* Flashback to May 7, 2018 *
“My egg cracked” …What?
I’d never heard of that before I started reading trans posts on Reddit. It made sense though, the more I thought about it. Now, I’m not sure if this was the day it actually “cracked”, but it was a pretty amazing experience.
It was the second year in a row that my wife and I went to the New Orleans JazzFest. If you’re a Cajun food and all around music lover, I highly recommend it. Sunday morning, I was putting her on a plane to fly back home, while I was staying until the end of the week for an IT conference, and had a couple days to do my own thing in between. As we’re walking past the gay clubs doing drag shows, she makes the comment, “If you’re going out tomorrow night, please be careful,” then looking at me, says, “I’m not stupid, I know you brought your stuff with you.”
Holy shit…she really had me pegged. Not only that, she pretty much gave me permission to turn it loose and have fun! Woohoo!
I think she expected me to hit the drag shows and what-not. But, that actually has never really been my thing. I don’t feel comfortable in that type of setting. All I’ve ever really wanted to do was fit in, blend in, be normal, feel normal. I took a chance, got completely transformed, and went SHOPPING! Such an exciting day! I stopped for dinner (I don’t remember where), went to a movie, and went back to my Airbnb for a few glasses of wine before crashing for the night.
The next day…and I’ve always wanted to say this…I got up, put on my makeup and something pretty, and got ready for my day. Wow, this was turning out to be pretty amazing. I’ve never gone to bed as a woman, woken up that way, and then spent the whole next day doing the same. I’ve never in my life experienced this kind of happiness and nervous excitement. It was time to pack up the Airbnb, because the next 3 nights would be spent in a hotel closer to the conference center.
But first, I had one more day to myself…as myself. So, it was time for my favorite breakfast spot in NOLA, The Ruby Slipper! Dear God, this is breakfast from Heaven washed down with a couple Bloody Mary’s. With some liquid courage in my tank, it was time for something I had planned for a while. I was spending the entire day at the National WWII Museum. Holy Crap, that place is AMAZING! If you’re even close to being a WWII history buff, that museum is a must see. It was also one of the greatest days of my life. I heard Ma’am and Miss the entire day, and even had doors held open for me. I was on cloud nine!!
As the day started to wind down, I knew it was time for me to, as well. But first, I had to navigate the hotel lobby. Like I said, I’m here for an IT conference, and there were quite a few people there who I know professionally. And while I’m a day early for the conference, I know for a fact there were others arriving too. So, I walked as “normal” as I could muster up to the desk, presented my corporate credit card and driver’s license, and put on my prettiest smile. The young lady looked at my cards, then at her monitor, smiled wide and said, “Yes ma’am, I’ve got you right here Mrs. _____, welcome to New Orleans! Up to my room, I went!
Holy shit…what a day! Time to wrap it up and get some dinner at a place I knew on Chartres St., then head back, change back to boy-mode, and drown my sorrows in a few glasses of good whiskey. I always hate changing back…crawling back into that closet that has been my home since I was so young. I had no idea at the time just how much was going to change over the next year. For now, though, such wonderful memories.
