A Man in a Woman's Body: The Story of a Habentem #Wattys2016 #JustWriteIt

Chapter 9 - First day on the job

The next day I arrived a quarter of an hour earlier than Matilda had requested and watched as Todd strode out the front door like he owned the place and then pulled out of the driveway in his filthy car. He was dressed in a suit and I got the impression he was a slimy businessman. This time I parked out the front and Matilda was ready to greet me at the door.

"Good morning Cherry, so here is the house key which you'll need when you drop the kids off and please make sure they pack their lunches which are on the counter." Matilda said frantically as she ushered me into the house.

"Oh I can have their lunches made in the afternoon for tomorrow if you like?"

"Yes thanks we can try that, come in, come in." Matilda was always in a rush in the mornings even though she was never late.

"Todd looks smart" I said as I entered the doorway and she glanced back at me jealously "what does he do for work?"

"He's a car salesman" and it all made sense she had bought a car a year ago and everything had been different between us ever since that time. Just then Penny rounded the corner.

"Penny you look pretty this morning" I said as she came out of the bathroom "and where is Max?" I said to Matilda and was delighted to see Penny's face light up with the compliment.

"He is running behind, probably doing his shoelaces up the wrong way again." said Matilda with a mean tone.

"Oh, I'll help him." He was in the lounge room "there you are Max let me help you." Soon after I arrived I was glad to see the back of Matilda as she went out the door and backed of the driveway in her mercedes. The kids were soon ready but they weren't very talkative and I hoped they would open up to Cherry once they got to know her.

I tried to make idle chat about things that I know they like on the way to school but the kids gave me strange looks as if wondering they knew that their mother had put me up to this. It was on the way back from school that I heard the strange gravely voice again.

"Take them all"

"What?!" I said and looked all around me, but there was no-one to be seen.

It made me think that I should do something to push Todd out. It wasn't fair that Matilda had driven me out after she met Todd. The only way I could see to get rid of Todd without causing any problems for Cherry's employment was to partially possess Todd. There was no way I was going to fully possess him because I was beginning to like Cherry's body and besides there was no way I wanted to get intimate with Todd to be able to do a full possession, nor did I ever again want any intimacy with my ex-wife.

On my lunch break I went home to Cherry's place and collected the grimoire. I got back with enough time to study the partial possession so I was fresh with it. I hadn't done a very good job of it at Sun Business Solutions and my link with Nanny C had waxed and waned in its effectiveness. I locked the book back in the car before I went to get the kids from school. I picked up the kids from school and then I set to helping them with their homework which wasn't a drama. They gave me a few smiles as I helped them which made it all worth it but they still seemed sad. When Matilda arrived home early I had made a roast chicken dinner and she immediately commented on it smelling nice through the house. I knew it was her favourite and had thus cooked it on purpose.

"Cherry, Penny said you were good with helping her out on her math today, thanks."

"It's all part of the job" and there he was, Todd was walking up to the front door. "Oh, Todd is carrying something, let me open the door for him" and then I had my moment. I opened the door for him and as he came in I made to grab for the overnight bag he was carrying. "Let me take that inside for you" and as I did this I bumped my hand against his and I used the skills I had learnt from the grimoire to gather up half of my essence and drive it into his brain. He shuddered and stepped back.