LEPRECHAUN TRICKERY
by JENNIFER SUE
Part 1 of 3
(For the reader's convenience, there is a directory at the end of part 3)
Heath Lee Reilly appeared to be a ragamuffin freckle-faced lad.
Unfortunately appearances can be deceiving for he was a problem boy.
Academically he was a C student although if he ever applied himself to his
studies he could easily be an A student. But he didn't want to be a good
student and had absolutely no desire to hang out with the computer geeks.
While Heath enjoyed sports, he wasn't strong or agile enough to
really be good. When it came to picking teams, he wasn't the last to be
chosen but he was certainly never in the first half of those selected. Working
out and practicing becoming stronger and more agile were not things he
wanted to do. The school jocks generally didn't give him the time of day and
they certainly didn't want a loser like him hanging with them.
The group Heath ended up being was with the wanna-be tough guys.
At least twice a week he ended up in detention. His parents were frustrated
with his lack of drive and inclination to get into all sorts of mischief. Parent-
teacher conferences always boiled down to the fact that Heath was not living
up to his potential and hanging with the wrong bunch of kids. At home he
didn't want to do any chores. He had to be screamed at before he'd take out
the garbage. His bedroom looked like a garbage dump. His clothes were
baggy, oversized and patched. His sneakers were threadbare. He wore his
scraggly fiery red hair well past his shoulders simply because he knew it
irritated the hell out of his parents. Nothing his parents did ever suited him.
Heath's parents were firmly in the upper-middle class. They really
cared about their son but were so frustrated with his laziness and poor attitude
they were ready to throw in the towel. His mother, Helen, 39, did not have a
job but did extensive volunteer work. She did her best to keep their home
clean and comfortable and was a great cook. She was a lady in every sense
of the word. His father, Fred, 41, was a structural engineer for Balkut
Engineering, a small but dynamic privately owned engineering firm. Year
after year he hoped for a promotion to become a project manager but each
opening seemed to go to one of the other engineers who had a little more
experience in that particular area. While this frustrated him, his boss and
owner of the business, Harry Balkut, 55, recognized Fred's skills and made
sure his pay was always tops. Thus, the carrot always dangled.
Heath had hit puberty at 13. The first sign was a growth spurt. In
the summer of that year he grew from a chunky 110 pounds 4 feet 10 inch
boy into a lanky 115 pound 5 feet 4 inch awkward teenager. Then came
erections in the night and wet dreams. It didn't take long for him to build up
a clandestine collection of pornographic magazines which he used to satiate
his seemingly constant arousal. Naturally Bay Watch was his favorite TV
show. By the time he reached 14, his voice was at that awkward stage where
it would crack at the most inopportune times. Like most boys at his age and
development, he could think of little besides sex and girls. Sex he could only
dream about. Girls he could only look at since no girl gave him a second
glance and the few times he asked a girl out they laughed in his face. The
only relief he could obtain was by his own hands.
And look he did. At every opportunity. Last year just before
completing the eighth grade he even snuck into the girls' locker room but
could find no place to hide. He hurriedly fled when he heard the girls
returning. During the summer on cloudy nights he'd lock himself into his
bedroom then slip out the window to wonder about his neighborhood
attempting to peer into the windows of the prettier girls and women. A few
times he did manage to catch sight of some curvy flesh. More often,
however, he encountered a not too friendly dog. Once he was chased by the
cops but managed to escape. Still he persisted in vis voyeuristic adventures.
He began the ninth grade on Wednesday. By Thursday he had
already earned a session of after school detention. The afternoon was warm
and bright. Heath was quite dejected. His love life was zilch. He had no
close friends. As he walked out of the school, he just wanted to be alone to
brood upon his meager existence. To avoid the other students meandering
down the sidewalks, Heath decided to take a shortcut home.
The path Heath chose was shorter in distance but the terrain was such
that it would take him longer. That prospect didn't bother him since there
was nothing for him at home except more nagging from his parents. Behind
the school was a steep heavily wooded rocky hill. Abrupt cliffs and steep
inclines were the reason the area had never been developed as had virtually
every other area in his community. It was still virgin forest with many trees
more than a hundred years old and quite a few considerably older than that.
As he sought a path up the jagged face of the cliff behind the school, he was
lost in his misery. Upon reaching the top he heard giggling happy girlish
voices that sounded quite clear coming from his left. Curious because the
cliff was also on his immediate left, he began to investigate. It took a few
moments to pinpoint the exact location of the voices but he was unable to see
anything through the dense foliage. Looking about for a better vantage point
he saw an ancient oak tree with a trunk at least eight feet in diameter. The old
oak towered above the smaller trees rooted lower down the rugged cliff face.
About twenty feet up was a crotch formed by six branches spreading in
different directions. A smaller tree had fallen against the mighty oak and the
eight-inch trunk formed a ramp up to the crotch. After scrambling up the
fallen tree trunk he stood in the sizeable crotch of the oak and looked in the
direction of the voices. The line of sight was unobstructed and to his delight
he spied the cheerleaders practicing!
Now the school officials were well aware how fascinated many of the
teenage boys were with the cheerleaders. In an effort to keep the leering
voyeurs at bay, the administrators had enclosed a flat grassy area behind the
school building at the base of the inaccessible wooded cliff with a twelve-foot
high brick wall. The girls practiced their routines inside, safe from the prying
eyes of sex-starved teens boys. Because of this security, they were
considerably less inhibited. About half the girls wore body hugging leotards.
The others wore skin tight biker shorts and matching really snug sports bras.
The girls also often engaged in quite lewd spirited play. They tried to outdo
each other in their ability to utilize their tantalizing teenage girlish charms to
strike provocative poses.
What Heath discovered that day was every horny boy's dream. The
perfect spot that overlooked the enclosed practice area allowing an
unblemished view of the sexy cheerleaders while they practiced. At the same
time he was camouflaged by the trees so the cheerleaders would never spot
him. Needless to say the boy was delighted. Even at a distance of 200 feet
he could see enough to excite his lust. He settled into the crotch of the tree as
if it were an easy chair and opened his fly. By the time the cheerleaders
finished their practice, so had Heath.
Harry Balkut also had a rather significant day. A little after noon
while on an extended executive lunch he suffered a fatal heart attack in the
bed of his 18 year-old mistress. The news swept through the stunned office
like a wild fire. No one was really surprised since they all knew Harry's
predilection for sexy young girls. Most people assumed that when his wife
had fatally overdosed on sleeping pills 15 years ago it had been out of
frustration due to Harry's incessant philandering. That death had put a severe
strain on the relationship between Fred and Harry. The two couples had been
close friends. Most of the men in the office knew that Harry had often
claimed he wanted to die with a smile on his face in the bed of a hot girl.
