Human by Choice Read online

  “You didn't'? But...” For the first time since her arrival, I saw her at a loss for words.

  “Jeri, remember you're an alien.” That got her going again.

  “No, Kyle, that's no longer true. I'm a human woman, or will be within a few ... a few more days.” She seemed to be having trouble getting the words out. There was a tremor to her voice that made me hurt inside to hear until she got it under control. Then she explained. “I'm going to be as human as you are. The alien part of me will be reserved for necessary adjustment of my human aspect, allowing me to make the very most of this body. And for defense if it becomes necessary, of course.” A faint shudder coursed through her body at the thought but it was quickly stilled. “And of course my perceptive sense remains intact, but I already know I have to be careful about when and how I use it.”

  “You see? You're still an alien at heart. How could I...” Again I floundered. I felt a blush suffuse my face.

  “Why, Kyle, I do believe you're embarrassed.”

  “Maybe so, but ... never mind. Let me think about this. Okay?”

  “Certainly, although I must admit, I thought you were going to help me in every way you could. I see now that perhaps I was assuming too much.”

  The look on her face was so pitiful it would have evoked sympathy from a sociopath. I saw wetness forming in her eyelashes. Oh, Damn. Tears already. I always was a sucker for tears.

  “Jeri, please, wait. Don't judge me too harshly. I'll still help, but think of what you looked like before. I still have that image in my mind, even though now you're such a knockout you could stop Adonis in his tracks.”

  “You think?” She knew the reference. Again she smiled. I'm a sucker for smiles, too. “Then maybe you'll grow used to me like this?”

  “Maybe. No, cancel that.” I stared frankly at her, letting my eyes rove over the length of her body. Of course I'd get used to her. Whether or not I'd want to go any further than that was still problematic. I tried to convince myself of that but I don't think I fooled my subconscious even a little bit. “Yes, I'll get used to you. That's how the human mind works. And I promise I'll help you through the learning process as much as I'm able to, but how about we wait a few days on the bra. You don't really need to wear one around the house, anyway.” I thought that took care of the problem, but then she threw me a curve.

  “All right. But Kyle, won't we still have to get married in order for me to stay in the country?” She gave me a hopeful look, her eyes practically begging me to agree.

  I guess I could have arranged for Mackie to fake that part of her background as easily as he had done the rest of it, but the look in her eyes held me back. And just because we “married” didn't mean it would have to be consummated.

  “Yep, we'll still go through with it.”

  “Oh, wonderful!” She leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek, then waited to see how I'd react. I had to grin. She must have done a hell of a lot of reading and observing on television and the net already. I began to wonder just how much help she was going to need, then remembered what a neophyte she was as a human, much less a woman. There were a million little things about behavior she was going to have to learn, not only theoretically, but the actual practice.

  I poured myself more coffee. It had become a morning ritual, me having my two cups before breakfast while she turned off the comp so it wouldn't distract me while we talked. She could still split her attention easily, which was going to either get her in trouble or help her adjust; I wasn't sure which.

  “How do your clothes fit otherwise, not counting the bra?” I asked, more to have something to say than anything. I was still discomfited by her appearance and assumptions on our future relationship.

  “The panties are too large and I think the jeans are too tight. I had trouble getting them on.”

  “Stand up for me and let me look.”

  She did, and I had to agree. They fit her like the proverbial glove, only tighter. “If they're uncomfortable, why don't you put on something else? We'll go shopping soon as you're ready and let you try on some different things and get what's right for you.”

  “But I don't know what's right!”

  “Oh, yeah. Well, you're so pretty that anything you wear short of a tent is going to make you look sexy, so you sure don't have to force that part of it. Besides, we'll go into one of the little towns near here that has sort of a general store and they don't mind assisting customers. I've talked to one of the sales ladies a few times. She seems pretty nice, so I'll ask her to help with selecting. How does that sound?”

  “Good, but don't you want to have a say?”

  “Sure.” I nodded. “You can show me as you try things on. It's not something a male normally does, but we can make an exception for you.”

  I was getting to like her smile. It was sort of a cross between little girl and sultry seductress. She was going to have to learn to be careful how she dispensed it, but I was sure she'd learn. She had told me she'd still retain her phenomenal memory and ability to absorb and comprehend tremendous amounts of knowledge, by our standards. It was perfectly normal where she came from; she was just adjusting her human brain to have the same capacity, aided by her perceptive sense. It wasn't even giving her human brain new powers. Some people here and there have eidetic memories but scientists still aren't sure how they work. Just like some autistics have fantastic powers of concentration that are a puzzle. She'd be able to teach us a lot if we ever got into a position where she could.

  “Time for breakfast,” I said, draining my cup and standing up.

  “Let me help. You said I had to learn.”

  “Okay. D'you want to change first?”

  “Please.”

  I couldn't help watching as she retreated to her room. I don't think that motion which always catches the male eye was intentionally exaggerated on her part, but with those ultra-tight jeans it sure as hell drew my attention to her ass. I couldn't tear my eyes away until she closed the door behind her. What in hell had I gotten myself into? Whatever, I could just imagine how I'd feel if I were stranded a jillion miles from home, among a wildly different species, with no way to ever get back. It must be devastating to her, even if she had concealed it well.

