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"Winning is So Sweet" by Carousel Susan En~Rose copyright 2009 by Carousel Susan En~Rose / Girls With Big Eyes, LLC Carousel's short story is written in the "Shoujo Manga*" style of storytelling. "Winning is So Sweet" shares the First Place Gold Medal for the Reader's Choice Award at the 2009 Girltalk Creative SF Writing Contest. SYNOPSIS---Twelve year old Darla D'nell Ryan never expected such excitement to happen when she introduced a new game, a child's version of chess, called "Chibi Chess," to her friends during their Sunday afternoon play time. And she never thought that Leonard, a neighborhood boy that she has known since first grade, would begin winning almost all of the games. Not until a dream brings Deedee to a secret Antarctic research facility and a chance meeting with Albert Einstein does she begin to realize what it takes to win at Chibi Chess. Together with girl friends Sherry and Mazie, Deedee brings a very unusual game plan to the next chess competition. How far will the three girls go to show Leonard the triumph of girl power? And just what will Leonard be willing to do to retain his masculine driven game skills? SETTING--- The early 2010's, in a medium sized city in the mid-west USA. TABLE OF CONTENTS--- Chapter 1 ----- Lonely Chapter 2 ----- Dreaming... Chapter 3 ----- Girls' Adventure Chapter 4 ----- Playing.... Chapter 5 ----- Play X 2 (Play Times Two) Chapter 6 ----- Boys' Cooties Chapter 7 ----- Angst Chapter 8 ----- Revelation Questions for Thought _______________________________________________________________________ * Shoujo Manga (lit : girls' romance-themed comic books) The style of shoujo manga is to involve the reader with the story's main characters and plot, and to evoke an emotional response from the reader, by describing what the story's main characters think, say, and do as they go through their daily lives. _______________________________________________________________________ "Winning is So Sweet" a short story by Carousel Susan En~Rose Chapter 1) Lonely "They're not coming...." "No! They're not coming. They would have been here by now, or called, if they were coming," thought Deedee. She looked at the miserable weather outside from the window of the upstairs family room. The blowing wind, wet snow, and freezing temperatures belied the fact it was the second Sunday of April. On many a Sunday, Sherry, Deedee's friend, and Mazie, Sherry's best friend, as well as Leonard, a neighborhood boy that Deedee had known since first grade, would come over to play. Most often, they would play a round robin tournament game of a child's version of chess, called 'Chibi* Chess.' Deedee had introduced the game to her friends a few months ago. She loved the game, despite the fact that Leonard would win most of the time. He would always shout "Winning is so sweet" after he moved the final chess piece to checkmate position. This action would annoy Deedee greatly, she acknowledged. After the game, the little group would walk a couple of blocks to a Taco Bell restaurant for dinner, and so that Mazie could order a kid's meal with a toy. Darla D'nell Ryan was bored. Bored and lonely. "As lonely as she had ever been in her twelve years of life," Deedee thought. Being an only child, she never had a brother or sister to play with. With a father who was a research scientist for the Energy Department, and a mother who was a high school physics teacher, she was born with a high I.Q., and a full set of 'street smart' genes. "Girl Geek" and "Girl Genius" she was often called, by students and teachers alike. Unfortunately she was too adult- like to be liked by other children, and too child-like to be liked by adults. So Deedee came to value very much her few friends, and their often-quirky personalities. Deedee sat down on the window sill. She watched as the wet snow was now dusting the green grass, like powdered sugar on a doughnut. "Why couldn't she have been born into a rich family, like Sherry, instead of into a family of nerds?" she mused. Sherry Anne Elizabeth Ormsby was eleven, and had had the best of everything given to her since birth. Her father was a software systems designer who formed his own software company in the early eighties, only to become wealthy overnight. Yet in spite of her designer clothing and expensive toys, Sherry was a kind, down-to-earth person and a loyal friend. Sherry would often tell Deedee that being wealthy was more of a curse that a blessing. "Was that really true?" questioned Deedee. For as much as Sherry's family was rich, Mazie's family was plain and ordinary. Mazie Alice Van Halen was nine, but sometimes acted more like a hapless four year old. Her father was a motorcycle mechanic and her mother worked at a pastry shoppe. Mazie was always dressed neat and clean, but it looked like her clothes came from Goodwill, or right out of a trash dumpster. Still, Mazie had a couple of things going for her, she was super cute, and had a generous personality. With her big eyes and small, pouty lips, she looked like a real, living Anime Girl. Even dressed in a faded Hard Rock Cafe T-shirt and old blue jeans, she would make music idol and fashion icon Hannah Montana look like a frumpy kitchen washerwoman. Like a favorite rag doll, Sherry loved Mazie intensely, and Deedee liked her very much, too. A gust of wind blew against the windowpane, startling Deedee, and breaking her chain of thought. She looked at the icy puddles forming in the street, and resumed thinking. And then there was Leonard. Leonard Noel Norwood. Leonard the Winner, Leonard the Arrogant, Leonard the Friendly One, Leonard the Critical One, Leonard the Bishonen*. Despite his "anything you can do, I can do better" attitude, Deedee still secretly liked him. With his dark hair that almost curled into ringlets, and his blue-gray eyes, Deedee thought he looked "cute." As a friend and companion, she liked matching wits with him, especially when he would say, "Silly girls need smart boys to tell them what to say and do." He was only thirteen, but he acted like he had a lifetime of experience already. He would always wear a sports T-shirt or sweatshirt of a winning team. Lately he had been wearing a Philadelphia Phillies baseball T-shirt, since they had won the World Series. Deedee half- heartedly chuckled to herself. One thing about Leonard though, he was really good at Chibi Chess. The dark clouds outside made it seem to be twilight, although sunset was still a couple of hours away. Deedee could see her reflection in the glass windowpane. She looked the same as she always did, tall, thin, fair skin, short brown hair, and chocolate brown eyes, and that made her look tom-boyish. She was dressed the same as she had always dressed. A Polo shirt, denim blue jeans, sneakers, and that made people often mistake her for a boy. Deedee would often ask herself, "Shouldn't I have been born a boy?" Then she noticed a tear was running down the cheek of the person in the window reflection. "Will you be my friend?" she asked the person in the window reflection. _______________________________________________________________________ * Chibi--- Japanese word meaning little, small, tiny. * Bishonen--- Japanese word meaning a genetic male who is feminine looking and / or feminine acting. Not considered a negative term. _______________________________________________________________________ Chapter 2) Dreaming... Deedee looked away from the softly sobbing person in the windowpane. After a while, her attention became focused on the 350 channel, 60 inch flat screen surround sound plasma television in the family room. No entertainment there! From reruns of "Fear Factor" showing people eating horse manure, to commercials of animated mucus, from cartoons featuring talking French fries, to news programs reporting all about what United States Senators do in the men's room, just about everything in the vast wasteland