Sister, Sister, Sister - Part 9
By Missy Crystal

Twelve year old Johnny wants to play Barbies with his sisters, but Barbies are for girls. How can Johnny join the game? A sweet, sentimental story about a young boy's discovery of the girl he should have been with the help of his sisters and mother. This is a story I wrote a couple of years ago and I am posting it here for those who would like to know more about Dr. Jenny Mitchell. It is complete, for those who anguish over being left hanging, but too long for a single post.

"Hi, Mom," I said cheerily, "how are you and Mr. Kenneth doing?"

"Great," Mom replied. "We didn't stop for lunch and, well, I was wondering if it would be okay if I didn't get home until later. Kenneth wants to go out for dinner. I know it's a school night, but do you think you could manage?"

That was a switch, mom asking me for permission to stay out.

"Of course," I assured her. "Beth and I are doing fine on our own. We had a nice time at the park and Julie is here now. Please Mom, you never get to go out, so have fun. Don't worry about us," I told her confidently.

"I don't know," Mom hesitated.

"Mom, I know Beth and Susie would be very upset if they thought you came home just to take care of us. Really, we're big girls. Umm, well, most of us are," I said with a laugh.

Mom got the joke as to whether I meant that Susie wasn't big yet or I wasn't a girl yet and laughed back.

"Okay, Jenny," she conceded, "I really would like to have dinner with Kenneth. He wants to go to an Italian restaurant. He knows the chef. In fact, as far as I can tell, he knows everybody. He is really amazing," Mom glowed. "Tell Beth and Susie that I love them. Oh dear. I don't know what you'll do about supper," Mom added, changing over to a more practical train of thought. "Maybe you can order pizza. Oh, no," she went on, talking to herself, "I didn't leave you any money. I'm being silly. I should come home."

It was time for me to put my foot down.

"No, Mom. We will be okay. In fact, it will be fun for the three of us to be on our own. We're not going to starve to death. I promise. Worst comes to worst, we'll have cereal and toast or something. Don't worry about it. Just enjoy yourself."

It didn't take a lot of persuading to convince Mom not to come home.

"Okay, Jenny dear. That's very sweet. Thank you." Then going back to mother mode she asked, "are you sure you'll be alright?"

"Yes, Mom, we'll be perfectly fine. The number for the police, fire department, ambulance and poison control center are on the refrigerator. We're prepared for any emergency. Even Beth's cooking," I kidded her. "Seriously, Beth babysits and Mrs. Johnson trusted me to stay with Julie while she went out, so don't worry. We're very responsible."

"I know, Jenny. Being a mother is very stressful. You'll see." Then she caught herself. There was a pause.

"We'll be fine," I repeated, ignoring her slip. "You're wasting your time on the phone. Go do what Mr. Kenneth has planned. Goodbye!"

"Bye and thanks. See you tonight." She hung up the phone.

I figured it was time for me to give Beth a break and I had to tell her about Mom not coming home until late, so I put my books away and headed upstairs. I peeked into her room and saw that Susie and Julie were sitting at the makeup table with Beth working on their eyes. She had one of her fashion magazines open. I guessed that they were trying to copy the look of one of the models. She looked up when she saw me come in.

"Hi, Jenny, we're almost done. What do you think?"

Susie and Julie turned around. What I thought was that Mr. Kenneth had wasted his time explaining how girls should look natural. Beth gave me a stern look, which I took to mean, 'if you laugh, I will kill you.'

Not wanting to see if she would make good on her threat, I said with a straight face, "who are these movie stars and what have you done with Susie and Julie?"

The girls giggled and Beth smiled and shook her head.

"It's us, Jenny," Susie revealed.

"Oh my goodness, I never would have recognized you."

That was true, sort of.

"Alright, girls," Beth broke in. "I have some things I need to do. Jenny will take over. Jenny, would you put all the makeup and brushes away, please."

"Sure, Beth, but I have something I need to tell you. Mom, umm, your Mom called." I looked at Julie, but she was admiring herself in the mirror and didn't seem to be paying attention to our conversation. "She said," I continued with relief, "that she didn't have time for lunch, so Mr. Kenneth asked her out to dinner. Italian. She is going to be late, so we're on our own."

"Not a date, hmm," Beth said suspiciously. "Maybe Mom didn't think so, but I bet Mr. Kenneth had it all planned. Men are really sneaky when they're romancing a woman."

"And you are an authority on men, because why?" I said defensively on Mr. Kenneth's behalf. "It must be all those boys lined up outside our front door wanting to ask you out."

Beth glared at me.

"I have plenty of boys who want to date me, thank you very much. I just happen to have high standards. Seriously, Jenny, I want a boy to respect me, not just take me out because I'm arm candy."

"Arm candy, Sis?" I winced at the slip and checked out Julie. She was still absorbed with her appearance. "I don't understand."

"Arm candy means a pretty girl who guys show off to their friends. I'm not interested in being decoration."

"I suppose it's a compliment that a guy thinks you're pretty enough to be arm candy," I reasoned.

"Not, really, Jenny, at least not as far as I'm concerned. I like being pretty, but there's more to me than that. How would you feel about someone who didn't care anything about you, except for your looks? You, more than anyone, should know that it's not your appearance that counts."