The main concern of most of the employees was what would happen
to the very successful business. If it was sold, how would that affect their
jobs? The only relative and most likely the sole beneficiary of Harry's estate
would be his estranged daughter Hillary. Unfortunately, no one in the office
knew a thing about Hillary since she had left home at 16 just after her
mother's funeral.
Fred Reilly came home with a heavy heart. His friend and boss was
gone. Not only that, but he was greatly concerned about his job security.
What would the new owner do with a highly paid employee with 17 years of
experience who never managed a project?
Helen was making supper when Fred entered the kitchen to give her
his welcome home hug and receive her welcome home kiss. Before he could
even tell her about his terrible day, she broke into tears of frustration over
Heath. The school had called to inform her about Heath earning detention on
the second day of classes.
This was more than Fred could take. With his face beet red he
stormed from the kitchen to Heath's bedroom. Helen had never seen Fred so
angry and meekly followed. Without knocking he barged right into the room
to discover Heath naked sitting against the headboard of his bed. A well
worn heavily stained porno mag was lying open on his lap since his hands
were otherwise occupied.
Heath gasped in surprise but was unable to stop his eruption. As
Fred stopped short, Helen bumped into him. Both witnessed Heath's all too
healthy ejaculation splash all over the naked centerfold. Both parents were
shocked. In a blind fury Fred stormed to the bed and slapped Heath across
the face.
"So this is why you can't do your homework," Fred ranted as he
snatched the soggy magazine and shook it in front of Heath's face.
Droplets of semen sprinkled from the fluttering pages to land all over
the naked teen and his bed. A bright red hand print appeared on the side of
Heath's face as tears of pain and terror filled his eyes. Helen was simply
unable to cope with the situation and just placed her hands over her face and
fled from the room in tears.
"You little snot nosed son of a bitch," Fred yelled as he flung the
sticky magazine onto Heath's chest. "This is the thanks your mother and I
get for giving you everything. You filthy pervert! What do you think your
mother thinks of you now? This smut... in our house... after getting
detention on the second day of school! Your ass is grass, boy! Clean this
filth up... NOW! I want every filthy magazine or book you have in the trash
can. If you have any cigarettes or drugs, they better be in there too. I want a
full accounting of every piece of shit you have. I'll be back in an hour so you
can show me what you have. Then I'm going to search this room from top to
bottom. May heaven help you if I find anything! I'll decide what your
punishment will be after I've seen everything. Maybe by then I'll be calm
enough not to strangle you!"
With that he turned to leave but stopped in the door. "If you try to
sneak out your window, I will kill you," Fred brusquely whispered through
clenched teeth. "Officer O'Brien called me two weeks ago to see if you were
home. He thought he spotted you peeping into windows over on Jefferson
street. I told him it had to be some other boy since you were in your room.
After he hung up, I checked your room. You weren't here and your window
was open. I was outside when you came sneaking home to crawl back
inside. If you want to call the cops about child abuse, think about that first."
Fred turned and slammed the door.
Helen was still in the hall outside the bedroom. Her sobbing had
stopped but tears still trickled down her cheeks. She had not wanted to stay
in the room during the confrontation between Heath and Fred, yet she was
afraid to go too far away in case Fred flipped out and began to beat Heath.
As a result, she heard everything that ad been said. Her son was not only on
his way to becoming a complete delinquent. He apparently was also well on
the way to becoming a pervert! She knew she had to do something to turn
Heath around but was at a total loss about what to do.
Heath sat on his bed trembling. His dad knew about his peeping. He
caught him masturbating. His mom had seen him doing it. He knew he was
dead meat. If he didn't get all his illicit stuff together and his dad found it, he
knew whatever punishment he was going to get would be far worse than it
was already bound to be. It would be hopeless to accuse his parents of chid
abuse because they'd just turn him in for being a peeping Tom. In short, he
was screwed. For the first time in months, Heath felt remorseful for his
misdeeds. With tears trickling from his eyes and his left cheek stinging from
the slap that had rattled his teeth, he grabbed some tissues and began to clean
himself.
It had been years since his dad had laid a hand upon him. Never
before had he seen his father so lividly angry. Slowly he dressed, choosing
clothes that fit and were clean rather than his normal oversized sloppy
clothes. Then he pulled out his meager porno collection which he'd
scavenged from trash cans. Then came his cigarettes which he really didn't
like anyway. He only smoked because it was cool. For a while he thought
about trying to hide his pot, but thought better of it and tossed the baggy full
of weed into the waste basket. Then like a man awaiting the electric chair, he
sat and waited.
Helen anxiously followed Fred into the living room after he left
Heath's room. She had been shocked to see her little boy doing that. She
knew boys did those things, but had refused to face the possibility that her
son would do it. She was also quite worried about Fred. Something bad had
to have happened at work to set him off so harshly when confronted with
Heath's detention.
Fred purposely entered the living room. Without even looking at
Helen who was silently following, he went to the liquor cabinet, took out his
prized bottle of 20 year-old scotch and broke the seal. Helen watched in
numbed silence as he put the bottle to his lips and chugged about a third of
the golden nectar. She now knew something horrible had happened at work
since Fred seldom drank and then only in extreme moderation. She also
knew to keep quiet.
When he pulled the bottle from his lips, he wiped his mouth on the
back of his hand. With a loud belch and a deep sigh he looked at his fearful
wife. "I'm sorry but you may as well not finish supper," he stated softly as
he collapsed in his lounge chair. "After I check Heath's room, I'm going to
get drunk... if I make it that long."
With that he took another long slug from the bottle while Helen
waited. "Harry had a heart attack in his girlfriend's bed. He's dead."
Helen gasped. They had often joked about such a thing happening
but had never really considered it likely. Now it had happened. She knew of
Fred's worries about his job. They had often discussed what they would do
if he lost his job with Balkut Engineering. She also understood Fred's blow
up over Heath's detention. "I'll put the food away," Helen said softly. "I
think we need to be together tonight."
Fred glumly nodded and smiled weakly as Helen left the room.
When the hour was up, Fred returned to Heath's bedroom. By that
time he was feeling little pain and had drifted into a melancholy funk. Helen
accompanied him. Heath was shocked to see his father was near drunk.
Never before had he seen him that way. This only reinforced his fears and
anxiety.
"I'm sorry for slapping you earlier," Fred began in a slow and
deliberate manner. "Harry Balkut died this afternoon. I may not have a job
much longer. I'm afraid I took my frustration out on you. But son, you
have been driving us to this point for the past two years. Is this everything?"