of commercial and cable TV annoyed and offended Deedee's sharp mind and sensibilities. "Surf's not up. No channel surfing today!" thought Deedee. "The Internet is not much better," she noted, as she walked over to the high-speed DSL broadband computer. Deedee shared a secret with Sherry, that of a love of classical music. She booted up the computer and called up one of her favorite classical music stations, WAUS, from Berrien Springs, Michigan. When the calming music started playing through the computer speakers, Deedee walked over to the big sofa and dropped into it like a ton of bricks. Soon, she felt very weary and stretched out on the sofa like a cat ready for a catnap. As she began drifting into sleep, the announcer on WAUS mentioned that the next selection to be played would be "The Nutcracker Ballet Suite" by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. How pleasant, she thought, so dreamy... ********************************************************************** Darla D'nell Ryan was bored. Bored and lonely. As lonely as she had ever been in her twelve years of life, or so it seemed. She sat in an easy chair, next to a lobby window at the J. Paul Getty / Yuri Honda Memorial International Research and Education Center, located on the Prince Edward shore of Antarctica. Unchecked global warming had begun causing changes to the earth's climate systems, including the melting of the south polar glaciers, so that dry land was now exposed around the entire parameter shoreline of Antarctica. The United Nations, as well as wealthy private benefactors, had built a research and education facility there, to bring together the world's best scientific and educated minds to combat the growing global warming crisis. Deedee looked out of the lobby window at the U. N. flag atop a flagpole, snapping sharply in the chilly, blowing wind. The cold, windy day belied the fact that it was the second Sunday of December, 2033 A.D. Summers in Antarctica were now cool, crisp, and pleasant, with only an occasional day of cold weather. Deedee always thought it was so unusual to observe Christmas Day in the middle of summer. After her mother had died in a tragic automobile accident, her father had been asked to join the investigative team at the Antarctic research facility. Deedee had gone with her dad; they had been there for over two years now. It was exciting at first, meeting all of the different people from all over the world. Deedee enjoyed attending the junior alternative school that was part of the education center. But as the months went by, especially the cold winter months with little or no daylight, Deedee became increasingly restless and bored. "There you are, Deedee! Your dad said to look for you in the lobby, and that you would be wearing a green polo shirt and denim jeans," came a voice from across the lobby. It was Dorisu Toyoda, the young Japanese woman who was her father's lab assistant. She was wearing a white lab coat, unbuttoned to reveal a pretty pink blouse and a deep maroon short hemline pencil skirt. "Here are your tickets to tonight's performance of the Nutcracker Ballet. It will be held in the center's amphitheater in Building 22 at 7:30 pm There will be a reception afterward. Included is your ticket for that, too. Your father says that you should please try and attend, since tonight is the last performance of the ballet troupe's world tour. Your father also told me to tell you that he regrets that he can not attend the ballet with you, so I am the one to be with you tonight," said Dorisu. "So typical of dad," thought Deedee. "OK then, I'll meet you at the vending machine enclave of Building 22 at 7 pm," said Dorisu. "I'll look for you there," replied Deedee. Deedee put the tickets into her jean's pocket and settled back into the easy chair. Once again her attention was fixed on the fluttering U.N. flag. "The global warming project wasn't the only endeavor at the research center," recalled Deedee. About nine months ago, to combat her boredom, her father obtained for her an all access pass and I.D. card. After all, how much trouble or concern would a twelve year old girl be? Now, with the freedom to explore the entire facility and talk to everyone, plus the opportunity to overhear bits and pieces of others conversations, Deedee was able to gradually piece together what was going on. Called "Project Resurrection," the program involved the implanting of a ROM computer chip, the size of a lima bean, into the brain of a volunteer human. The chip would contain all of the lifetime output of notes, research papers, speeches, comments, ideas, and personality traits of a famous and important scientist from the past. So, instead of decades of teaching and learning, with one operation, the volunteer human overnight would 'become' the famous scientist of the past. The altered humans were called P.A.I.N.E.D. humans, an acronym for Planned Artificial Intelligence Network Engineered Development. Once interfaced with the chip, the P.A.I.N.E.D. human could immediately join the research team and begin helping to solve the global warming crisis. It was rumored that the first P.A.I.N.E.D. human died the next day, and the second one went insane within a month, so the chip had to be removed. However, the third attempt was successful, resulting in the "reincarnation" of "Albert Einstein," and the fourth one became "Thomas Edison". Although she was allowed full access to everything on base, Deedee had never met a P.A.I.N.E.D. human. You would have to recognize them by their knowledge and personality, not their looks. To check the time, Deedee flipped open her Personal Device. It created a 3D hologram of the Big Ben clock tower in London. "Time to get ready for the ballet," thought Deedee, as she dragged herself from the easy chair. That evening, Dorisu met Deedee prior to the seating in the amphitheater. Each congratulated the other on how nice they looked. Dorisu had on a light gray sleeveless china dress with pink trim, split on both sides up to her hips, honey beige sheer-to-the-waist pantyhose, and red pumps. Deedee was wearing a white blouse with black lace edging around the collar, black velvet stretch leggings, and black oxford flats. The Nutcracker Ballet Suite was unbelievably wonderful. Deedee especially liked the young teen-age girl who danced the part of the Sugar Plum Fairy. At the reception afterward, Deedee recognized the young ballerina standing by the refreshment bar. She was wearing a cute purple star print lavender blouse, worn under a gold and rainbow colored striped, mid-thigh hemline jumper dress. The dress was split open on the side to reveal a pink and purple petticoat underneath. She also had on sheer beige ballet tights, and black ballet slippers. "YO! I just wanted to tell you that I really enjoyed your performance tonight. You Rock!" said Deedee. "Why thank you so much! I'm Dixie Rae Cyrus," replied the pretty teen- age prima ballerina. "Chill out, No way! Are you related to Miley Cyrus?" cried Deedee. "Miley Cyrus is my mother," said Dixie. "You look just like your mom, especially wearing that outfit," Deedee observed. "My dress is similar to the dress that my mom wore for her 2008 music video called 'It's All Right Here.' She also wore the dress to the 2012 Grammy Awards," said Dixie. "It's still real cute! I'm so glad I got to meet you. Maybe I'll see you in another ballet sometime. I really love the ballet," said Deedee, as Dixie was distracted by another well wishing guest. A few minutes later Deedee saw Dorisu and told her that she was going to wait in line for some snacks and a drink. While she was in line, another person came up and stood behind her. Deedee looked around and saw a pleasant middle-aged woman dressed very professional and business-like. She was wearing a sharp, upscale ladies business suit. It consisted of an ivory creme button-up-the-front blouse with vertical ruffles and an open 'V' collar. It