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  * * *

  Chapter Seven

  She came back wearing the same t-shirt but had disposed of the jeans and put on a pair of shorts. Her long slim legs were as attractive as the rest of her. I found myself wondering what she would look like in a skimpy bikini and felt a surge in my groin. Damn, I was going to have to be careful around her.

  “Do those feel better?” I said, forcing my gaze up from her legs to her face.

  “Much better, but now it's just the opposite. The shorts are a little large.”

  “Which size did you put on?” I had bought sizes, but had forgotten which was which.

  “Oh, I didn't look.”

  “Then the other pair will be either much too large or just about right, but don't bother changing again right now. I don't know about you, but I'm hungry.”

  It turned out that Jeri had been very observant as I was cooking, while I thought her attention was on the kitchen wall screen. She knew the details of what to get out and how to prepare bacon and eggs over easy with toast, but when she tried to transfer the eggs to a napkin to soak up some of the butter they were fried in she broke both yolks.

  “Don't worry about it,” I chuckled. “I'd hate to tell you how many I broke before I got the technique down. Let's try again and let me do it. I'll talk my way through it as you observe.”

  “Won't the bacon get cold?”

  I covered the saucer where she'd put the bacon on a napkin on a plate, again to soak up grease, with another plate.

  “Simple,” I said. “There's lots of little techniques like that you'll have to learn and some of them you'll have to experiment with by yourself. Gwen did most of the cooking.”

  “Do you miss her a lot?”

&nbs
p; “Of course I do. We were married almost ten years and I loved her deeply.”

  “What...” She pulled up on whatever she was going to ask but I pretty much guessed what she'd intended to say.

  “You'll find that intense emotions associated with memorable events fade rapidly with time, although the memories themselves remain intact.”

  “I suspected as much. I think I'd better use the next week or so to peruse more of what's been written about the psychology of human beings.”

  The eggs were ready again. I talked her through transferring them to the napkin, then said, “Just be careful, Jeri. Psychology and psychiatry are far from being exact sciences and there's damn near as many theories as there are practitioners or professors.”

  “I'd gathered that much, but you have a very succinct way of putting it; much better than I could have done.” She laughed, her amusement demonstrating how she was already developing a sense of humor.

  “You'll learn,” I said. That little phrase was already becoming tediously repetitious, but it seemed to always reassure her, so I kept using it. “Now let's eat. That bacon smell always gets my juices flowing.”

  * * * *

  Three days later, Jeri announced that her internal changes were complete and that she was ready to go shopping for new clothes and “feminine” things.

  “Okay, may as well get you started intermingling. We'll go this afternoon, if that's okay. Why don't we sit down and I'll help you make a list?”

  “You can just tell me. I won't forget.”

  “I'm sure, but lists help me remember and stay organized.”

  By the time we were finished, I was not only flabbergasted but chagrined over how little I'd ever thought about women's necessities for everyday living.

  The first thing on the list was tampons, even though I'd already bought some. She'd probably seen them but I wanted her to get used to keeping a supply.

  “I saw the ones you bought, and I tried one this morning even though I haven't had a period yet. My first one should start in a few days.”

  “Did it, uh, work out all right?” This was a subject that embarrassed a lot of men, me included, mainly because it simply wasn't talked about much between men and women, even married ones.

  “Yes. I'll use the junior for now, I think. Once I start having sex, it might change, but I'll have to wait and see.”

  I didn't comment but that settled one question in my mind. She intended to be a woman in every sense of the word, and I strongly suspected I was going to be the object of her first experiments, if she had anything to say about it. Oh hell, no suspecting about it. I knew she'd want to try it with me first. I pushed the thought away for the time being. Then I looked at her tits again.

  “I've read where women can now limit the number of their periods or eliminate them completely, but I'm going to have my first two, just to be certain I have my body regulated correctly. Besides, I need to experience what every other woman has gone through.”

  “You'll need to see a doctor and get a prescription,” I told her.

  “Yes. That won't be a problem, will it?”

  “I'll give you the name of one of the local doctors, but eventually you'll probably want to find a gynecologist. That can wait a little while, though. Let's move on.”

  Makeup. I had as little knowledge of the stuff a woman uses, and how she applies it, as I did of what women talk about when they go to a restroom together. When Jeri asked for my advice about lipstick, all I could tell her is that I didn't care for the bright reds or the exotic colors some of the teens were wearing, but with her auburn hair she'd probably want something slightly darker than pink.

  She gave that tinkling laugh again. “Kyle, from what I've read, the names of lipstick colors don't match regular colors. I'll never be able to figure them out by the descriptions.”

  I remembered once Gwen had asked me to pick her up a tube of “French Gloss” and I didn't even know she was asking for lipstick!

  “Oh, yeah. Well, I'll still have to let you handle the makeup, because I don't know beans about it.”

