Coming Apart: High Wired
by Cleo Kraft
Ever since my wife, Christine, started hanging around those metaphysical book stores, I knew it was going to be trouble. Not that I'm against the occult or anything but she was bringing home books on black magic and ritual magic. It was getting on my nerves. What was she really up to?
I caught her once. She was going through the wastebasket in the bathroom. This was just after I'd trimmed my fingernails. There was nothing else in that wastebasket either. I know - I looked.
"What are you doing honey?" I asked from the hallway as I looked at her plucking things out of the wastebasket and putting them into a little clay vase.
She looked surprised that I had seen her.
"Get out," she said to me shutting the bathroom door.
I shrugged and thought nothing of it. If this had anything to do with her mumbo jumbo, I'd just as soon let her be happy with her new hobby. Who can argue with a woman anyhow, especially if she's your wife?
To say she was a jealous wife would be an understatement. The occult - that I could deal with, but what really got on my nerves was she'd never let me even stare at other women without giving me an elbow to the ribs. I had to get out of this marriage for my own sanity. How could a woman not let her husband even look at other women? It was a cruelty that I had to suffer throughout the last five years of our marriage. Imagine, just over five years ago I had been a free man but then Christine came along and forced, even dominated our relationship. I'd never been approached by a woman like that before. Christine was something else, that was certain, but it was killing me.
When Halloween came around, I really had to have patience with her because she left me home to feed candies to the trick-or-treaters while she went out with some of her girlfriends to do some ritual magic or whatever.
I guess it was all my fault for letting her have so much control in our relationship to begin with. I gave her an inch and she took it all and left me with relatively little power to stop her. Again, how is a married man to say "no" to his wife if she's the one running things? I quit my job because she insisted that she support ME. She's got this job as a Computer Technology Engineer that blew away my old Post Office job. So, what the heck? I quit my job and fell into her little power trip and got married to the bitch.
I made some phone calls and invited a bunch of the guys over. We got some kegs of beer and invited the entire Theta Gamma fraternity house down the street at the local campus. By eight o'clock we had the biggest house party west of Queens. If my wife was going to have fun with her girlfriends, then I was going to have my own fun by throwing a beer blast party - without her.
I think I was pretty much wasted by the time it was ten o'clock. In fact, the whole place was full of drunken men and women all costumed up and staggering about to loud rock and roll.
I watched as a young brunette girl from the college slapped her boyfriend.
"C'mon Jeanette.....What's that for?" the boyfriend asked her.
"You know damn well, Ted, what I'm talking about. You've been two timing me with that sleezy whore!" Jeanette said and gave Ted a knee below the belt. Ted fell to the floor in pain, clutching his bruised balls.
I watched as Jeanette walked out to the back patio. I saw her sitting out there on a lawn chair. Moments ago she'd been angry, now she was in tears.
Normally my wife would be elbowing me for looking at the attractive woman out there on my patio but Christine wasn't here and this was my party. Here I was in control. So I walked outside and sat beside the young woman.
"Hi, I'm the host, Jake Fernandor. Could I get you a drink or something?" I asked her.
She was trying to compose herself enough to stop crying. It was useless. I guess womens hormones or something make them get all emotional like that. I kind of felt sorry for the girl.
She was wearing a Catwoman outfit just like in those Batman comics. Her black leather costume was so complete, it even had the little leather cat ears and mask.
I tried to add humor to the situation. "I think you defeated the caped crusader pretty good back there. Are you sure you won't have a drink?"
She sniffled and gave a slight smile.
"Scotch? No, you look like a woman of culture. You want brandy, right?" I asked.
"No," she said sniffling. "I've had enough tonight. I can't show up to work tomorrow with a hangover."
"Why?" I asked. "You work Saturdays? What do you do?"
"You're going to laugh at me," she said, finally regaining her composure. Her face was still flushed red from all her crying.
"I won't laugh," I said.
"I work part time at the Three-Rings Lounge," she said.
"So?" I said looking at the cute little whiskers painted on her face.
"I walk the tight rope," Jeanette told me.
"So, you've got all day to recover tomorrow," I suggested knowing that Three-Rings was a nightclub.
"But I'm practicing all morning and afternoon for a special high wire act," she said as she rubbed her palms on the black leather on her legs.
"Call in sick," I suggested. "Especially after what whats-his-name just did. You need the day off."