I nodded.

"Getting back to the subject, Sis …"

Beth put her finger to her lips and turned to see if Julie was listening. I looked too. She wasn't. Beth nodded for me to go on.

"It doesn't mean that Mr. Kenneth had this planned. I was the one who made them late by asking him to help with my hair and it's a good thing he did, considering who we ran into in the park. I suppose there's no way to know for sure, but I think he deserves the benefit of the doubt. Besides, it really doesn't matter, so long as Mom …" Beth gave me a look. Darn, I really stunk at talking in front of people who weren't family, "… is having a good time and, from the sound of her voice on the telephone, she is."

"Agreed," Beth said with a nod of her head.

Jenny and Julie had been patiently waiting for Beth and me to finish our conversation. I turned to them.

"Lets get the makeup put away and then we can play. What would you like to do?"

"Jenny," Beth said, as she was leaving, "come down to the kitchen after you finish with the girls and we can plan dinner."

"Yes, mam," I replied.

I turned to the girls.

"What would you like to do now?"

"We could play dress-up," Julie suggested. "Maybe find some glamorous outfits to wear with our makeup. That would be fun."

I wasn't in the mood to supervise the girls rummaging through Beth's closet and I was sure Miss Organization wouldn't be happy about them messing up her clothes. Then there was the problem of Julie having to get undressed. Mrs. Johnson had been very sympathetic, but I wasn't sure how she'd feel about me seeing Julie in her underwear. I could find some excuse to go out when she was changing, but that was a nuisance.

"That does sound like fun, Julie," I agreed, "but you might get makeup on Beth's good clothes. I don't think she would like that," which was an understatement, considering the lecture on neatness I got from her when I left one of her dresses on the floor.

"I suppose," Julie conceded. "What do you want to do, Jenny?"

I thought for a minute.

"I really like playing Barbies, Julie. Susie has lots of great outfits for her and we always have fun when she and I play. It would be ever better with you," I said encouragingly. "Right, Susie?"

"Super," she agreed enthusiastically. "We can have like a really big party with Barbie and Stacy. Who do you want to be, Jenny?"

"Why don't you and Julie pick out your dolls and I'll be Ken," I suggested diplomatically.

Julie was the guest, so Susie let her have Barbie. I really didn't mind playing Ken. Just spending time with the girls was fun.

As usual, the girls made up an elaborate fantasy. Barbie and Stacy both had a date with me, that is, Ken, and they were each trying to look better than the other to win his heart, obviously preparation for real life. The two girls fussed over their outfits until they were satisfied. Susie dressed Stacy in a floor length glittery blue halter dress with black stockings and black high heels. Julie put Barbie into a white strapless knee length sheath with silver stockings and gold shoes. Not to my taste, but then Ken was a two timer, so maybe he was into trashy, I chuckled to myself. Finally we were ready, except for Ken. He was still in his beach outfit from the last fantasy. The girls found a pair of tan slacks, a shirt and shoes for him, but no sox. I suggested that he could go without them, but the girls insisted that their escort be properly dressed. Finally, they offered me a pair of Barbie's black stockings. The fact that their dream date was wearing girl's clothes didn't seem to bother them a bit, but then this was just pretend, I reasoned. That got me to wondering how Julie would react if she knew the truth about me. I shrugged mentally. It was not a question to which I was anxious to find out the answer.

My thoughts were interrupted by Susie.

"Jenny, Jenny, we're ready."

"Oh, sorry girls, I was daydreaming, sort of."

Julie began by having Barbie invite Ken to the movies, taking advantage of her Barbie car, a pink two-seater convertible which no boy could resist. Susie took the alternative route to a boy's heart, asking him to come over for a barbeque on her pink Barbie grill. We even had a selection of doll-sized fake food with all of the accessories for serving. I decided to play hard to get.

"What movie are we going to see, Barbie?"

Julie was not prepared for so practical a response.

"Huh," she stalled, "its, umm, its, umm, it's a movie. I don't know. We're just going to go on a date to the movies. It will be fun. We can have soda and popcorn and candy."

"Will it be one of those movies with kissing and stuff?" I asked her. "I don't like movies with kissing and stuff."

Julie pouted.

"No, it will be a nice movie. You'll like it. We'll have lots of fun," she insisted.

"Oh, well maybe, Stacy asked me over for a barbeque. I have to talk to her and then I'll let you know."

Turning to Susie, I said, "hi, Stacy, what are you making?"

"Hamburgers and hotdogs," she said, pretending to be cooking. We have soda too and ice cream for desert."

I didn't remember seeing any pretend ice cream, but I supposed that a little exaggeration didn't hurt when you were competing for a date.

"I like pizza better," I teased her, "but ice cream sounds good. What flavor. I like chocolate. Can we have chocolate sundaes? I really like chocolate sundaes."

Susie glared at me and Julie joined in.

"Jenny, really, you just don't know anything about how to be a boy," Julie scolded me. "Boys have to be nice to girls, because they want us to be their girlfriends."

Susie giggled and I gave her a look. Julie glanced at her, to see what was so funny. Susie just shrugged and fussed with Stacy's dress.

