26



Today was the day of Laura’s final operation. It was understandable that she was nervous because although she so badly wanted to be a woman it was still a scary thought that from today she could no longer change her mind and stay a man should she be having second thoughts. Not that she was. But still. It was a big step to make and Laura had to be more than 100% sure that she was doing the right thing. She was in the private hospital, in her night gown ready for the injection that would put her under for the operation to take place. David was holding her hand, besides her bed, looking nervous too.
‘Thought it was me who was supposed to be worried the most!’ she lightly laughed.
‘I’m worried for you.’ David explained.
The day before the surgeon doing the operation had talked Laura and David through the procedure. It seemed simple enough but did have a slight change to go wrong should there be any complications. So far only a few people had died during the operation. About 1 in every 1000 people. It was still a risk to take.
David was scared that Laura would end up the 1 that ended dying. He loved her. Wanted to be with her forever more even if she never had the final operation. To David, it didn’t matter what gender Laura was. His feeling wouldn’t change. David loved the person inside. They had managed so far when it came down to sex. They could continue to manage. But David knew that Laura’s ultimate dream was to be female. To be a ‘’proper female’’. With all female parts. She had wanted it for such a long time and wouldn’t be completely satisfied, wouldn’t feel completely whole until she had reached her ultimate goal. To have ‘’female’’ written on her newly made birth certificate.
‘We know the risks David.’ Laura pointed out.
‘Doesn’t mean I can’t be worried for you.’ he sighed in response, squeezing her hand. Laura squeezed back. ‘Hey, when I’ve healed we can have sex. Proper sex.’ she smiled at him.
‘We already do have…’
‘Penetrative sex.’ Laura interrupted, smiling broader.
‘You want that?’ David asked.
‘I want you David. I want you be to happy.’
‘I already am happy…’
‘And you want me to be happy too?’ Laura then asked.
‘Of course I do. I love you.’ David told her.
‘Then I’m having this operation. It is everything I’ve ever dreamt about since I can remember. Being a woman. A proper woman.’
‘Then you have my support.’ David told her, smiling.
‘Thank you. Thank you.’ Laura returned the smile.

Cydalia was still having second thoughts about what to do. Should she think of her career, or her love life? She had come to know about Laura’s final operation and was half tempted to go along to the hospital with a tape recorder and interview both Laura and David without there knowledge then print the story making it a huge scandal along the way. She had already thought of several headlines to go with the article. ‘IL DIVO STAR IN SEX CHANGE OP’. OK, hardly accurate, but still it would sell bucket loads of magazines. Or another headline, ‘IL DIVO MEMBER DATES MAN.’ that, one, would be more nearer the truth. Laura was a man. Even after her/his sex change op he/she would still be a man until he/she changed their birth certificate by dead poll to change the sex from ‘’male’’ to ‘’female’’. Even after that David and Laura would never be able to marry. At least not legally.
Of course, nowadays, they could have a ‘’commitment’’ ceremony. But even that wasn’t legally binding. The truth of the fact was that Laura was a man and would always be a man no matter what an official piece of paper may or may not say to differ that claim.
Cydalia left Carlos sleeping, sneaked out of his apartment and went to collect her tape recorder, note pad and pen. She would decided once at the hospital to which road she would venture down. The career or keeping her friendship/love life with Carlos and the rest of IL DIVO and their partners. What was more important? Cydalia used to love her job. Finding out information and reporting on it. Had been the best at her job until just recently. Until meeting Carlos. What was she going to do?

Fara had decided to rid her place of anything that reminded her of Urs. This meant throwing out part of her wardrobe too including most of her extensive underwear collection. She even got rid of food from the fridge, postcards on her wall and some CD’s. Anything that made her think of Urs went. After she had done her flat looked bare and rather dull.
Back to normal she mussed to herself before having to dash to the toilet just in time to be violently sick down it.
‘Must be coming down with a bug.’ she told herself while rinsing her teeth and washing her hands after the sickness had past. There could be no other explanation. Fara also took the pill each and every time she had had sex with Urs, and they had used condoms. Every time. So no it was just a sickness bug. Nothing else. Fara sighed with relief and went back to her spring cleaning.

David was sitting, hands between his knees, looking at the floor silently praying to GOD that everything would go well while Laura was in the operating room, having her surgery.
Cydalia, tape recorder primed and ready discovered David like this.
‘David!’ she exclaimed, trying to sound surprised to see him, ‘what are you doing here?’ she asked, sitting down next to him.
‘Visiting…a friend.’ David sighed in response.
‘Oh? Who?’ Cydalia pretended not to know.
‘Laura.’ David sighed again.
‘Oh? How is he…I mean, she?’ Cydalia sneaked her hand into her pocket where her tape recorder was ready to go and pressed the ‘’record’’ button.
‘Having her operation…’
‘Her…gender re-assignment?’ Cydalia asked, giving it the proper name.
‘That’s the one.’ David nodded.
‘Oh. How…is it going?’
‘I don’t know.’ David shrugged in reply.
‘Oh…right.’ Cydalia nodded, trying to remember all those questions she had thought up earlier on the way to the hospital.
‘Anyway…what are you doing here?’ David then asked.
‘Just…visiting a friend.’ Cydalia shrugged, telling him her already rehearsed lie.
‘Named…?’
‘Op….Olivia.’ Cydalia made up a name.
‘In for…?’
‘Broken leg.’ thankfully, although this was a private hospital in which Laura was having her operation in, Cydalia was safe on telling her lie for they also did other types of operations too.
‘Carlos didn’t mention…’
‘Carlos doesn’t know everything about me. I like to keep a few secrets.’ Cydalia interrupted.
‘Mmm….just as long as they aren’t damaging ones.’ David warned.
Cydalia shivered. Feeling cold. Did David know what her job was? Or was his comment just accidental? Mmm. Cydalia wondered.
‘Well…must go.’ Cydalia smiled as brightly as she could and stood up.
‘OK.’ David mumbled, nodding and then went back to staring at the floor silently praying to GOD again about Laura’s operation.

Cydalia ran to her office. Once she was sat at her desk she reached into her pocket for her tape recorder. Only it wasn’t in her pocket anymore. She searched her coat. No. Her bag. No luck. She had managed to lose her tape recorder.
‘Damn.’ she muttered, slamming her hand on her desk and managing to knock over her hot cup of coffee she had picked up on the way to her desk. The coffee split over her mobile phone and the scarf Carlos had bought her only last week for her birthday. They had had fun with that scarf. Using it as a blindfold while during sex. Cydalia muttered some more to herself then folded her arms on the desk, rested her head on them then broke down into tears. She now knew which way she was going to go. Which decision she was going to make. Career or love life. The answer was now staring her right in the face.

After Cydalia had gone, David noticed something under the chair she had been sitting on. A tape recorder. He picked it up, noticed it was recording something, pressed the stop button and then after rewinding it, listened to the tape. It was Cydalia’s voice David heard, asking someone a lot of questions. Then he heard his own voice. Eh? Cydalia was what? A reporter? This tape recorded evidence obviously proved she was something like that. David stopped the tape then pocked it. He then trashed the tape recorder. He would need words to either Cydalia or Carlos. Or even, to both of them. Did Carlos know what his girlfriend/partner did for a living? David guessed not. He knew Carlos hated reporters so he would hardly be dating one. Or would he? After all, up until David had met Laura he hadn’t been interested in kissing another man. Not that Laura was another man anymore. Her operation today would change all that soon enough.
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