She smiled at me and patted me on the knee.
"I like you," she said in a sultry voice.
The next thing I knew she was hugging me.
The lawn chairs we had been sitting on toppled and we fell to the concrete of the patio.
God, she could kiss!
I think I about died when she boldly stuffed her hand down the front of my pants. She grabbed my throbbing manhood and clutched it firmly. I hadn't gotten my pants off and already she was going for it! "Not here," I managed. "Upstairs in the master bedroom....."
I carried her in my arms and brought her to my room.
We stood at the end of the bed and hugged each other for awhile. Then came another long kiss. Our tongues rolled around in each others mouths. I felt the smoothness of her perfect teeth as my tongue explored within and enjoyed the wet, hard feeling of her tongue rubbing against mine. Our tongues dueled it out for awhile while I unzipped the back of her cat suit.
I enjoyed the fresh, wonderful scent of perfume she was wearing. She must have used a lot of it on her neck as I nibbled there and inhaled the pleasant aroma. She gently pushed me away from the kissing.
"Let's do this right," she said as she began to undress herself at a hurried pace.
I guess she really wanted to jump right into the real action.
I undressed almost as quickly as she did and joined her under the covers of my own bed.
I thought of my wife, Christine, and how I was betraying our vows to one another but then I looked at Jeanette and realized what I wanted. I felt the smoothness of Jeanettes body beneath me.
She just laid there on her back, smiled and said,"Sock it to me....."
I spread her legs out wider and she helped guide my penis into her tight, little vagina.
I saw her look up at me and then over at the glow-in-the-dark alarm clock.
"What's wrong?" I asked after the first thrust.
"....nnnnn-nothin'," she said and arched her neck back as I thrust again into her creamy wetness.
"....you looked at the clock...." I said and paused.
"....no don't stop," Jeanette told me. "I just can't have orgasm until after around twenty-three minutes....."
I thrust again.
She continued to say,"It's....ohhhhhhh....it's that I hardly ever reach that point.....I just want to see.....ohhhhhhhhhh.....how close I can get this time."
I kept on thrusting rhythmatically. I could feel the pressure building up in me, just waiting to climax.
She had tears of joy in her eyes,"Just don't stop is all....nnnnnnnnnnnn....."
"Okay...." I said while knowing full well that I'd only last another ten minutes of this at most.
Make that two seconds.
"Oh GOD!" I yelled and released my load into her wet pussy.
I didn't feel her body shudder at all beneath me. She had been denied orgasm but I didn't care right now because at least I was relieved.
Then I remembered about those nail clippings as my fingertips tingled mysteriously.
The window suddenly blew open and the curtains wavered about in the breeze. The sheets began to flutter as if carried up into the wind by invisible hands.
My jaw locked open and I stared in horror at Jeanette beneath me. Her mouth was puckered open like mine. Our eyes glanced at each other in terror and watched as a white mist hurtled back and forth between our mouths. I felt myself exhale so suddenly that I completely lost my breath.
Then I passed out.
I woke up sometime later.
The window was still open and the room was cold.
I was lying on my back.....I must have rolled over in my sleep because the last thing I remembered was I was on top of Jeanette. Now I was below.
I felt a soreness on my neck. Had Jeanette given me a hickie? I didn't remember.
I felt weak and unsure of what my body was telling me.
My penis felt like someone had split it open at the tip and thrust the rest of it up to meet flush with the rest of my crotch.
No...it seemed like it was still there but....tinier somehow. Much tinier.
My arms were pinned down by the body above me so I couldn't move to feel the strangeness - but I could sense it.
I felt like a warm, fleshy tube was thrust into the middle of my crotch and buried deep within me but I was powerless to do anything about it right now.
It was moist down there and a little slippery between the flesh that filled where it shouldn't have been able to.
I could tell something was wrong. I knew I'd drank quite a bit of beer so I attributed these strange feelings to some sort of stoke induced by alcohol.
I felt really uncomfortable as the body above me was resting atop my swollen chest.
I didn't remember Jeanette sucking my nipples but right now they were pretty sore. What was going on?
I managed to look out of the corner of my eyes and saw the back of a head resting on my shoulder, using me as a pillow.
The moonlight that came in through the window helped me see more details. The hair was light brown, not dark brunette, and too short to be Jeanettes. Then I realized the body lying on top of me wasn't even built like a woman. A man was sleeping on me.