"I'm sorry, Julie," I apologized. "I was goofing around. Let's keep playing and I'll be a good boy."

That got a giggle from both of them, although for different reasons.

"Let's see," I said, going back to being Ken, "I want to go to the movies in your cool car, Barbie, but I'm hungry, so I'm going to stop by Stacy's and get a burger first. She's got ice cream too, chocolate, my favorite. How about if you pick me up when I'm done?"

The fantasy continued with Barbie and Stacy both inviting Ken to dance, although the girls' idea of dancing was for each of them to put on a performance, part ballet and part gymnastics, while he watched appreciatively. I was so involved that I lost track of time, until I heard the doorbell ring. I looked over to the clock on Beth's night stand and it was almost five. Mom wouldn't have had dinner yet and she had a key, so it must be Mrs. Johnson calling for Julie, I reasoned.

"Girls, that's probably Julie's Mom, here to get her. Please clean up the Barbie stuff and come down when you're done. I'll go down and say hello."

"Okay, Jenny," Julie said.

"Uh huh," Susie agreed.

By the time I got downstairs, Beth had already answered the door and Mrs. Johnson was standing in the hall.

"Hello, Jenny," she greeted me.

"Hi, Mrs. Johnson," I responded.

"How were the girls?" she asked.

"They were fine. We were playing Barbies and they will be down as soon as they finish putting them away."

Mrs. Johnson smiled.

"Barbies does seem to be your game," she observed with a wink.

The three of us laughed at her reference to how I discovered Jenny.

"You mother isn't home yet?" she inquired.

"No, Mrs. Johnson," Beth told her.

"I'm afraid that I made them late by asking Mr. Kenneth to help me with me hair, so they didn't stop for lunch," I added. "Mom called a while ago and said that he was going to take her out for dinner."

Mrs. Johnson smiled.

"I'm glad your mother is enjoying herself. I can't remember the last time that she went out on a date."

Beth and I looked at each other.

"According to Mom," we said in unison, "it's not a date."

Then we looked at each other and laughed at the coincidence.

"Mmm, well, whatever. Do you girls want to come home with me? I'm not sure what I can throw together for dinner, but I'm sure we can find something. We could order Chinese. Julie loves spareribs and egg rolls. How about you girls?"

"Honestly, Mrs. Johnson" Beth said politely, "we don't get to spend much time by ourselves. I think it would be fun if we puttered around the kitchen together."

Just then we heard the girls coming downstairs. Mrs. Johnson looked up and did a double take when she saw Julie. I had forgotten the exotic makeup job Beth had done on her and Susie. Beth caught Mrs. Johnson's expression and took responsibility.

"I hope you don't mind Mrs. Johnson. We decided to try some of the samples Mr. Kenneth left and, well, we got a little carried away," she said apologetically.

Mrs. Johnson smiled. She walked over to Julie, took her chin in her right hand and examined her face, turning it from side to side and tilting it up and down.

"Very professional. I wish I could learn to put on makeup like that. Maybe when Julie gets a little older she'll give her mother a lesson," she teased.

"Mom," Julie whined in embarrassment at the attention.

"I was going to take you to the drugstore to get some lip balm, but it seems that would be like carrying coals to Newcastle."

We all looked puzzled.

"Oh, that's just an old expression," Mrs. Johnson explained. "Way back when, before electricity, people used coal for cooking and heating. Newcastle was a town in England that had lots of coal mines, so bringing coal there would be adding to what there was already too much of. Get it?"

Beth and I smiled. Susie and Julie just shrugged.

"The point I was making," Mrs. Johnson continued, "is that we seem to be well beyond glossy lips. On the other hand," she took hold of Julie's chin again, "if this makeup is from Mr. Kenneth, it's probably professional grade and I'll need industrial strength cleansers and a blowtorch to get it off."

"Julie gave her mother a worried look."

"Just kidding, about the blowtorch, Honey, but we still need a trip to the drugstore. I don't have anything strong enough to remove what you're wearing." She turned to us. "How about Susie and Jenny, do you have makeup remover? I can pick some up and drop it off on my way back."

"No, thank you," Beth answered. "I'm pretty sure we have some around somewhere. If not, I'll give you a call and send my sisters," she paused, no better than me at being clever, "my sister and Jenny," she corrected herself, "over, if that's okay."

"Yes, of course," Mrs. Johnson said agreeably.

"Alright, Julie, we're off to the drugstore. Say goodbye."

"Bye Susie, bye Jenny, bye Beth. Thanks. It was fun," she said with a wave. "Mom, can we still get lipstick," she asked.

I could see Mrs. Johnson shaking her head, probably more out of disbelief at her daughter's persistence than a refusal, as she took Julie by the hand to the car, opened the passenger's door, buckled her in, then went around to the driver's side, got in and drove off.

"Lets go, ladies," Beth announced. Susie and I followed her to the kitchen.

"How about pizza?" Susie asked optimistically.

Beth checked the freezer.

"Nope, sorry Sis, the cupboard's bare," she joked.

"How about mac and cheese?" I suggested. "I made it once before. It's easy. All you have to do is boil water."