was worn under a medium gray ladies petulum jacket with thin black pinstripes, with a matching styled above-the-knee short skirt, sheer black hosiery, and black high heels with a black bow at the toes. Deedee found herself staring at the woman, and after a moment, blurted out, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I... ahh... It's just...err... You look so rad bad... ahh... I mean nice. I mean, I'm Deedee Ryan, Giles Ryan's daughter... you know...." The woman smiled sweetly. "My, my. You are the observant one. I know who you are. Hi! My name is Chelsea Clinton, Antarctic ambassador to the United Nations," said Chelsea. They talked for about five minutes, until they reached the refreshment tables. After she filled her plate and grabbed a drink, Deedee looked admiringly at Chelsea one last time, before she walked away to find a place to sit down. After Deedee had finished her snack, she got up to dispose of her leftover items in the recycle bin. She returned to her seat, and began to look through the crowd for Dorisu. Suddenly, she thought she saw a familiar face. This person looked like Leonard. No! Can't be! Although not related to Leonard, this person looked like he could have been Leonard's older brother! Deedee made her way through the crowd to stand next to him. He was talking to an older couple. They referred to him as "Albert." As Deedee was waiting her turn to talk to the familiar stranger, her attention was drawn to a couple of children a little distance away, probably a brother and sister. They were playing and talking with one another. The boy was about ten years old, wearing blue dress pants, and a white shirt with a small dark blue bow tie. The eight year old girl was dressed in a beautiful white and red little girl's 'candy cane' party dress. Her dress had big puff short sleeves of white chiffon, a square neckline with a horizontal striped red and white ruffled smocked bodice. A wide green sash was wrapped under the bodice, with a huge green bow in back. The dress had an empire waist, and an alternating row of red and white lace spiraled around the flared out dress from the waist to the above-the-knee hemline. The dress was matched to a pink and white petticoat, white and red lace frilly socks, and red Mary-Janes. Without warning the boy cried, "I'll get you!" "No you won't!" squealed the little girl, as she bolted through the crowd, with the boy close behind. As they darted past "Albert" he was startled. They upset him causing him to spill his mixed drink, and the cold drink in his hand splashed all over Deedee's left shoulder and back. "I'm so sorry, Miss!" said Albert as he came to Deedee's aid. He had her sit down and then he retrieved a towel from a nearby waiter's station. The wet, sheer blouse clung to Deedee's back, shoulder, and left arm, revealing the outline of her training bra. Albert patted her dry as best as he could, apologizing profusely. Deedee knew that she should not ask, but she was burning with curiosity. "I heard people calling you 'Albert.' Are you a P.A.I.N.E.D. human?" she implored. Albert was taken aback for just a moment, then he smiled. "I shouldn't be telling you this, but yes, I am a P.A.I.N.E.D. human. I am Albert Einstein," said Albert. "I'm so glad to meet you. I'm Darla D'nell Ryan, Giles Ryan's daughter," replied Deedee. They sat at the table and talked for about twenty minuets. Albert was a very likable person, thought Deedee, plus he looked a lot like Leonard. In fact, Albert's personality was similar to Leonard's, but without Leonard's bad attitude. Albert asked Deedee what her favorite hobbies were. Deedee explained that she loved to play Chibi Chess, and that she played almost every Sunday at the recreation center on base. However, it was rare that she would win. "Playing at Chibi Chess is all about knowing matrix mathematics and mathematical probability. Would you like to know how to win at Chibi Chess?" asked Albert. _____________________________________________________________________ Chapter 3) Girls' Adventure Deedee's mother came into the family room and observed Deedee sleeping on the couch. She sat down next to her and began to gently stroke her hair. "Wake up, Deedee, wake up," sang Mrs. Ryan, "it's past your dinnertime, and you need to wake up." As Deedee gradually regained consciousness, she began to open her eyes. "Oh, Mom! I just had the most fantastic dream...." cried Deedee. ****************************************************************** Twelve year old David Rosenthal was a loner. A quiet and unassuming boy, he never cared to talk to or be with other children, and other children never cared much for him. He did like to read, however, so it was not surprising that he found many worlds and many friends inside books. He especially liked to read manga.* Nearly every Saturday afternoon, he would walk to the neighborhood Wendy's hamburger restaurant for lunch, and to spend time reading at his table afterward. This Saturday, the Saturday after the cold and chilly Sunday, was no exception. He took a seat at his favorite single table, and after lunch was eaten, began to read a new manga that he just bought titled "Kashimashi," by Japanese manga writer Satoru Akahori. About halfway through the first chapter, David was distracted by three girls who had brought their food trays to the booth that was directly across the aisle from his table. He recognized them immediately. The girl with the short brown hair was Deedee Ryan, wearing a white polo shirt and blue jeans. The one with the long blonde hair was Sherry Ormsby. She was wearing an expensive real leather black jacket, and Gloria Vanderbilt designer jeans. The third girl was really cute, with twin ponytails of golden yellow-brown hair. She was Mazie Van Halen, and she had on a faded yellow My Little Pony T-shirt, and a navy blue pleated mini-skirt, showing her petite legs. They noisily made their way to their booth, laughing and giggling about who knows what. The two girls sat down and began to unwrap their food. Still standing, Sherry removed her leather jacket before sitting down, revealing bare shoulders and a sparkly, shiny silver tube top. She sat down with her food tray, just as Mazie cried, "Yuck! My burger has mustard on it, and I don't like mustard!" "Fer real?" replied Sherry. "Why don't you trade with me? You can have my chicken sandwich." "My burger already has a bite out of it, is that O.K?" asked Mazie with big green eyes. "That's OK, I'll still eat it," said Sherry. "Hey guys!" Deedee broke in. "I believe that I now know how to beat Leonard at Chibi Chess." "For real?" exclaimed Sherry. The girls began talking in a low tone, as David returned to reading his manga. After a while David looked up after finishing a chapter, and saw the three girls intently fixed on several sheets of paper on the table. "For this to work, we will need some sort of distraction," said Deedee. "Like what?" asked Sherry. The conversation descended to whispers, as David began the next chapter. Later David was startled by Mazie squealing like a mouse caught in a trap. "Me? Me wear that? Me?" cried Mazie. "OMG, Mazie, get real. You are already cute," replied Sherry. "No, I'm not! I'm poor and ugly." "Get real! You are already cute. Believe me, this will make you super cute." "Ya! UBER cute!" chimed in Deedee. After thinking for a moment, and looking at Sherry with her big eyes, Mazie squealed again with delight. "We can go shopping tomorrow, Sunday afternoon, since Leonard and his family are driving all the way to Indianapolis to watch the Indianapolis Reds play in their new baseball stadium. This will give us more time to get ready for the Chibi Chess game that we will have a week later," said Deedee. "And I can pay for whatever we buy on the shopping trip!" said Sherry. "Now, Mazie, pay attention to the movement of the chess pieces," said Deedee as she grabbed another sheet of paper. "Get back to reading," David