The first time Brian laid eyes on Alison; he was absolutely smitten! Brian had heard about this girl through a few mutual friends, but he had never met her until tonight. Alison was the textbook girly-girl, just the opposite of Brain. At 5'05, Brian was a short king but definitely had a case of Napoleon complex. He worked a job in the trades, ate red meat daily, and drank at the football matches with the boys every Saturday. He knew Alison was the one for him that very first night!
Alison was just the opposite. While she was the same height at Brian at 5'05, she was a petite woman that embodied all things femininity. Alison was genuinely unsure when or even if she had worn pants in her life, she had only ever worn skirts and dresses. Alison’s passions were dancing (especially ballet), theatre, and a night out with the girls! While in some ways she found herself attracted to men, Allison resisted toxic masculinity and general manliness as a whole. Alison was firmly in the feminist and Bi girl column, which absolutely sent Brian wild!
During their first meet-up with a couple mutual friends, Brian and Alison hit it off surprisingly well. Despite some of Brian's more masculine hobbies, there was a few good traits Alison found in him. Brian had in fact grown up with 3 sisters, he resisted the toxic political beliefs that some other men his age held. Brian was a cat-dad, like traveling the world, and seemed to be able to hold a conversation with her. All of these things were big wins for her. At the end of the night, they exchanged numbers and went their separate ways. Alison was half expecting Brian to try to “take her home”; which both she was appreciative that he didn't of but almost disappointed of at the same time!
The next day, Brian tried to play it cool. By noon he could wait no longer and sent Alison a text. “Hey! I had a lovely time last night and would like to see you again.” Allison immediately called him and the rest was history. Fast forward a few weeks, months, and years ahead; Brian and Allison are happily in a relationship, things are going great, and they move into their own home in the city together.
While Brian made good money doing trade work, he was always coming home to the house reeking of the days’ work and generally filthy. Brian had been doing trade work for years and it was beginning to take a toll on him, similarly the dirtiness and long hours of his job was beginning to bother Allison. Brian was so good to her, but he was always working or catching up with the guys at the pub. Allison was employed in a remote customer relations position for a massive banking firm which enabled her to work full time from home. It was relatively easy work, but it was oftentimes monotonous and she was beginning to yearn for something new. Alison was a strong feminist and felt that even though she was comfortable at home that she shouldn't be tied down there. The friends they had when they met had moved away to the suburbs with their kids. The separation and isolation began to take its toll on her.
While sitting at her desk on day, Alison’s mind began to wonder. She loved Brian, but did she really want to be in a relationship with this man? Alison knows Brian is infatuated with her, but was she infatuated with him? Alison began to realize that she wanted a woman in her life, someone soft, manicured, and clean. Somebody who shared her feminine passion for the stage and life. Alison found herself at a crossroad; should she hope that there’s contentment with her current life or make a change for her own well-being? But poor Alison kept reverting back to Brian’s kindness and genuine love for her.
Why couldn’t Brian be to woman of her dreams? All at once it hit her. Why couldn’t he? She knew the obvious answer, but times had changed. Maybe if only for a short time, Brian could be the woman of her dreams, she’d be able to find herself again. Maybe, but how? She chuckled at the thought, and let the idea drift off.
Alison had loved the stage since she was a little girl. She was a talented actress, dancer, and choreographer. Alison had Brian turn half of their basement into a small dance studio with everything she needed to dance as her heart desired. In this place she would retrace and re-dance the steps that won her accolades through her youth and into her college years. Those years in the spotlight and embodying her most feminine traits made her feel so fulfilled as a woman. Alison found herself wondering into her small studio. She was restless, lost in her thoughts, even confused. She didn’t know why, but she just had peace in her studio. There was a serenity in this room that would make all the world’s problems alright.
Alison found herself perusing through her stock of costumes. She had danced as Odette so many times in her life and it had made her so happy. Right then and there, she decided today would be different. She would spend the day on herself, in her studio, getting her mind clear.
When Brian arrived home, he could feel Tchaikovsky booming from all of the speakers in their home. Alison had spent hours getting herself dressed and began writing new choreography for the production she loved so dearly. Brian smiled to himself and went downstairs to greet his beloved Alison. When he opened the door, he was surprised to see Alison sitting on the floor of her studio, in full costume, furiously scribbling down the choreographic sequences that were now flowing through her.