"Really, Jenny?"

"Geez, Beth, give me a break," I complained. "I may not know how to cook like you, but I can boil water."

"Okay, Sis, that sounds good," Beth agreed. "Do your thing while I make a salad. Susie, I'll get down the dishes and you can set the table."

I got a box of mac and cheese mix out of the cabinet and read the label, just to be sure. If I did it wrong after bragging about knowing how to do it, Beth would never let me live it down. I found a pot with a lid, turned on the burner, then filled the pot half way with water and put it on the stove.

I looked over to Beth and saw that she was watching me with a disapproving look. I didn't see how I could have messed up before I even started cooking.

"What?"

"Jenny," she said in her serious, your about to get a lecture voice, "that is not the safe way to boil water. If there were little children around, they could be seriously hurt."

"Beth," I said with exasperation, "what in the world are you talking about? What danger and what little children? I mean, its just water and there aren't any little children here."

"No," she agreed, "there aren't now, but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't practice for when there will be. I'm sorry, Sis, but I am telling you this for your own good. When I started high school, they had a babysitting course for girls, well I guess a boy could have taken it, but it was all girls, anyway, it was to certify us. After we passed the course, the guidance office put our names on an approved list that they gave out to parents. Most of the course dealt with safety. For one thing, Jenny, you turned on the burner and left it while you filled the pot. A young child is very curious about fire. They could reach up and try to touch the flame or the hot burner or, even worse, they could get too close and set their hair or their clothes on fire. You should always put the pot on the stove to cover the burner before you turn it on. Also, you left the handle of the pot sticking out. A child could grab the handle and pull a pot full of scalding water or soup or whatever down on them. Jenny, they showed us pictures of children who had been burned. They were awful. I had nightmares for a week, but it also made me realize how terribly hurt a child could be in just seconds, if you're careless. They told us that one little girl in the pictures had over twenty surgeries to treat her scars. Jenny, I would die if that ever happened because of me."

I looked appreciatively at Beth.

"Wow, thank you, Sis, really. I never would have thought about it, but you are right. I suppose the good news is that the way things are going, Jenny is not likely to be a menace to little children anytime soon."

"Maybe," Beth said with a laugh, "but it doesn't have to be other people's children. One of these days you will have your own."

"Beth, you may be an expert on babysitting, but you need a refresher course in biology. I am not going to have children," I corrected her.

"Really?" she said with her usually smug, that's what you think attitude. "Do you know my friend Ginny, the Asian girl?"

"Yes."

"Well, she's adopted. Her parents couldn't have children. So is her little sister Kim. Just because you can't have a baby, doesn't mean that you can't have children."

My eyes went wide. I had never thought of the possibility. Being a girl was one thing, but being a mother?

"Even if you don't have children," Beth continued, "I certainly will. When they visit their Aunt Jenny, I would appreciate your returning them to me in the same condition in which you got them."

Their Aunt Jenny! Beth's simple expression of love, support and confidence brought tears to me eyes.

"Jenny, really," Beth broke the mood, "there are easier ways to put salt in the water."

She moved to the stove, turned the handle so it was not sticking out and then came over and gave me a hug.

Having dinner with my sisters was fun. Beth told us about her cheerleading and Susie said that she wanted to be a cheerleader too. Beth offered to teach her some cheers. I kidded Beth by insisting that I wanted to be included in the lesson, but only if I could wear her cute outfit. Beth agreed, provided I let her take pictures of my debut. I told her that I didn't think Jenny was ready for a modeling career. We all laughed. After dinner, the team of sisters made a quick job of cleaning up the kitchen.

"Susie," said 'Miss I'm-in-charge', although I now realized that she deserved the job, "we need to get that makeup off, it's not good for your delicate skin, and you need to take a bath after playing in the park. Let's go up to Mom's bathroom and see if I can find some makeup remover. Jenny, you should come too and I'll show you how to do it."

We all trooped upstairs and Beth rummaged around in Mom's medicine cabinet and vanity.

"Aha!" she exclaimed, "cold cream." Holding up the blue jar, she said to me, "I have no idea why they call it 'cold cream.' It is a cream," she unscrewed the top and showed me something white and smooth inside. "I guess you put it on right from the jar, so it feels cold. Whatever," she shrugged.

Beth took some of the cream on her fingers and began to rub it over Susie's face, until she had a white mask.

"You don't use it on your eyes," she explained. "There is a special eye makeup remover." She showed me a small bottle of clear oil. "Jenny, get me the bag of cotton balls under the vanity, please, and give me one."

I followed her directions and found a plastic bag full of big, puffy cotton balls. I took one out and handed it to her. She unscrewed the top of the eye makeup bottle and moistened the cotton ball, then held it against Susie's right eye. After a minute, she began to rub and I could see the color coming off on the cotton ball. She took another cotton ball and repeated the process on Susie's other eye. When the eye makeup was off, she took some tissues and began to wipe off the cream using circular motions. Finally, she brought Susie over to the sink and had her rinse off her face with hot water. Beth gave Susie a final inspection and nodded her approval.

