Chapter 9
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Blunder!
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I checked my appearance in the mirror before I stepped out of our hotel room.
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Vidhya said to me, �You look beautiful!�
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�Thank you!� I said.
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We had decided to go to an Indian Restaurant called Taj Mahal because it was near the hotel where we stayed.� When we stopped to return our room keys, we asked the receptionist for directions to �Taj Mahal�.� It turned out that it was just a block away so we decided to walk.� Best of all, the receptionist did not recognize me to be a man in a dress and addressed me as �Madam.�
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As we walked along the deserted streets of Amsterdam, I longed to have Vidhya hold my hand but that would have made us look like two lesbians � an image we wanted to avoid.� Shortly, we reached the restaurant.� The valet helped Vidhya out of her sweater.� But when he wanted to do the same with me, I told him I need to use the restroom first.� I also told him to fix up a table for two in their non-smoking section and escort Vidhya to it while I used the rest room.� He agreed and I went in the direction of the restrooms.
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The Women�s restroom was first and since I was dressed like one, I stepped into that.
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There was no one inside.� I need to use the toilet also, so I stepped into one of the cubicles.� Taking care to sit down to do what I wanted to do, I emerged out a couple of minutes later.
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As I was unpinning my pallu, the toilet door opened and another lady entered.� She was not an Indian.
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�Hello.� She greeted me.
�Hello� I greeted back.
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�Very beautiful outfit.� It is a saree isn�t it?� she asked me.
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�Yes� I answered.
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�Wow!� Must be complicated to wear it� She commented.
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�Not really.� Not if you know how to wear one.�� I answered.
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�Can you spare a few minutes to show me how you have worn it?�� She asked me.
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I stole a look at my watch, which she noticed.� �Not if you are getting late.�� She said.
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I decided that I liked her so I said, �I think I can spend a couple of minutes.�
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I finished unpinning my pallu from my shoulder and uncovered my chest.
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Luckily the breast forms were so natural in their feel that the lady did not suspect that anything was amiss.�
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�By the way, my name is Inga� she introduced herself.� �I am Radha� I replied.
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She was fascinated with the tailoring of my blouse.� I pointed to her the three tucks in the front and the two at the back which help to make the blouse what it is.� I then drew her attention to the pleats in the front and how one gathered them while wearing them.� I lifted the bottom hem of the saree a little to show a small part of the saree petticoat on which we mount our saree.�
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�Can I use an ankle length skirt under a saree?� It has an elastic on the waist.� Inga asked me.
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�Unfortunately, a saree petticoat must be worn by tying it at the waist with a drawstring.� Otherwise it would not be able to support the weight of the saree.�� I explained.
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�Ok� she said.
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�See - you tuck in the non-decorative end of the saree here at the waist.� Around yourself once while continuously tucking in the edge into your petticoat.� Then once more around you - this time without tucking in your saree into your petticoat and then put the decorative end on your left shoulder.� Next you gather the pleats and tuck them in to your saree petticoat in the front.� Adjust them such that the print of the saree looks good.� Finally the pallu on your left shoulder.�
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I am not sure if Inga understood what I had explained but since I was in a bit of a hurry to join Vidhya at our dinner table, I excused myself and left the toilet quickly.
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Vidhya had not started ordering our dinner.� Both of us were rather hungry but we were also very eager to leave for our hotel.� My dressing up had excited me and I knew that Vidhya also liked me dressed up as a woman.
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So we decided to have soup in the restaurant but pack our main course.� Vidhya ordered Tomato Soup while I ordered Cream of Chicken Soup.� For the main course we ordered Butter Chicken, Naan, peas pulao and daal makhani.� For the dessert we decided to order Kulfi.
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During our idle conversation while waiting for the dinner to arrive, Vidhya suggested we could carry a bottle of wine to our room and have it later.� I agreed and beckoned to the waiter.
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He suggested a couple of wine selections which he claimed were the specialty of the house.� I opted for one of them and asked the waiter to fetch two bottles of the selection.