Fred began to rummage through the waste basket. "Marijuana...
cigarettes... porn... Fred mumbled as he searched. "This isn't what we
expect from our son. But I suppose this is all you'll give us... heartache and
stupidity. Can we ever expect more from you? We can punish you for
this... but will it do any good? Your mother and I are at the end of rope.
What do you have to say for yourself?"
Heath was stunned. He never expected this. Rather, he expected a
long tedious lecture... not brutal honesty. "I... I don't know," Heath
stuttered. "I guess I never thought about it."
"That's quite obvious," Fred replied sadly. "I'm willing to forget
about all this and start clean. You'll be closely watched. I'll be searching
your room and you without warning. If I find even a trace of this junk,
we're through with you. Harry Balkut suggested I send you to a tough
military academy last year when we first began to have serious problems.
Now I'm ready to send you there. But we'll give you one last chance. No
more detention, no more porn, no more cigarettes, no more drugs, no more
trouble, is that clear?"
Heath meekly nodded his head.
"We also expect you to do better in school," Helen added. "Not
straight A's, although that would be nice, but a few A's and a lot of B's.
Can you do that for us and yourself? We love you and want to keep you
home with us, but if you can't straighten up, we'll have no choice but to send
you away."
"I'll try," Heath replied softly.
"Good," Fred snorted as he picked up the trash. "Now let's all get
some sleep so we can start anew tomorrow."
With that they all turned in for a rather sleepless night.
Heath was scared. There had been no long lecture. There had been
no spanking. There was only the warning to be good or else. Just the
thought of a military school sent shivers through his body. With a sigh of
surrender he decided he'd better toe the line for a while. At least until his
father's concerns about work eased. He could survive without the cigarettes
and drugs. After all he never really cared for them. Giving up the porn
would be harder. But at least he still had his secret spot from which he could
watch the cheerleaders. With these thoughts he fell asleep.
Heath managed to keep his nose clean on Friday. After school...
with no detention... he scurried to his oak tree outpost and snuggled into his
nest with a pair of binoculars so he could see the cute girls better. Knowing
this would be his only daily chance to relief his teenage angst, he took full
advantage of the opportunity.
That same morning, the day after Harry's death, Fred sat in his office
nursing a tremendous hangover while trying to work. Kaye Gantz, the
company's 50 year-old executive secretary, buzzed him to come to the
conference room. As he left his office, he noted everyone else in the office
was heading for the conference room. Something big was up. Upon
entering the office he saw a beautiful blonde woman about 30 years old
arrogantly sitting in Harry Balkut's chair.
Fred joined the other men in silently drinking in the woman's natural
beauty. She was dressed in a tight red business suit that showed of her
voluptuous figure. Suddenly Fred recognized her. She was Hillary Balkut,
Harry's estranged daughter! It certainly had not taken her long to return.
Quietly he sidled to the back of the room and leaned against the wall.
Once everyone was assembled, Hillary spoke. "I'm Hillary Balkut. I
don't like beating around the bush so I'll be blunt. My father and I hadn't
spoken in 15 years. Our estrangment was strictly personal and I will not go
into details. Suffice it to say I hated his guts. Despite this, my father left
everything to me. I now own Balkut Engineering. You each work for me.
My father's funeral will be Monday morning. The office will be closed so
everyone can attend. Business will resume on Tuesday."
"I will be taking over the daily operations and have no desire to sell
the business," Hillary continued. "I have a BA degree in business
administration and a Master's degree in Engineering. I'm not some
incompetent dummy you can slip things past. If you want to work for me,
I'll expect you to work hard. In return, I'll pay you well, better than my
father, but you will earn it."
"I arrived early this morning and spent the time reviewing each of
your records," Hillary stated. "I'm not satisfied with what I've seen. There
are too many days off, too few hours worked, and too many deadlines
missed. I've dictated my recommendations for each of you and Kaye will be
typing them up. You'll receive your copies on Tuesday morning. I expect
you to sign the recommendations and adhere to them. I want them back by
Tuesday afternoon at 3:00. Anyone not returning the signed
recommendations to me by then will be considered terminated with a one
month severance pay. I still have a lot to review, so please don't bother me
now. On Wednesday morning I'll hold a meeting for those of you who are
still employed here. It will be an open session so bring your questions then.
Thank you for coming. You may go."
With that curt dismissal, the concerned employees filed out of the
board room. Whispered worries about their individual future with the firm
created a soft rumble. As Fred waited the others to leave, he thought back to
the last time he had seen Hillary.
It had been at her mother's funeral. The then teenage Hillary had
been pale and silent. She had refused to stand next to her father at the grave
site and had flinched when he touched her shoulder when it was time to
leave. She had left home the next day.
"Mr. Reilly, would you please come to my office," Hillary stated as
she rose from the chair at the head of the table and headed for the door.
Fred was surprised. Hillary's polite request was really an order.
Fears that he was going to be fired immediately engulfed him. Yet he could
not help leering at her shapely legs so tantalizingly revealed by her miniskirt
and so enticingly accentuated by the 3 inch heels she wore.
With tremendous anxiety, Fred resignedly followed, struggling to
control the bulge in his trousers as his eyes irresistibly focused upon her
sexily swaying backside. Hillary never looked back to see if Fred was
following. She knew that he was there and what he was watching. Once
inside her father's office, she sat in his chair behind his huge desk. Fred was
relieved her gorgeous legs were once more hidden from his wanton view as
he closed the door behind him as he entered.
"Please have a seat," Hillary stated with a sad smile. "I'm going to be
quite blunt and what I have to say is not to leave this office."
Fred took the offered seat with growing concern. While he was not a
chauvinist, it ate at him that his future was in the hands of this young woman.
"I understand," Fred replied. "I will keep everything confidential from the
staff. But I share all my concerns with my wife. If this is something you
don't want her to hear, please don't tell me.
"I'm glad you're still here," Hillary replied with a touch of relief.
"You can relax. I have no intention of firing you. Your open honesty is
quite refreshing. You and Helen were the only true friends my mother really
had. I also know that after her death, you ended your social relationship with
my father. I appreciate that, and I'd like to have you tell Helen what I'm
going to tell you. I always felt that Helen was almost like an older sister.
I'd like her to be a friend to me like she was to my mother. I need that."
"Thank you," Fred relaxed and smiled weakly. "I was quite
concerned. I'm sure Helen will be delighted to be your friend."
"I apologize," Hillary stated. "I guess I have all the employees
worried after my little speech. I did that on purpose to let them know that I'm
the boss now. I have no intentions of firing anyone, but please don't let them
know that."
"You know the business better than anyone else except Kaye,"
Hillary stated. "But she is not an engineer. I need your expertise to help me
keep the business running smoothly and at a profit."