"I have a neat idea, Susie," Beth said enthusiastically. "I need to shower and wash my hair too. How about if we both hop in Mom's shower?"

"Sure," agreed Susie, adding, "can we all take a shower together?"

Beth and I looked at each other and smiled.

"No, Susie," I explained patiently. "When it comes to showers in this family, you two are company and three's a crowd when it's me. Besides, I still need to take my makeup off and one of us should listen for the phone, in case Mom needs to reach us. You two go ahead. I'll take the makeup remover into our bathroom and grab a shower after you're done. Leave me some hot water, please."

I picked up what I needed and left, closing the door behind me. When I got to our bathroom, I followed the routine Beth had shown me, starting with the cream mask, then my eyes and finishing by washing my face. I did it twice, just to make doubly sure that there was no trace of the makeup left when I went to school tomorrow. I listened for the phone, but it didn't ring. By the time I was finished, I heard Beth and Susie coming down the hall.

"Okay, you two. I'm hopping in the shower. Nothing from Mom so far," I told them.

"Okay, Jenny," replied Beth. I'm going to get Susie into her PJ's and then start on my homework. I'll see you downstairs."

"Will you play with me after your shower, Jenny? Please. Pretty please. We can do whatever you want," Susie bargained.

"Sorry, Sis," but I still have a lot of homework to do and, besides, I played with you all afternoon."

"Uh, uh. You played with me and Julie. That's not the same as playing just with me," she argued.

"Nice try, but, tell you what. When it's time for bed, I'll read you a story. Deal?"

"I guess," Susie conceded.

About a half hour later, a clean and much less feminine Jenny headed for the kitchen. I didn't even bother with a nightgown, just my old pajamas. When I entered, Beth looked surprised.

"What?" I kidded her. "Haven't you ever seen a girl in pajamas before?"

As usual, Beth got in the last word. "Yes, but as I recall her pajamas buttoned the opposite way and didn't have a fly. Have you been raiding your brother's wardrobe again? Shame on you. What will Mom say when she finds out her daughter wants to dress like a boy?"

"Oh, no, Beth," I went along with the joke, "please don't tell Mom on me. I'll be a good girl, I promise. From now on I'll only wear your clothes."

That got her.

"Hmm, on second thought, you do look pretty cute in boy's clothes. Maybe I was too hasty."

We both laughed as I sat down next to her and took out my homework. I lost track of time until Beth interrupted by telling me she was going upstairs to get Susie ready for bed.

"Let me know when you're done and I'll come up and make good on my promise to read her a bedtime story."

About ten minutes later, Beth came down and I went up. After I finished reading to Susie and got her tucked in, I went back down to the kitchen. At about 9:00, we heard a car pull up. I started to get up, but Beth grabbed my arm."

"Hold on, Sis. Let Mom have some privacy."

I rolled my eyes and made a face.

"C'mon Beth, Mom and Mr. Kenneth are not smooching on the porch."

Beth smiled.

"Maybe not, but how would you like it if you came home from a date and Mom was standing at the door waiting for you?"

"You're asking the wrong girl that question," I answered her.

She broke out laughing. A few minuets later, the front door opened and Mom came in carrying an armload of bags. She put them down as Beth and I rushed over to hug her.

"Well, don't keep us in suspense. Tell us every little detail. Where did you go? What did you do? What did you buy?" Beth said excitedly.

Mom smiled.

"Patience girls. I'm used to being on my feet all day, but this was exhausting. Kenneth is tireless. He took me to about half a dozen boutiques and the owners and staff fell all over themselves to help us. Honestly, I felt more like royalty than a mother on a shopping spree. Then he took me to this Italian restaurant. I mean a real Italian restaurant and he spoke to the chef and waiter in Italian. We had the most delicious meal and a bottle of wine. Mom sighed."

Beth and I looked at each other with raised eyebrows.

"Anyway," Mom went on, "I have to get up early for work. I don't know what possessed me to stay out so late on a Sunday night. Oh, my, I have been babbling about my day and haven't asked you about yours."

Beth started to tell her, but Mom interrupted her.

"Actually, if curiosity won't kill the kittens, I really need to take a bath. Beth, would you be a dear and run one for me with some bath salts. They're in the bottle next to the tub. I want to relax and then we can chat. And Jenny, would you help me take the bags up to my room please. Can you girls wait?"

"Sure, Mom," Beth assured her, "that's fine. We had a nice day too and we'll tell you all about it when you're ready."

We all headed upstairs. I put the packages on the bed, along with the ones Mom brought up, while Beth went into the bathroom to fill the tub. I could hear the water running and, after a couple of minutes, the flowery aroma of the bath salts drifted into the room. Beth came out and we left Mom to get undressed.

Since we had nothing better to do while we waited, we went back to the kitchen and continued doing our homework. About a half hour later, Mom appeared in the doorway in her bathrobe, with her hair up.

"How about a nice cup of cocoa?" she asked.

"Sure," we both replied.

Mom put some milk into a sauce pan and put it on the stove. I noticed that she did just as Beth had instructed, turning the burner on after the pan covered it and turning the pot's handle sideways, so it was over the stove.

"Well done," I complimented Mom.

She gave me a puzzled look.

