Part 2: Shopping

By Rachel Anne Keller

Edited by Holly Logan

“New clothes?” I shook my head and tried to get a clue what Mom was talking about.  Then I realized that I was still wearing the babydoll nightie that Mom had given me the night before and it all came rushing back to me.  The move to our new house, Amanda, swimming, the dress, hairdo, and make-up.  The more I remembered, the more embarrassed I felt.  By the time Mom interrupted my runaway train of thought, I felt like I would glow in the dark I was blushing so bad.

          “Kayla, what is wrong with you girl?”

“Mom, close the door, please, and talk to me for a minute.”

 

After quietly closing the door, she sat next to me on my bed.

 “Alright Kayla, I can see there is something bothering you, but I’m sure that whatever it is, we can work it out.”

“I don’t know what to say Mom. … I never expected you and Dad to do anything but burst out laughing at the way I was dressed and make me change my clothes before we even started eating.  But you just sat there like there was nothing unusual about the way I was dressed, and even went so far as to compliment me on how I looked.  The longer you smiled, the more confused I got, and when I realized that you expected me to stay dressed that way, I didn’t have any idea what to think.  I sat there trying to act like a girl all through supper, and you two didn’t bat an eyelash.”

“You don’t have any idea why your father and I acted that way?”

“No Mom, I don’t.”

Taking a deep breath, Mom replied, “Kayla, before you were born, before we had even considered getting married, your father and I had a very close friend that was ‘outed’ at school by the girl he loved.”

“Outed?”

“That is what they call it when someone finds out that you’re different, and then goes around telling everyone something that should be your private business.  Travis was a crossdresser, in other words he liked wearing women’s clothing.”

“Why would someone that loved him do something like that?”

“I guess she didn’t really love him.  One day she came home to the apartment they were living in, and caught him wearing her clothes, and she apparently told everyone what she knew.  Over the next few days, his life at school and around town became a living hell.  Three days after she ‘outed’ him, he jumped from the roof of the highest building on campus.  When your father and I confronted her about what she had done, she just laughed and told us that the pervert got exactly what was coming to him.  We were shocked that someone could be so callous and uncaring.  We decided that day that we would always treat everyone humanely, no matter how they dressed or acted.  As long as they are a good person whose actions don’t harm anyone, does it really matter how they present themselves?”

“It shouldn’t make any difference at all, Mom.”

“Now do you understand why your father and I just accepted how you were dressed and started treating you like a girl?”

“That you accepted how I was dressed, yes, but that you started treating me like a girl, not really.”

“Alright, let me explain this to you a little better.  After Travis killed himself, we started researching things like crossdressing, homosexuality, and being transgendered.  What surprised us the most was that some men, normal in every sense, feel compelled to wear women’s clothing.  When we researched the transgendered, we felt so sorry for those poor people that were born in bodies that they knew were the wrong sex that we decided to do our best never to cause them any more pain.  We discovered that if you wanted to respect their feelings, you needed to address them as if their body was the same sex as their brain.  You see, Kayla, the brain is a dimorphic, meaning that there are differences between a male and female brain. 

“The present theory is that sometimes something happens in the womb that causes the brain to develop as one sex and the body as the other.  There is also a related theory that suggests that the part of the brain that tells us who is sexually attractive receives the wrong hormone as it is developing and that person is only attracted to persons of their own sex, better known as a homosexual.  So you see, these people really have no choice and there is no cure for their condition.  Those people that believe that there is a so-called cure are only deluding themselves in order to make their prejudice seem valid. 

Basically, what I’m saying is that if someone wishes to dress as a female, out of respect, you should address them as female unless they correct you.  This also goes for someone born in a female body that dresses in a masculine manner.  However, this is a much harder thing to determine, with the manner in which most females dress today.”

“So, you were just trying the respect the manner in which I presented myself?”

“Yes dear that is how we feel.”

“Thank you, Mom, I love you so much.”

“Well girl, are you ready to get your little fanny up now and get dressed?”

“Yes Mother.”

 

Laughing Mom swatted me on the butt and winked as she walked out of my room.  I grabbed my bra and panties, ‘here I go with the ‘my’ thing again’, and ran into the bathroom.  I took off my babydoll and panties, ‘well they really are mine, Mom gave them to me’, and then I had a panic attack.

