Tony and William

 

Tony and William had never appreciated their girlfriends. They took their work for granted, dismissed their complaints and expected them to look perfect whenever they went out together. Now they were learning what that felt like. Their girlfriends had swapped bodies with them—and refused to swap back. Overnight, the two men had become overworked, underpaid secretaries. Their days disappeared beneath ringing telephones, crowded diaries and urgent tasks handed to them just as they were preparing to leave. At first, Tony thought the work would be easy. By Wednesday, he was eating lunch at his desk while his manager complained about a meeting Tony hadn’t even arranged. William fared little better. When he finally protested about his workload, his boss smiled and told him not to get so emotional.

The evenings offered little relief. Their new boyfriends—the women now comfortably occupying Tony and William’s former bodies—expected them to be dressed and ready whenever they decided on a night out. One Friday, Tony came home with aching feet and found a message waiting. Dinner at eight. Wear the blue dress. He called immediately. “I’ve had an awful day. Can we stay in?” “You can’t be that tired. You’ve been sitting at a desk.” Tony went quiet. He remembered saying those exact words. Across town, William stood in front of a mirror while his former girlfriend inspected his outfit. “Are you really wearing that?” William looked down at the clothes he had spent twenty minutes choosing. “What’s wrong with it?” “Nothing. I just thought you’d make an effort.” He felt his face grow hot. Once, he would have insisted that a remark like that was harmless. Later, as they waited outside the restaurant, Tony noticed William tugging unhappily at his dress. “You too?” he asked. William nodded. For once, neither of them had a joke. When their boyfriends arrived, Tony stayed put. “Before we go in,” he said, “we need to talk.” “About what?” William stepped beside him. “About all the times you tried to tell us something—and we wouldn’t listen.”