told himself. A couple of chapters later he was distracted once again, as the three girls were laughing uncontrollably. "Do you think Leonard will do that? Do you really think we can get him to do that?" questioned Sherry. "It would be so cute if we could!" echoed Mazie. "How funny," said Deedee, "and remember, Leonard is already bishonen." "I tell ya, this will be fun, really fun," said Sherry. By now, David was miffed. He got up and walked across the dining room to a table on the other side and sat down. "What is it with those girls?" thought David. ______________________________________________________________________ * Manga--- Japanese word for comic book. Japanese manga is completely different in subject matter and art style from American comics. ______________________________________________________________________ Chapter 4) Playing.... "Girls should be on time!" remarked Leonard annoyingly. It was Sunday afternoon, a week after the big Reds game in Indianapolis. Deedee and Leonard were in Deedee's family room. The two Chibi Chess boards and pieces were already set up on two tables. Deedee was sitting at the computer, calling up WJHS, a junior high school radio station, broadcasting on the Internet, from Columbia City, Indiana. Leonard was sitting on the couch, wearing a Detroit Red Wings hockey T-shirt, since they had won the Stanley Cup a few winters ago, and blue jeans. Deedee was wearing a pale orange shirt and blue jeans. "They will be here," said Deedee consolingly, as she walked to the window and saw Sherry and Mazie getting out of a taxicab. In a few minutes the door to the family room opened and in walked Sherry, wearing a gothic style mocha creme colored trumpet sleeve silk blouse, and black Diesel designer jeans. "Come on in, don't be shy," she said soothingly through the half opened door. In walked a pretty little girl wearing a little girl's 'candy cane' party dress. "OMG! Is that Mazie? Yes! No! Yes!!" gulped Leonard. "You look so nice, very pretty," Deedee smoothly declared. "That dress really looks lovely on you," chimed in Sherry, "so sweet and innocent." Mazie's 'candy cane' dress was made of white satin and chiffon, and trimmed in red chiffon. The short puff sleeves were of see-thorough white chiffon, the square neckline had white chiffon lace around the edges. The smocked bodice consisted of tiny horizontal red and white ruffles. The empire waist was defined by a green ribbon and a huge green bow on the back. Red and white rows of lace spiraled around from the waist to the above-the-knee hemline. A pink and white petticoat flaired the dress out. Her petite legs had a slight white tint, from sheer white children's pantyhose. White and red lace frilly socks were worn under shiny red Mary-Janes. Red bows in her twin ponytails completed the outfit. Although not seen, hopefully, but for extra modesty, Mazie was wearing rhumba panties with red and white lace ruffles across the back. Understandably Leonard was shocked and surprised. "Wa, Wa, Wa... What do you think you are doing? You look so.... ah.... pretty.... ah.... I mean.... you are being so obnoxious!" stammered Leonard. "My parent's anniversary was yesterday," began Mazie, "and they said that I could wear something really pretty when I went with them to the Tiffany Lounge, in the downtown entertainment district, to celebrate. This morning, I asked them if I could wear my dress again for morning services at church, and they said 'Yes.'" "That's OK, I guess.... Well blimey! Wear what you want! I don't care. I came here to win!" declared Leonard. "Git-R-Done! Git-R-Done!" voiced Deedee in a comical voice. In the round robin tournament there was a first round and a final round. The first two couples would play each other, then the two winners would play together in the final round. The first round match-up was determined by random selection. This Sunday, the draw for the first round had Sherry playing Mazie, and Deedee playing Leonard. After about an hour, during which Leonard would several times sneak a peek at Mazie sitting at the other table, it was determined that Mazie would play Leonard. "Yo, Sherry, you let Mazie win, didn't you?" exclaimed Leonard. "No, I did not!" shot back Sherry. "No matter, I'm winning today with my can't-be-beat style," said Leonard confidently. After about an hour, during which Leonard would occasionally stare at Mazie's hands, and the pale, delicate pink fingernail polish that she was wearing, Leonard thought he had the game just about wrapped up. As he watched Mazie grasp her chess piece and move it, he began thinking about fingernail polish. He had already observed that many girls and women did not use nail polish. Using nail polish made girls special, he thought. Did that make Mazie special? And why can't boys wear nail polish, if they wanted to? Would that make them special, too? As Mazie moved another chess piece with her pretty hands, Leonard mused that, with her super cute looks and the party dress outfit that she was wearing today, together with her generous, kind, and loving personality, Mazie was indeed special. Then suddenly, much to his surprise and shock, Mazie yelled on her next turn, "Check," and on her next turn after that, "Checkmate, Leonard! I've won! How do you say? 'Sweet Winning?' 'Win Sweet?'" Leonard sat in his seat, dumbfounded. "To be dressed so super cute, and to win today! You go, girl!" exclaimed Sherry. "I just can't believe it, you've won!" said Deedee with a wink in her eye for Mazie. "Well, slap my behind with a melon rind, I can't believe it either," replied Leonard. As was their custom, the four friends walked to the neighborhood Taco Bell restaurant. Sherry and Mazie walked together, as always, and Deedee walked a little behind Leonard. Deedee observed that Leonard was not angry, vindictive, or upset, just genuinely surprised. At the Taco Bell, Mazie was the center of attention. The counter person asked her what the special occasion was. An older couple wished the 'birthday girl' the best on her special day. Everyone loved Mazie wearing the little girl's 'candy cane' party dress. After the meal, as the trash was being gathered up, Sherry leaned over to Mazie and half-whispered "Congratulations" in her ear. Deedee overheard, and also said congratulations to her for her effort today. For just a moment, Deedee thought, Leonard looked very self-conscientious. He then gently placed his hand over Mazie's hand and congratulated her. How uncharacteristic of Leonard, thought Deedee. _____________________________________________________________________ Chapter 5) Play X 2 The next Sunday afternoon Leonard burst through the door of the Ryan's family room and walked directly to the computer chair. He thought he saw out of the corner of his eye Mazie and Mrs. Ormsby sitting on the couch. Deedee was standing next to the bookshelf. Leonard was wearing a Pittsburgh Steelers football T-shirt and blue jeans. Deedee was wearing a peach polo shirt and black corduroy jeans. "Sorry I'm late! I let myself in. Let's rock-and-roll, the lead guitarist and star vocalist is here! Let's get this rock concert started!" Leonard proclaimed. He began to boot-up the computer to play a radio station from the Internet. "We need some good kick-butt dance music, everyone OK with WMPH, New Castle, Delaware? The best techno dance mix and house dance mix on the planet, so they say!" said Leonard. "That is fine," said Deedee. "As soon as Sherry gets here, I'm going to rock this house with my game winning play!" Leonard loudly proclaimed. "Sherry is here!" said Deedee flatly. "No, she's not, that is Mrs. Ormsby," Leonard said dryly, without looking around. "Look again, dude!" said Deedee with a smirk on her face. Sherry stood up from the couch, as Leonard looked around. He saw Mazie dressed in a Sailor Moon T-shirt and a faded denim ruffled short skirt. Bewilderment came over Leonard as he stared at Sherry, without saying a word. Sherry