"We made mac and cheese for dinner and Beth gave me a lesson in kitchen safety," I explained.

"Oh, how nice, I'm glad you girls are so helpful to each other. It really is a comfort to know that I can leave you on your own. Thank you for giving me such a lovely day."

By then, the milk was heated and she added it to two cups into which she had spooned cocoa from a container. She brought the steaming drinks over to the kitchen table and sat down. As we sipped, Mom picked up where she left off.

"Now, I want to hear everything that you girls did today."

I nodded at Beth to begin. She went over our going to the park with Mrs. Johnson and Julie, including our running into my old gang, Julie spending the afternoon with us, the makeovers and our dinner.

Mom focused on the park incident.

"You don't think there will be a problem with those boys, do you Jenny?"

"I doubt it. They didn't seem to catch on." I shrugged. "Why should they. They never met Susie and Beth before, so they didn't know that they're my sisters, and, with Mr. Kenneth's help, I don't think I looked much like the guy they used to hang out with. Anyway, they can't prove it. Even if they did try to make trouble, it's their word against mine. You'd back me up, Mom, wouldn't you? You'd say I was home all day, right?"

Mom paused.

"No, I wouldn't. It's wrong to lie. You know that and, whatever the consequences, you can't start your life as Jenny based on dishonesty. We always knew that there was a chance you'd be recognized. It was bound to happen sooner or later. We will just have to deal with it. Do you understand?" Mom asked hopefully.

"Yes, Mom, I do. You're right. I shouldn't hide behind you. Whatever happens, I will deal with it."

Mom shook her head.

"No, honey, we will deal with it," she corrected me, emphasizing the 'we'.

"Yes," insisted Beth, "we will deal with it," emphasizing the 'we'.

"Now then," Mom said, changing the subject before things got too emotional, "would you like to hear about my day?"

Beth and I nodded enthusiastically.

"Well, we started out going to this cute little uptown boutique. They had the most beautiful clothes. I must have spent an hour trying on things. If I wasn't on a budget, I would have bought out the store. As it was, we picked out a lovely skirt and blouse. Then we went to more boutiques. By the time we were finished, I had two more skirts, two tops and a dress. Then we shopped for shoes and, Kenneth insisted on a new pocket book. Everything coordinates, so I can mix and match to make a wardrobe. I never paid much attention to putting outfits together. I just saw something I liked and bought it. Kenneth has such a good eye for colors and styles. I would never have been able to do it without him, especially because all of his friends insisted on giving us big discounts, so I just about doubled my budget."

"Beth and I listened in fascination to Mom's account of her day."

"Go on, Mom," encouraged Beth, "what about the night?"

"Well," Mom continued, "like I told Jenny on the phone, we didn't stop for lunch, so when we finished shopping, Kenneth asked me if I would like to have dinner with him. We went to this charming Italian restaurant and had the most delicious meal. I really didn't want to drink, but the owner sent over a complimentary bottle of wine. It would have been rude to refuse and I couldn't let Kenneth drink alone, so I joined him," Mom said with a giggle, which is something I had never heard her do before. "Then after dinner, he brought me home. He was a perfect gentleman," she assured us. "End of story."

"Can we see what you bought, Mom, please?" asked Beth.

"Sure, honey, lets go upstairs and take the items out of the bags. I should hang them up anyway, before they get wrinkled."

We went through all the clothes. We complimented Mom on her selection and Beth wanted Mom to model, but she was too tired. We helped her hang the new clothes in her closet. It was late and we all had to get up early, so we said goodnight. As we were leaving, Beth remembered that Mom said she bought a dress, but we hadn't seen it.

"Oh, the dress. It needed some tailoring, so the boutique is having it done. Kenneth said he would pick it up for next weekend."

Mom put her hand to her mouth.

"Oh my, I almost forgot, Kenneth invited me to the ballet next Saturday night. He has season tickets. The man never ceases to surprise me."

Beth and I looked at each other. He never ceased to surprise us either.

"Mom," Beth complained. "Really. You forgot to tell us that you have another date with Mr. Kenneth?"

"Yes, dear, sorry," Mom said with a smile, but this time not denying that it was a date. "I forgot that I had to tell my children all about my social life. I will try not to be so thoughtless in the future. I assume that you will share the details of your's with me as well," Mom teased.

"Every detail," I quickly agreed, before Beth could answer.

That got a laugh from both of them.

"I'm sorry, Mom," Beth apologized. Then, demonstrating her obsession with clothes, she added, "do you have an LBD?"

"LBD?" I questioned her. "Is that like a VPL?"

Mom and Beth both laughed.

"No, LBD is girl talk for a little black dress. It's a basic item for any woman's wardrobe. You can dress it up with accessories and jewelry for fancy affairs or keep it simple for less formal occasions," Beth, the fashion expert, explained.

"That's what's being tailored," Mom disclosed with a smile, "and, so that you don't lose any sleep worrying about it, there are black silk pumps to match," she added, looking at Beth. "The high heels they had killed my feet and they didn't have my size in a mid heel, so they're on order. The owner said he will give them to Kenneth for me."