"I'll be glad to assist in any way I can," Fred nodded seriously.
"I was sure you would," Hillary answered softly. "But first I feel
compelled to tell you why my mother committed suicide. I've never told
anyone what really happened. This isn't going to be easy so please bear with
me."
"I'll be patient," Fred replied gently. "Helen and I always suspected
her death wasn't an accident."
"It wasn't an accident," Hillary sobbed quietly. "Mother killed
herself because of me... but it wasn't my fault... she knew how daddy kept
chasing young girls... she never tried to stop him... she let it happen."
Hillary broke down in tears.
Fred felt his heart go out to the woman. With genuine sincerity he
crossed to her chair and laced a comforting hand on her shoulder.
Hillary reacted to his touch like a scalded cat. Angrily she flung his
hand off her shoulder and stood facing Fred in a karate defensive stance. The
anger that flashed in her eyes made Fred shiver. Fred put his hands up in an
effort to fend off an attack by the she-devil before him. An expression of
shock and fear filled his face.
Hillary gasped then relaxed. "I'm sorry," she stated with a shaky
voice. "Please, go back to your seat." Hillary wiped the tears from her eyes
and sat in her chair.
Fred cautiously returned to his seat but never took his eyes off
Hillary. He worried that the young woman was schizophrenic.
"What you just saw is part of what I have to tell you," Hillary
explained in a tired voice. "I react like that whenever a man touches me. It
goes back to my mother's death. As I said, my father had a thing for pretty
teenage girls. I... I was not exempt from his... lust."
Fred gasped. Never had he expected to hear this. Harry had
molested his own daughter! It was unconscionable. "Hillary... I'm so
sorry," Fred apologized. "If I'd have known... I'd have killed him...."
"I know," Hillary replied. "That was one of the reasons I never told
anyone. Mother knew... she tried to help me through the trauma, but he
wouldn't stop him. Night after night... he came into my bedroom. Mother
killed herself when I became pregnant."
"Oh my God," Fred gasped. "That monster."
"I left home the day after mother's funeral," Hillary continued.
"Daddy paid for me to go to a private school that dealt with pregnant teens.
I've waited and prepared for his death ever since I left. I had my baby...
Leslie Lynn. I completed high school, and went on to college. I hired a
nanny to raise Leslie while I studied and worked. Daddy paid for it all...
dearly paid. I gave him no other option. You could call it blackmail, but I
feel it was quite justified. I refused to talk to him or let him see his
child/grandchild."
"I'm hoping the funeral will let me put all my hatred behind me,"
Hillary added softly.
"I don't know what to say," Fred replied honestly. "Of course I'll
help you any way I can. But I think it would be better if you told Helen
yourself. If you'd like, I'll call Helen and invite her to meet you for lunch at
Guido's. You can get a private booth and tell her all about your father."
"I think I'd like that," Hillary replied. "Does Guido still run the
place?"
"You bet," Fred chuckled. "He's a little greyer and has more of a
paunch, but he still has the best Italian restaurant in the state."
Helen was delighted to learn that Fred's job was secure and that
Hillary was taking control of the business. When Fred told her that Hillary
wanted to meet her for lunch at Guido's to talk about her mother, Helen knew
a long awaited revelation was going occur.
Helen was stunned to hear all that Hillary had to say about her parents
and promised to be a good friend and confident. After quite a long
discussion, it was decided the women would go to the Balkut home. Upon
arriving, Helen first met the nanny Hillary had employed since the birth of
her child. Joyce Moore was a plain woman now 28 years old. Judging from
her appearance and demeanor the woman while not overly intelligent, was
obviously a person who could firmly control any children placed under her
control.
After exchanging pleasantries, the efficient nanny left to bring Leslie
to meet Helen. Helen was delighted to meet Leslie Lynn Balkut. Upon
entering the room, the teenager responded to the introduction with a precise
curtsey after which Joyce quietly left. The demure 14 year old pretty blonde
lass was polite and well dressed. It was obvious from the loud rustling
whenever Leslie moved that there were several full crinoline petticoats
beneath her full skirted knee length pink satin dress since the skirt billowed
saucily almost a foot from her slim legs. The Peter Pan collar was edged
with a dainty ruffle trimmed in lace. The empire bodice demurely accentuated
Leslie's pert girlish breasts without being outlandish. A two inch wide pink
satin sash about her trim waist was tied into a quaint bow at the small of her
back. The short sleeves ballooned about her slender upper arms to end in
lace trimmed ruffled cuffs just above her elbows. Cute pink satin bows
firmly secured the ends of the twin braids that hung down the front of her
shoulders to her nipped in waist. Pert curled bangs whispered against her
forehead accentuating her wide innocent baby blue eyes. A cute upturned
button nose was centered between her naturally rosy cheeks. The only make
up she wore was a delicate pink gloss on her sensuous full lips. Shiny black
patent leather cross-strap Mary-Jane shoes adorned her feet and darling lace
topped ruffled anklets adorned her slender ankles. All in all Leslie was the
essence of dainty Victorian girlhood. Her flesh, where visible, was a delicate
white porcelain china.
"Well, Leslie, I must compliment you," Helen enthused. "You are a
very delightful young lady. I didn't think girls like you existed anymore.
I'm delighted to discover there is at least one."
"Thank you, Mrs. Reilly," Leslie replied with a genuine smile
accompanied by another curtsey. "I enjoy being a gracious young miss."
Just then Joyce returned pushing a fully equipped tea cart. Without a
word being said, Leslie politely excused herself for a moment. Going to the
tea cart she pulled a ruffled pinafore style apron from a shelf hidden by the
lace coverlet. With little effort that evidenced great practice, Leslie quickly
donned the old-fashioned pinafore and served tea to an impressed Helen and
her mother. When everyone had been served she carefully smoothed her full
skirts as she sat daintily upon a straight-backed chair with her knees primly
together and her hands folded demurely upon her lap. A few moments of
polite conversation followed during which Leslie politely answered all of
Helen's questions. The young girl attended a strict parochial school because
the boys were much too uncouth at the public schools. Leslie loved her soft
frilly clothes. Her favorite pastimes were playing the piano, dancing, and
reading. She was also an avid doll collector. Once she opened up Leslie
proved to be a very talkative girl.
When Joyce coughed softly, Leslie blushed. "Please forgive for
monopolizing your time," she stated primly as she rose from her seat. After
refreshing the women's tea, she curtseyed sweetly once more and left the
room to follow her nanny.
"What a perfect young lady," Helen enthused. "I didn't know any
girls like her still existed. You must be very proud of her."
"I am proud of Leslie," Hillary replied with a smile. "I've instructed
Joyce to make sure she is a prime example of sugar and spice."