was dressed very businesslike and professional. She was wearing a sheer, translucent ivory creme blouse with a 'V' neckline and a pair of vertical ruffles up the front. The blouse was just sheer enough to show the outline of her sports bra underneath. Over the blouse was worn a medium gray long sleeve petulum business jacket, with thin black pinstripes. A medium gray snug fit mini-skirt, with thin black pinstripes, matched the jacket. Sherry's creamy even colored legs meant that she was wearing petite suntan pantyhose. Black pumps with black bows on the toes completed the outfit. There were diamonds galore, with a diamond pendant around her neck, dangling diamond earrings, and a diamond bracelet on her right wrist. A huge gray bow held her long blonde hair into a ponytail in back. She even had on a delicate pink shade of fingernail polish. "But.... Duh....I mean.... You look....Ah..." stammered Leonard, too surprised to ask the obvious question. "Just to let you know, Leonard," offered Deedee, "Sherry and her family were at the downtown Convention Center this morning. Her dad was honored at a special commemorative breakfast event as software supplier of the year. The whole family was up on stage to accept the award. You have to dress really, really nice and proper for something like that. The program ran overtime, so Sherry did not have time to change before she came here." "Well, Duh! Ya look like your mom, very prim and proper..." was all that Leonard could get out of his mouth. "Let's go, then! Game on!" yelled Sherry. "Game on!" yelled Deedee. "Game on!" squealed Mazie. The random draw put Sherry against Deedee, and Leonard against Mazie for the first round. "What's the matter, Mazie? No birthday parties to go to?" said Leonard sarcastically as they began. "My mom said that I can only wear my party dress for special occasions," declared Mazie. Sherry easily won over Deedee, and with some difficulty, Leonard won over Mazie. "Checkmate, Mazie! Winning is so sweet! See, your win over me last week was just a fluke, it won't happen again anytime this century," said Leonard. In a moment Mazie's green eyes became moist, and the corners of her little mouth turned down and began to quiver. With a tear beginning to stream down her cheek, Mazie bounded over to the couch where Sherry was sitting, sat down next to her, and put her arms around the little business woman. Mazie sobbed softly, then said in a low voice, "Leonard said an unkind remark to me...." "There, there Mazie," Sherry calmly broke in as she gently stroked Mazie's hair, "just sit here and watch what happens in the next game!" Sherry got up, walked over to the computer, changed the music to XM Channel 84 'Chill,' then walked over to the chess table, and with a stern, professional demure, smoothed the back of her tight fitting mini- skirt and sat down. "Any time you are ready to begin!" she commanded. There was tension in the air durning the game play for the first half hour, until Sherry suddenly stood up and announced sharply that she needed to excuse herself to get a drink from downstairs. Deedee looked up from texting on her Personal Device, and Mazie looked up from unwrapping a candy bar. Leonard's eyes followed Sherry as she walked across the room, opened the door, and went out. A few minuets later Sherry returned with a can of Cherry Dr Pepper, and a straw. She once again smoothed the back of her mini-skirt, sat down, popped the soda, inserted the straw and began sipping the cold drink. During the next several turns of game play, as Sherry sipped her drink, Leonard noticed that she had on pink lip gloss, powdered blue eye shadow to match her blue eyes, and pink whatever-you-call-it on her cheeks. Wow! Make-up really makes Sherry look pretty, just like my mom, thought Leonard. And why can't boys wear make-up if they want to look nice? What makes both Sherry and my mom attractive is that they not only look and dress nice all of the time, but they have a good personality, too. Right now, Sherry is displaying remarkable self-control and inner peace. As he mused about this, he heard a voice from nowhere saying, "It's your turn, Leonard!" "Oh, Ya." As Leonard moved his knight, he again became lost in thought- ..... Sherry's blue eye shadow.....?..... what shade of eye shadow would look good.....? ..... Sherry sipping her drink..... her lip gloss..... what shade of lip gloss would I.....?..... Agh!.....remember, self-control, self-control..... "Check," announced Sherry, and on her next turn. "Checkmate, I've won!!" she said as she sipped her drink and smiled sweetly. Confusion crept across Leonard's face, and after what seemed like and eternity, he simply mumbled, "I'm going downstairs to get a drink, too." "What just happened?" Leonard thought to himself, again and again. "What just happened?" During the group's walk over to the Taco Bell, Deedee noticed that Leonard seemed to be dazed, as if he was playing something over and over again in his mind. Later, when Sherry ordered her food, the woman at the counter remarked how nicely dressed and spiffy Sherry looked. Most girls your age dress like trash, but you are the impressive 'one in a thousand,' she remarked. Leonard was very quiet as they began eating, however halfway through their meal, Leonard suddenly stood up and pointed a finger at Sherry, accusingly. "I know now who you look like, you look like a lady lawyer! I went with my dad one time to the bar association, and I remember that is how the lady lawyers were dressed, with business jackets, mini-skirts, and high heels!" exclaimed Leonard. "Well, if that is all it takes to win...." Sherry's voice broke into a giggle. "You rock, Sherry!" proclaimed Deedee. "You rock!" squealed Mazie. ".... you rock...." Sherry thought she heard Leonard say in a low whispered tone. ________________________________________________________________________ Chapter 6) Boys' Cooties The next Sunday turned out to be a warm, sunny day in May. Leonard decided to walk to Deedee's house. He had just started walking up the driveway, when ---- "Woosh" ---- something went by close to him. And not five seconds later ---- "Woosh" ----- something again went by close to him, something with twin ponytails flapping in the wind. Let's see...." reasoned Leonard. "New shiny Huffy Elite racing bicycle, --Trapezoid shaped copper colored lattice print halter top, bare midriff, --Stretch hip-hugger blue jeans and white Danskin premium cross-trainer athletic shoes, that would be Sherry.... and, --Old, rusty, beat-up children's bicycle, --Wrinkled light blue baby-doll top, --Black bike shorts and old Converse sneakers, that would be Mazie...." By the time Leonard had walked to the end of the driveway, the two girls had parked their bikes on the walkway and were waiting on the porch. "Yo! Slow poke," said Sherry. "Yo! Speed Racer," shot back Leonard. Mazie rang the doorbell, but when the door opened halfway, Sherry started to step through the doorway, but stopped, blocking the threshold. "OOOOOooooo....AAAAAhhhhh...." said Sherry through the doorway. "We control the horizontal, we control the vertical. Sit back, and for the next hour, we will control all that you see and hear, from the farthest reaches of the inner mind, to the Outer Limits." "I wanna see, I wanna see!" clamored Mazie, as she bounded up and down. "Watch out for that signpost up ahead, you just crossed into the Twilight Zone," mumbled Leonard to himself, as Sherry went through the door. But now Mazie had stopped in the doorway. "Check out the scenery, we've won the lottery, I tell you, man, it's all right here!" sang Mazie in a silly tone. "Fire Photon Torpedo, Scotty!" said Leonard, as he gently pushed Mazie through the doorway. But then Leonard stood in the doorway, just like a cartoon character with his eyes popping out on springs, and his jaw dropping down to the ground. "To explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life, new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before," mumbled Leonard to himself. It was Deedee standing in the foyer, but not the Deedee that Leonard had always seen. Deedee was wearing a short puff sleeve lavender blouse with a shiny purple star print pattern. The blouse was matched to a gold with random rainbow stripes and spirals, mid-thigh length "Pinny style" jumper dress. The dress gathered at the waist, but then flared out and was open with a split on the right side to reveal a pink and purple lace petticoat underneath. Deedee's thin, slender, creamy colored legs were bare, but she had on white lace frilly socks, and black oxford shoes. On her fingers, she had on a delicate pink shade of fingernail polish, and on her lips was pink lip gloss. A silver heart shaped Hello Kitty choker accented her thin neck. A Hello Kitty bracelet and a gold and white lace lolita maid's headband on top of her hair completed the outfit. "U2? U2?" stammered Leonard as he pointed a finger at Deedee. "Don't have a cow, Leonard," clipped Sherry. "Ya! Don't have a cow!" echoed Mazie. Deedee walked over to Leonard, lovingly took his pointed finger in her hand, led him upstairs to the family room, and sat him down in the easy chair. "U2? U2?" he mumbled again and again. Deedee noticed that Leonard had on a really old U.N.L.V. basketball sweatshirt, from when the team had won the March Madness Final Four, and faded blue jeans. "You know that my father sits on the board of directors of the Community Theater Association. A talent agency is having try-outs at the theater this Saturday and Sunday for that new kid's reality TV show, called 'So You Think You Can Be a Rock Star.' My dad got me a try-out ticket and my audition was this morning. You had to audition as a current or former rock star. I picked Hannah Montana." "That's the jumper dress that Hannah Montana wore in her 'It's All Right Here' music video, isn't it?" questioned Sherry. "How did you do?" "It is almost the same dress. I did not make it to the final round. Boo! However, a judge told me privately afterward that I look, act, and sing too much like a boy," said Deedee. "That's too bad," cried Mazie, "you look super cute." "I wish I could have done that," thought Leonard to himself. Leonard watched Deedee as she was now on the computer, looking at a music station list. She picked WONB, Ada, Ohio, to play this afternoon. Leonard was now lost in thought. "Deedee looks so cute now, and she has..... NEVER WORN A DRESS BEFORE.... and....she has.... NEVER SHOWN HER BARE LEGS BEFORE....?.... wonder if....?...." "Leonard, Leonard! We're drawing for the opening round," someone was saying in the background. In the first round Leonard played Sherry and won. Deedee played Mazie and won. "Looks like you and me for the final round," said Deedee, as Leonard was staring at her, like a cat watching a bird. Once again the final round seemed to be close to the end, with Leonard poised to win, when Deedee got up to go to the bathroom. He watched her get up, straighten her dress, and leave. While she was gone Leonard thought, "My mom always wears a nice dress, or a color-coordinated blouse and skirt, and she always looks very pretty. Today Deedee looks as pretty as and has the same mild spirit as my mom." Later Deedee walked in, gently scooped the back of her dress and petticoat, and sat down. As the play resumed, Leonard concentrated on the movements of the Chibi Chess pieces. But other, extra thoughts were crossing his mind during the game play, like a cat running through the bushes..... her first time wearing a dress....?.... on stage, at the audition....must have taken a lot of faith to do something like that.... told she looks like a boy wearing a dress.... she's like a male J-Rock* star cross-dressing on stage....?....My first time....?.... WHAT THE _ _ _ _?.... "Checkmate, Leonard! How do you say it? 'Winning is so sweet'?" cried Deedee. It took a few moments for it to sink in, but then Leonard jumped up and said loudly, "OMG! OMG! Not Again....?!?.... I don't know what it is with you girls....?!?" "Girls will be girls!" interjected Deedee. "Girls just wanna have faa - unn, that's all they really want!" sang Sherry with a diva's voice. "Well, I DON'T LIKE IT!" shouted Leonard, "not one bit!" Unexpectedly Leonard walked briskly over to the door. "All of a sudden, now, I have a teriffic headache, and you better have a Mountain Dew in your fridge!" Leonard said angerly, as he slammed the door. A worried look came across Deedee's face as she looked at Mazie, then Sherry, then the door. Leonard came with Deedee when she announced that everyone was going over to Taco Bell. The two girls rode their bicycles over, but when Deedee tried to walk with Leonard, he scooted ahead of her and walked briskly away. Just then, a car load of teenage boys drove by and yelled--"Look! It's Hannah Montana!" At the Taco Bell the girls could tell that Leonard was still upset. He made the counter person remake his Nachos BellGrande because it was supposedly cold. Back at their table, it was as if a storm cloud was hanging overhead. "I don't know what is going on, it's as if you girls are cheating, or something..." proclaimed Leonard loudly. "We're not cheating, you watch every move that we make," said Deedee. "I always use to win! Smart boys can always win over silly girls," said Leonard in exasperation. "Is that so? That junk went out with the dinosaurs!" replied Deedee. "Bite Me!" said Leonard sourly. "Look, Leonard! Here's the skinny!" said Deedee. "Boys can maybe win over other boys by doing boy stuff, like thinking, plotting, yelling, fighting, smoking, drinking, joking, overeating, belching, farting, and using profanity. That's just what boys do." "Ya?" "And boys try and do boy stuff around girls, and most of the time, and for a lot of girls, that does not work. Boys like that have 'cooties.'" said Deedee. "Ya?" "However," continued Deedee, "good girls can usually win by displaying the widely regarded as feminine-only personality traits of love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, mildness, and self- control. Plus good girls avoid boys with 'cooties' like the plague. They much prefer to be by themselves, or around other good girls. That's just what good girls do." "Ya?" At that time the older couple came in and walked by their table. They remarked on how nicely dressed Deedee was. "You look like that girl in the music video, very cute and pretty!" said Mr. Wallingford. "Why, thank you very much," said Deedee. After they left Leonard said, "So, show me the money!" "To win with good girls, you have to think like a girl, have and display what is widely regarded as 'girls' personality traits, and almost 'become' a girl," stated Deedee. "Ya?" "Good girls are 'Da Bomb'!" cried Mazie. "Quiet, Mazie! This is serious!" said Sherry as she poked Mazie in the ribs. Mazie frowned and stuck out her little tongue. "I have one of those, too!" said Sherry as she stuck out her tongue. Leonard became lost in thought for a little while. Then he burst out with an observation, "You mean that girls can dress like boys, act like boys, and do boy stuff if they want to, just like you sometimes do?" He pointed a finger at Deedee. Deedee nodded her head yes. "But can boys dress like girls, act like girls, and do girls stuff if they want to?" He pointed a finger at a boy making tacos behind the counter. Deedee shook her head no. "That's not fair! Not at all. That's just stupid, really stupid!" yelled Leonard as he stood up. "I don't have to play stupid games with crafty girls, I'm outta here!" Leonard still had a few nacho chips in his tray, but he grabbed it and his empty drink cup, marched over to the trash bin, slam dunked everything into the bin, and walked out. "OMG! I had not planned on this. I did not think that Leonard would get angry enough to...." said Deedee softly. Sherry noticed a tear streaming down Deedee's