On ME!
How much beer did I drink anyway? How could I, Jake Fernandor, get into a homosexual experience?
Then I managed to shift my right leg under the sheets and realized this was a hetero experience because my leg was smooth. All the pieces of the puzzle came together.
I'm a woman!
I looked out of the corner of my eyes in the opposite direction and saw long brunette hair stranded out on the pillow beside me. I had Jeanettes hair. I was HER!
I glanced over at the clock.
Eleven o'clock.
I tried pushing the heavy male body off me. It was difficult but I managed to get him to roll sideways and I felt his penis slip out of my slick vagina. I shuddered at the feeling.
I heard a loud commotion downstairs. My wife was home!
The party was still going on and she came back sooner than I'd thought.
"Jake!" I heard her call as her voice got nearer to the bedroom door.
I jumped out of bed and grabbed the small bundle of Jeanettes clothes. Then I walked over to the window and climbed out onto the roof. I pitied the woman who ever should get caught in my bedroom when my wife got home. I was still naked and my hair blew in the cool breeze. The roof was pretty rough on my dainty, little feet. I walked over to where the fence was near the roof and then climbed down and hid in the bushes of my own front yard. This was all happening too fast. I was a different person, torn from my old life and thrust into this one. I was Jeanette now and began thinking of what to do next.
I finally decided to put on my Catwoman costume. After all, it was a little cold outside and my smooth, virtually hairless body was a tad too exposed for October nights out in the nude.
I blamed Christine for all this. This was her doing. I just knew that occult stuff would be trouble but I'd never imagined it would be trouble for ME. It took me a long time to squeeze into that skin tight outfit but I finally managed.
"Damn zipper!" I complained trying desperately to zip up my back without any success.
It didn't matter.
I slipped on the boots and even put the mask on, though who knows what happened to the cat ears?
Since it was late, I wondered where I would go now. Who was this Jeanette? What was it she did? She said she was a tight rope walker. Now how in the hell am I going to do that? I've never balanced on a rope before. What am I going to do?
I began to walk slowly down the sidewalk, always looking down, always thinking about what I'd do from this point.
An old brown Buick Skylark screeched to a halt nearby.
A bunch of drunk college boys jeered and whistled out the windows at me.
"Hey, Jeanette!" said one of them. It was Ted, her ex-boyfriend. "Here's your shit you little bitch, and don't come crying to me for help because we're through!"
He tossed out a small suitcase full of clothes and the car squealed its tires and left. I looked over at the mess of skirts, dresses, blouses, and other clothing scattered out in the street.
This wasn't happening. I'm not a girl.
If he just dumped me...and those are my clothes....then....???
"Where the hell am I going to stay tonight?" I asked myself aloud.
I gathered up my things and brought them along in my new, little pink suitcase. Somehow, I instinctively headed for the college dorms.
It was weird. I don't know how I knew it but I walked right onto the campus and over to the girls dormitories.
"Theta Gamma," I said aloud as I read the silvery plaque on the building beside the enterance.
A rather overweight female guard was sitting at a desk reading a book. She looked up at me and said,"You're late Jeanette. This'll cost you."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
She handed me a clipboard and a pen. "Shuddup and sign in," the woman ordered.
I managed a jittery signature that read simply: Jeanette.
"What happens now?" I asked.
"You go to your room is what happens," the guard said. "Then a report goes out to your counciler in the morning. You know the curfew for this campus. Now get up to your room and get out of my sight. I don't want to see you coming in here this late again."
"Uh....okay," I said then remembered I had no purse, no keys, nothing but this suitcase full of clothes. "I locked myself out. Do you have a spare set of keys?"
The guard handed me a key.
There was no inscription on it or anything.
"What room do I go to?" I asked.
"You're kidding, right?" the guard said with her hands on her hips. She stood up and looked me over. "You're drunk ain't ya?"
I nodded.
"I've been trying to tell you to lay off the spirits," the guard said to me as she looked up something on a chart. "because you always have these blackouts. I'm going to put that on the report too. You need help."
I nodded.
"You're in room three-thirty-nine," the woman said.
"Okay," I said walking away. "Thanks."
The room was small and I realized I had a roommate. She was a little blonde chick with an attitude. I obviously woke her up.