"Well you've certainly succeeded," Helen replied. "You don't know
how often I wished for a daughter to pamper and spoil."
"Leslie is pampered but not spoiled," Hillary replied. "I remember
how you used to fuss over me whenever you'd visit. I loved the attention
and knew I was like a little sister to you."
"My, you certainly were perceptive," Helen sighed. "I plead guilty as
charged."
"I asked you here to have a very private conversation," Hillary stated
quite seriously. "There's more to my story than I've told you and you must
promise not to tell anyone, including Fred."
"Of course, my dear," Helen replied seriously. "I could tell you were
holding something back."
"When I was at the home to have my baby," Hillary began. "I was
16, pregnant from my father, and my mother had just committed suicide. I
was lonely, hurt, and angry. At first I lashed out at everyone. I was really
miserable. Then I met Joyce. She was just 14 and like me pregnant. Her
older brother did it, but when she told her parents, they blamed her and threw
her out of the house telling her to never return. Now Joyce isn't the smartest
person in the world. In many ways she's quite backward. But she is full of
love. Somehow she found her way to the home, but only after two months
of living on the streets. She lived solely for the baby she carried. She loved
that unborn child since it was the only thing she had. I realized she was in far
worse shape than me yet she had a goal in life... to raise her child. That
knowledge snapped me out of my self-pity. I was still angry and hurt, but
now I gained a purpose. That was to be a friend to Joyce. We became more
than friends as our pregnancies developed. We became like sisters."
"Joyce went into labor the same day I did. We shared the delivery
room. I gave birth to Leslie. Joyce developed major problems. They tried to
do a C-section but it was too late. Her baby was stillborn. She was so
ripped up inside they did a hysterectomy on her. Joyce gave up. The only
thing she had lived for was gone and she could never have another child. I
stayed by her side as she recovered. She just laid there and waited to die.
Nothing I did or said mattered. We returned to the home but she was like a
bump on the log. They wanted to commit her but I begged them to wait. I
was worn out trying to get Joyce to recover and taking care of Leslie. I think
those two o'clock feedings almost killed me. Two days after I begged them
not to commit Joyce, I slept through the night. At first I was scared
something had happened to Leslie. But when I threw back the covers, and
sat up, I found Joyce sitting in the rocker rocking the baby. She had taken
care of the two o'clock feeding."
"She knew her baby was dead and that Leslie was my baby. We
cried in each other's arms. That's when I decided that I had to take care of
Joyce. To do that I needed to become the breadwinner. That's when I
contacted my father. I told him he either gave me enough money to rent an
apartment for myself, the baby, and Joyce plus pay for my schooling and
living expenses or I'd return home and tell everyone the truth. He came
through. Joyce has been raising Leslie ever since."
"That's wonderful," Helen replied as she dabbed tears from her eyes.
"There is nothing wrong with that. I don't see why you don't want Fred to
know."
"This morning your husband joined the other men drooling over me,"
Hillary replied coldly. "I had hoped he wouldn't do that, but now I realize
that he's just like all the others. Well, not quite. He didn't attempt to hit on
me."
"Fred would never do anything like that," Helen stated. "He was
always quite disgusted with your father's philandering. Fred appreciates
beautiful women, but he's devoted to me."
"I know," Hillary answered. "For a man, Fred's probably as good as
they get. That's where my other problem comes in. I hate men. I can't bear
to have a man touch me. But I'm a very sensual person. I need love just like
any other woman. Only I can never love a man."
Helen sat silently for a few moments as she thought about what
Hillary had said. Suddenly she gasped and her eyes grew wide. "Oh my
God," she gasped. "You're one of those women... a le...lesbian? You and
Joyce are lovers, right?"
"Yes, I am a lesbian and Joyce is my lover," Hillary answered
without flinching. "As you just saw, Joyce and I keep our relationship on a
business level except in the privacy of our bedroom. I know how this town
feels about lesbians. That's why I'd like to keep it a secret. Helen, I feel
that you really are like an older sister. I'm not asking for your approval of
my love affair but I would like your acceptance."
"I don't know what to say," Helen replied clearly stunned by the
unexpected revelation. "I've always thought of you as a kid sister and I
really appreciate your reciprocation of those feelings. Of course your secret
is safe with me, but... I just don't know if I can handle it."
"That's all I'm asking for," Hillary answered. "But there is one other
secret. This one is even more outlandish and I need your solemn vow never
to reveal it to anyone."
"There's more," Helen asked clearly surprised. "I don't know if I
can handle anything more, especially if it's more outlandish than... you
know. But I promise to keep it a secret."
"Thank you," Hillary smiled weakly. "As I already said, due to my
father's actions I can't stand to be touched by a male. I also cannot stand to
touch a male. I realized this before I gave birth to Leslie. I dreaded the
thought of having a baby boy."
"I can understand that," Helen responded sympathetically. "It's a
good thing you had a baby girl."
Hillary blushed, sighed deeply, and looked at the floor.
"Oh my God," Helen exclaimed as the bizarre truth hit her. "Leslie
isn't a girl? But her face... her figure... she's so feminine."
"Leslie is a girl mentally, just not physically... yet," Hillary replied
softly with no obvious guilt. "But she thinks she's a girl. I knew I could
never raise a son but I was unwilling to give up the child. I decided even
before the birth to name her Leslie Lynn because the name was suitable for a
boy or a girl. Once Joyce, Leslie, and I moved out of the home, it was easy
to simply put the baby in dresses. Leslie has never worn pants. Over the
years I did some discreet investigating. I found a highly skilled doctor who
was eminently qualified to handle Leslie's special situation. What makes the
doctor even better for handling delicate situations is that she's a woman and
has no hang ups about the ludicrous idea of the superiority of males. Leslie
was eight when she first saw Doctor Trate. Once Cassandra... that's Dr.
Trate's first name... was assured that Leslie was a happy little girl and that I
was dead serious about turning Leslie into a complete girl, she removed two
tiny useless tumors from between her legs. Then she gathered all the loose
flesh that was present and tucked it up inside her groin so that she appeared to
be a normal girl. When Leslie was eleven, the doctor provided us with a
prescription of female hormones. Leslie has been taking them ever since. As
you saw, she's developed like a normal girl going through puberty except of
course she's never had a period. Just this past summer we saw to it that
Leslie had the surgery to become a complete female."
"So she knows she's really a boy," Helen asked incredulously.
