Lockdown 28!

8.20 PM

Freezing and fatigued, Tim entered a sushi restaurant close to where he lived and breathed a sigh of relief. It had been an extremely long day, made even longer after discovering the till to be short by twenty pounds as they went to close up. And with store policy dictating that the cash taken each day needed to match the sales total, no one could leave until the mystery had been solved.

After trawling through the security footage, it turned out Kay was at fault, having given one of the customers the wrong change while Tim was out shopping on his lunch break. Alma, of course, played it off as an honest mistake. But as Tim hobbled out of the store into the blustery cold streets, he couldn’t help but wonder how different the reaction would have been if he had been the one to blame.

Inside the sushi restaurant, a friendly lady greeted Tim by his name and offered to store his coat and shopping bags. Taking the ever-present woman up on the offer, Tim passed her his belongings before striding into the main room. Clip-clopping towards the seating area, he eyed up the raw fish dishes rotating around on a circular track and heard his stomach rumble. The funny thing was, Tim had never particularly liked sushi. But at that moment, it didn't matter. He was so hungry he would have eaten just about anything.

“I see you started without me?” Tim joked, stopping in front of a smartly dressed woman stuffing her face with a tuna nigiri.

“Hey, you’re the one who’s thirty minutes late, Meng Mei!” Kim replied, standing up to give her older brother a hug.

The embrace lasted but a second, but after the day he’d had, make that week, Tim was just glad to be in the company of someone he loved and trusted. Upon parting, Tim pouted. “Do you have to call me that? He asked his sister in a tired voice. “You know I hate that nickname.”

“Sorry, but it suits you too well. Your both cute and my sister,” Kim replied, giggling. “Anyway, come and sit down. You must be starving!”

(See image 39)

8.28 PM

“So, did you manage to get everything we needed?” Kim asked as Tim bit down on his tenth piece of sushi.

“Uh-huh,” he responded, nodding his head as he had a full mouth of rice and raw fish.

“Even that coat from Balenciaga”? Kim pestered.

Swallowing his food, Tim turned to look at his chatty sister. “Yes, I had to use up my whole lunch break, but I managed to track one down.

“Excellent, I managed to pick up the wallet we needed, earlier too. So, now we can send out the shipment,” Kim replied with a huge smile on her face. “You’re the best business partner a girl could ask for, Jiejie.”

Tim smiled, not too happy about being referred to as her older sister, but at the same time, things seemed to be looking up. After reconnecting with his sister, having been estranged for years, they were now closer than ever. And on top of that, the pair were working together to make boatloads of money.

The business model was simple. Use their staff discounts to purchase designer goods on sale before shipping them off to customers in Asia. Kim had been at it for years, but with an extra pair of hands in Tim, not to mention the extra stores his staff discount applied to, the little side hustle was finally paying off. This week they had made over a thousand pounds from a single handbag alone!

Observing her feminized brother munching away happily, Kim felt on top of the world. She still found it a little odd to see her older brother looking more feminine than her. All decked out in his little designer outfit and delicately handling his chopsticks with his elegant long-nailed fingers, it was quite a sight to behold.

“In a few more years, we’ll be able to buy our first property,” she thought to herself as Tim placed another California roll between his plump lips. “If all goes to plan, we'll be out of the fashion industry and making the big bucks in the real estate market. Then they'll see I'm not a failure! I’ll make them proud to call me their daughter!”

8.35 PM

Parking up the car outside her apartment building, Gwendoline Morris turned off the ignition before turning to face her sulky passenger. “You’re quieter than normal, Penny dear,” she announced. “Are you feeling a little tired, perhaps?”

Staring straight ahead, Paul breathed out heavily through his nose. Still stunned by the afternoon’s events, he had no desire to look at the evil tormentor to his left, never mind talk to her. He was, Of course, tired as well. Traipsing around the city for hours on his stilt-like heels, battling the wind as it attempted to lift the indecently short bit of material wrapped around his shivering frame, had been utterly exhausting.

“Yes, I imagine you are,” Gwen declared, seeing Paul ignore her. “But we’re home now where you can rest. Later you can slip into the little presie I bought you. I’ll even give you one of my special foot rubs to make those tootsies of yours feel all better.”

A shiver ran down Paul’s spine at the thought. He knew what that would lead to, and he didn’t know if he had the mental capacity to cope with it that evening.

“You know, Penny. when around you, I feel like a young woman again,” Gwen stated. "I’ve never been one to believe in fate, but this is all just too perfect to be a coincidence.”

“My name is Paul!” Paul snarled, turning to face the large jovial woman in the driver’s seat.

Taken aback by the sudden outburst, Gwendoline looked confused for a second before curing her lip and chuckling lightly. “Not anymore, precious. Paul Aaron Gleeson is gone. He no longer exists. From now on, you are Penelope Louise Morris, a girly girl who loves shopping and looking her best.”

“Morris?” Paul cried, realising for the first time that he had the same last name as Gwen.

“Of course! Gwen replied joyfully. “It’s easier this way. It means we won’t have to change it again after the wedding!

“Wedding!” Paul exclaimed, feeling his heart skip a beat.

“I know, it’s exciting, right? Even though I go by the title Mrs Morris as it sounds more professional at work, I’ve never been married. To be honest, I did wonder if I’d ever meet someone compatible. And then, as if by magic, you walk into my life. I just know we’re going to be so happy together!”

“You’re crazy! Paul screamed, having reached his breaking point. “I’m not Penny, and I’m not marrying you! I’ve had enough of this shit. I can't do this anymore!”

The backhanded slap was so ferocious it almost knocked his head off his pretty little shoulders. “How dare you speak to me like that, you disrespectful little bitch!” Gwen hollered. “Remember your place sissy. I make the decisions here, and you just nod and look pretty. You know It’s not too late to find you a nice jail cell. Perhaps you’ll meet a new lover there! Someone that’ll treat you better than me! Is that what you want?”

Bringing up his manicured hand, Paul touched the side of his head in shock as he watched as Gwen had one of her bipolar mood switches. “No, of course, you don't." she began, her face all smiles once more. "I'm sorry I had to hit you, but you really know how to grind my gears sometimes," she added while patting Paul's silky smooth knee. "I know you can’t see it right now, sweetie pie. But as a man, you were a complete failure. Your life would have never amounted to anything but a disappointment. Trust me, things will be much better this way. I’m going to look after you and treat you like the princess you are. We’ll be together forever. I promise!”

(See image 40)