The following Monday morning, Radha arose early to get ready for her first day on the job. She was to work as a file clerk in the patient records office at the local medical center. She was anxious to start work as it would give her a chance to start earning some money of her own. Her past hospital bills had used most of the money that Krishna had saved. Maya earned a small salary, but not enough for the two of them to live on indefinitely. At any rate, Radha was now to be a working woman.

Radha went immediately to the bathroom and drew a warm bath. As she washed her soft body, she couldn't help but think how happy she was and what a sad life Krishna had led. How could he have stood being a man for as long as he did? She smiled as she realized that Krishna did not have to suffer as a man any longer.

She knew that he was finally at peace with himself and with the world. Krishna was gone forever. She finished her bath and quickly dried herself, put some powder on her body, put on her robe, and returned to her bedroom to get dressed for work. After putting on her bra and panties, Radha decided to wear one of the new flowered print sari that she had bought at the mall the day before. The dress had short sleeves and a relatively high neck line, so she decided to wear lehanga . Her black heels would go very nicely with this outfit. She spent considerable time combing and styling her shoulder length auburn hair until it was just right. A golden chain necklace would go well with the dress as she didn't want to overdo the jewelry. Some perfume at strategic spots and she was ready to have a bite of breakfast before rushing off to work.

Maya was already in the kitchen when Radha entered. She had made the coffee and had some toast in the toaster. She looked up as Radha entered. "My, don't you look very pretty today, Radha. That is a very pretty sari. I wish I had one like it. What store did you buy it in?" "sarvana stores" replied Radha as she poured herself a cup of coffee. "They had a large selection of sun dresses on sale. I tried on several that I liked better, but I thought they were a little too young for me. If I could have worn them twenty years ago, they would have been perfect. I do like this one. It feels very comfortable."

Maya was silent for several seconds, then said, "How do you feel about going to work as a woman? Aren't you nervous about it?" "A little bit. But no one there ever knew Krishna. And Krishna is completely gone now --- forever. I feel like a young girl going out to her first job. Do you think I look good enough to make it?" There was a slight tone of concern in Radha's voice.

Maya sighed. "Yes, you will do very well, Radha. No one will ever guess your secret. Now, I have to get ready for work also."
Maya got up and went to her room to dress for work. Radha quickly finished her breakfast, put the dishes into the dishwasher, and went to her room for her handbag and a light sweater --- just in case she needed it. Then she said good-bye to Maya and left the house for her car.
It was another beautiful spring day and Radha was feeling good about herself and about the world around her. At last she was happy. Just happy to be alive and happy to be a woman.
She arrived at the medical center employee parking lot about fifteen minutes before she was to start work. That would give her sufficient time to park and find the office where she was to work. After parking her car, Radha quickly walked into the building, with many other employees arriving for the day's work, and soon found her new office on the third floor. As she entered, there were several desks and many rows of filing cabinets. Only one person was in the room --- an older lady of about sixty who was thin, had gray hair, and was neatly dressed.

Radha walked over to her. "Good morning. I'm Radha. I am supposed to start work here today. I'm looking for Mrs.Sujata"
The lady smiled at Radha and said "Good morning, Radha. I'm Mrs.Sujata. We've been needing help for sometime. I'll show you to your desk, explain your duties, and introduce you to the other women in the office. I hope you will like it here."
"I'm sure I will." Radha replied.
Radha spent the rest of the morning getting settled at her desk and trying to learn how to find what and where. There were three other women in the office --- all younger than Radha and all very friendly. Radha found herself wondering if any of them had backgrounds similar to hers. If so, it certainly wasn't obvious. There were no men in the office, but during the day, a number of doctors and interns came in to get a records folder on specific patients. Most were introduced to Radha, but a few came over to introduce themselves. Several made comments about how nice it was to have a pretty woman working there. Radha was embarrassed each time and wondered if she was blushing. Some of the interns said they would see her later. They apparently did not know of her background and she was not about to tell anyone. Some months later, Radha was to find out that her supervisor, Mrs. Sujata, was the only one to know of her past. Mrs.Sujata never mentioned or hinted at it, however. The rest of the week went by swiftly and before Radha knew it, it was Saturday.

The forecast for the weekend was for hot and humid weather, so Maya and Radha decided to drive to spend two days with Radha's mother at her cottage at the lake. The traffic was heavy on the drive to cottage, and both women were glad when they arrived at the cottage. Radha's mother was already there. Krishna's father had died eight years before, so was glad to have some company --- especially her daughter and her friend Maya.

As they entered the cottage, she welcomed them both. This was only the third time she had seen Radha since her operation, so Radha received special attention. she said that Radha's sister and her brother were coming the next day and were looking forward to seeing Radha.