‘What am I doing?  Here I am a boy getting ready to dress in girls clothing and go out shopping for more with my mother.  Everyone will know in an instant that I’m not a girl.  Everyone will be laughing at me all day.  Now what am I going to do?’  OH GOD, Mom expects me to do this and I’ll really disappoint her if I’m not her daughter this week as I promised.  Do I really want to do this? 

‘Yes I do.’ 

Whoa, where did that come from?  Okay I guess I do want to.  So if I don’t want to look like a fool I need to look like a girl right? 

‘Right, but that shouldn’t be too hard.’ 

Argh! What is wrong with me?  All right I seem to think I can do this, what all do I need to change so no one will be able to tell I’m a boy? 

‘Just hide those nasty little bits between your legs and no one will ever be able to tell you were born a boy.’ 

What the hell?  As I stood there shaking my head, wondering if I’d finally lost my mind, I realized that somehow, deep inside I really wanted to do this.  Well if I’m going to do this, I might as well do it right.  I stood in front of the full-length mirror on the back of the bathroom door and looked closely at myself.  There is no way can I make that look female. 

‘Quit trying to fool yourself and be honest for once.’ 

 God, if I’m not already crazy, I will be before the week is up.  All right, all right, I’ll try to be honest, OK?   

‘It’s about time’.

“Damn it, is everyone’s conscience as irritating as this?”

Dad chose that moment to peek in the bathroom door.  I quickly grabbed a towel and covered up my naked body as I turned neon red for the second time that morning. 

“Dad!  Don’t you know it’s impolite to enter the bathroom before you knock?”

“Oh, Kayla. It’s you. Who were you yelling at?”

“I was yelling?”

“Yes, and you sounded very upset.”

“Um, would you believe I was yelling at myself?”

 

My father just stood there with a confused look on his face.

“Dad, I seem to really want to go shopping for girls clothes with Mom today.  Nevertheless, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look like a girl. But then my conscience butted in, saying that all I need to do is hide my boy bits and no one would ever believe I was born a boy.”

“Well Kayla, I do believe it would take a little more than that, but almost all boys look somewhat feminine before puberty.”

“Do I really look like a girl Dad?”

My father became very quiet for a very long time.  What I didn’t know was that he was struggling with exactly how to answer my question without hurting my feelings.  He thought that if he said yes, and I didn’t want to look like a girl, or if he said no, and I did want to look like a girl, he would really upset me, and that could cause me to become depressed.  He really didn’t know which way to turn.  In the end, he just decided to go with the truth as he saw it and then deal with however I felt about what he told me.

“Honestly Kayla, you appear somewhat androgynous. If you are dressed as a boy, you look more like a boy, but if you are dressed as a girl, you look more like a girl.”

“Thanks Dad. Would you please ask Mom to come up here for a minute?”

“Sure, Kayla. I’ll go ask her now.”

 

Dad wiped the sweat from his forehead as he went downstairs, thinking about how he had just squeaked by with his answer.  He found my mother in the kitchen drinking her morning cup of coffee.

“Nancy, Kyle needs you for something but before you go we need to talk.”

“What’s wrong, Nathan?”

“Well, to start with, Kyle was in the bathroom yelling at himself.  I really think this dressing thing is disturbing him too much and we shouldn’t let it continue.”

“Nathan, is it bothering you that Kayla is dressing in girls clothing?”

“Maybe a little, but if I think of him as my daughter, then it’s not that big a deal.”

“Can you accept it, if it makes him happy?”

“Yes, we decided that we would be accepting of people’s differences a long time ago.  Kyle should be no different then anyone else.  However, I don’t think this is making him happy. I think it’s upsetting him, and might cause him to hurt himself.”

“Nathan, trust me. If I thought that would happen, I would never allow him to do this, I really think he is just having a problem accepting that he really likes this.  You know he always sleeps in the nude, but last night I offered him the things I had been saving for the daughter we wanted. When I woke him up this morning, he was wearing the babydoll nightie that had been in the box, but I never asked him to wear it.

“Let me see if I understand what you are saying.  You think he was yelling at himself because he likes wearing girls clothing, but he thinks it’s wrong to feel that way?”

“Yes, that is exactly what I think the problem is.”

“Well I hope you can deal with his confusion, as all I ended up doing was to get confused myself.”

“Alright, Dear, I’ll see if I can straighten him out, and if I think he can’t handle it, I’ll give him permission to break his promise.  Does that work for you?”