Beth and I went over and kissed Mom goodnight. She kissed us back and we left. Beth and I said goodnight to each other and went to our rooms. I snuggled down under my covers, thinking of the wonderful day filled with makeup lessons, playing girls' games and spending time with my sisters, hoping to dream of dressing up in my own LBD, as I drifted off to sleep.

The alarm clock woke me up at the usual time. I got up, took off my pajamas, folded them and put them away in the bottom drawer of my dresser, then replaced my panties with white cotton briefs. A dark blue cotton t-shirt, white athletic socks, a pair of jeans and sneakers completed my transformation. I took out my earrings, went to the bathroom to wash up and brush my teeth, carefully studying my face in the mirror. Satisfied that no trace of Jenny remained, I went back to my room, grabbed my backpack and headed downstairs. Mom was in the kitchen. There were bowls of cereal on the table with glasses of orange juice. I could smell cinnamon bread toasting.

"Morning Mom," I greeted her cheerily. "Did you sleep well?"

"Between the shopping and the wine, I slept like a baby, thank you for asking," she answered, "how about you?"

"Fine thanks," I replied.

"Go ahead and get started, honey," she told me, "Susie will be down soon, I'm sure."

In fact, no sooner had Mom spoken her name, then Susie bounced in and plopped herself down in her chair.

"Good morning Mommy, hi Jen, oops, Johnny," she corrected herself.

Mom and I both said good morning back. Keeping an eye on the clock, I finished my breakfast and brought my dishes over to the sink. Susie had finished too, so I went back and got hers. We got our backpacks and I held her hand as walked to the bus stop. When we got there, Susie let go and went off to join Julie. I stood around, trying to check out how the older girls were dressed without being noticed. A quick survey showed that there was nothing of interest, jeans and tops, except for a girl in red skort with a white pullover collared shirt. The skirt and shorts combination was cute and practical. I wondered if Beth had anything like that. I didn't remember seeing one.

The bus pulled up and I waited to make sure Susie got on. I climbed in and looked around. Kevin was sitting towards the back. There was an open seat next to him. The last thing I wanted was to give him another chance to get a good look at me, so I found a seat up front. The bus stopped at Susie's school first. I watched her out of the window, to make sure she got in, and then took out my history book and reviewed the chapter. As we were pulling up to my school, I put the book away and quickly got off to avoid Kevin. On my way into the building, I looked around nervously, to see if anyone was staring at me. So far so good. I got to my homeroom and sat down at my desk. The bell rang and Miss Kaufman began to take attendance. During the daily announcements, she was interrupted by the intercom buzzer. She went over and picked up the phone. She hung up and went back to the announcements. The bell rang and we headed out to our first period class. As I was passing her desk, she stopped me.

"Johnny, that was the Office. Principal Tanner wants to see you."

She gave me a disapproving look, probably thinking that I must have gone back to my old ways and was in trouble. The principal didn't pull you out of class, unless it was something pretty serious.

I started for the Office, which was at the other end of the school. As I walked, I had a sick feeling in my stomach. It had to be those boys. Maybe it took them a while to figure out why I looked so familiar. They probably started a rumor after they got to school and it got back to Mrs. McGowan. She warned me that she would have to report me, if there was a problem. As I continued walking, I tried to come up with an explanation that would keep me out of trouble. I told Mom I wouldn't lie, so I couldn't deny that they had seen me dressed as a girl. I couldn't even pretend that it was a prank, because Mrs. McGowan knew the truth. Honesty had worked in the past, but that was with people who were sympathetic. I doubted Mr. Tanner would understand, no matter what I told him. He would send me home. Worse, he would call my mother. Oh no! Had he already called her? Was she on her way here? How could I be so stupid? Why didn't I listen to Beth when she told me to leave, before the boys got there? This wasn't about just me. Now Mom was involved. Who knows what they will do to her over this. Even worse, what will happen to my sisters when word gets out about me? Beth is popular, so she can just tell people her brother is a nut case, although, knowing her, she will stick up for me and take the consequences. Susie will be the one who gets the worst of it. Kids her age can be really cruel. They will tease her. I'll bet even Julie won't be her friend, once she finds out that the girl she liked so much is her best friend's brother. By the time I got to the Office, I was almost hysterical. Instead of Jenny making everything better, she had ruined our lives.

I paused with my hand on the door. I should run away and save my family the embarrassment. I turned and started to leave. I got about half way down the corridor and stopped. Think Jenny, Johnny, whoever, I said to myself. Where are you going? What are you going to do? All you have is lunch money. How far are you going to get with that and what about Mom? You can't leave her to face this all by herself. It's your problem and you have to deal with it. I turned around and went back. The secretary looked up when she heard the door open. I tried to read her expression. If she knew about me, she wasn't letting on. This wasn't the first time I had been to the Principal's office and I knew the routine. I took one of the seats and waited. I was so nervous, I couldn't sit still.

"Mr. Tanner is on a conference call with the Superintendent and the Chairman of the School Board, so he will probably be a few more minutes," the secretary said. Do you need to use the restroom?" she asked, misinterpreting the reason for my fidgeting.

"No, thank you," I told her, trying to hold back the tears at the thought of what I was sure was a discussion about what to do with me.