Radha had not seen either her sister or her brother since her decision to have the operation. In fact, neither of them had seen Radha at all --- they had only seen Krishna. Radha was very nervous about this meeting and wondered what they would think or say. Radha wanted no confrontations and Her Mother reassured her that they were both looking forward to seeing her and that there would be no problems.

At that point, Maya suggested that a swim would feel good after the long, hot drive. Radha agreed and the two women went to the upstairs bedrooms to change into their bathing suits. Radha almost decided to wear her new bikini, but changed her mind and got out her new one-piece green bathing suit. As she was undressing, Mother came up the stairs. Radha had only her bra and panties on and quickly picked up her dress and held it modestly in front of her.

"Oh, hello, mother. Can I get something for you?" Radha said. "No, dear. I am merely a curious old lady, I guess. I came to see what my new daughter really looks like. Do you mind?"
"Mother......" "I never told you, but I always wanted a girl before you were born. But you were a boy. We loved you dearly --- and now you are my daughter...."

Radha slowly dropped the dress from in front of her as her mother stared at her. Radha then unhooked her bra and let it drop to expose her breasts. Her mother was speechless. Radha then slid her panties down her legs and stood completely naked in front of her mother. she continued to stare at Radha in disbelief. "Oh, Krishna .... Radha. I never imagined that your operation could make you look like this. Your body is better than mine ever was. Your breasts are beautiful. I just cannot imagine that you were once my son, Krishna. You look completely female. May I touch you?"

"I ..... I ... guess so, mother."
she brought her hands to Radha's breasts and then over the skin of her arms and face. "No one would ever guess. Have you got a boy friend yet, Radha? I must get used to calling you Radha. I don't want to make a mistake and call you Krishna."
Radha was obviously embarrassed. "No, mother, I don't have a boy friend ..... at least not yet."
"Then I think you will --- very soon. You look better than any woman your age I have known."
"Thank you, mother." Radha picked her bathing suit off the bed and stepped into it. She quickly pulled it up to cover her breasts and then tugged at it in various places until she was happy it was on properly. The suit fit the curves of her body snugly and revealed a good portion of her upper breasts. With that, she helped her mother down the steep stairs to the first floor of the cottage. Maya had finished putting on her suit and was in the water already. Radha saw that her mother was seated comfortably on the porch, and then went out for a swim. The water was warm and refreshing to both women and they stayed in it for about half an hour before coming out to get some lunch.The rest of the day was spent talking, cooking some cookies to munch on, and just relaxing. After supper, all three women sat on the cottage porch and talked as the sun set below the horizon.

Mother did most of the talking. "I remember when you were little, Radha. I suspected that you were dressing up in my clothes. Sometimes I would find a bra in the wrong drawer or find a skirt on the wrong side of my closet. But I never suspected that one day you would be my daughter. I feel as if my dreams were now fulfilled. I have always wished that you were my daughter --- and now you are. Do you remember when you were about twelve years old? I left a new sari on your bed. I think it was a yellow and orchid plaid Lehanga and just the right size to fit you. That sari stayed in your room for months. Did you ever wear it?"
"Yes, mother, every chance I could. I always suspected that you left it there on purpose."
"Did you dress in my clothes often, Radha?"
"Often ... yes. Often enough ... no. Oh, mother, I've always wanted to be a girl ... ever since I could remember. I hated having to pretend to be a boy when I knew that I was really a girl. Oh, if only I could have had these operations then."

Mother looked at Radha and smiled. "If your father and I had known, perhaps we could have helped you. I'm sure I could have easily convinced him that we should help you to live your life as a girl." "If I had told you, perhaps I would have married, adopted some children, and lived my life as a normal housewife. I have always wanted to have children ...

to get pregnant and give birth to a baby of my own. That would have given some purpose to my whole life ... to have a healthy baby." Radha seemed far away as she talked. "I ... was afraid ... of what you would think of me ... of what other people would think of me. Now I know that if a person cannot be happy with themselves, then they cannot be really happy with anything. There will never be any peace of mind if you do not like yourself. I know that now. If only I had known it then."
Maya had not said much to that point, but had just sat and listened. Now she joined the conversation. "I guess I always suspected that Krishna may have been different than other men. He was always preoccupied with something ...
always so sad about something. At some point, I guess I realized that he like to dress in my clothes because I also found things where I hadn't left them. But I thought that he would get over it. And I did think that he had gotten over it. Now I know that it was because he had bought his own dresses to wear and didn't have to wear mine any longer. There has been a drastic change in Radha ..... from Krishna. I really was crushed when Krishna decided to have the operation ... and become Radha. but now I am used to it. Radha has been happy with herself and the world around her. Krishna was never happy. He seldom smiled and never laughed. Radha is always happy. I lost a husband, nut is a much better human being for her changes. I don't know how I will take it if Radha finds a man who is interested in her."