My father just nodded and started to pour himself a cup of coffee as my mother went to talk to me.  She found me in the bathroom, still wondering what I should do.

“Kayla? You wanted to see me.”

“Yes, Mom. I want to go shopping with you, but I don’t want to embarrass either of us by looking like a boy in girls clothing.  Would you either help me look good, or at least tell me that it’s never going to work?”

“First, I need you to answer the question I am going to ask you with complete honesty.”

“Okay, Mom. I’ll try to be as honest as I possibly can.”

“That will be fine, Kayla.  Do you really want to honor your bet and dress as a girl for the next week?”

          I stood there and thought about it for a while and finally decided that, yes I really did we want to honor the bet. 

‘That’s true but you did that by wearing the dress last night., What you really  mean, is that you want to try wearing girls clothing for the next week because you liked wearing them last night.’ 

“Alright! Gosh, do you have to be so damn literal all the time?”

“What do you mean by that, Kayla?”

“Huh, what are you talking about Mom?”

“What you just said to me about being literal all the time, that is what I’m talking about.”

“OH GOD I’m doing it again.  Dad told me I was yelling earlier but I didn’t realize I did it so often.”

“Did what Kayla?”

“I didn’t realize that I talked to myself out loud.”

“Okay, want to explain why you said that to yourself?”

“Um … I kind of decided to tell you that, ‘Yes I want to honor my bet, but that isn’t the whole truth.”

“Oh?  Then what is the whole truth, Kayla?”

Blushing, “The whole truth is that I already honored my bet, but I really want to dress as a girl for the next week because I really think that I like it.”

“What do you mean you already honored your bet Kayla?”

“Ummm… Mom honestly the bet was only for last night but I really liked the way everyone was making me feel and I didn’t really want it to stop.”

“Alright, that isn’t so bad.  I do wish you would have trusted your father and I enough to be completely honest with us last night.  Now what were you yelling at yourself about earlier?”

“Oh ... um ... my conscience seems to think that all I need to do is hide my boy bits and no one would ever believe I had been born a boy.  But I think it would take a whole lot more then that, and I really don’t want to embarrass either of us out in public.”

“Kayla, I love you, and nothing you do would ever embarrass me in public or anywhere else.  However, if you want me to help you look more like a girl than you do now, I will do whatever you want.”

Taking a deep breath, I said, “Yes. Mom, would you please help me look like a normal girl, so I’m not embarrassed when we go shopping?”

“Yes Dear, I will help all I can.”

          She was true to her word. My mother started by looking at me very closely.  While the scrutiny made me feel uncomfortable, I just stood there waiting for her decision.  She told me that we would need to remove the hair from my arms and legs, and trim my bikini line. 

She started a hot bath and added scented foaming bath oil.  As soon as the tub was full, she told me to get in and soak until she returned.  About fifteen minutes later, she came back in the door carrying a basket full of her bath things.  She began by washing and then rewashing my hair, and then heated up a bottle of what she called hot oil conditioner.  As soon as she finished applying the conditioner to my hair, she had me lift one of my legs out of the water. Then she started shaving all the hair off it.  Mom continued shaving me until I was hairless from the neck down, except for a little heart shaped bit of hair on my groin. 

Then Mom drained the tub and rinsed my hair and body off under a warm shower.  She wrapped a towel around my hair, and then helped me dry off.  She then powdered me with a nice smelling perfumed talc. 

I put on my bra and panties, and some deodorant that smelled the same as the talc. Mom helped me put on my dress and then started working on my hair.  As she worked, she talked to me about how it would look in different styles and told me what I would need to do to achieve them.  We finally decided on a high ponytail with my bangs curled into ringlets framing my face.

Mom then took out her makeup and started showing me how to apply it.  She started by cleaning my face with an astringent, then put on moisturizer.  Next came foundation. She compared several different shades to my skin and finally chose one that was very close to my natural skin color. She showed me how to apply it and then spread it out evenly, giving my face an even texture and covering up any flaws.

After that, Mom set the foundation with the same color of pressed powder before she showed me how to apply blush. She told me that I should lightly apply it in a circular motion to round my cheeks, and then blend it upward and outward toward my temples until there were no demarcation lines.  Next, she showed me how to apply eye shadow, eyeliner, and mascara.

