The Substitute

This is Chapter 20 in the Abigail in Trouble Series. Just to be clear, Abigail is over 18 as referenced elsewhere, despite references in the text to her being young. This term is relative, but she is above the age of consent.

*****

Abigail was chilling in her room when her mobile rang suddenly and loudly, jolting her out of her day-dream. She almost dropped it as she fumbled to answer the call. Her heart leaped as she saw who was calling her: it was her best friend, Lindsey, who had moved to Japan about a year ago.

"Lindy!" cried out Abigail into the device.

"Baby!" countered the bright voice of Lindsey from the other end. "How are you doing Babe?"

"Hey, don't call me that. I'm good, thanks. It's been a while. How are you?" replied Abigail.

"Well I'll not call you Bush Baby if you don't call me Lindy. Deal?"

Lindsey and some of Abigail's other friends had tended to tease her by calling her Bush Baby because of her youthful face, but mainly because of her beautiful, unusually large and innocent looking brown eyes. Abigail didn't particularly mind "Bush Baby", but when they shortened it to "Baby", she had started to object, feeling self conscious about her already younger appearance. She was trying to re-educate them, including Lindsey, to calling her Abigail or "Abby" again, but she had a way to go yet.

"Deal. LindSEEE!" she agreed in a slightly mocking tone to emphasise the point. "So how are you getting on over there?" she asked.

"Great! Actually more than great Bab-er Abby. You knew I'd been working with Maki since I arrived in Tokyo didn't you?"

"Of course."

Abigail knew Maki quite well. He'd come over as a college exchange student where the girls were studying. Since Lindsey was studying Japanese, they had crossed paths and got on really well. It was only a short time before they started dating. When Maki had returned to Japan after they had graduated, Lindsey had not been long following him, expecting to stay just a few weeks. Abigail had not been surprised when weeks turned to months, Lindsey found a job, and had started talking about staying there for good.

"Well, you'll never guess what, but......." Lindsey paused for dramatic effect. "We're gonna get married!"

Abigail squealed and nearly fell off her bed with excitement,

"Wow! Lindsey, that's FANTASTIC! Congratulations, you!" she gushed.

"I know! Thank you Babe!" replied Lindsey, forgetting her deal.

"But when and where are you doing it, Lindsey? In Tokyo or back here?"

"Over here, in Japan. But not Tokyo. We're doing it in Maki's home village up in the north, quite a long way from Tokyo."

"Oh, Ok" was Abigail's disappointed reply. She felt sad that she wouldn't be able to share in her friend's big day, presuming that she couldn't afford the flight to Japan.

"But I have something to ask you," said Lindsey. "Do you still like dancing?"

"Uh-uh" replied Abigail, not sure where this was heading.

"Well then, will you come over here and be my bridesmaid, my substitute, with all expenses paid, including the flights? Will you do that for me Baby?" asked Linsey excitedly.

Abigail was so excited that she gave another shriek and didn't even register the Baby or substitute reference.

"Of course I will!" she replied with no thought otherwise.

Then followed a fast-paced conversation about how it all came to be, how Maki had proposed, who was flying out from home, and how the wedding would be different to a western ceremony, and much more. Abigail started jotting down the details as they spoke. By the time they finally said goodbye after about an hour, Abigail was exhausted with plans and excitement. There was a lot to get organised and she didn't actually have much time.

*****

Several weeks later Abigail was on the plane bound for Tokyo. It had been a busy couple of weeks getting ready, but she knew the next couple of days were going to be even busier. She knew Lindsey wanted to take her shopping in Tokyo to fit out the last things they needed for the wedding. Then there was the trip back to Maki's home village to help get Linsey ready for the big day.

On the long flight, Abigail had time to ponder what Lindsey had said about her role in the proceedings. She had mentioned that Abigail was to be her bridesmaid, but she knew that was just the western name for a slightly different role actually required of her. Lindsey had mentioned Abigail being her "substitute", which wasn't very enlightening.