cheek. _______________________________________________________________________ * J-Rock--- Japanese Rock Bands that play Hard Rock and Punk Rock music. Many J-Rock male performers cross-dress in female Gothic / Lolita attire, both on and off the stage. _______________________________________________________________________ Chapter 7) Angst The following Tuesday morning, Deedee saw Leonard at school standing next to his locker. But when Deedee walked up to him, he slammed the locker closed, and walked away without saying a word. On Wednesday evening, Deedee called Leonard on his Personal Device, but when he answered and she spoke, he hung up. She tried to call again repeatedly, but got only his voice mail. Thursday evening found Deedee walking to Wendy's restaurant. A note at home said that dad was working late, and mom had to attend a school function in the afternoon and evening. She was to arrange her own dinner. How typical of mom and dad. When Deedee walked into Wendy's, she saw David Rosenthal and Leonard having dinner together. David was telling Leonard about a new manga that he had just read, called "Kashimashi." But when she came up to their table to say "Hi!" Leonard just said, "Hi," and then stared at his chili and hamburger, without looking up, or speaking. Deedee talked with David for a few minutes, then got her food, and sat down at the opposite end of the dining room. After dinner she went home, went up to her room, went to bed, and softly cried herself to sleep. She kept thinking over and over again, "I've ruined my friendship with Leonard. And for what? A Chibi Chess game?" A curious incident happened on Friday evening. Deedee sent Leonard a text message, and the following messages appeared on her P.D. screen--- DDR----- HELLO 2U LEO----- WHAT DO U WANT DDR----- WE NEED 2 TALK LEO--- -- GO AWAY GEEK DDR----- R U GOING 2 PLAY SUN LEO----- DO NOT KNOW DDR-- --- R U OK LEO----- WHAT DUZ " ALMOST BE A GIRL " MEAN DDR----- U B U / B TRUE 2 U LEO----- THATZ WHAT I M AFRAID OF DDR----- WHAT IS IT 2 U LEO----- (dropped call) The connection was lost, and Deedee could not reconnect to Leonard's P.D. again. The neighborhood Target store had advertised a two day Friday/Saturday clothing sale, so on Saturday afternoon Deedee rode her bicycle to the store to see if she could find anything to fit her tall profile. As she was pushing a shopping cart through the girls' clothing section, then who should she see pushing a cart partly filled with clothes across the aisle? LOL, it was Leonard! He might have caught a glimpse of her, because when she raced up her aisle and turned the corner, he was gone. What was Leonard doing in the girls' clothing section of Target? Sunday morning Deedee woke up sad. She became even sadder as the morning wore on, worrying about whether or not Leonard would show up to play. Mom and dad were gone for the day; so typical of mom and dad on Sunday. She finally changed out of her PJs about noon and put on a pale fusha baby-doll "maternity" top and hip-hugger jeans, and went up to the family room. An hour later Sherry and Mazie came by. Sherry had on a light butterscotch sheer chiffon blouse, with a dark butterscotch camisole, shiny black UnderArmor stretch leggings, and shiny black Jupiter boots. Mazie wore what looked like a little girls pink tennis dress, with a Hello Kitty face on the front. Sherry and Mazie were sitting on the couch, Deedee was sitting in the easy chair, nobody was saying much of anything. _____________________________________________________________________ Chapter 8) Revelation "There must have been some magic in that old silk hat they found, because when they placed it on his head, he began to dance around!" From the poem "Frosty the Snowman" An empty silence hung over the Ryan family room like a graveyard at midnight. Sherry became a little concerned when she saw a tear running down Deedee's cheek. But Deedee got up and walked over to the window, and sat on the windowsill. After a little bit, Deedee got up quickly and said that she was going downstairs to check on something, and that she would be right back. Sherry and Mazie said that in the meantime, they were going to watch anime music videos on YouTube. Sometime later Deedee returned to the family room. Sherry noticed that Deedee's cheeks were both wet, so she muted the TV and said, "I see that you have been crying, I take it that Leonard is not coming, that is a real shame." Mazie said, "I do not think that Leonard is coming, either. That is a real rip-off!" "I know, but someone is here that can play Chibi Chess," replied Deedee. She gestured with her hand, and in walked a pretty, nicely dressed girl about twelve or thirteen years old. She had on a white short sleeve peter pan blouse with blue lace around the collar and arm openings, worn under a cute light blue denim romper, with criss-cross straps in back, and a multi-colored bouquet of flowers embroidered on the bib. She had shapely bare legs, and wore white anklets, and white and pink girl's athletic shoes. Her hair was done up in two pigtails about three inches long that curled into little corkscrews and were held with little pink bows. Plastic pink star clip- on earrings adorned her ears, and pink lip gloss and pink fingernail polish completed her look. A heart shaped aquamarine pendant and a Hello Kitty watch were her accessories. Sherry thought that the girl looked familiar, but she could not remember ever seeing her in the neighborhood before. "Did you just show up today?" asked Sherry. The pretty girl nodded her head yes. "Hi! My name is Sherry Ormsby, and I am glad to meet you, and glad that you came to play with us today," said Sherry. "And my name is Mazie Van Halen, and you sure are cute. Can I be your friend?" said Mazie, as she walked over to the new girl. "I already know both of you," said the pretty girl, using Leonard's voice! Sherry and Mazie looked at one another with puzzled looks, then looked again at the pretty, new girl. OMG! OMG! Each girl was thinking to themselves, "Is this pretty girl REALLY Leonard?" "It's really me," explained Leonard, "I know now what you girls have been doing these last three weeks, doing girl stuff and all that jazz, but I am not going to let ANYTHING, even doing girl stuff, stop me from winning!" "Yes, that's Leonard," thought Sherry, "that winner-take-all attitude proves it." "Let's draw for the first round," announced Deedee, "and Leonard, does it bother you if we listen to something that is completely different from what we usually listen to?" "That's OK, go ahead. I feel completely different today, and for some reason, it feels wonderful," said Leonard. "We will share a girl's secret with you, Leonard. Sherry and I both love classical music. I'm going to play 'The Nutcracker Suite' for you to see if you like it, too," said Deedee. As the beautiful music of the Nutcracker Suite Ballet filled the family room, Deedee played Mazie, and won, and as a rematch of two weeks ago, Leonard played Sherry, and won. Much to everyone's surprised, instead of yelling obnoxiously, Leonard politely thanked Sherry for playing with a pretty smile. The final round was a rematch of one week age, with Deedee playing Leonard. This time it was Deedee who had curious thoughts racing through mind..... Leonard is so pretty, he should have been born a girl..... This is Leonard, but without his offensive masculine bad attitude, Leonard minus his cooties........ This Leonard is just like the 'Albert Einstein' of my dream, but as a cute female....?.... My Prince Charming....?.... As the "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" was playing, Deedee suddenly heard: "Checkmate, Deedee," Leonard said gently as he again smiled sweetly, "winning is so sweet, and it feels even sweeter today. I feel like a friendly, happy, playful little girl." The girls looked at one another, blushed, then they all let loose a loud, long laugh. After putting away the Chibi Chess pieces and chess boards, Deedee asked Leonard if he was going to Taco Bell? "Yes, I'm going," said Leonard. "Do you want to use the bathroom again to change?" asked Deedee. "NO! Definitely not! I'm going like this, this is my 'lucky outfit'. I will be wearing this, or something similar to this outfit, from now on," replied Leonard. Mazie blushed, then grabbed Sherry's arm and giggled, then whispered, "Does Leonard know that if he goes out dressed like that, everyone will see only a cute playful little girl?" "It's OK Mazie, I do not think that Leonard is going to mind that happening!" Sherry explained. As the four friends were walking to Taco Bell, Sherry quietly took Mazie's hand and began walking with her, hand-in-hand. When Deedee saw this, she quietly took Leonard's hand. He turned his head to her and gave her a startled, then a confused look. He then smiled at her. Just then a pick-up truck drove by from behind, with three collage-aged boys in the cab. One of the boys shouted out the window as they drove by, "WOO HOO! Look! Girls with girls! ROCK ON!" At the Taco Bell the counter person asked the group if the four GIRLS wanted to order together, or separately. After the four friends got their food and sat down, the older couple, Mr. and Mrs. Wallingford, came in. They came over to say hello and Mr. Wallingford said, "I see that Leonard is not with you girls today. Who is the new girl with you? What is your name?" The new girl replied, "My name is.... ah.... La.... Le.... Len... ah...." "Her name is Noel, she is just a little bit shy!" Deedee quickly broke in. Noel just nodded yes. "N-o-e-l?" Mr. Wallingford said slowly. "Noel! Such a pretty name, to go with such a pretty girl!" "I like the bouquet of flowers on your romper bib," said Mrs. Wallingford. During the meal Mazie commented, "Today had been so much fun. I wish that Len....er.... I mean Noel could be like this and be with us every Sunday." "Come to think of it," offered Deedee, "if you want to, Noel, you can keep your 'lucky outfits' and accessories in my room, and change when you get there. That way you do not have to carry a backpack with you, like you did today." "That's very kind of you," said Noel. "And Noel," offered Sherry, "I think that you look very nice today. What you picked out is so pretty! However, I think that you would also look good wearing a pastel colored shirt and a skort. A skort is a pair of short shorts, with a panel of fabric in the front and back, so it looks like a girl's mini-skirt. You do not have to worry about showing your bare legs wearing a romper, skort, or mini-skirt, you look great. I will bring a skort outfit and a pleated mini-skirt outfit with me next time, for you to try on." Mazie offered, "I know a web site that you might like, Noel, it's called 'Den of Angels'. It's all about ABJD's, Asian Ball Jointed Dolls.# It's real good hard core girl stuff!" Much to everyone's surprise a tear began to run down Noel's cheek, and her pink lips began to quiver. "I was so afraid that you girls would be angry with me, and kick me out of your group for dressing like a girl, and for winning, and for 'beating you at your own game.' But now you are not just tolerating me, but actually accepting me, and helping me!" cried Noel, "I just do not understand what is going on today with you girls." "You are so much nicer now, displaying 'good girls' personality traits," observed Sherry, "and it seems that you are beginning to understand how good girls win." "You are seeing the REAL me," said Noel through her tears and with her voice quivering, "I - I did all that boy stuff because I have always been told that is what boys HAVE to do. But, but that is not what I WANT to do. It seems like part of me has always been like a little girl, and part of me has always wanted to do girl stuff. I was so scared to reveal that today, but today I did it to win!" "We don't have to play Chibi Chess every Sunday, or everytime that we meet to play. If you want to do girl stuff, you can always do girl stuff with us, any time that you want to," proclaimed Deedee, "isn't that so?" The other two girls nodded their heads yes! "It may be that we may have to tell your mom and dad sometime in the future about part of you wanting to be a little girl, but the four of us will figure something out at that time," said Deedee. "I want to laugh and cry at the same time!" exclaimed Noel, as more tears flowed, and wet both her cheeks and hands. Deedee then put both her arms around the softly crying Noel. "Noel crying her heart out proves that the little girl part of her personality is genuine," thought Sherry to herself. "Hey, Noel, don't cry," implored Mazie, "you can have my Cinnamon Crisps dessert and the Bar Code Kitty* that came with my kid's meal, if that will help you feel better." As she held Noel in her arms, Deedee sensed that something profound regarding Noel had just happened. Something was born again and released, something for the better that would forever affect her relationship with Noel. Sherry and Mazie sensed something, too. Sherry took her hand and gently enveloped Mazie's hand, then leaned over and whispered something in Mazie's ear, then quickly but gently kissed Mazie on the cheek. After a little while, and after Noel regained her composure, she looked over at Deedee with wet eyes and face, and said, "I will share a girl's secret with you, I have always loved ballet, ballet music, and Christmas music." A few moments later, Noel began to dry her face with a napkin. Then Deedee took a big sip from her soda cup, but since it was almost empty, it only made a loud gurgling sound. Everyone laughed and giggled at Deedee. She got up to refill her soda cup from the soda fountain. As she was filling her cup, she heard Mazie exclaim, "Ya got taco sauce on your upper lip, Noel. It looks like a mustache, ya must be turning into a boy!" What followed was another round of loud laughter. As Deedee turned around and looked at Noel, tears now started to stream down her cheeks, but they were tears of joy. "Who would have thought that my Prince Charming------Prince Leonard---," thought Deedee, "would turn out to be a princess------Princess Noel. That was very courageous and bold of Noel to risk everything and show me the little girl part of her personality. I will always treasure my friendship and relationship with Leonard Noel Norwood. There may be plenty of troubles and problems ahead this summer, uncertainty with everyone's parents when they find out about Noel's blended personality good girl traits, and with Noel and everyone going back to school this fall. But Leonard has always been a good competitor and a positive winner. I'm sure that Noel, the good girl, will also be the same." Deedee put the lid back on her drink, as Noel was now laughing at something Sherry had just said. She walked back to the table thinking--- "Now each one of us can say--- "'Winning is so sweet!'" (THE END) copyright 2009 by Girls With Big Eyes, LLC "...as he waived good-by, saying, 'Don't you cry, I'll be back again some day!'" From the poem "Frosty the Snowman" _______________________________________________________________________ * Bar Code Kitty---a small stuffed cat that is a child's toy _______________________________________________________________________ # Asian Ball-Jointed Dolls---- _______________________________________________________________________ Questions for Thought--- 1) How did the three girls deal with Leonard's "cooties" problem (offensive male attitudes)? 2) Is there any indication that Deedee might be a transgendered person? 3) What does Leonard do to first conceal, than reveal, that part of his personality may be that of a little girl? 4) What is the nature of the friendship and relationship between Sherry and Mazie? 5) The four friends comprise a social network group. What was the group's internal relationship with Leonard? Did that relationship change when Noel was intr