As soon as Alison noticed Brian, she enthusiastically ran to him dressed as Odile! Brian was in awe at how beautiful she looked. While she wore a cute black sweater on top, underneath he could see she was wearing an elaborate rhinestone covered classical tutu dress. She was wearing blackout tights, with black slippers. Her bold cat-eye eyeliner, black lipstick, and black fingernails was a striking look for the bubbly woman that he loved so dearly. Brian had seen Swan Lake with Alison many times in the past, but he had never imagined her as the Blackest of Swans.
“Brian! Get yourself cleaned up and back down here” Alison said, “I want to show you everything I’ve been working on today!” Brian was pleasantly surprised by her enthusiasm and was happy to oblige. “Let me head up, I’ll get cleaned up and I’ll be right down” Brian reassured her. As he headed upstairs, he heard Tchaikovsky being turned up again. After Brian got cleaned up, he threw on a plain t-shirt and a pair of sweat pants and headed down to the basement to show some support to everything Alison was doing.
As soon as Brian got into the studio Alison leapt up again and grabbed him, giving him a huge kiss. Enthusiastically, Alison started explaining all of the changes to the ballet she had made. Brian was familiar with the roles, but what Alison was explaining was totally different to everything he knew. She began to walk him through her studio explaining in detail everything that she had thought of. Brian was lost in her beauty and didn’t fully comprehend all of what she said.
“So will you help me?” she asked him.
“Alison, I would help you do anything! If this is what you need from me then so be it, Sure!”
Having no clue what he had just agreed to, Alison shrieked with excitement! “Ok”, she said. “When do you want to get started?!” Brian looked at her and said, “I guess there’s no time like the present, what do you have in mind?” “Oh everything! you’re the best Bri! Thank you!” Shaking with joy Alison grabbed Brian by the wrist and dragged him upstairs to their bathroom for whatever she had in mind.
Once upstairs Alison got to work. Brian was amazed at how effortlessly she got around with 14” of jet-black tulle radiating out from her in all directions. Immediately she got to work rubbing a warm towel around his face, gently exfoliating the few days stubble that had grown. Brian actually felt relaxed as she massaged his face. She told reassured him and told him to relax. Alison began to apply a thick, hot paste all around his face and neck. Alison got to work plucking and shaping his eyebrow. As the paste cooled, it started to tug on his facial hair.
“uhhh babe, whatever you put on my face is really starting to tug a lot. Can you wipe it off?” He said. Allison smiled through her black lipstick and said “babe, that’s hard wax. It doesn’t wipe off, it pulls off.” Brian’s eyes widened at the prospect of what she had just told him, with this revelation the gears in his head started turning. With a mischievous smile, Alison said “Pain is beauty!” before slowly and excruciatingly peeling off the mask from his face. This process left him with the same amount of facial hair as her, other than brows and lashes, None!
Brian was shooed towards the shower by her. “Take your clothes off, you’ll need to re-rinse.” Bewildered, Brian finally asked. “What is your production about? It’s just Swan Lake, The Pince and Baron don’t need all of this effort. Right?” Almost devilishly, Alison looked at him and said “The Prince and Baron? Shit, I had little intention of writing them into my show! This will be a rewrite! A retelling! This is my Wicked to Swan Lake! Think Elphaba to Odlie and Glinda to Odette! It’s Perfect!”
Confused Brian said “sooooooo who is the Prince? The Baron?” She said “I’m not writing them in yet; if at all.” Brian asked “So what do you need me for again?” She looked at him with pleading eyes “You said you’d be my Odette!” Similar to deja vu, Brian realized that in his infatuation with her beauty and outfit, she hadn’t been showing him a partner’s routine. She had been showing him a rival! A sister! Unwittingly, He had agreed to become her White Swan, He would be her Odette.
In a daze by her revelation, Alison handed Brian a bottle of strong depilatory cream. She instructed him to cover every inch of himself with the cream from the neck down. She told him “This is like an exfoliant! Better yet, this is like the soap you spray on the car to break up all the gunk! Leave it on for 5 minutes then spray it off! You’ll be showroom clean!” As the depilatory cream worked its magic, Brian became more and more uncomfortable. At 5 minutes, he could barely stand it! Alison smiled devilishly and told him “Ok, now rinse it off!” Brian was in shock! “Perfect!” Allison said “All that gunk gone!”
With the same excitement, Alison threw Brian a towel. Brian felt confused and almost dazed by how everything now felt. He was in fact “showroom new” as he had no hair anywhere! Alison came over with a bottle of moisturizer and jokingly told him “You need to apply this to your legs every time your tights come off!” Brian was confused by her statement but Alison continued “Arms, face, and body after every rinse. Hands need to be moisturized at the first sign of dryness. OK?”
Topic: The Swan (Read 1862 times)