"One in the morning?" she asked me as she sat up and turned on the lights.
"Yeah," I said and set down the pink suitcase. "Sorry."
She got up out of bed and I got a good look at her creamy white thighs. All she had on were her red, silk panties. Her breasts....well let's just say they were smaller than mine.
"I thought you were staying at Teds place," she said.
"We...." I didn't want to say it because it sounded ridiculous. "We broke up." I couldn't believe my own ears.
"Okay," she said walking over to me and taking my hands in hers. "Like old times, huh?"
Before I could do anything she leaned forward and kissed me firmly on the lips. I got aroused, or at least my nipples did because they hardened under the leather of my costume.
She hopped backwards onto her bed and sat there looking at me. I watched in horror as she patted a spot on her bed where she wanted me to sit. "Come on 'Nett," she said and saw my shocked reaction. "It's been awhile hasn't it? Well don't worry. There's no rush."
"I'm too tired right now," I said to her. "I've had a rough night. I had a lot to drink and I can't remember who the hell you are. Do you mind telling me?"
"Another blackout?" she said shaking her finger at me. "Naughty girl."
"Who are you?" I asked.
"You're serious?" she asked and saw my cold stare. "I'm Melissa. You know? Mel? Man you got some brain damage this time 'Nett. I've never seen you act this way."
"Yeah right," I said and closed the door to the room.
I kicked the suitcase in anger and then climbed into my bed and rolled over. Within minutes I was fast asleep.
I woke up the next morning. I was in the arms of Melissa. She must have snuck into bed with me during the night or something. I could only imagine what must have happened while I slept.
I was at first put off by the thought of a gay relationship but since my mind had my male memories stored away in it, I felt uncannily comfortable having this woman close to me. But we were both women - it wasn't fair. I had to figure out a way to get back my old body so I could have some sense of normalcy to my life again.
She stirred and then her blue eyes were revealed as they opened.
"Hi," she said in a tired voice.
I felt her hand squeeze my right knee and she smiled.
"I've got to...," I started to say and then remembered Jeanette said something about having to go to work. "I've got to get up and get ready for my job."
She grabbed my hand with hers and said in a pleading tone,"Oh, don't go. I wanted us to be together again...."
I could feel my senses coming apart. A tear ran down her cheek and she hugged me. I was still wearing that silly costume and her hug made a squeaking noise against the leather.
"Sorry, hon," I said. "I've got a high wire act to attend to."
I showered and then spent too much time fussing with my hair afterward. Luckily Mel helped me do my hair and makeup. I wouldn't have had a clue how to do that stuff. I really have to hand it to women for all the stuff they've got to do to get themselves ready to go out anywhere. This was going to take some time getting used to if I were to be stuck this way much longer.
Mel chose a spandex outfit that was obviously designed for my wire act. She helped me put the thing on. The only thing that really bothered me was she'd slap my rump every time I turned my back on her. That girl was a bit too horny for her own good.
The outfit stretched all over my body even tighter than the Catwoman costume. I could feel snug all over and knew every curve was plainly visable.
"What about for shoes?" I asked looking down at my smooth feet and ankles that protruded from the base of the spandex.
She handed me a pair of what looked like ballerina shoes.
"These?" I asked incredulously. "You're kidding. I can't walk around in these."
I was even trying to figure out how I was going to walk on a tight rope, let alone wander around in sissy shoes. This shouldn't be happening to me. This shouldn't ought to happen to a man....Well, not to me anyway. At least...I don't think so. The funny thing is: I'm starting to really like this body.
"Mel?" I said.
"Yeah 'Nett?" she said while fitting the shoes on my small feet and patting the side of my leg when she finished.
"What if I told you I'm not who you think I am?" I asked.
"What are you talking about?" she asked with a puzzled look on her face as she came to sit down beside me on the bed.
"I'm no woman," I said listening to the high pitch in my voice. "Much as I may look like one, I'm really a man trapped in this body."
"Me too!" Mel said and hugged me.
Damn. That backfired, didn't it?
"Oh, hell," I said and stood up. "It doesn't matter. I'm going to work now."
"I'll drive you," Mel said as she quickly got dressed in sweats and sneakers.
Mel dropped me off at the front door, which happened to be in an alley. Three-Rings Lounge was a dump of a place to have to visit, let alone work in. I went inside and had eyes follow me everywhere.
