I never thought my looks could lead anyone to believe me to be a woman. I'm not sure if the woman sitting next to me decided in her mind that I was indeed a woman nearing menopause, or was just respectful of my presentation and treated me as such, but it was undeniably the most memorable conversation I have ever had or will ever have.
She wished me luck and happiness as the plane taxied and even offered to hand me over my satchel from the overhead cabin if I needed it before exiting the aircraft. I said goodbye to her and after collecting my checked baggage, took an Uber to the hotel and checked in as I was dressed. The receptionists didn't blink an eye and were as welcoming as they could be. I would see them and their colleagues again en-drab and enfemme over the next three days. They didn't let out if they made me.
