The Life I Became

Being in the body of your child’s best friend’s brother, Gary, and knowing that after the statue was smashed there was no way back—knowing she had lost her body and life just as it was starting—was difficult for Tamara. But after weeks, months, and years of looking for a statue that would swap them back, they had to face facts: it was never going to happen. So instead of wasting their lives trying to swap back, they decided to just make the best of each other’s lives and bodies.

So Tamara, now living as Gary, did just that. She went to university, studied to be a nurse—which was what she had always wanted to do—and just because she was a guy now was not going to stop her. While at university, she met a woman called Beth, and they fell in love, got married, and lived in a house in a nice neighbourhood. They had three kids. She was a proud father. She loved her wife and children—they were her world now.

One day, while Tamara was watching TV with her wife and kids, there was a knock at the door. She got up and saw a heavily tattooed woman standing in the doorway. She had dyed blonde hair, tattoos on her face and all over her body. She had clearly had some plastic surgery done to her nose, lips, and obviously her breasts, which were barely contained by the small vest top she had on. She also wore very small jean shorts. As she got closer to the woman, who was waving at her, she realised who it was.

It was her—her old body, which she had not seen in nearly 12 years. She knew she had told Gary that it was his body now, but blimey, what had he done to her? She opened the door, and Gary stepped inside, but Tamara didn’t want him to come in. She didn’t want her wife and children to know or question who this woman was.

“What are you doing here?” she said very sternly.

“Hi to you too. You see, I just wanted to let you know I found another statue that swaps bodies—just like the one that swapped us all those years ago. I know it works; I spent a day in my boyfriend’s body, but he freaked out so we swapped back. So the question is: do you want to swap back?”

Gary was hoping she would say yes. He had built up quite a bit of debt in her body, had just been evicted from his flat, and his boyfriend had dumped him.

Tamara stood, stunned. She could not believe there was a way to swap back. She looked at her old body up and down—what the hell had Gary done to it? But then she heard her wife and kids laugh, and then call out for their daddy. It was that moment that made Tamara decide she was staying. Her love for her kids trumped any desire to return to her body, which after all these years looked more like a stranger.

“No. This is my life now. I love my kids and wife. I’m sorry,” she said with a lot of passion.

“Fair enough,” said Gary.

Tamara was expecting him to question her decision, but he didn’t. He just kissed his former body on the cheek, turned, and walked away.

She returned to her family. When they asked who it was, she replied, “Just a salesman. No one important,” as she pressed play on the remote and continued watching the film with her amazing family.