Blackmail Friday

 

Thanksgiving Dinner With A Friend - Story

A bronze amulet sat intertwined in Giuseppe’s fingers, dangling as he stared at the shimmering bronze. Apparently, this amulet had the power to swap genders of the user, and while the thought of becoming a girl excited Giuseppe, the idea of erasing who you still lingered—wearing the amulet became a moral choice, as Rowan stared at him, mouth cupped by his hands in anticipation for Giuseppe’s decision.

“It’s up to you,” Rowan said through cupped hands. “I don’t want to force your hand, but this is a very square deal.”

Giuseppe knew this was a square deal, even if one side slightly benefited more. It would be as fair as you could get; maybe it was a rectangle deal. Giuseppe looked down at the amulet, which now swung from his nervous shaking; a decision of this magnitude shouldn’t illicit shaking, but it did. Giuseppe, who hadn’t experienced a family thanksgiving in years after being disowned by his family for choosing a college degree they felt didn’t suit him, now wondered if submitting to a request of another was right. His family requested he do the degree, and he failed to submit, which led to disownment and a lack of familiar support. But, if he submits to Rowan, would that taint his moral stance on being independent and unwavering to outside influences? The loophole created centers around what if Giuseppe wanted to wear the amulet and transform prior to Rowan's influence. Would that be a violation of internal morals? Giuseppe shook his head, fearing he truly was spending too much time thinking about this problem. Your life is already written by an author who controls your every action and the gut, a sense no one can truly explain. Sometimes, it is that nudge to continue the story, and right now, his gut is telling him to do it.

“What’s the line?” Giuseppe asked. “Like intimate actions.”

Rowan looked surprised by this question, confused but embarrassed it became the topic. “Draw the line at hand holding, with maybe one kiss on the cheek. To, you know, show that we’re still together.”

“One kiss, cheek only,” Giuseppe replied firmly. “If you try anything else, the amulet comes off, and your family will know the twisted lie you’ve been telling them.”

Rowan nodded in agreement. “I doubt we’ll have a lot of time to be a couple anyway. Mom has been talking about you in the kitchen helping with the other ladies for weeks.” A nervous expression fell over Giuseppe’s face; he didn’t know how to cook well, and he’d probably burn water. “And they know you’re not a good cooker, don’t worry.”

“What am I wearing?” Giuseppe asked, curious about what Rowan had up his sleeve.

“I have some of Sara’s clothing from before we broke up. She hated me so much, and she said I could keep the clothes because she didn’t want to see me again, so I have everything from daily wear to intimate wear.” Giuseppe’s eyebrow cocked up in surprise. “Yes, I have her intimates still. In a drawer with the rest of her stuff, and no, it hasn’t been opened since we broke up.”

“Fine, give me the clothing, and I’ll change,” Giuseppe agreed, not wanting to dwell on the thought of Rowan using any of the clothing. “How does this amulet work?”

“Simple. You’ll put it on, and as long as the amulet remains around your neck, you’ll be transformed into a girl. The whole ten yards.”

Giuseppe looked at the amulet, then back at Rowan's hopeful and thankful face. “This year would be different,” Giuseppe thought. “This year, I’ll be accepted and among people who love me, or at least love the person I’m pretending to be.”

The clothes were given to Giuseppe, who, after cocking another eyebrow, got a mildly irritated assurance Rowan had never worn the clothing. Locking the door behind him, Giuseppe stripped and, with solid eye contact with the mirror, opened the hook on the necklace and locked it together once around his neck. At first, nothing changed, but closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Giuseppe was surprised to see a woman standing where he once was. In fact, he was now physically a woman—dirty blonde hair poofed from his head, with noticeably big breasts accompanying his new transformation. A knock at the door snapped Giuseppe’s amazement away as the sound of Rowan’s voice filled the room. “All good?”

Nervously, Giuseppe spoke, “Yes.” A feminine voice emitted from his vocal cords, not the frail, unconfident sound his male voice emitted. Rowan screamed yes while finishing by telling Sara, who was the name Giuseppe would be using this evening, to hurry up. Giuseppe looked back at the mirror, the moral question coming into mind. Was this morally correct? He couldn’t offer any substantial counterpoint beyond whether it was ethical for a family to disown a child they’d raised because of his degree choice. If that, in the eyes of some, was within their right to do, then surely wearing a magical amulet and pretending to be Rowan's girlfriend would not be morally incorrect. Or perhaps both are, but Giuseppe didn’t bother trying to figure this out as he slid on the panties and tried to hook the bra on properly. He was now responsible for being Rowan's girlfriend and fulfilling the task at hand.

