This is insane, she thought. I'm a 117 year old geezer, frozen in a cryolab; I must be dreaming or hallucinating this. Maybe it's a byproduct of the cryo process, maybe I've died and am in heaven, hell, or in the quantum foam somewhere/somewhen. It can't be real, but if this wasn't real, it was the best simulation of real a mind could ever know.
Summoning up a small bit of courage she lifted the covers to reveal what she had guessed: a woman's body, clothed in a long white T-shirt, and presumably underwear, although these were hidden. Jamie uncontrollably began to shake, to shiver, and then was lost in the marvelment of being able to shake. The old body could barely move at all, much less react quickly to anything. The shaking was almost a pleasure, but soon stopped as acceptance gathered strength. If this was her new body, in some new life, she might as well get used to it. How quickly the mind adapts! Too quickly, perhaps; this may well be the fluid reality of a dream.
She quickly (quickly! What a joy!) slid from the bed, pulled off her nightclothes and stood in front of a full-length mirror. She was apparently of Northern European descent, perhaps Irish, about 5'10", shapely but not voluptuous, mid-twenties, with green eyes and long dark hair. Looking down was a startling experience. As a man Jamie had seen many female bodies, from many positions, but never from this point of view. Her waist narrowed impossibly then flared to wide hips and an ample rear. Strange, at least from a male's point of view. Her breasts blocked a direct view of much of her abdomen, and she was amazed at their mass, and how as she turned they carried considerable momentum, at least compared to what she had been used to as a he. Also, the lower center of gravity of a woman made her feel very well balanced, especially considering that, as an ancient man, his equilibrium had been failing.
She also realized that hygiene was going to be a major consideration…
Walking was an adventure, partly because it had been so long since Jamie had experienced easy walking, partly because of the new frame, new perspective. Everything seemed higher up now; she seemed to have lost about 5 inches. But her legs seemed even longer than before, and were joined at the hip differently, so her first steps were anything but graceful.
Turning her attention to the room, Jamie started exploring the closets and cabinet. Each drawer revealed evidence of a typical woman's boudoir. The clothes and shoes were tasteful but not elegant, there was a small amount of makeup, and the necessary toiletries. The furniture was mostly oak, but not a heavy, masculine design. There was a small flat panel display and unfamiliar interface on the desk, probably for video, communications, and network access. She started towards the window, but modesty stopped her long enough to put back on her (she must start thinking of these things as hers) nightclothes.
She was apparently living near the ocean. She couldn't place the beach, but it looked like a typical Southern California beach-sandy, not rocky, no steep bluffs or redwoods. But how many sandy beaches were there in the world? It appeared to be midday: clear, warm and sunny.
When the door chime sounded Jamie was first confused, then frightened. Confused, because she didn't at first recognize the sound, and when it dawned on her that it was nothing but a doorbell, she had no clue where the front door was. And frightened, because she didn't know who was there, what to say, how to act. She fast realized that everything was new to her, even answering the door. She wasn't even sure what country she was in, what language was spoken (she hadn't yet taken note of anything with writing on it), or even what year it was.
The chime sounded and resounded. Fortunately her place was small, only a few rooms, so finding the front door was easy. When she finally had summoned the courage to open it there was a young blonde woman, about 4 inches shorter than she, slender, standing there with a look of both exasperation and joy. The blonde quickly hugged Jamie, stood on tiptoe, and planted a big, wet kiss on her mouth. This had the immediate consequences of realization and arousal. Jamie hadn't had time to consider her sexual orientation; everything was too unfamiliar, too sudden. But this young woman confirmed her preferences, at least for the moment. The sensation of arousal was clear but foreign: soft and hard at the same time, an ache in the pit of the stomach, increased heart rate-- a full body experience, familiar yet dissimilar to anything she had experienced in her previous 117 years.
"Jamie dear, are you going to sleep all day", cried the woman teasingly. (Ah! Jamie thought, I am still Jamie, and the language is English. How did she know I was sleeping? Oh, I haven't changed my pajamas!)
"If you wanted to stay in bed you could at least have invited me!"
Jamie wasn't sure how to proceed, so she blurted out, "Something very strange has happened to me. I don't know where I am, how I got here, or even who you are. I just woke up here half an hour ago looking like this. No matter how scary that sounds to you, it's much scarier to me!" And then Jamie started crying, something HE had not done in decades, not since Clare had died.
The young woman was briefly startled by this unexpected statement, but she recovered rapidly, gently hugged Jamie, and guided her to a big, brightly colored sofa.
"OK, let's start with me. I'm Patty, Patty Clarke, your par amour for these last 18 months. You are Jamie Southard, a reincarnate, thawed out 3 years ago. Your body was grown from a DNA sample you provided and an anonymous donor ovum. You were frozen for 45 years, long enough for cryomedicine to advance and for this body, which I just adore, to be grown. When reborn, your had ample income from your past-life investments to buy this place and coast until you make a new life. That help, hun?"
Of all the things Jamie could have said she sobbed, "So I'm gay?"
Patty laughed. "Gay? You mean homosexual? Not in your mind. You lived an entire life as a man. Your brain is largely a male brain, after adjustments for the new body. They say it's typical for reincarnates to retain their previous orientation. Me? Yep, I'm "gay", although we don't use that word anymore. And I come about it naturally, thank Goddess. Much less confusion."