While she called Lindsey to tell her she was boarding the plane, Abigail asked for clarification of the role she was to take and was told that there wasn't really a western equivalent. The best equivalent for the role was a "to take the place" of the bride herself, to help perform certain locally traditional ceremonies. These ceremonies historically would have been performed by the bride herself, but more recently it had been accepted that a "substitute" for the bride was acceptable to free up the bride herself to enjoy, well, being newly married. Abigail wanted more information about these ceremonies, and Lindsey had mentioned dancing but was not specific about that or anything else.

Lindsey emphasised the fact that she and Maki were immediately flying out to Fiji after the wedding to go on honeymoon, and that they were going to try for a baby, so a substitute was needed. The specific ceremony that the bride, or in this case the substitute, would be required to perform, Lindsey had to translate from the Japanese name of the rite. The nearest translation she could find was the latin expression "jus primae noctis".

Innocent, naive Abigail didn't know what this meant, or what relevance the reference to trying for a baby meant, so parked that fact in the back of her mind. She would google it later.

Once boarded and seated, she tried to find out what the latin expression meant from the internet, but she only had a short time during taxiing before the flight attendants told them to put their phones in flight mode. The best explanation that she had discovered up to that point seemed to be the medieval french expression "droit de seigneur", and the academic description of THAT didn't sound right at all!

She supposed she had heard it wrong. Maybe Lindsey had translated it wrong. She would ask for further details in Tokyo.

*****

The overnight flight was uneventful and as soon as a nervous Abigail had picked up her luggage and exited the gate, she was relieved to see Lindsey there to greet her. The girls embraced warmly before Lindsey took them onto the airport transfer monorail system to the Tokyo hotel they were to stay at for the night. Lindsey explained that Maki was back in his home village and that she would take Abby shopping in Tokyo for the rest of the day. Then they would see some of the sights in the evening, stay the night in the hotel, and then head up north in the morning.

Once they had checked in (a twin room, so the girls could catch up), they headed out to Downtown Tokyo. Abigail was dazzled and amazed by the bright lights and high tech city centre. Lindsey giggled at her friend's awe of the place.

"Just wait 'til you see this place at night tonight. It will blow your mind" she teased.

Lindsey had to pick up some specific bits and bobs from some specialist wedding shops for herself and Abigail, and then they had a light lunch. After lunch she took Abigail to an exclusive lingerie shop.

Abigail blushed as they entered, not having been in such an exclusive and by the look of it risque shop. It was all expensive French and Italian lingerie. Lindsey had made an appointment.

"You remember that I told you not to bring any underwear for the wedding itself?" Lindsey asked. Abigail nodded, still blushing. "Well here we are to sort you out properly". Abigail was grateful for the effort, if a little self-conscious of her busty body.

A middle aged Japanese woman attended them for a couple of hours while Lindsey got Abigail to try on a variety of outfits and sets, all in pure white.

"In Japan the old traditional colours for a wedding dress are red and black (white being used for funerals)" Lindsey explained. "But there has been a more recent trend towards more western style white dresses. However, in Maki's village they are very traditional and while there is an acceptance that Maki is marrying me, a 'loud' western girl, we need to be careful not to offend their traditions too much." Abigail nodded in understanding.

Lindsey went on. "So I am wearing a mainly white kimono-style wedding outfit with red and black collar, sash and trimmings. It's perhaps a little bit of a compromise, but I don't mind and it will be well received by the village elders."

"But the substitute, everyone knows, is a quiet western girl, and so they will accept that you can wear whatever you want. And since you are MY substitute, I choose all white for you. Hence the white underwear so as not to show through. Your dress itself is at Maki's aunt's where we will be staying. She is the village seamstress, which is handy."

Abigail thanked Lindsey for the explanation, but stayed beetroot red pretty much for the duration of the lingerie fitting while the friendly and discreet assistant helped the girls try and choose.

The main problem they encountered was that the style of dress that was being made ready for Abigail meant that she couldn't have shoulder-straps for some reason (unspecified by Lindsey). This, coupled with the fact that Abigail was quite busty, meant that some specialist lingerie was required. In fact, Abigail had the most magnificent pair of soft and pert breasts that ever graced a pretty teenager's body.

