“Neither of you are children, you’re adults, so I expect you to behave as such. So, no smoking, drinking and no drugs, especially from either of you. Get me?”
“Yes sir,” we said, and left.
Eventually I went to my art class. Everyone else was already in the art room, and I came in late and apologised to Simon.
He smiled and told me to take my seat.
Caroline was beside herself, she was staring at Simon as if he had two heads. When I came in she was dying to speak to me, and couldn’t. Jenny watched and grinned. All the other girls were looking at Simon all gooey-eyed.
He was actually very switched on, and in a short space of time we were all busy. He wanted us to think about planning, and less about the execution of making a work of art. As with many things in life, adequate planning ensured perfect execution.
The time flew past, and I just enjoyed being a normal person again.
After the break, we had to go to the library and research certain artists and styles of art. The project was quite complex, so we had an afternoon of research and reading.
Needless to say, Caroline came up to me as soon as she was able.
“Sandi, why didn’t you tell me your boyfriend is the new art teacher?”
“I thought you’d appreciate the surprise.”
“Is it a secret?”
“What, that we are lovers? No, but then I don’t really want it broadcast everywhere.”
I walked off, and she just gaped after me.
The term settled down into a pleasant routine. So many people came up to me and told me that they always knew that I was a girl. A few were a little confused, as they had thought me to be a boy. But I had no troubles, and explained to most people that I had suffered from a hormone imbalance, which had caused me to develop late, and I had been very self-conscious.
The work was not hard, but there was more than enough of it to keep me busy. The novelty of being a model wore off, and I was soon wearing jeans as the weather deteriorated.
Jemima kept me in modelling work, and I found some Fridays and Saturdays were very busy times. The solicitor and financial advisor took me in hand, and gradually we made some order out of Dad’s affairs. The taxman was paid, and I found myself with a very healthy portfolio of investments and properties. In short, I was worth several millions.
I started taking driving lessons. The instructor had a Fiesta, and asked me what car I had. I showed him the Mercedes Sports car, and he was speechless.
As the winter approached, the modelling work dropped off. I actually started watching the guys practising their American football. I had ‘donated’ a sum to the school for the purchase of uniforms and kit. So at least they looked the part. There were a few clubs and schools who played, so they started to line up fixtures.
I was approached to head up a cheerleader squad, and it tickled my fancy. I had no idea, so I went to the nearest US Air Force base, and found some experts amongst the women there.
Very soon I had a squad of twelve girls in full yellow and red kit, practising along side the blokes. It was harder than I thought it would be, and was a good way of keeping fit.
Needless to say, the press got to hear of it, and Superbabe got into the news again.
Simon and I settled into a very pleasant, but hectic social life. We were manic during the day, and spent most evenings in, just enjoying being together. Our relationship deepened, and we found ourselves even closer than ever.
It did not take long for the truth of our relationship to become common knowledge, and yet, surprisingly, no real comments came of it. We were discrete and, in school time, we behaved with the utmost decorum, as demanded. We began to be invited to dinner parties with other staff members, as if we were already married. It was weird calling staff members by their first names on one day, and having to call them Sir or Mrs. Smith the next.
One Saturday, Simon and I were shopping in Tescos, and we met Dave. He stared at me for a second, and then looked at Simon, and then grinned. He gave me a huge hug and shook Simon by the hand.
“I heard about you two, and wasn’t surprised. I understand congratulations are in order? Whatever happened to not wanting a steady relationship?”
I blushed, and he laughed.
“Seriously, Sandi, I’m really pleased for you. You two are made for each other, so I have no hard feelings now. I admit, at first I was pissed off, but then I met Gail.”
“Gail?” I asked.
“Yeah, she was on the same interview board for the Navy. We are even at Uni together, and we are as steady as you two.”
“Oh, thank God. I felt so bad over what happened, and I was afraid of hurting you,” I admitted.
“You must come and meet her at Christmas. She is at Uni at the moment, while I came home for a family birthday, and she is tied up with some work, so she stayed behind. You are looking really good, Sandi.”
“So are you, babe,” I said, and he smiled at my choice of words.
“I’m very good. How’s school? I hear your new art teacher is a bit of a twat.”
“He’s a real twat,” said Simon with a grin.
We all laughed.
“Hey, how about we go for a pint and some lunch. I’m not due home for a while, it is pretty gruesome there at the moment anyway.”
So after shopping we all went to the pub and had lunch. It was really odd being with him again, and when I looked at the pair of them, I wondered what the hell I had seen in Dave in the first place. He was good looking, but we had very little in common, and compared to Simon he was nothing. And yet, part of me would always love him a little bit. He was the first person to treat me as a girl, and I would never forget that.
I told him so, when Simon went to the loo.
He smiled, and kissed my cheek.
“Sandi, you are very special, and I still love you. But you and I know that we would never be able to live together, we are too different.”
“Friends?” I asked.
“Always, and if He-man there gives you the push, look me up.”
He-man returned, and I was feeling very content. I had been so worried about Dave, and now I was satisfied that we would always be friends.
Christmas approached, and I was wondering what to do about it. Natasha had called Simon and told him she was off to the Caribbean, so there was no point going there. She would be either in bed with Wayne, or in the bar half pissed. Or both.
“Why don’t we go skiing?” he suggested.
“Where?”
“Does it matter? We could go to Switzerland, Austria or even the States.”
It was a thought, and I was tempted. I didn’t really want to stay in the house, just the pair of us, it should be a time of families, and we were all we each had.
I took and passed my driving test, and started driving the Mercedes. The insurance could have bought me another car, but I didn’t care.
Out of the blue, a letter arrived from my aunt. I had not heard from my mother’s older sister, Amanda, since Mum left. She was writing to express sorrow and regret over hearing about Dad’s death, and also for failing as a Godmother. Once Dad moved away, the family seemed to cut us off. She was a little confused, as she had been convinced that I had been a boy, and yet, the papers clearly showed me as a very attractive young woman.
She was very apologetic, as clearly I had had an awful time, and was now all alone in the world. She invited me to her home, and even for Christmas, as I was her only niece.
She lived near Maidenhead, in Berkshire, and I could hardly remember her. I knew her children were older than me, and that I didn’t particularly get on with either of them when I had last seen them. Admittedly I had been about seven at the time, but still, memories are strong things.
So I wrote back, a nice letter stating that my fiancé and I would be spending Christmas abroad this year. But, I thanked her very much for her thoughts, and explained that I was very independent now, and perhaps we could meet sometime after Christmas.