THE PROM STATEMENT: Chapter 2
By
Nina Adams

In the heat of debate, Clarence makes a Prom
Statement that would change his life forever.

-----------------The Hole Gets Deeper------------------------

Our mothers were genuinely excited to hear our decision.

“Well, have you decided who will play each part?” My mother could barely keep the sly smile off her face when she asked the question.

“Yes mother, I will be your little Prom Queen and Max will have me home before the chariot turns back into a pumpkin.”

I thought I was pretty funny, but neither of them was laughing.

“You never know, when we get done with you, he may not want to.”

I could feel a little chill go down my spine when I heard her attempt at humor.

“Okay mom, you have had your little fun. Now let’s all forget about this for a while and you can stop with the teasing.”

“That’s fine, I have a lot to do before we can get started. Don’t worry your pretty little head for a while, we will get the ball rolling.”

“What do you mean ball rolling? The Prom is not for 3  ½ months.”

“Now Claire, not only do we have to get you everything you need to be presentable, but you have a lot to learn about being a girl. You are not going to just show up and be able to present yourself as a young lady. You have a lifetime of things to learn and a very short window to learn them. We will do our best to teach you, but it will not be easy.”

“What’s with Claire? What do you mean by all of this teaching stuff?”

“You are going to have to learn not just how to look like a girl, but also how to respond like one. If you had been born a girl I was going to call you Claire. Whenever possible, I think it best that I call you that now. By the time the Prom comes around you will feel more comfortable with it. It is such a pretty name and I hope you like it.”

“I can’t believe this is already starting. Please don’t call me that.”

“Now Clarence, you agreed to be cooperative. This is what we were talking about. If you want to just hand over your senior trip cash, then just continue to complain. We will not put up with this, so when I ask you to do something, I expect you to do it and not complain. It may take a while, but I bet before long, you will begin to enjoy this. Remember the Prom was one of the best nights of my life.”

“Whatever, we will see.”

Shortly after that, Max and his mother left for home. I felt defeated even though I had stood up for my convictions. I really did not know what was in store for me, but I most certainly was not looking forward to it. Being called Claire was one thing, but I knew at some point she was probably going to make me wear a dress. With the Prom so far into the future, I was hopeful that day would be far off.

The next couple of days were relatively uneventful. I could see my mother looking at me a little differently and she practically spent the whole day Saturday on the telephone. On Sunday, she went through my closet and got rid of some clothes that no longer fit me well. She even got rid of some clothing that still fit me, but that she did not like. She used the excuse that spring was around the corner and I would need some new clothes anyway. She even went through my underwear drawer and purged almost any pair that did not look almost new. I was left with only three or four pairs of jockeys. She also managed to dispose of some of my shoes. I was left with my basic white gym shoes, my favorite black Dansko clogs, and a pair of yellow crocs.

I was thankful that I managed to make it through the weekend without further incident. I could not get the Prom out of my head, but for the moment she had not talked to me much about what she had planned for it. I actually felt relieved to get back to school and get my mind off my strange nightmares. At school on Monday I spoke with Max and he seemed unaffected by the turn of events. He was his usual friendly self, but never brought up the whole Prom situation. I guess for the moment I really didn’t need to talk about it anymore. There would probably be time for that later.

After school on Wednesday I learned that I got one of the main solo parts in the winter chorus concert. We would be singing a series of songs from the hit show Glee and I would have at least one of the major solos. I worked hard for this and was very excited to tell my mother when I got home. In Chorus, I had sung many solo lines before, but this would be my first lead solo for a whole song. I was finally going to get an opportunity to step out of the background.

I got home from school before my mother got back from the hospital. She usually beat me home, but she had recently been promoted and given major supervisory responsibilities over other nursing staff. She still did shifts as an emergency room nurse, but now she had additional responsibilities. It was a little extra work, but a prestigious promotion and paid her quite a bit more money.

When she came through the door I wasted no time in telling her of my good fortune. She could see how thrilled I was and congratulated me with a kiss and a long hug. She brought home some carryout salads from her favorite Italian restaurant called Hole in The Wall. We rarely ate carryout so I asked her if she was going out later.

“Claire dear your aunt Sharon and cousin Rachel are going to come by at seven o’clock to help me plan for your spring Prom.”

I could feel my heart drop. I was almost in too much shock to respond. A moment ago I was dancing on the clouds and now I wanted to crawl under a rock. This was beyond horrific. Not only had she spoken with her sister about me, but, she had drawn my cousin into my personal hell. Rachel was only two years older than me and had graduated high school just one year ago. This was getting more embarrassing by the second.