Eventually they fitted her out with a French-style strapless white lace basque with special boning, tight lacing and structured lace cups which supported her lovely full breasts wonderfully from below. The low lace cups lifted her large and youthful breasts up beautifully, but only just covered her areolae and her nipples. The basque had to be laced pretty tight around Abigail's narrow waist in order to give her boobs sufficient support.

Long white lace gloves, garters which clipped to the basque, matching lace high leg panties and deep lace-top white stockings completed the ensemble.

She was then required to model this provocative "bridal" lingerie in the white platform high heels that Lindsey had already picked out for her. Abigail slipped them on, lifting her feet off the ground but also tilting her feet steeply. Leather straps secured them on her dainty feet.

"I'm not going to be able to dance in these shoes, am I?" she asked Lindsey rhetorically. Lindsey looked worried for a minute.

"Have a strut around and see how they feel" suggested Lindsey. "I think they are more practical than you think. And you MUST be able to dance: it's important."

Abigail didn't know why it was important that she could dance, but acknowledged that it was important for her to walk and at least practice in the heels. She was still donned only in the provocative lingerie as she strutted around the changing area, feeling very self-conscious, especially as the angle of her feet made her legs and back straighten up which in turn made her thrust her already ample breasts out even farther.

Lindsey held her breath in awe over the sheer elegant desirability of her friend.

Eventually Abigail had to admit that the platform heels were in fact quite comfortable and she didn't wobble or slip while testing them out.

"OK. But I still don't think I'll be able to dance much in them" she told her friend.

"Don't worry. You'll be surprised I think. I hope. And anyway, you'll get help at that point."

With that, they were done and Abigail was carefully undressed and she changed into her regular clothes. Lindsey giggled as the expensive lingerie was packed and paid for.

"Maki's paying" she told Abigail. "You're gonna look more beautiful than me in that outfit, if you're not careful, Abby. Not the done thing." Abigail blushed.

"But maybe only under our dresses, so it doesn't count" whispered Abigail back.

The girls took their shopping bags back to the hotel, changed, freshened up a bit, then hit the town.

Abigail was once again in awe at the bright and flashy city surrounding her. Lindsey was right: it was even more dazzling at night. She lost track of the evening. They zipped along monorails. They visited popular hot-spots. They zoomed up amazingly tall towers. They went to the viewpoint where Maki had proposed to Lindsey. They dined in a restaurant with stunning views. They spent a lot of Lindsey's money.

Eventually they staggered, slightly tipsy, back to the hotel for some sleep.

"Thank you for showing me around the city, Lindsey. It was amazing. I've had a fantastic day."

"You're welcome babe. It's the least I can do to say thank you for coming all this way, and for doing the substitute thing for me." Abigail was too tired to ask about it.

*****

They rose, dressed and had breakfast reasonably early the following morning because they had a train to catch.

The girls bundled all their luggage and shopping bags onto a fast bullet train. This took them far up into the north of the main Japanese island, Honshu, far from Tokyo.

The girls had time to chat and catch up about life in Japan. It turned out that Maki had landed a good high tech job and had helped Lindsey to get a clerical job in the same firm. It was in Yokohama, a port city not far from Tokyo and that was where they were living now. Lindsey said she'd show Abigail their place sometime, but on another trip.

For the wedding, It had been arranged that Abigail would stay in the village with Maki's aunt and uncle. He was a local administrator and she was the village seamstress. It was the aunt who was to fit out Abigail's dress tomorrow.

They talked about all sorts of things as the train sped on through cities and countryside. Lindsey educated Abigail on some of the basics of greeting people in Japanese, so that she could fit in and not offend the locals. She also taught her some basic phrases; yes, no, please and thank you and the like.

"Won't we reach the sea soon?" Abigail asked as she glanced out of the window at the Japanese countryside whizzing by.

"Yes, but there's a tunnel under the sea to the Island of Hokkaido" Lindsey replied.The tunnel was long and boring, and black.

At Hakodate, they switched to a normal express train which took them further north to a smaller city. From there, they had to catch a bus. Abigail was getting tired from the full day's travelling. Lindsey assured her that they were nearly there.

When they finally arrived at a small and very rural village deep in the hilly countryside and a long way from any large town, it had already got dark.