Finally, Mom painted my finger and toe nails a light pink and sprayed me with perfume.  All I could think was, ‘Can it really be worth all this trouble to look like a girl?’

          When we were finished, Mom stepped away from the full mirror on the door and just looked at me.

“Well, girl?  What do you think?”

          I looked in the mirror and thought, ‘Great! I still look like a boy in a dress.’ 

‘Oh really?  I don’t think so. If you ask me, I think you make a really cute girl.’ 

Argh! What is it with you?  Do you honestly think that looks like a girl?  Come on, get real. You accused ‘me’ of not being honest with myself. Now you are the one that is delusional. 

‘So you think that huh?  Care to make a wager?’

 Ohhhhhh, no! I already got in enough trouble betting with Amanda now I’m supposed to bet with my conscience?  What are you possibly going to pay me if you lose? 

‘How about if I lose, I never again say anything about you wearing girls clothing or looking like a girl?’ 

Um that actually sounds like a good deal to me, but what do I pay if I lose? 

‘If ‘you’ lose, you have to honestly admit, 1) that you like feeling like a girl and 2,) that you look more like a girl than a boy’. 

Whoa! … That’s a bit steep! Why do ‘I’ have to give up more if I lose? 

‘You aren’t giving up more. If I lose, I will let you go on living a lie. All you will have to do if you lose is admit the truth.’ 

Fine then what is the bet? 

‘If anyone and I mean ‘anyone’ realizes that you are not a girl today, then you win. But you can not act like a boy and give yourself away purposely.’ 

Done!

“Kayla!”

“Yes Mom?”

“I asked you what you thought of how you look.”

“Oh, sorry, Mom. I was lost in thought.”

          I took a better look at myself for the first time since my mother had finished helping me with my make-up.  ‘Is that really me?  Yes, I guess it is.’

“Mom? You are a miracle worker; I would never have believed you could make me look so much like a girl.  Thank you for your help.”

“You are welcome, Kayla. Now go get your shoes on and we’ll go shopping.”

“Mom? Can I invite Amanda to go shopping with us?  I really need her moral support.”

“Sure, Honey. Go ahead. I’ll be down as soon as I get myself ready.”

 

I went back into my room and put on the sandals that Amanda had loaned me. 

Then I headed downstairs and called Amanda on the phone.  After a few rings, Mr. Reynolds picked up and said, “Hello.”  I asked to speak with Amanda and he told me to hold on and he would get her.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Amanda. It’s Kayla. Would you like to go shopping for clothes with my Mom and me?”

“Sure, Kayla. I’ll tell my Mom and be over in a few minutes, OK?”

“Mom is still getting ready, but we should be ready to go in a little bit I’ll see you when you get here.”

 

          About fifteen minutes later, there was a knock at the front door.  I went over and opened it. As I expected, it was Amanda.  When she saw me, she just stood there, staring at me with the weirdest expression on her face.

“What?”

“Kayla?”

“Of course I’m Kayla, silly girl. Who else do you think lives here anyway?

“I really don’t know, but when I saw you standing there, all I could think was, ‘Who is this beautiful girl that is in Kayla’s house?’  I didn’t know if I wanted to claw your eyes out as competition, or fall in love with you.  It was very confusing, since I am already in love with Kayla.”

“Pardon me, but did you just say you are in love with me?”

“Yes, I guess I did.”       

As I stood there stunned by what Amanda had just told me, she leaned in and kissed me on my lips.  I closed my eyes as she kissed me and I heard myself moan as Amanda pulled her lips away from mine. 

Just as she stepped back, my Mom walked down the steps and said hello to Amanda, then told us both to come with her to the car as she was ready to go. 

We walked behind her to the car, where Amanda opened the back door, motioning for me to get in first.  I looked at Mom, who told me to sweep my skirt under me, and sit, then swing my legs into the car, both legs at the same time. 

I smiled my thanks and did as she told me, then scooted over, giving Amanda room to get in.  Amanda got in with the same motion, but it looked much more graceful when she did it.  Sitting next to me, Amanda took my hand in hers.

“Well Amanda what is the best place to shop for clothing for teenage girls on this side of town?”

“Well Mrs. Royce, there is a Juicy Couture®, Ya-Ya®, Rebecca Taylor®, and LaROK® at the Scheur Weg mall on North Outer Drive.  I really like the clothing at Ya-Ya.”

“That sounds good to me, Amanda.” 