I always found my cousin Rachel one of the most mesmerizing girls I had ever known. She was just about the prettiest girl I had ever seen and now this. I always felt strange around Rachel because I found her so beautiful. She was gorgeous in every way and even dressed with class and style. I always had trouble talking with her before and now she was going to be here discussing my outlandish pledge. If I wasn’t already regretting my decision, I certainly was now.

“How could you tell them about this!”

“Honey, your aunt is co-manager at David’s Bridal Boutique. Not only can she be helpful, she can get us a discount on anything we buy there. It was her idea to include Rachel.”

“I can’t face them, especially Rachel. She is going to think I am weirder than she probably already does.”

“Aunt Sharon said Rachel jumped at the opportunity to help. Remember she went to the Prom last year and works part-time at the bridal boutique. She will be able to bring some of Mrs. Rosen and my traditional ideas up to date. You should be grateful for her input.”

“What are they going to do now? This thing is not for over 3 months.”

“Tonight we’re just going to get together to put down some basic ideas and a timeline. We will probably do a little brainstorming about what needs to be done. You probably don’t even need to be around for most of the discussion.”

“I don’t want to be around for any of it.”

“Now Clarence, we talked about this. You better cooperate or expect to be punished. Do we understand each other?”

With that we sat down to eat our dinners. I hardly ate anything and asked to be excused to my room. She said she would call me down after our guests arrived or when they needed me.

Up in my room I just sat on my bed. I didn’t know how to react. I thought about calling Max, but other than complaining, I really didn’t think he could be much help. My mind was spinning. What could they be planning or brainstorming about? Maybe they just wanted to have a laugh at my expense. And how could Rachel be involved? We weren’t exactly close, but she never seemed to be mean to me or have anything against me. A few minutes after reaching my room I heard some people come in through the front door. It had to be them.

I did not want to face them and I was not going to go down unless my mother called me. I continued to hang in my room trying to not think about it. I tried doing some school reading, but my concentration was horrible. I was up in my room for about a half-hour, but got more restless by the second. The curiosity was starting to get to me. I wanted to know what they were discussing, but I did not want to join them or face them.

I decided to try and spy on their conversation. My plan was to turn the TV volume up in my room so they would think I was watching something and then listen from part way down the staircase. It was a good plan, but with the TV blaring from my room, I could barely hear any of the discussion. I thought about sneaking closer, but I did not want to be caught.

It was clear from what I could hear that they were still talking about me. All three of them were intensely involved in the banter. I could only make out bits and pieces of the discussion. I think I heard them mention things like proper fit, appointment, from work, Max, and scheduling. It was hard to follow the trail of conversation, as it seemed to keep jumping around. When I heard one of them get up I scurried back to my room.

It was probably a false alarm, but since and I couldn’t figure out what they were saying anyway, I just stayed in my room. About 20 min. later there was a knocking at my door. I nearly jumped off my bed when the pounding startled me. I turned the TV down and yelled, “Who’s there?”

“Honey, please open the door. I need to talk to you for a second.”

I reluctantly opened the door and with a long face asked my mother what she wanted.

“We have been working hard downstairs to make sure your big night is a special one. Before they leave we need you to come down stairs in your robe. You can wear a pair of shorts if you want but please do not wear a T-shirt.”

“Mom, what’s this about?”

“It’s just to show your aunt and cousin how big you are.”

“Why do I have to strip down? They’ve seen me before.”

“Clarence, please just do it and don’t make us wait.”

With that she just left the room and went downstairs. As much as I wanted to just lock myself in my closet, I figured I might as well get it over with. I put on my robe and a pair of gym shorts and slowly made my way down the stairs. I was greeted by giant smiles from Rachel and Aunt Sharon.

“Hello Princess, Rachel and I were so elated to hear about your bold social statement and are behind you 100%. We are committed to helping you make it a perfect night.”

I wanted to puke.

Quickly Rachel interjected, “When my mother told me about your plans I almost couldn’t believe it. But after I thought about it for a while I had to agree that you are totally right about your conviction. We both agreed that you should do this and we want to help you do it right.”

“I really don’t need any more help. Mother seems to have it under control.”

“Now Clarence or should I say Claire, you are going to need all the help you can get. Your Aunt and Rachel the perfect people to lend a hand.”

“What kind of help?”

“It’s not like you can snap your fingers and go from a boy one day to being escorted to the Prom the next. You have so much to master and will need all of us to avoid looking silly.”

“Fat chance of that.”