"We told her last year before we arranged the surgery that she was a
very special and unique girl," Hillary replied. "When her classmates
complained about their periods, she had no idea what they were talking
about. We had to tell her the truth. I told her everything, including the fact
that her father and grandfather were the same man. She was upset at first but
only because she wasn't a real girl. In fact, she was glad that she hadn't been
raised as, in her own words, a 'yucky boy'. She's been very understanding
and realized I had done the only thing I could do. She has fully accepted her
fate as a girl. After all, she only knows life as a girl. Besides, the castration
and the female hormones have destroyed her masculinity. Even if she wanted
to try to become a man, it's impossible. What's left of her male parts are
shriveled up and totally useless."
"I don't know what to say," Helen replied candidly as she tried to
take everything in. "I've heard of things like this happening on some of
those bizarre talk shows. But this is the first time I've KNOWN it to be
true."
"I understand how difficult this is for you," Hillary answered. "I just
hope we can renew our friendship. That's why I had to tell you."
"I appreciate your honesty," Helen said finally. "I'm going to need a
few days to think this all over."
"I know," Hillary replied. "You always were a ponderer. Will you
be coming to the funeral?"
"Of course," Helen responded. "I wouldn't miss seeing that bastard
buried. After all, your problems are really his fault."
"I was hoping you'd see things that way," Hillary replied.
With that the women hugged and parted.
Fred was the first one home. Heath arrived home shortly thereafter.
Heath assured his father he'd stayed out of trouble that day. Heath breathed a
little easier as his father laid into him about all the junk he'd had in his room.
That meant things were going better at work. Heath promised to try to do
better. It was after six when Helen made it home.
The weekend was very tense in the Reilly home. Helen's secret
knowledge about Hillary and Heath's problems, Fred's knowledge of Harry
Balkut's indiscretions and Heath's problems, and Heath with his problems
and the lack of opportunities to relieve his tensions all combined to make a
short fused terse relationship.
Helen found herself thinking about Leslie. The child was a very
pretty girl. She represented everything she'd always wanted in a daughter.
The fact that she was the same age as Heath only made her son's problems
seem worse. Leslie was such a polite well-behaved girl while Heath was an
insufferable slovenly boy. Every time she saw Heath or thought of his
problems she compared his irreverent macho attitude to that of demure Leslie.
The longer the weekend went, the more she understood why Hillary had
raised the child as a girl. Helen began to think that if she had to do it all over
again, knowing the problems that awaited raising a son, she'd raise Heath as
a girl! Once this thought occurred, the next thought came as a matter of
logical progression. She began to wonder if it was too late to turn Heath into
a sweet daughter. After all, he was just entering male puberty. Most of the
obvious physical manifestations had not yet appeared. If she were to slip him
some female hormones, perhaps she could derail his masculinity and supplant
it with demure girlishness. Maybe she could even take him to the doctor
Hillary had found. But that idea was simply too wild to even consider not to
mention the fact that Fred would never go along with transforming his son
into a girl.
Of course, there was an alternative. The fact that she had a complete
hysterectomy five years before only made her daydreaming about turning
Heath into a girl even more viable since she had a prescription of female
hormones for herself. All she had to do was get a second prescription from
her doctor. That would be easy, she'd just tell him she was switching
pharmacies. Then she could at least partially do to Heath what had been done
to Leslie. The thought of seeing perky little breasts budding from his chest
made her feel warm inside. The idea was very tempting, especially when
Heath was being his normal callous boyish self.
Monday finally arrived. Heath was allowed to stay home from school
to attend the funeral. That was a bit of consolation since Heath hated getting
dressed in a suit. Wearing a tie was really the pits. But he knew he had no
choice. The viewing was held at one o'clock with the funeral at three.
Despite his interests in the macabre, Heath really didn't want to go see a dead
man. Still, he obediently followed his parents as they got in line to file past
the casket. He had no idea what he would say to Hillary Balkut and her
daughter Leslie.
As they slowly made their way through the line, Heath let his mind
wonder. All weekend all his mother talked about was Leslie Lynn Balkut.
She couldn't get done talking about how pretty she was and how nicely she
dressed. Every time he did something his mother didn't like, which was
practically everything, she sighed and dreamily told him how Leslie was so
polite and well behaved. Heath didn't think too much of his mother's
opinion about what constituted a pretty girl. He certainly couldn't imagine
any girl being as much of a goody two shoes as his mother claimed for
Leslie.
As they neared the casket Heath overheard other people saying how
nice Harry Balkut looked, like he was sleeping and would wake up at any
moment. Heath almost chuckled as he thought about how fast the place
would clear if Harry Balkut suddenly sat up. When it was their turn, Heath
looked closely at the body while trying to see what the others were seeing. In
Heath's opinion Harry Balkut didn't look like he was sleeping, he looked
dead. Looking at the dead man gave Heath the willies.
As they turned to pay their respects to the family, Heath almost
tripped over his feet. The woman, dressed in a slinky low-cut black dress
that showed her body and legs to great advantage, was gorgeous. She had to
be Hillary Balkut. Heath felt a most unsolemn stirring inside his dress slacks
as his pulse quickened and his breathing became labored. Heath tried to
politely shake her hand but found he couldn't take his eyes off the soft white
flesh of her cleavage. It was only when Hillary softly cleared her throat and
squeezed his hand that he flushed and turned to see the wonder girl.
The blonde girl was a total knock out! He hastily decided his
mother's lavish praise hadn't done her justice. Heath was so stricken with
Leslie's beauty that this time he did trip over his feet. With a resounding
THUD he fell flat on his face at the pretty girl's feet clad in unbelievably
glossy black patent leather T-strap shoes with one inch heels. Slowly his
gaze rose from her shoes to follow her slender ankles. The young girl's
silken legs were clad in sheer black hose that showed off her shapely legs.
Looking up sheepishly he had a perfect view beneath her full pleated black
velvet skirt. Beneath her dainty skirt he could see the lace edged ruffles of
her white crinoline petticoat. The ruffled petticoat hid the juncture of her
thighs from his view so he was unable to see her panties but he correctly
imagined they were as delicately lace trimmed as her petticoat. From his
prone position he was unable to see her face, but at the moment he didn't
care. Mesmerized by the sight, he found himself unable to move.
Fred quickly realized what was happening and hastily leaned over to
hoist his infatuated son to his feet. Fred remained silent because he
understood how overwhelmed his son was by the unblemished beauty of the
teenage girl. He too had wondered if Helen's relentless descriptions had
been fact or fable. Now he knew they were fact. The black velvet sleeveless
dress hugged the teenage girl's curvaceous body like a glove. The low-cut
bodice was filled out nicely. Instead of revealing her cleavage the cut out was
filled with delicate black lace through which her fine white flesh was visible
while hiding all details. Her slender arms were encased in stretch black lace
that matched that which hid her cleavage. Matching black lace stretch gloves
encased her primly folded hands in her lap. Her long silken blonde hair fell
luxuriously about her shoulders and except for her pert bangs was held back
from her face by a black velvet band tied into a large bow atop her head. Her
face looked like that of an exquisite porcelain doll. Fred's heart rate increased
dramatically as he drank in the young girl's undeniable girlishness. If he had
a daughter, he would have wanted her to be like Leslie.
