Tick, Tick, Tick... the clock on the kitchen wall could be heard as each passing second was portrayed by the echoing sound down the hallway to where I stood in the bathroom, applying the finishing touches to my make up before taking a step back and admiring my handywork in the mirror.
Growing up Halloween was my favourite time of the year. Which is weird because my parents were 'old school' and for most of my childhood we didn't decorate our house, we didn't go trick or treating, and we wouldn't answer the door when people knocked.
Why?
Because according to my parents it was an 'American' thing that we didn't do here in Australia.
As someone who loved the season, loved horror movies, growing up on the Goosebumps Books by R.L Stine before progressing to the great Stephen King when I was more able to comprehend - Halloween was a perfect time of the year for me.
Which is why later in my teens when my parents finally broke and allowed us to go Trick or Treating with my friends it was a momentous occasion - the 'BIG TALK' that was had that first night before we were allowed to go out has rung through my head every year for the best part of a decade since it replaying itself like a record in my head every time I dressed in whatever costume I was wearing that year.
Those first few years as I was around school friends and attending Halloween parties as an adult I'd go with the norm, The Joker, a Zombie if I remember correctly there was a vampire or something along those lines on an occasion or two.
As I grew, formed my own personality and made my own friends who understood and appreciated my sense of humour I started to have some fun with my outfits. It started one year when I dressed as Regan MacNeil from The Exorcist, it was a pale nightie I found at the local Op Shop, a brown wig, some makeup to help make myself look pale and then some green paint splattered on the front.
Everyone burst into laughter that first Halloween party and yet as the years progressed that friend circle, while people came and went, started to step up their Halloween costumes. Gone were the store brought costumes, replaced with people op shopping and piecing together our own costumes, at times taking much creative leniency.
This off course meant that I needed to continue to step up my attire. While originally appearing as Regan it was, in my mind at least, going to be a one off - that was until the following year when Halloween time was once again rolling around and I was asked what I was going as.
When I originally replied with a 'normal' costume I was booed and jeered by my friends. They wanted Regan, they wanted more. I had set the tone and it had apparently become 'my thing' now.
That is effectively how my tradition of dressing up as some female lead for Halloween was born. Six years after that first Halloween dressed as Regan I stood in the mirror, looking myself over with the costume I had pulled together this year - truly believing I had out done myself.
Taking inspiration from American actress Vera Farmiga this Halloween I had decided to go as Norma Bates from the Bates Motel - the television spin-off to the cult horror film Psycho.
Having had the afternoon with the house to myself to prepare I had taken a long bath, opening a freshly brought pack of razors to shave every bit of body hair from me. Chest hair - gone. Pubic hair - Gone. Under the arms - gone. Legs - gone.
As I watched a YouTube tutorial on how to apply makeup, I rubbed moisturiser over my now smooth legs. Legs have always been a turn on of mine when it came to women, it was an awkwardly sexy feeling as I rubbed my own hands all the legs the lotion slapping against the skin.
From the closet I had retrieved the red dress that I had found approximately two months earlier, really finding that dress was what had prompted this costume in the first place, the dress reached to knees as was a darker red colour with blue, yellow and some orange flowers and other designs to break it up and add some 'flair'.
I had coupled that with a black belt and a little pair of closed in red shoes that matched the colour of the dress, with just a hint of a heel to continue the feminine vibe. A cheap white pearl necklace helped top off the look.
Okay that was a little bit of a lie - I suppose what helped top off the look was the little blonde wig I had brought from the ClubX Adult Store a couple weeks earlier, while the wig was too long and not the right style to suit the look I had been able to find a local hair dresser who was willing to do their magic and turn it into the perfect haircut to suit the look I was going for.
While I was at ClubX I did notice in their adult toy section some fake breasts that some of the Cross Dresser's wear. They had a couple different types including ones you could slide into underwear if you already had it, ones that were built into the under garments and then ones that looked and felt great, but you wore it like you would shoulder padding when out playing football.
Considering that dressing as a female horror character had become my thing for Halloween, I had decided to buy one of these as well, the last option, as that way it could be used time and time again. Plus, I thought it would be funny to add that last little touch to not just this outfit but all my future ones.
Tick, tick, tick... the clock on the kitchen wall continued to echo, my make up the final piece of the puzzle finally done and looking very Norma Bates' if I say so myself.
BEEP! BEEP! The sound of a car horn honking from the front of my place broke me from my gaze in the mirror where I had been admiring myself. I turned towards the door, looking over my shoulder for one last check before leaving the sound of my little heels clicking on the tiled hallway as I made my way to the front door.
"Holy Fuck, Richard." My friend Sam who was giving me a lift to the party exclaimed when I reached the passenger door to his vehicle. He sat in his car dressed as a Disco Llama - don't worry I was as confused as you are right now.
"Shut up Sam, just drive," I said after taking my seat in the car and fastening my seatbelt.
"Don't tell me..." Sam said, I never told any of my friends who I was going as which overtime had added to the overall fun of these costumed parties, "Norma Bates," he correctly guessed. I just gave him a little smile, my red lipstick lips forming upwards at each end.
The house where the party was at was only five minutes away, well within walking distance and I had all intentions to walk that night, however Sam was coming from his girlfriend's place and was driving straight past my front door so insisted on giving me a lift.