The place was staffed full of men. I and about three others were the only women in the place.
"You're late, Jeanette," a short, fat man with gray hair and glasses said to me. His suit was a sickly pale green, straight from the disco era.
"Sorry," I said. This guy must be the boss.
"Okay, now get up there and show me the triple back flip," the boss said.
I climbed up the rungs of the pole until I stood on a small platform high above the empty dance floor. There were no nets to catch me if I fell.
"What are you waitin' for! Do it!" the boss yelled up at me.
I hugged the pole and trembled with fear.
"I caaaaan't...." I said crying. I suddenly was overcome with emotion. Tears came and I couldn't stop sobbing.
I overheard the boss say to someone,"What's with her? She can do the triple. She's done it dozens of times. Why won't she do it now?"
I gathered confidence in myself and placed my left foot upon the tight rope I leaned slowly forward and let my weight settle before moving my right foot in front.
My arms were out to both sides of me and....I was walking the tight rope! I wondered if the body remembered how to do this because I had never tried this before. I guess I was just lucky.
I gathered up all my courage and then I leapt up into the air and flipped backwards.....it was all in a blur. I heard clapping and cheers from below. My weight came down and my arms adjusted for the landing. Then my feet hit the rope so hard it stung.
I had done it! I had done the triple back flip and landed safely on the rope. There were cheers from below and I finished up my little routine by walking across to the other side of the rope. When I came down to ground level again, the boss patted me on my back and hugged me.
"Good girl," he said. "I knew you could do it. Don't scare me like that again, okay Jeanette?"
"Okay," I said weakly as I still was trembling from the experience.
"That's a girl," he said. "You're the best, Jeanette. Just you remember that. You're the best."
The rest of the day was spent practicing other routines. I found that the nets were used only for routines that I was unfamiliar with. I couldn't understand how it was that I was doing any of this stuff. I never was good at gymnastic feats and yet, here I was, doing the splits up on the tight rope and then going into fancy handstands. I couldn't believe it.
I did my one hour routine that night to a crowded audience and then wandered the streets, thinking things through.
It took some careful thought but I knew what I had to do.
I managed to hitch a ride over to my old house where I knew Christine was at. I walked up to the front porch and rang the doorbell. Christine answered it.
"Hi," I said. "I want my life back."
She smiled at me and gave me a wink.
"So, that's the girl," she said and then she felt the material on the side of my arm. "Do you always dress this way when asking for forgiveness?"
"I- she works in a high wire act," I said looking up at my wife.
I didn't realize I was this short before but now my wife was over a foot taller than me now. She still insisted on wearing those black dresses and silver necklaces associated with her cult.
"So? Should I care? You're the one who cheated on me, remember?" Christine spoke as if I were a child.
"Look," I said. "You've made your point and I had one heck of a day walking on rope. So could you please turn me back?"
"Why should I ever do that? You broke our trust. We're finished, Jake," she said and started to close the door.
"No, wait!" I said. "It's not fair to the poor girl who got stuck as me. She had no idea I was married."
"Then YOU'LL just have to live with that guilt the rest of your life," Christine said to me as she poked my left breast with her finger. I saw my former body come to stand in the doorway beside my wife. "Oh, so you're back," the man said in my old voice.
"Go back to your chores, Jake," Christine told the man who I used to be.
"Yes, mistress," he said to her with a bow as he shuffled off.
"What have you done to HIM?" I asked.
"None of your business," my wife said. "Now, what else was there? Oh I remember!"
She walked down the hall and picked up something from her purse. When she came back to me she handed me something. "Here!" she said angrily.
She put the two costume, cat ears in my right hand.
"Where did you find these?" I asked.
"On OUR bed!" she said with tears in her eyes. "I thought I knew you better, Jake, but obviously I can't trust you for anything. You should have waited for me instead of running off like that. We could have disgussed this and I might have changed you back but not now. Not after what you've put me through. No, Jake, you're a woman now and you'll get to learn what it's like being taken for granted. Just you wait. You'll see."
I was speachless.
"Goodbye Jake," she said and slowly closed the door.
This was it.
My last bit of hope to change back had finally come apart. I was a woman now and forever.
"What the heck?" I said to myself as I walked away from my old life. "With a body like this, I've got all that I want anyway."
Did I ever.