Fred held Heath on his unsteady feet before Leslie. Momentarily the
duo were awestruck by the teenage girl's unblemished beauty. Heath became
hopelessly lost the moment his eyes met Leslie's eyes. Fred finally snapped
himself out of his trance and had to practically drag poor Heath away.
Leslie blushed and lowered her eyes as the boy fell. His look of lust
made her feel very vulnerable. Hillary placed a comforting arm on her
daughter's shoulder. They had another long discussion about the birds and
the bees over the weekend. Hillary's experiences in the office had reminded
her about her own sexual appeal and how men reacted to pretty girls. Then
there was Helen's tale about Heath's burgeoning sexuality. This caused
Hillary to face the fact that the female hormones had been causing Leslie to
blossom into an attractive teenage girl who would find men and boys
beginning to pay attention to her. Now she was glad she had done so. Helen
had been correct, Heath Reilly certainly qualified as a testosterone-overloaded
boy. Once more she was glad she had turned her baby into a girl.
Heath was a virtual basket case during the rest of the viewing and
funeral. The be-smitten boy could only look longingly at his new goddess,
Leslie Lynn Balkut. Fred took the boy by the shoulder and guided him
through the proceedings with a minimal amount of disturbance. It didn't take
everyone long to realize that the boy was totally infatuated with the winsome
girl. All the men could understand why and chuckled at Heath's adolescent
angst. The women found the situation amusing. It proved to them that males
thought first with their genitals.
At first Leslie was unnerved by Heath's enraptured admiration. Up
until now she had led a sheltered life. Her mother's blunt discussion about
the birds and bees had startled her but it also answered a myriad of questions.
This was the first time a boy had really paid such wanton attention to her
girlishness. Before today her main relationships with boys had been limited
to her efforts to foil their attempts to flip her skirt. The knowledge that she
was desirable made her taut breasts tingle with excitement. Once she
overcame the initial surprise of Heath's adoration she began to enjoy it. At
every opportunity she glanced to see if he was still watching her. When their
eyes met she would smile coquettishly, blush, and demurely look away.
Hillary would have laughed if she hadn't been so concerned about her
daughter. It was an obvious case of two way puppy love.
Leslie had been enrolled in St. Patrick Parochial School so Heath was
unable to see her in school. While he wasn't too happy about not being able
to see her every day there was some consolation in the fact that the other guys
in his school could not hit upon Leslie. Besides, from what he knew about
St. Patrick Parochial School, the boys there were not allowed to mingle with
the girls. Heath knew that he was the only boy with whom Leslie had
individual contact. During the ensuing weeks, Heath made sure to be on his
best behavior in hopes of being allowed to visit Leslie.
Helen was embarrassed by and furious about Heath's unbridled lust
for Leslie. The only thing Helen appreciated was Heath's willingness to
finally try to be a good boy.
While Helen did not feel comfortable around males, she did recall the
fun she had flirting with boys before her father molested her. Hillary was
determined to allow Leslie to enjoy flirting and even dating boys. However,
she intended to see that Leslie was never hurt as she had been. There would
be strict rules and supervision until Hillary felt Leslie was able to handle
herself. Thus, Hillary encouraged the fledgling romance between Heath and
Leslie for two reasons. It reinforced Leslie's desire to become a complete
female and it reinforced her friendship with Fred and Helen.
Hillary invited Helen and Heath to visit at least twice a week. Each
time the puppy love between the teens was obvious. When Heath realized
that Leslie was flirting with him his desire for her tripled. Of course, the
young couple was never left alone to explore their young love. Heath was
too tongue tied to even talk to Leslie about his infatuation and Leslie was
much too shy to even consider discussing her feelings for Heath. All the
youngsters could do was smile and nod their head in response to their polite
conversation. They usually played a game like Scrabble or watched movies
that Hillary had preselected. During these happy visits Heath saw for himself
that Leslie was demurely girlish and polite. She was everything his mother
had said... and more.
While Hillary continued to encourage the mutual infatuation of the
teenagers, she also noted Helen's growing ire with her son. It didn't take
much encouragement for Helen to spill her soul to Hillary about all the
problems she had endured with Heath.
"You certainly did the right thing by raising Leslie as a girl," Helen
commented several times during each visit. "I think I'd do the same to Heath
if I had it to do over again."
At first Hillary smiled sympathetically and filed that information
away. When the bitter comments continued, Hillary decided to speak. "Dr.
Trate does treat older boys and men. If you're interested, I'm sure I could
make arrangements for you to speak to her about the matter."
"Oh I'm not really serious," Helen smiled guiltily. "I was just
venting some steam."
After the first week, Helen became so agitated with Heath's past
conduct and his testosterone driven lust for Leslie that she decided to cool his
ardor. His obnoxious behavior was more than she could stand while at the
same time her exposure to demure Leslie made her desire for a daughter of
her own to balloon. She obtained a second prescription for female hormones
from her doctor and began to slip Heath a secret dose each day.
The changes didn't take long. Within one week, Heath's aggressive
nature subsided. Within two weeks he had become quite meek. The school
was delighted with Heath's improved behavior and study habits. Heath
managed to stay out of trouble and in the process quickly shed his loose-knit
circle of troublesome friends. Still, every nice day Heath hurried from the
school to his oak nook. With his jeans dropped and binoculars in hand, he
relieved his lust as he watched the cheerleaders. So infatuated was he with
Leslie that he now imagined the giggling bouncing cheerleaders to be Leslie.
Leslie was also changing. The awakening of her sexuality created
many new thoughts and desires. Heath's obvious infatuation spurred her on
to explore her femininity. Now in a new school she was able to shed her
former quiet mousey persona and blossom into a spritely, flirtatious, giggly
teenage girl. No longer did she blush when discussions with her female
classmates turned to boys. She was now able to relate to most of what they
said. She began to look forward to the time when she could kiss a boy and
make out a bit.
Of course, the closeness to Heath made her sometimes wonder what
she'd have been like if she had been raised as the boy she had been born. Up
until meeting Heath, every boy she'd known had been a terror to a sweet
demure girl. Heath was far from being an angel and tended to be risque, but
he was kind and considerate to her. Even her mother had said that boys
weren't all bad. Several times she tried to imagine living as a boy. She
watched the boys in her class at St. Patrick Parochial School. They all
seemed so intent on proving their masculinity and were never satisfied with
what they achieved. It was like they always had to be on top. She noticed
they never allowed themselves to cry or to giggle, things she treasured as a
girl. In the end, she decided that she was glad to be a girl and that if she had
been a boy she'd have asked her mother to allow her to become a girl. She
could not understand why anyone would want to be a rough, crude boy when
they could be a sweet, polite girl. While she was happy to be a girl, she was
still naturally curious about what it was like to be a boy.