I was so intent on watching for Mom to walk in, that I didn't notice Mr. Tanner come out of his office.

"Johnny, please come in," I heard him say.

I jumped up and headed for his office, looking over my shoulder to see if Mom would arrive at the last minute. Mr. Tanner stood holding the door and closed it behind me. I looked at him and he pointed to one of the two chairs in front of his desk. I sat down and took a deep breath. He slowly walked around the desk and sat down facing me.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting," he apologized. "There are many difficult issues an administrator has to deal with and many different people who need to be consulted, before we can make a decision. Let me get right to the point, Johnny."

I couldn't stand it any longer.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Tanner," I blurted out. "I didn't mean for it to happen this way. Honestly. Mrs. McGowan doesn't understand. Please, don't make me leave school," I pleaded, "please don't."

"Go on," he directed me.

I paused. He didn't sound upset or angry. How much does he know, I wondered?

"Didn't Mrs. McGowan talk to you about me?"

"What was she supposed to tell me?" he asked.

Oh, Oh. What if she didn't talk to him? What if he heard it from someone else? Maybe one of the boys' parents called or maybe one of the teachers reported the rumor. I had to think quickly.

"Umm, umm, I, well, I had a stomach ache the other day and needed to be excused from gym. She said she was worried about me being under too much stress. I think I was late and ate my breakfast too fast. I haven't had any more," I covered up.

Mr. Tanner shook his head.

"No Johnny, this isn't about your having a stomach ache, although I could understand why you would be under stress."

I sighed. He does know.

"Mr. Tanner, I've tried. I've really, really tried. I know I'm different and I'm sorry if I've caused you and the school a problem. I didn't want it that way. It just happened," I confessed.

To my surprise, Mr. Tanner looked at me sympathetically.

"I have to say, Johnny, in all the years I've been a school administrator, this type of situation has never come up. I wish my decision could be different, but I can't make exceptions. It wouldn't be fair to the other students."

"I understand, Mr. Tanner," I agreed. "You have to do what is right. Is my Mom coming?"

"No, I don't think she needs to be involved. I shouldn't even be telling you this, but I thought that you deserved to know."

"Thank you, Mr. Tanner," I said dejectedly, "I appreciate your being so considerate."

"Your welcome, Johnny, but it's not the end of the world, you know."

"It isn't?"

I perked up.

"No, of course not," he reassured me. "You'll have plenty of opportunity next year."

"Next year?" I questioned him.

Mr. Tanner looked puzzled.

"Johnny, maybe I should explain my decision, so that you will understand the consequences."

I sat quietly, waiting to hear the bad news.

"One of your teachers asked me if he could give you an 'A' for the year, based on the remarkable improvement you have shown in the last quarter."

My eyes went wide. This was about my grades, not about Jenny, and I almost gave myself away.

"I guess I'm not much of a secret keeper, since you only have one male teacher," Mr. Tanner went on. "He said that he was sure you would do well on the final and that you deserved a better grade than your average for the year would allow. I spoke with your other teachers and they were equally enthusiastic. Honestly, I must say that, thinking back on some of the discipline problems you've had in the past, I too am very pleased with the change in your behavior. However, after careful consideration, giving a student a final grade based on his doing well in only the last quarter's work would give the wrong message. I hope you understand."

Understand! I was so grateful that, if Jenny was here, she would have hugged him. I was resigned to being kicked out of school and my family being laughed out of town. Instead, he was apologizing for not being able to give me a grade I didn't deserve after goofing off for most of the year.

"I do understand, Mr. Tanner," I said with relief.

Mr. Tanner got up and came around his desk. I stood up. He put his hand on my shoulder.

"Johnny, there are very few times in an educator's career when he or she can feel that they have made a difference. For myself and all of your teachers, I want to thank you for giving us that opportunity. Please keep up the good work. You have a promising future ahead of you."

"Thank you, Mr. Tanner. I will try my best. I hope I won't let you down," I said cautiously.

"I'm sure you won't," he encouraged me.

He walked to the door and held it open for me to leave.

As I was passing by the secretary's desk, she called my name. I stopped. What now, I wondered?

"Here," she said, holding out two small pieces of paper. "It's between classes, so you'll need a hall pass and a late slip."

I took them and left quickly. Walking down the empty corridor to my second period English class, I thought about how differently things had gone than what I expected and how I almost blew it. What would Mr. Tanner have thought if his star student admitted he dressed as a girl? Even worse, what had I almost done to my family? I would have never forgiven myself. My concerns ended when I entered the classroom. Miss Gray was going over the essay questions on our final exam. I put the late slip on her desk, sat down and took out my notebook. After what I went through in the morning, the rest of the day was no fun and I was relieved when it was over.

On the bus ride home, I came to a decision. There was no way I could go through another day like this one. Even if I could manage to deal with it somehow, the likelihood of hurting my mother and sisters was too great. Now that I thought of it, just fooling Julie was risky. One too many mistakes and she would know who I was really. It would put an end to her friendship with Susie and leave my little sister with no place to go after school, which would make it hard for Mom to work. For my family's sake, I had to give up being Jenny.

TO BE CONTINUED