This story was somewhat difficult to classify, but I do believe that it fits best with the Mature (May/December) section, particularly the third, final and major part of the story, but also earlier parts as well. However, please be warned that it also does briefly contain other themes and components (e.g., fetish, submission, spanking).
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Victor Wilson had become so terribly frustrated. He had worked quite hard in graduate school. He had studied hard. He got A's in most every class. He had garnered a considerable amount of teaching experience, serving as an Assistant Professor for Introductory Counseling, Research Design, and High School Literature. He had even been given the honor of conducting his own independent course: Psychology in the Classroom. He was going to publish his dissertation in a scholarly journal: American Journal of Educational Psychology. Mind you, it wasn't going to be published within the very best journal of the field. But, still, it was a top-rated journal and the paper was surely to be received as a very well regarded pedagogical treatise on the costs and benefits of the New School method of classroom corporal punishment. It was an innovative perspective that was garnering considerable interest within the field. Victor had even completed an internship with the renowned Mr. Peters at Templeton College, who was perhaps the most visible expert on the New School.
Yet, his attempts to gain an instructorship at a well-regarded, four-year, liberal arts college went for naught. He did get one interview, at Templeton. He was understandably hopeful, given the connections he had established during his internship there. Nevertheless, even Templeton turned him down. He tried for three straight years, which was unheard of for a graduate of Livingston, and rather distressing, if not humiliating. He couldn't figure it out.
His mentor, Professor Henry Desmond, suggested that it was just unfortunate timing. The science of discipline was in its early stages. Only three colleges were even known to be applying the principles to the classroom: Templeton, Abberville (where Victor had completed his undergraduate education), and Livingston, where he was receiving his graduate education. Livingston University was in fact the only graduate level college in which disciplinary studies were being offered. It was a difficult area of research in part because it was at times rather problematic to get the studies approved by the respective college's internal review board. This was why Victor had traveled to Templeton for his internship.
After three years of repeated failure, he considered starting over. Well, not really starting over, not all the way back to the first year of graduate school. But, he could perhaps just alter his field of investigation to something more socially acceptable, more politically correct, more pedestrian. His mentor, however, had another thought, a quite radical thought, and one that just might work.
"Victor, I want you to take a look at this add."
"Oh, Professor Desmond, not another one. I don't think I can handle another rejection." He didn't even like looking at the adds anymore, let alone getting his hopes raised once again, only to be dashed and shattered. It was like being a pauper outside a department store window during Christmas. All that one saw were wonderful things that you could not have.
In some respects, the position sounded perfect. The add read: "Seeking applicants for undergraduate instructor at St. Mary. We are particularly interested in applicants with a specialty in pedagogical principles, notably the science of discipline." My goodness, it would seem to be a perfect match! Drs. Desmond, Mr. Peters, and only a few others were the leaders of the New School. Victor was even publishing in the area. How could they possibly choose anyone else?
But, Victor then read further: "Applicants must be female, as St. Mary is a private college for young ladies."
"Dr. Desmond, this one is ruling me out even before I apply!"
"Victor, you would be a perfect fit for this position and you know it. In fact, they forwarded me this advertisement personally prior to its appearance in The Chronicles, inquiring if I might have someone to send them. You are the one for this job."
"Yea, well, unless you're suggesting a sex change operation, I don't think it's a good fit at all."
He just looked at me, expressionless.
"Dr. Desmond, I'm not going to get a sex change operation."
"I wasn't thinking of that, Victor. I was thinking of something a little less radical."
I had no idea what he was thinking. I just shook my head and shrugged.
"I was thinking, perhaps, that you could pretend you're a woman."
"What?!"
"Sure, why not?"
Dr. Desmond was a pretty radical thinker. I had read his works as an undergraduate and was terribly impressed by his willingness to defy conventional wisdom, to push the outer bounds of social mores, to explore alternative lifestyles, themes, and theories. But, this seemed a bit absurd, if not crazy. "Why not? You ask why not?"
"I think you could very easily pass yourself off as a woman."
"Well, thanks!"
"C'mon Victor, be honest."
There was a bit of truth to that, perhaps even considerably more than just a bit. I had to admit that I was a rather feminine appearing male. Well, maybe even more than that. I was only 5'4'', with quite soft facial features. My voice was even naturally high. I used to be tremendously annoyed with charity cold callers that responded to my "Hello, can I help you?" with "Hello, Mrs. Wilson." My voice was high for a man, but was it really that high? Apparently it was. I had at first corrected them, with evident annoyance added to my inflection, but I eventually just gave up and played along. I would sometimes even suggest that I really couldn't make any donations until I spoke to "my husband."
Dr. Desmond pushed his argument. "I suppose you're too young to remember 'Bosom Buddies'?"
"Bosom Buddies" was indeed well before my time, but I had seen it in syndication. I thought it was pretty funny, particularly as one recognized how far Tom Hanks had come since the days of impersonating a woman.
Peter Scolari though was much more convincing as a woman than Tom Hanks. Actually, my friends had often said that I reminded them of Peter Scolari or, when they wanted to tease me, that I would be even more attractive than Peter Scolari. "You want me to be another Hildegarde, Dr. Desmond?"
"Sure, why not?"
"Dr. Desmond, that was a television show. It was fiction. This is real life!"
"Son, have you forgotten your abnormal psychology studies? Are you not aware of the transvestites that spend much of their time dressed as women out there in the general public, fooling everyone around them? And, what about the transsexuals? Many of them will spend years cross-dressing before they obtain an operation. I realize that some of them are rather obviously men, but many, and I do mean many, are really very convincing."
He had a point there, but it still seemed awfully absurd.
"What do you think of Miss Lumet?"
"What has this got to do with Miss Lumet?"