  “I've seen several makeover shows on television that explain the basics of makeup. I think I can handle it, really.” She smiled that smile again. “Clothes and shoes are going to be a bigger problem, I think. From what I've seen of style shows compared to what women wear in net videos or photos or on television, I don't think I want anything I've seen modeled on a catwalk.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief, because I knew exactly what she meant. One of my big chuckles every week was looking at the style section of the newspaper and what was being touted. I've yet to see a woman out in public wearing anything as bizarre as most of those creations. It's a complete mystery to me why they even bother showing them.

  “There I can help,” I said. “Gwen said I had good taste in women's clothing. Let's just make a list of all we think you'll need to start with, and after we pick them, you'll probably be able to manage in the future.”

  “Right now I'm doubtful, but go ahead.”

  We started with undergarments first. Since I knew little about sizes, and remembered Gwen telling me once that you can't depend on size labels with women's clothes anyway, all I could do was tell her what I liked.

  “You can take your pick of bras of just about any type. I think the bras and panties are usually matched by color but I wouldn't bet the farm on it. Hip hugger panties, but not too skimpy. Maybe you should start with front closure bras and a few with the hooks in back so you can get used to them.”

  She nodded, and I went on describing my taste in several styles of nighties, robes, gowns, slippers, casual outfits and so on and suggesting how many of each she might want. From there we went on to clothing for spring, for evening (it still got kind of cool at night this high up), and for summer, both casual and dressy. By the time fall rolled around, she ought to be able to handle the selections herself. We settled on a wardrobe for the time being, including several items I wouldn't have thought of if she hadn't mentioned them. It got to be fun, sitting with her on the couch and picking out clothes for her. I found myself laughing and smiling with her, just as if she were a normal woman who'd recently arrived from the boondocks of Europe.

  All the time, she left the big screen in the living room going on a news program I liked as well as she did. It covered state, national and world news and concentrated on events normal people like me were interested in. I guess I'm normal, although from the frequency I'd heard television programs and movies discussed when Gwen and I socialized, sometimes I doubted it. My tastes were eclectic but didn't run to the currently popular entertainment, either in movies, music or TV programming. I had suggested Jeri watch some of it so she'd have an idea of what our popular culture was like. I was amused when it turned out that she enjoyed the soaps and do-it-yourself programs. Like me, she had little use for the typical prime time shows.

  From clothes we went to shoes. I advised her to stay away from real high heels, but otherwise suit herself. It seemed to me that she was more the athletic shoe type, or at least that is what she kept picking out on ebay. She added pantyhose for dressy and then we got into jewelry, which led to piercing of ears. I would have done that for her except I wasn't real sure where the hole in the earlobe should go. “A beauty shop can do that for you, though.”

  “Have you forgotten? I'm changing my whole body. Surely I can manage a couple of little holes in my earlobes.” She laughed merrily. I joined her, while confessing I hadn't even thought of her doing the piercing herself.

  Uh oh. Mention of a beauty shop caused us to stray from jewelry and into shampoo, lotions, soaps, oils and other things I couldn't help with, but then it segued into the subject of body hair and the American aversion to it on women other than on the head and the pubic area. And from modern pornography it looked like hair on the pubic area was removed or kept to a minimum, too, although I told her to do what was comfortable and still let her look good in a bikini. Lucky girl. She wouldn't have to shave; she could just
use her perceptive sense to rid herself of unwanted body hair—and keep it gone. Nevertheless, she put a lady's razor on the list. She was determined to have the same experiences as a normal woman, just so she could take part in a conversation without giving herself away.

  Whew! By this time it was already well past noon. I recommended that we postpone the trip until the next day because we still weren't finished with the list yet.

  “And how about a break for a snack? Something light and a glass of wine?”

  “I've been anticipating that, Kyle. It seems to be a common mood enhancer, other than in Muslim countries, and if I've interpreted what I've read correctly, there's a good deal of use even in those places.”

  “You're right, but humans are big hypocrites where religion is concerned,” I said, as we got up and began making sandwiches. Or rather Jeri insisted on preparing them, while I opened a bottle of White Zinfandel. We brought the snacks and wine back to the couch.

  Jeri sipped tentatively at the wine. I watched her closely. At first, she made a slight nose wriggle but she seemed to accept it after that.

  “What do you think?”

  “I think it must be like what I said about other food and beverages—an acquired taste.”

  “Right. And most people drink liquor of any type much more for the buzz than the taste.” Good thing I didn't try to start her off with beer.

  “Do you enjoy the ... buzz?”

  “Buzz, high, euphoria, whatever you call it; yes, I do. I don't care to take it too far, although I'll confess I've done so on more than a few occasions, especially when I was younger.”

  “Producing a hangover, I take it?” She grinned like a little elf at me.

  “Right. Unless you become a problem drinker, it doesn't take too many of those to learn your limit.”

  “I think I could negate the effects on myself, but I'm afraid I couldn't help anyone else.”

  “If you could, you'd make a fortune, quick.”

  “Ah, that,” she said sheepishly, and suddenly frowned. “Kyle, it just occurred to me that you're planning on spending a great deal of money on me. Can I help you with the expenses?”