-          -

The drive north was filled with getting Giuseppe up to date with family affairs and the scope of their relationship. Whether it be when they started dating, when Sara first met the family, or the secret names they had for each other, the two-hour trip covered it all. To Giuseppe, it felt more like an examination preparation for school than a relaxing Thanksgiving dinner. Still, he could tell Rowan was panicked about this new interaction, so he went along with attempting to memorize the small details. Giuseppe learned of the uncle’s second marriage, the aunt's new child, the brother's recent promotion, and the parent's soon-to-be retirement. There were smaller pieces in between, but Giuseppe, being the beautiful blonde he was, could surely play dumb if needed.

While Rowan drowned on about other smaller, unimportant behaviors, Giuseppe stared out the window at the endless farmland, which turned a mute brown colour with the accompanying autumn filter. Everything seemed duller out, maybe it was because of the darker shade of the leaves or the lack of vibrant nature colours, but the season seemed to have its filter applied. It was truly beautiful, despite the perceived negative thoughts, and Giuseppe got lost watching the environment around him, pressing his head against the cold glass.

In one sense, Giuseppe missed his family’s Thanksgiving, as discombobulated as it could be, but maybe this would become a new chapter in his life. Giuseppe didn’t know the full extent of the amulet's powers, nor whether the sudden feeling of living his life as a girl was a result of animosity and hatred towards his genetic family was a result of a desire to belong, but the thought filled his pretty little head. He hadn’t fully met Rowan’s family, but still, the potential of a warm and loving family, as described, filled Giuseppe with hope, joy, and love. Before long, Rowan pulled into his neighborhood with a sprawling front yard and a traditional New England house sitting on top of the hill.

Rowan turned the car off, placing his hand on Giuseppe’s exposed thigh. “You’ve got this babe?”

While Giuseppe may be filled with these positive and warm emotions, he still knew deep down he was a guy and surely didn’t want to interfere with the actions between the two friends. Aggressively, he removed Rowan's hand. “Holding hands and one kiss on the cheek.”

Rowan laughed. “There’s the Sara I don’t miss.” Opening the door allowed the cool autumn wind to grab at Giuseppe’s exposed legs, which caused goosebumps to form. He took a deep breath, his lungs being filled with the cool air, which slowed his rapidly beating heart. Rowan grabbed Guiseppe’s hand and guided the stunned girlfriend up the walkway to the warm house. From outside, Giuseppe could hear the clinging and clanging of the food preparations inside, accompanied by the smell and warmth of Thanksgiving food. Before Rowan could knock on the door, it swung open, and a shorter woman with brown hair opened her arms and hugged Rowan, then Giuseppe.

“I’m so glad you could make it,” she said, grabbing Giuseppe’s arm and dragging him inside. “I can see my son hasn’t learned punctuality in college. I need you to help with the mashed potatoes, dear.”

Rowan threw his hand up as a wave before shaking a heavier family member’s hand as Giuseppe disappeared into the kitchen. Inside were four other women, varying all in age, but still Giuseppe was the youngest.

“Sara, it’s so nice to see you!” the other young woman greeted, taking a moment to hug Giuseppe. The quick embrace filled Giuseppe's heart with love and warmth, unseen and unfelt in years. “I hope I didn’t get anything on your white shirt; I’m afraid I’ve been on cranberry duty. Assuming I haven’t, I love the outfit!” The other women, who Giuseppe figured out were the two aunts and the grandmother, all waved and greeted Giuseppe. Idle talk filled the woman who gossiped about family drama, complained about the men in their life (Giuseppe did partake in this discussion), and general holiday talk while he skinned potatoes.

“School must almost be done for you,” Rowan’s mother commented. Giuseppe nodded.

“Soon, only one more semester,” Giuseppe acknowledged, remembering Sara and he had the same graduation year. “Then it’s off to the workforce in some capacity.”

The women nodded. “Have you and Rowan talked about moving back up here?”

Giuseppe froze. This wasn’t something they had discussed. “Briefly,” he lied. “It comes down to where we’re at at the moment. I still have a little bit of time to think about it all.”

The mother nodded. “Well, I hope you two come back up this way. We’d love to see you more often around the house.”

The topic of post-graduation came to a complete halt when the doorbell rang, and a male voice answered with, “You should know to come on in Sara; you’re practically family.” Giuseppe froze mid-slice, making eye contact with Rowan’s sister, who wore a confused look on her face.

“I know, Uncle Hector, I just didn’t want to be rude. I also brought pie; I hope she won’t be too upset.” Turning to his right, Giuseppe made eye contact with the real Sara, who looked back at Giuseppe, her jaw dropping to the ground. “Who are you?”

Thanksgiving Dinner With A Friend

 

Prying Eye

 

Jean Shopping