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He went to the manager who handed the waiter the keys to the cellar where they obviously stored the specialty wines.� Within a few minutes, our food had arrived.� We picked up the food bags and went to the cashier�s counter to pay our bill and collect the wine.
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At the cashier�s counter, the manager hesitated before he handed over our wine bottles.
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�Is anything the problem?�� I asked.
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�No.. not really.. you know actually, we are required to check the identity of the persons to whom we sell liquor as per Dutch law.� So I was wondering if you had any identification document with you.�
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�Oh! Will an Indian Passport do?�� I asked.
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�Sure.� That would be just fine.� Replied the Manager.
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I reached in Vidhya�s purse which I was carrying and found my passport.� I opened it to confirm it was mine and not Vidhya�s when I froze���..
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The photograph inside the passport was mine but it was me in the male mode.� There was no way in which the manager would accept this passport as identification for my present en-femme mode!
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The Manager noticed my hesitation and suspected that something was wrong. His disinclination to give me our wine bottles increased as a result.
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�Madam, is there any problem?�� he asked.
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Vidhya was getting worried too because she did not know what was happening.
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�What�s up?� she whispered urgently in Kannada.
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In quick staccato sentences in Kannada, I explained to her what the problem was and asked her if she had her passport with her.� It turned out that she did not have it.
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�I can accept Madam�s passport,� the Manager explained, thinking perhaps that the passport which I had in my hand was Vidhya�s!� Poor thing he was only trying to be helpful!
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�No it is not what you think it is.�� I told him.� �Do you have your own office where I can explain without any interference?�� I asked him.
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�Sure, this way madam.� So saying, he gestured to a door behind him.
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Both Vidhya and I followed him.� I made it a point to lock the door behind me.
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�Madam what seems to be the problem?�� the Manager asked me.
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I hesitated again.�
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�Tell me madam, I will try and help you as much as possible.�
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�All right this is what it is�� I said.
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�Actually my name is Radhakrishna � Mr Radhakrishna.� Yes I am a man and this here Vidhya is my wife.� We are on our honeymoon and this of my being dressed like a woman is our joint idea.� Vidhya wanted to come out with me like she was with her sister.�� I explained all this in my normal male voice.
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The Manager was speechless.� He did not know what to say.
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Swallowing twice, he said, �Madam�. Sir�.. Madam � Sir I hope you don�t mind me calling you Madam because you look so much like a lady � can you sign as you have signed in the passport?�
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�Yes. Of course.� It is after all my passport, my current appearance notwithstanding.�� I said.
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�Madam that is what matters.� I should identify a person as being above 21 and if the person can sign in the same way as a document which proves that your age is more than 21 years. That is all I need as proof.�
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So saying he gave me a form on which all other details were filled up except my name.� I quickly filled up my name, signed the form and gave it back to the Manager.
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He smiled at me and said, �Thank you�.er� Madam.� I think I feel better to address you as Madam. Hope you don�t mind Sir.��
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�Oh I don�t mind.� Can I ask you a favour or two?� �I said.
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�Sure Madam.� Any other way I can be of help?�� The Manager asked.
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�For one, can you have our food packet brought in to us? And for two, let this incident be between us only?��� I asked.
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�Oh sure Madam.� You can trust me.�� The Manager reassured us.
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�One more thing.� Is there a way out directly from this room so that we don�t have to walk through the dining area?�� I asked.
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�Yes.� There is.� You can leave from here directly.� You will need your sweaters too.� I will have our waiter fetch both your sweaters�.
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The Manager popped his head out of the room, said something to someone outside and within less than a minute, our food packages and our two sweaters were with us.
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The waiter was not even allowed to step into the Manager�s office during this entire episode.
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�Just one question Madam� the Manager asked me.
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�Yes.�
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�I hope you used the Ladies rest room when you came in first earlier.�� The Manager said.
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�Of course.� You would have not known about this thing were it not for the passport!� How would you have felt a lady using a Gents� toilet?�� I asked.
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The Manager had sufficient sense of humour left to actually laugh at my joke.
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We bid him good bye and left the office and walked back to our hotel.� Only after we reached our room did I let out a �Phew!�
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