My SO, who is more than a little disapproving of my crossdressing was going to be away for a couple of days. This gave me the opportunity to have the flat to myself, and I could spend the whole time dressed. I had the thought, "Why restrict dressing to in the flat?" Now you have the chance to dress and go out; something I’d never managed to do before.
As this was to be a first, I decided that it should be something of a celebration. I booked a table for lunch at one of Brighton’s posh restaurants – The Ivy. I was concerned about how to get there, so I booked a taxi to pick me up and take me. I was so nervous getting ready, wondering whether the taxi driver would make comments and be unpleasant.
I decided on a grey wig and a floral dress that a female friend, who is supportive, gave me. It’s a joke between us that some of the clothes that she is too big for now fit HildaRuth rather well. In the event, the taxi driver turned out to be a woman and was exceptionally kind. She realised I was a crossdresser but took no offence, and we talked about all sorts, including rude passengers and Brexit. She dropped me right outside the restaurant and thanked me for my politeness.
In the restaurant there was total acceptance, not the slightest hint of censure, and the staff was happy to take photos. I’ve posted one in my private gallery. The meal was delicious, and there is just something about lipstick on your wine glass. I was thinking about getting a taxi home, but changed my mind and decided to walk from the restaurant to the bus stop. Only a few hundred yards, but not something I’d done before.
As I sat next to a young lady on the bus, I dropped the paperback book I was carrying. She kindly picked it up for me and said, “That looks interesting.” I explained that it was a book about the victims of Jack the Ripper and dealt with how women were often written out of history. She took a photo of the cover with her phone, and we chatted generally about her job as a social care nurse who looks after people in their homes. We discussed the emotional stress that this causes nurses, and whether robot nurses could do this as they have no feelings.
She then told me about an event she was going to near where I lived. It was about femininity and playfulness. I said I found that very interesting as I was obviously a crossdresser and intrigued by the notion of what it means to be feminine. We chatted about gender dysphoria, euphoria, and the issues around being transgender and transitioning. I shared with her that this was my first time going out as HildaRuth. When we got off the bus together, she said that she was so happy for me at having found the HildaRuth within and could she give me a hug? Big hugs and beaming smiles, and then she went on her way and I on mine. I don’t think crossdressing can get much better than this.