 

Mom drove to the mall, with a bit of help finding it from Amanda, and found a parking place relatively close to the main entrance.  We got out of the car and walked arm in arm into the mall.  At first, I was very nervous and self conscious, thinking everyone was looking at me and soon would be pointing to me and shouting ‘LOOK at the BOY in a dress!’ but no one seemed to notice or care enough to make a scene.

          Mom told us that since I didn’t have any clothing, we would start from the skin and work our way out. Then she asked Amanda if there was anywhere in particular that she liked getting her lingerie.  Amanda just smiled and told us that she bought most of her lingerie at Neiman Marcus.  Mom smiled and told her to lead the way. 

When we entered the lingerie department of the store, a saleslady came up and asked if she could help us.  Mom just looked at her and said that I’d had a growth spurt and needed all new lingerie.  The woman smiled and told me to follow her.  She led me into a changing room and started to take my measurements.  I began doing the neon red thing again and she just said, “Relax, Sweetie. We have to do this for girls your age all the time.”  When she was finished, she told me that my measurements were 30/22/32 and said as soon as I my bust started developing, I would have a figure to die for.  Then she told me to wait for a few minutes while she asked my mother what she wanted to do.

Outside, I could hear her talking to Mom, “Ma’am, your daughter should take a 30AA bra and a small or size 2 panty.  Do you want to pick out clothing for her to try on, or do you want her to pick her own?”

“I think I’ll just get things for her to try this time. That way she will not get too carried away with things that are a little too sexy for her age.”

“Well if you’ll pick out a few things for her to try on, I’ll give her a hand if she needs it.”

“Mrs. Royce? I’ll be glad to help Kayla. That way she will not be embarrassed by someone seeing her in her panties.”

“Yes, Amanda. That is a good idea, as you girls are always changing together anyway, so she will not be embarrassed if you are there. Let’s pick out a few things for her to try on.”

 

          Amanda then whispered to my mother, asking her if she might not want to get me a little help in the breast department as I was a slow developer.  My darling mother just grinned, and called the saleslady over and started asking her about ‘helpers’. 

The woman smiled and took Mom to the back of the store and showed her several styles and sizes.  Mom told her that she thought a B cup would be perfect for me, and that she wanted the type that could be attached and would look natural. 

The woman got what Mom asked for and headed back to the changing room, where she stopped outside my changing room and announced herself.

“Kayla, your mother wanted you to try these since you are a late bloomer.  I think you will look great with them.”

I couldn’t even think of anything to say.  She had me take off my dress and bra.  Thank god for air conditioning and embarrassment, as you could not have told that I was a boy if I was nude.  I was, of course, blushing again, but she just smiled at me.  She prepared the backs of the falsies and the skin on my chest while she explained what I needed to do and how to take care of them.  After the adhesive had a chance to get tacky, she pressed the forms to my chest and held them there for a few minutes.  When she let go they stayed there, feeling heavy and pulling at my skin.  Then she took a tube of concealer and showed me how to blend the edges in so no one could tell I was wearing falsies.  She told me I could even wear them swimming, as both the concealer and adhesive were waterproof. 

As she left the changing room, Amanda walked in with a hand full of bras and matching panties. As soon as she laid eyes on my chest, she just stood there with her mouth hanging open.  She had thought I would look good with breasts but not this good.

“What is wrong with you, girl? You’ve seen me in nothing but my panties before.”

“I know that, Kayla my love. But you never looked this good in your panties before.  I told you that you would look beautiful with B cup breasts, but you didn’t believe me.”

“Okay, Amanda! So now I look like a boy with tits.”

“Kayla, would you please be realistic and stop with the self denigration?  I mean get real, girl! Did that lady call you a boy?”

“Well, no, she didn’t, but she only wants to make a sale, and doesn’t care if her customer is male or female.”

“Good grief, girl! Do you really think she would have stood there and said nothing at all, if she thought you were a boy in panties being fitted for all new lingerie?”

“Well, no, I really don’t think so.”

“Then why didn’t she at least say ‘You know, you look cute in a bra and panties for someone who is obviously a boy.’”

“I don’t know, do you really think she thought I was a girl?”

“Yes, I do, you silly little girl.  Now try on this bra.”

 

Amanda helped me put on a lacy pink 30B bra.  After she was through adjusting the straps and making sure it was on properly, she had me try on the matching panties after putting on a pair of disposables.  She told me to look in the mirror and tell her what I thought. 