As they disembarked their luggage from the bus, a young man came running up the road to greet them. It was Maki. Lindsey squealed and flung herself into his arms. Once the couple had embraced, Maki extracted himself from Lindsey's arms and turned to Abigail. He bowed formally and addressed her politely.

"Miss Abigail Carter. Lindsey and I are very pleased that you could come all this way to participate in our wedding day".

Abigail was a little taken aback by his formal greeting, since the last time they had met, he was just another student bumming around campus with the rest of them, but she remembered what Lindsey had taught her on the train and bowed a formal greeting in response. Suddenly Maki's face cracked into a huge grin and he grabbed her into a close embrace.

"I'm only messing with you, Baby. You don't need to give me a formal greeting." Abigail was relieved that the ice was broken and that she could relax. Lindsey had winced at Maki's "Baby" reference, but Abigail didn't seem to have noticed, or was letting it go.

Maki picked up the luggage while the girls carried the shopping bags and they all walked down the road. Several people waved and called out to them as they passed: the women to Lindsey, the men to Maki but also wiggling their eyebrows at the western girl who accompanied them. It was clear everyone knew who they were and about the upcoming wedding.

After a while they stopped at a modest house.

"This is Maki's uncles', where you will be staying" Lindsey told Abigail as they knocked on the door. They were warmly greeted by a middle aged couple. Abigail remembered the formal japanese greetings she had been taught and these went down very well, endearing her to the couple, who responded with less formal hugs. They were delighted with her and made a lot of fuss over both girls.

After Abigail had been shown her room, they all shared a simple meal. Then Lindsey and Maki left to get themselves sorted. Maki was staying at a friend's house and Lindsey was staying with Maki's parents.

"I'll be back in the morning to help get your dress all sorted Abby" Lindsey called as they left.

Abigail was left alone with Maki's relations. They didn't speak any English and Abigail didn't know enough Japanese to really have a meaningful conversation. But the uncle fetched a world atlas and it was clear that he wanted to know where she had come from.

It had been a long day and presently Abigail felt her eyes drooping. She made a "I'm tired" kind of gesture. The aunt understood and showed her the facilities and then let her settle down for the night.

*****

In the morning, Lindsey called on the house just after they had finished breakfast.

"This morning we are going to sort your dress out, Abby. Then I am going to have a final fitting for my outfit, ready for the big day tomorrow. I'm so excited!" Lindsey's excitement was infectious and soon Abigail had caught it.

Maki's uncle was banished from the house. He went off to make sure that arrangements at the reception venue, the local village hall, were ready for the next day. This left the aunt, Lindsey and Abigail alone in the house all day to look at dresses and other outfits. The Aunt got Abigail to strip down to her underwear (not the actual wedding underwear itself. That would wait until the morning), and then fussed around her. Lindsey acted as the interpreter and also made some suggestions.

The "substitute" wedding dress looked like a pretty standard western style white dress, if a little over the top with frills and puffed up skirts. There was a lot of netting, lace trims, lace frills, lace inserts and the like. Abigail knew of some of the youth and pop culture of Japan from when Maki was a fellow student, and so she wasn't surprised by the style.

She was made to wear the platform heels again, partly to practice wearing them, but mainly so that the dress could be adjusted correctly to suit her height and posture.

The dress was slightly off the shoulder, but had narrow shoulder-straps to keep it up. Now Abigail understood why the underwear needed to be strapless.

What surprised her, and this is how the style differed from any western dress she had seen before (including at her cousin's recent wedding), was how the dress was held together: The dress, once assembled, looked perfectly normal and a complete outfit. But while the aunt was assembling it around Abigail's somewhat busty figure, it was apparent that it actually comprised many vertical sections from the top of the bodice down to the lacey hem of the fluffy skirt. These sections were all tightly held together by white ribbons made into little bows.

Lindsey explained that this was normal for a speedy fitting. Since the aunt did not have the chance or time to measure Abigail's body prior to her arrival, the construction of the dress allowed the ties to be adjusted perfectly to suit. The effect was the same and pretty stunning.

Abigail found herself standing in a strange lounge, looking like an exaggerated parody of a European bride, what with all the extra lace and frills. It wasn't to her taste, but Lindsey was very pleased with the result, so much so she clapped her hands in delight.