A bit of my own background to set the mood here. I am a 13 year survivor of Catholic school (k-12) I had led a very sheltered life being raised in the upper-middle class suburbs of Chicago. I was raised by first generation American parents. I went from being Mommy and Daddy's little girl to Marriage to Mother-hood (3x's over) very quickly. So as you see I knew very little of the world around me.

Anyways, I was online one evening just geeking with some of the girls. It was a bit like ladies night cause that's all there was online this night. I geek on a local BBS (bulletin board service) when in pops Katherine :) I'm thinking this is great! All these girls and no men! We were talking about our nails, hair, makeup, shopping, etc.

I should tell you that on this particular BBS it is easy to tell the girls from the guys by the color of their handle/nick-name. Red for girls and Blue for guys.

About 30 mins. into the conversation it hits me (like a fucking brick, I might add) KATHERINE IS A GUY! Either that or my PC is acting up again. I had to find out! So not wanting to hurt anybody's feelings, I gingerly approached the subject. "Can I ask you kinda a personal question, are you a guy or is my 'puter fucking with me again?" His response was simple, direct and to the point "I'm a man" Well this piqued my curiosity, I HAD TO KNOW, why does a MAN have a female online nickname, so I asked as politely as I knew how. "Does this depict a life style or is it a joke?" Katherine did not answer me for a long time. I thought perhaps he was nervous about what I might say, so I reassured him that if it was a life style it was ok with me, I was just asking. What the hell, I've lived in South Florida for years now. The answer I got was not what I was expecting. "I am not gay,I am a Married Man, that just happens to like wearing woman s clothes form time to time" I'm thinking, OK, this is cool. But Wait!!!! Weren't we just talking about getting our nails done, and what about that negligee` he said he had on at this very moment??????ZAP!!! Blown Fuse!!!

"OK" I said "then explain how a professed 'straight' man likes wearing woman s clothes and NOT have homosexual tendencies????" Katherine answered my question with a question "How do you feel just out of the shower, freshly shaved, and wearing something soft made of silk or satin?" "Shaved? As in Legs?" "Legs, pits, chest, I shave everywhere" ZZZZZZAAAAPPPPPP!!!! The Man shaves EVERYWHERE?!?!?!????

I don't mind telling you that I was shocked to my shoes! We spent the next three hours ignoring what was going on in open teleconference and talking to each other about cross-dressing and his sexual preferences. He opened my eyes to Plenty that night.

So we became very close online friends, me and Katherine :) One night I suggested that we meet in person since we did not live but a few miles from one another. Katherine was, to say the least, apprehensive. I told him we could meet at one of the GT's (get togethers) that the board sponsored. Kath told me that he never went to geek functions. Come to find out much later, that he was nervous because I had met him face to face, under another name. He was timid about what my "Real" reaction might be. Understandable when you think about it really. Some people have opinion of you on line and a totally other one of you in person.

So we maintained our separate on line lives, His two and my one. Just the three of us:) Then on Friday night at one of the GT's, this guy pulls me aside and asks me "Do you like the color polish I have on my toes?" He took off his shoe and my chin hit the ground! Here was this guy that I flirted with on a regular basis online and he was also my Kathy!

The only thing I can say is that I am glad he finally told me. I was beginning to think that Katherine was just a figment of my imagination. I got to know both sides of a wonderful man and I love both of Him:)

We now go shopping together for everything you could think of, from shoes and dresses to computer stuff, to some of those things we really don't think about but know exist....giggle

In the time I have known my friend Katherine, I have come to know That there are some things in this life that, I AM JUST TO YOUNG FOR! rofl.

Katherine will always be one of the people in my life that I will forever and always thank for showing me there are all kinds of people that make up this world. Some are good and kind and others are just plane rotten to the core. I am grateful that My Katherine is one of the VERY Good and VERY Kind ones:)

Closets are for clothes
Closets are for shoes
Closets are for hiding 
the junk when your mother drops by
Closets are NOT to hide in
Closets are not for your fears to keep
you locked away in!
Come out of that Closet
Show the world who you are!!