Honestly, I still saw a boy in a bra and panties.  I mean, the girl in the  mirror ‘was’ somewhat cute, and she had nice tits, but she still looked like me.  ‘How could anyone ever expect a 13 year old boy to actually look anything like a girl anyway?’ 

I ended up getting eight matching bra and panty sets in powder pink, baby blue, violet, red, black, ivory, white with pink trim, and white with blue trim.  They added two full slips, white and black, and three half-slips, white, black, and ivory.  Of the three nighties they picked out for me, two were babydolls in powder pink and violet, and the other was a burgundy gown with a matching robe.  Mom also bought me three garter belts and a dozen pairs of stockings in different shades and patterns. 

          When I was finally allowed to dress again, I left the changing room and Mom paid for our selections.  As we left the store, I asked Mom why I needed eight bras, when I was only supposed to stay dressed for seven days.

All she said was, “A girl never wears the same lingerie two days in a row … and … you never know.” 

I couldn’t pry any more information out of her for the life of me.  Have you ever tried to take meat from a bear just out of hibernation?  That would be an easier task by far.

          My next shop of torment was to be Ya-Ya. Once again, I was sent into the changing room to wait for them to bring me things to try on.  After what seemed like hours of trying on dresses, skirts, and tops, I was told to get dressed again, and when I was ready, I joined my mother and Amanda at the cashier.  I found I was now the proud owner of two skirts one khaki, the other one black, two dresses, one a halter style in a pretty flower print, and a white mini with lace trim, a cashmere sweater, and a Desina® shrug.

Our next stop was Juicy Couture. At least this time, I was allowed to pick out some of the things I had to try on.  I ended up with three pairs of short shorts. (Mom wanted to veto them but allowed that it was the fashion), and a pink hoodie with flowers and butterfly’s embroidered on it to match one of my pairs of shorts.  I loved the way my legs looked in the short shorts. 

‘Whoa girl, girl? Are you starting to enjoy this?’

 Damn it! What is wrong with me? I really am starting to enjoy this.  That short set is just so cute. 

‘Cute?  When did you ever say cute before this weekend?’

Ummm, Never, really.’

          At LaROK, we bought a babydoll top and racerback layer tank, and at Rebecca Taylor, we bought two cami tops and two tunics.  One more stop at Neiman Marcus where I bought a brown one piece crocheted swimsuit and matching pareo, three cute little v-neck tees, a pair of white jeans with flowers embroidered on them, a pink pair with butterflies, two pairs of sandals, three pair of pumps, and a pair of pink and white tennis shoes.

Then I saw them. .. ‘Oh … my … GOD!,’ the most beautiful pair of boots I had ever seen. They were dress boots by Pleaser® black, knee hi, with a 3 ¾” heel. I just had to have them, yet, ‘Why do I need a pair of woman’s boots that I’ll kill myself trying to wear?’  ‘They will go perfectly with my knee length black ruffled skirt and driftwood tunic.  ‘How would I know something like that?  I really am losing it.’

 I actually made a fool of myself dancing around trying to convince Mom to get them for me.  ‘Geeze, I’m acting just like a girl!’ She just smiled and told me to try them on. 

I found a pair in my size and put them on, they felt lovely.  ‘Lovely?  It was like trying to stand on stilts. If I ever try to walk in these I’ll kill myself before I can take two steps.’

Amanda helped me walk up and down the aisle a few times and I finally found my balance.  I did one trip by myself and Amanda told me how hot I looked in heels.  I just stood there blushed.  ‘My God, doesn’t anyone but me, find it strange that I’m strutting around in public, wiggling my butt like a girl? 

‘Cute little wiggle, too.’

‘Huh? What is wrong with me?’

Mom bought the boots for me and we headed for the exit near the car., but there was a jewelry kiosk in the center of the mall we had passed on our way in, and Amanda whispered something to my mother.  We stopped at the kiosk and they started picking out bracelets and earrings, and then made me try on rings.  I wondered what all the glitz was for.  Mom told me to sit in a chair and the lady started playing with my ears. Then she told me, “This will sting a little.”

‘This?  What’s this?’

