CHAPTER 224: What Now For Beulah Boutee?

On the surface, it was just a regular day in Oasis Springs.  Children were off to school, teenagers and young people on their way to college.  The postman was delivering mail and all was as it was supposed to be.  But that was on the surface; beneath there were people with secrets and desires...

One such person was George Sneedley who was currently dancing around as his alter-ego; either Georgina or Beulah.  It had been a difficult couple of weeks for George:  Geoffrey Landgraab's fall from grace, subsequent mental breakdown and eventual death just hours after George had seen him, had hit him harder than he had admitted to his work colleagues and wife.  Geoffrey, in a manic state, visited Sneedley Burrow in order to find Beulah and found George in drag instead.  He wanted to elope with Beulah but George, reluctantly, had to admit to Geoffrey that he wasn't the woman he thought he was but was instead a man, and a man who had no intention of running off with Geoffrey Landgraab.

Geoffrey was the only person in the world who knew that George was a transvestite and now that secret had gone to his grave...or had it?  George wondered if Geoffrey had told anyone else...but it had been two weeks now and no one had come to George to say that they knew.  Maybe his secret was still safe...

Yesterday George bought a woman's exercise leotard on an impulse.  He hadn't planned to stop by Pack's Boutique and look at women's clothes but he found himself drawn to the shop and felt compelled to go in, and once there his curiosity had been aroused by the leotard with its figure hugging stretchiness.  On his first visit to Pack's he had had a panic attack; partially from sensory overload of seeing so many colourful and fashionable women's outfits that he, deep down, wanted to try on but also from this struggle within himself between the traditionalist who favoured modest, classically tailored women's clothing and a stirring within him to embrace the new fashions of 1966.  As Beulah he had spent a lot of time in the company of Nancy Landgraab and she was extolling the virtues of shorter hemlines, bright colours in man-made fabrics, heavier eye make-up and pantyhose over stockings.  Some of Nancy's influence was starting to affect George...or rather Georgina's...ideas on style.  In his new skin tight exercise outfit, he was enjoying dancing around.

After an hour of prancing and dancing about he changed into his favourite pink satin dress and read some cookbooks in order to learn more recipes for his work.  Once more he felt sensual and feminine in this outfit.

Then he went for a walk down the road.  He was confident now he could pass for a woman because no one batted an eyelid and no one looked at him strangely.  He was accepted as another passer-by and he loved the experience of venturing out in public dressed as a woman.

He sat down on a bench by the communal garden at the end of Bedrock Straight and just enjoyed the peace and fine weather.  Then he got to thinking about where to go with his cross-dressing.  When he had that confrontation with Geoffrey and heard about his death his first instinct was to gather up all his outfits, make up and wigs and throw them in the trash, but his desire to cross-dress was too strong to abandon.  However, Beulah was a creation on the fly when Geoffrey encountered him and it was Beulah, not his original feminine alter-ego; Georgina, that had dominated.  If a police investigation was being very thorough then they might want to question Beulah...so George resolved that it would be Beulah who would go in the trash and not 'Georgina'.

Beulah Boutee was no more.  The fake Southern Belle routine would be ditched along with some things that made her distinctive.  George then decided on how to make-over Georgina to distance herself from Beulah.  A change of hair colour?  A different style approach?  Maybe work more on losing weight to appear more svelte or else resort to using an old fashioned corset to give the appearance of a figure?  All things to consider going forwards.

George went home and took a look in the mirror, silently saying goodbye to Beulah.  It was fun for a while but she was also partly a construction of Geoffrey Landgraab, whose attention and devotion to the character pushed George into creating her.  As Geoffrey was no longer with the world, Beulah would be metaphorically buried with him.

Reverting back to George just before he had to go to work, he looked to the future not with worry but with excitement.  What would the new Georgina be like?

Meanwhile the campaign trail had been productive and the donations were starting to trickle in to the Sneedley For District Representative campaign so Edna decided to head to her favourite drinking spot and celebrate in a small way with a few drinks.

Edna noticed a man sitting next to her; an older gentleman with very bright and clear blue eyes who had an air of relaxed confidence about him as he sat at the bar dressed as if he was going to play golf.  She had never met this man before but recognised him from newspapers, television and his own portrait which was prominently displayed at Affluista Mansion; home of the Landgraabs.

"Excuse me, sir, but would I be addressing Mr Malcolm Landgraab III by any chance?" she said.

"That's me...who's asking?" he said, calmly.

"Mrs Edna Sneedley; I am an acquaintance of your family.  May I offer my sincere condolences over Geoffrey's untimely death.  He was a great benefactor, ally and...dare I say it...friend to myself and my husband, George."

"Thank you, Mrs Sneedley"

"Call me Edna"

"Alright, Edna.  You said Geoffrey was a benefactor and ally:  For what?"

"Oh I organise a charitable organisation called The League of Decency.  Your late son-in-law and his wife, Nancy, were great supporters in our quest to improve society by opposing loucheness, immorality and sexual impropriety."

"My Nancy has supported that?" said Mal, with a wry smile.  "I'm sure she has donated handsomely, I mean."

"Yes, a wonderful woman...an example to us all.  I know you have a lot on your plate to deal with, Mr Landgraab, but I would very much like it if the Landgraab Foundation were to continue supporting our cause."

"I will go over your file when I get to the office and review the company arrangement with you.  As you may gather, I have a lot of other business to attend to at the moment"

"Mr Landgraab, sir...you are due to tee off at 3:30pm" said a man in a pale grey suit who wore a matching peaked cap.

"Thank you, Leonard.  Mrs Sneedley, I must go now but I will look over your file when I'm in the office.  Goodbye and thank you for your message of condolence." With that, Mal Landgraab stood up and followed his chauffer to the waiting limousine parked downstairs.

Edna was pleased she had got to meet no less a person than Malcolm Landraab III and that she could get him to secure more funding and support for the League of Decency.  Meanwhile, she ordered another drink from the bar and proceeded to canvass the other patrons of the Solar Flare Lounge for their political support.

"I dunno, lady...I'm not really political..." said a young man who gave his name as Gunther Munch.  

"I understand, I wasn't political myself until recently but do you know that crime is on the way up in our fair city?  And also drug use?  These are the ills of the permissive society..." said Edna.

"I think my brother has had plenty of the permissive society...I've been missing out..." replied the forlorn looking Gunther.

Edna's conversation was abruptly stopped when she overheard two familiar, but unwelcome voices from behind her.

"So, Suzy, you're the toast of the town following your Landgraab expose.  How are you going to follow that one up?"

"Well, Penny, I could go back to fashion journalism; there's some really exciting fall trends I've had a sneak preview of, but believe me the Landgraabs are only the first of the big families in Sim City which are concealing secrets..."

"Ugh...Suzy Kent and Penny Pizazz; two of my least favourite people in this town.  My advice, Gunther is to stay clear of loose women like that!"

"We can hear you, Edna" said Suzy.

"You were meant to" replied a haughty Edna in response.
 

"Your slurs have no effect on me, just so you know"

"Well I think it's disgraceful that you should print that scurrilous hit piece on a fine man; Geoffrey Landgraab, God rest his soul!"

"Everything in that article can be verified and, besides, Geoffrey's death has nothing to do with me but more with the corruption of his family."

"Tsk!  Shocking gossip and malicious slander!" said Edna, taken aback.

"You have no idea what's going on in this town, Edna, no idea!" said, Suzy who was standing her ground.

"This, Gunther...this is what I have to deal with!  Vote Edna Sneedley for City Council on September 7th!"