One rainy, dreary Saturday in mid October she and Heath were sitting
in the family room of the Balkut home. The heavy rain was pounding upon
the French doors but inside it was nice and cozy. Hillary and Helen sat in the
sitting room next door, out of earshot but well within sight. Leslie had once
more crushed Heath at Scrabble even though he was steadily improving his
game.
"Heath, what's it like being a boy," Leslie asked seizing the
opportunity for a quiet serious discussion.
"Huh," Heath who had been trying to catch glimpses of Leslie's
petticoats responded obviously totally caught off guard. "What's it like to be
a boy? That's really hard to answer. That's like me asking you what it's like
to be a girl. Why do you want to know? I hope you're not thinking about
becoming a tomboy."
"Of course I don't want to be a tomboy," Leslie blushed and
responded defensively. "I love being a girl. I was just curious, that's all."
The teens fell silent for a few moments but the question had kindled
never before aroused curiosity in Heath.
"Maybe if you tell me what it's like being a girl I'll have some idea
how to tell you what it's like being a boy," Heath finally stated in a desperate
hope that Leslie might reveal some of her dainty underthings.
"All right, that sounds fair enough," Leslie stated as she bit her lip in
thought. She stood and walked in a circle swishing her petticoated skirts
while Heath practically drooled. "You're right, it is difficult to put into
words what it's like being a girl. I guess to me being a girl means being soft
and delicate, like a flower. I simply love dressing up in soft frilly clothes and
looking pretty. The way people smile at me when I'm dressed up really
prissyish makes me feel all warm and cozy inside. The clothing itself is
really nice too. We girls get to wear nice silky clothes with lots of ribbon and
lace. We can also cry whenever we feel like it. We can giggle too. We don't
have to hide our feelings like boys do. We can relax and be ourselves. We
don't have to put on some fake tough guy exterior to show how much of a
man we are. Girls can do anything a boy can do, maybe not as well, but we
can at least try. Boys can't do that. Girls can play sports or play with dolls.
Boys can only play sports. Girls can climb trees or wear frilly dresses.
Boys can only climb trees. It's really not fair that girls can do girly things
and boyish things while boys can only do boyish things."
While Leslie swished about a much captivated Heath, the enamored
lad drank in her overt femininity. Leslie was clad in a pink flowered dress
with three-quarter length sleeves. The sleeves ended in ruffled cuffs that
matched the ruffles on the high Victorian neck. The princess seamed bodice
clung to her slender body to enticingly conceal the details but reveals the
curvaceous outline of her slender teenage figure. The knee length full skirt
seemed to spring from her narrow waist to a petticoat enhanced fullness that
made her seem so delicate and fragile. The incessant rustling of the dainty
petticoats in response to her slightest movement was like a siren's song to
Heath. Delicate rose patterned tights encased her shapely legs. Shiny white
patent leather Mary Jane shoes adorned her small feet. Her long silken
blonde hair, except for her dainty curled bangs, was pulled back into a full
high ponytail secured in place by pink satin ribbons tied into large bows. The
ponytail bounced and swayed enticingly in response to even the slightest
movement of her head.
"Well... ah... I don't think it's unfair," Heath retorted defensively
when he realized Leslie had stopped talking and was looking directly at him.
He was embarrassed to have been caught ogling her femininity. Discreetly he
attempted to make the tightness in his crotch more tolerable. "Any boy who
would want to play dolls or wear a frilly dress has to be a sissy."
"But that's what I'm talking about," Leslie argued. "What if a boy
wanted to play with dolls or wear a frilly dress. He's teased and tormented
as a sissy. It's not fair! Now, please Heath, be honest with me. I promise
not to tease you or to tell anyone how you answer. But haven't you ever
wondered what it would be like to dress up in a frilly outfit? Aren't you
curious about how it feels?"
"Me, wear a dumb dress," Heath huffed indignantly. "No, never, I
wouldn't do it!"
"Heath," Leslie demanded in a harsh tone. "I'm not asking you to
actually do it, I'd just like to know if you are curious about how it feels. It's
quite obvious you like to watch me when I'm wearing frilly outfits."
"Well, I guess I am a little curious," he whispered while blushing
deeply now that she admitted knowing he was leering at her. "But I'd never
ever want to find out!"
"But that's stupid," Leslie declared. "It's just a dumb macho thing
you boys have to put up with. Girls are free to do boy things so boys should
be free to do girl things."
"Well, maybe," Heath conceded. "But I still won't ever find out what
it feels like to wear a dumb dress!"
"So tell me then," Leslie asked. "How does it feel to be limited in the
things you can or can't do?"
"I never thought about it that way before," Heath concluded in a
perplexed voice. "I guess you do have a point. Only I don't know of any
guy who would ever even try doing girly stuff."
"Well, that's your loss then," Leslie added. "If I wanted, I could
dress like you and play the same things you do. But you can't dress like me
and play the same things I do. I'm just glad I'm a girl. Being a boy seems
really dumb when you're so restricted. I really don't understand why boys
insist on being so macho all the time. They miss out on so much that's so
very nice."
"Well, that's the price of being a guy," Heath huffed.
Just then their mothers entered the room and the conversation ended.
Leslie was more firmly convinced being a girl was the smartest and best thing
in the world. Heath was left with some gnawing questions. While he had
never before thought about the inequity between boys and girls, he had
always assumed boys had the better end of the deal. Now Leslie had pointed
out that it was the girls who truly had it better. This made him question his
beliefs about male superiority. It also brought forth a question that wanted an
answer he certainly didn't want answered. Now that she had raised the
issue, he did wonder what it felt like to wear frilly girlish outfits. That really
bothered his injured masculinity. He took a bit of consolation secure in the
knowledge that he was determined to never answer that question!
During the next week the weather grew steadily more chilly. Heath
watched the interplay of the girls and boys at his school and began to realize
that Leslie was right Girls did have it better. They could be a rough and
tumble tomboy one day and a femme fatale the next. They did giggle and cry
freely while guys had to be constantly stoic. While he never questioned his
sexuality or the fact that he was all boy, he had a growing resentment to the
unfair rigid sexist roles they had to live.
Heath also realized that the cheerleaders would soon stay indoors to
practice. This would deprive him of his sole source of release. This really
bothered him because he not