Then it felt like someone stabbed me in the ear lobe. I almost pulled away but she told me to hold still, and  did it again to the same ear.  Then two more in my other ear and she told me there all done.  She showed me a mirror and I looked at my double pierced ears in surprise.  I ended up with an armload of bracelets, a girl’s silver watch, three rings, and god only knows how many pair of earrings.

‘Oh God! What next?  Someone, please get me out of here.’

 ‘ Why?’

‘Why?  How can you ask that?  Shopping is boring!’

‘No, it’s fun.  I’m having more fun than I ever have before.’ 

‘Fun?  Are you crazy?  Only a girl would say that.’

‘But we are a girl.’

‘WHAT?  Um, pardon me but I beg to differ with you. That is a penis in our PANTIES, Missy.’ 

‘Oh that? It’s just a bit of extra flesh, a mere birth defect, easy enough to have fixed.’ 

‘WHAT?  What do you mean fixed?  You are NOT getting ME FIXED!’

‘We’ll talk more about this later.’

          Amanda picked that moment to snap me out of my line of thought.

“Earth to Kayla.  Kayla can you hear me?”

“Huh?  Sure, I can.  Oh, sorry, Amanda, I was just thinking.”

“Thinking?  About what?”

“Nothing, I’ll tell you about it later, OK?”

“Alright, come on! Your Mom is getting us both a make-over at Merle Norman®.”

 

 With that explanation?  Amanda dragged me into a place I’d never go voluntarily. 

‘Oh, look at all the cosmetics!’ 

‘Thanks, but no thanks’. 

‘Come on …  Get real, girl! You love all this.’ 

‘First, I am NOT a girl.  Second, I HATE all this. ‘

‘Really? Then why are you sitting down and letting that lady do your make-up?  Now pay attention! She is telling you what colors are right for our skin.’ 

Around thirty minutes later I was all freshly made up, standing there waiting for the lady to finish with Amanda.  When Amanda was finished, she looked great.  I wanted to kiss her right there in the middle of the cosmetics store.  She saw my look, smiled, and told me later as she felt the same way, but she didn’t want to mess up our lipstick so soon.  Mom bought us a ton of make-up and we finally headed for home.

          When we got home, Mom had Amanda and me grab as much as we could carry and told us to come with her, and she would help us put my new clothes away.  I led Amanda up to my room and stood staring in surprise, I now had a pink bedspread and pillows.  There was also a makeup table next to my dresser.

 ‘But …’ 

‘Think a minute! Your told her you were going to be her daughter for the week, right?’  

‘Yes.’ 

‘Well than this is obviously OUR room.’ 

‘Oh…’  I dropped my bags on the floor and ran to Mom and hugged her tight.

“Mom it’s beautiful, I love it.”

A radiant smile wiped the worried look off Mom’s face. “Oh, Baby, I was so worried you would hate it.”

“Mom!  How could I? It’s perfect!”

“Kayla, you have made me the happiest mother in the entire universe.”

Blushing, “You are welcome. Mom, you are the best.”

We hugged some more with tears leaking out of both of our eyes.  Then Mom showed me where to put all my new clothes.  She even put all my make-up and jewelry on my make-up table.  When we were done, you would have never known that this room belonged to a boy not five hours before. 

Amanda told me, “I have to get home for supper. I’ll see you tomorrow.”  Before she turned to leave, she put her arms around me and gave me a kiss right on my lips.  She messed up our lipstick and laughed, “I think you need to go fix it before your Dad sees it.” 

We all just giggled as Mom and I walked her to the door.

Not long after, we sat down to a great supper and Dad complimented me on my make-up and jewelry.  I blushed and smiled at him. 

‘Just like a girl would!’ 

After supper, I went back up to my new room and changed into one of my new babydoll nighties after taking off my make-up. 

‘Getting right into the swing of things aren’t you, girl?’ 

Then I decided play on my computer, and found it was packed with high-end software, but nothing a boy would be interested in. 

‘Then why did you spend over three hours playing the games?  I’m sure you spent at least thirty minutes playing dress up on that Barbie® program.’ 

‘No I didn’t! I only looked at it for a few minutes to see what the graphics were like.’ 

‘Yeah, sure you did.  The graphics for that prom dress were particularly nice, were they not?’ 

I decided I was too tired for this argument so I climbed into bed. The sheets felt so soft and cool, I was asleep in what seemed like seconds.

End of Part 2: Shopping

To be continued in Part 3: Pool Party           

Affair:  A matter of personal concern