“What have I said to you? I will not have that tone. You need to be thankful that they are willing to help.”

I looked at my relatives without looking directly into their eyes and mouthed a soft, “Thank you for your help.”

“Aunt Sharon and I are going to work on some of the big picture stuff like clothes, presentation and attitude. Your cousin will tutor you on some of the finer details of being a teenage girl. If you just relax you will find this so much more fun.”

“I still don’t understand why I need so much planning.”

“By the time you show up at the dance looking like the beautiful young lady that I know you will be, I think you’ll understand that it was all necessary.”

I could feel the pit in my stomach tightening.

“Okay then, can I go back to my room?”

“You are wearing only shorts so that Aunt Sharon can take some measurements. In order to properly fit you, we need to know your exact body measurements.”
Aunt Sharon pulled from her purse a tape measure that she had borrowed from the bridal shop. She started wrapping it around me from almost every angle and on every part of my body. She wrote down her findings on a form that clearly read David’s Bridal Boutique across the top.

When she was finally done, she looked at me and proudly said, “You are so lucky to be this thin. Most of the brides that I fit would die to be so thin. The only things you lack are a few curves. But it is always easier to add a few curves than to take them away.”

I had not really thought that much beyond the concept of wearing a dress. Padding as she put it was not something that had crossed my mind. I just smiled and nodded.

Mom looked at me and in a firm voice said, “Claire that’s all we need you for tonight. Young lady, you can excuse yourself if you like.”

I turned and dashed up to my room and closed the door. About 10 min. later I could hear our guests leave. I just laid on my bed in near tears until my mother returned to my door. She softly knocked and before I responded came in.

“Honey, I know this all seems so confusing to you right now. It is a little confusing to me too. When this whole idea was suggested, I was at first upset about it. But when I looked at you, I could see that this was something important to you and that you really did want to go with Max to the Prom.”

“He’s just a friend.”

“Quiet dear, I know he is your friend, but I think he felt just as strongly about this as you. The more I thought about it, the more I thought your little social statement was a worthwhile idea and one that would be good for you to make.”

“I’m no longer as sure myself anymore.”

“I know this is not all going to be simple, but to do what is in your heart and sticking to your convictions is rarely that easy.”

“Why did you have to bring everyone into it already?”

I needed to talk with my sister to make sure it was the right thing to do. It was mostly my idea, but my sister always is helpful to me when I need some objective thinking. When I spoke with her about it, she was very supportive and helped me realize how much was involved and how little time we actually had.”

“I still don’t get the time thing. The Prom is not until near the end of April.”

“She told me that a lot of the other girls had already ordered their dresses. In your case you have never even worn one.”

“Mom!”

“It’s true. Do you remember how beautiful Rachel was last year for her Prom?”

“Of course! She wore that long silky powder blue dress and those tall white spiked shoes. Her hair cascaded down both sides of her gorgeously made up face. She looked much older than 17. I thought she was the prettiest thing I had ever seen.”

“I see you remember her gown well. If we are going to make you beautiful it is going to take a lot more work than it was for Rachel.”

“Mom, I am not going to look like Rachel.”

“Don’t be so sure. I think with proper effort you will look lovely.”

“I am a boy. I don’t want to be lovely!”

“It’s better to be lovely than to show up looking like a boy in a dress.”

“I guess you are right about that. This is going to be so embarrassing.”

“It will only be embarrassing if you let it. Just let us bring out what is inside of you.”

“Inside of me?”

“You need to let the soft side of what is inside of your soul out. Don’t fight it.”

“I am still not completely sure.”

“Honey this is for you and Max, but I have to admit I will probably enjoy some of this too.”

“You want to see me squirm?”

“No dear, because your father died so young, I never had a chance to have a daughter. At least for a while I may get to experience some of that. I think getting you ready for the Prom will be fun for me.”

“I am glad for that. I will try and cooperate, but remember I’m just a boy. I am not really a girl.”

“Thank you honey. But Claire, you need to try and forget that last fact.”

It was nice to have had this personal discussion with my mother about what I had committed myself to. I could see that she had thought this all through and for whatever reasons, was anxious to see it to the end. Clearly, there was going to be much more to this than I originally thought, but I still had almost no clue about what was might lie ahead. I still felt uneasy, but I was going to try and be cooperative and follow their lead. I fell asleep thinking about Rachel dressed so magnificently in her Prom attire.

To be continued……

I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE ALL FEEDBACK--- MY STORIES ARE PURE FICTION, BUT ARE BASED UPON ACTUAL EVENTS IN MY FANTASIES….