Coming To Terms, Chapter 3 free porn video

Rebecca fidgeted in the waiting room of the University Pediatric Psychology Clinic. Andy had been there for his appointment earlier that day and she was anxious about discussing the results. She had made numerous attempts over the past week to get him to open up about what was bothering him, but to no avail. Her mother also had tried, as had Jenna and his teacher Beth Kallnon. Nothing seemed to work. Some additional outbursts followed by crying stints expressing remorse finally convinced her to have her son evaluated at the clinic. Andy had not responded well to the news about the clinic. First, there was the word 'pediatric' in the title, which suggested to him that she thought that he still was a baby. Then, there was the issue of attending the clinic itself. "You think I'm crazy!" Andy had accused, with tears flowing down his face. Rebecca was heartbroken. She had assumed that Andy would react negatively to the news that he was going to the clinic, which is why she initially had resisted making the decision. However, rather than help with the problem, it seemed to exacerbate it. Her son had become more combative since hearing the news and the emotional distance between them had grown significantly. Rebecca felt as if she had betrayed him. Still, she was worried and had to remain strong. Rebecca was convinced that something was seriously wrong and she wanted to do everything that she could to help her son. She finally was able to lower his anxiety to some degree by emphasizing that the word 'pediatric' in medicine referred to children of any age, a fact that he was able to verify on the Internet. But what finally broke his resistance was that she disclosed to him that she had attended the clinic when she was seventeen and her mother confirmed it. For all of his initial protesting, Andy's appointment seemed to have gone without incident. "Everything went okay," her mother had reported in a phone call. "He even said that the doctor was nice." This gave Rebecca a sense of relief. However, she still was anxious about hearing the results. After about ten additional minutes of waiting, with her anxiety level steadily climbing, an attractive woman in her mid-40's emerged from the clinic area. Her face beamed with a warm smile as she approached Rebecca. "How nice to see you, Rebecca," she greeted, extending her hand. Rebecca rose from her seat and accepted the handshake. "Hi, Dr. Rivera." "How long has it been?" "At least ten years," Rebecca replied. "My how time flies," Dr. Rivera said, motioning Rebecca to follow her back to her office. Rebecca noticed that Dr. Rivera's office had not changed that much since she had been her patient. Sure, the paint and blinds were different, as was some of the furniture, but the basic elements still were present. There was the bookcase lined with manuals, books, and other reading materials, pictures of family thoughtfully peppered throughout the office, and her framed diplomas. Dr. Rivera took a seat across from Rebecca and said, "I know you're here about Andy, but I have to tell you. This meeting has a very pleasant nostalgic feeling for me." "I specifically requested you," Rebecca said. "I know you and I trust you. Our sessions really helped me." "Thank you very much, Rebecca. It gives me great satisfaction to see that you have grown into a beautiful woman and wonderful mother." "Well, that's just it," Rebecca said, picking at a cuticle. "I don't feel much like a good mother these days." "Don't be so hard on yourself," Dr. Rivera consoled. "You recognized a problem and brought your son here to address it. If that's not being a good mother, I don't know what is." Rebecca looked up. "Do you think that I could be the problem?" "Let's get into that," Dr. Rivera said, shifting in her seat and crossing her legs. "Your mother explained to me the reason for bringing Andy to the clinic during our pre-conference, but now I'd like to hear it from you." Rebecca squirmed in her chair, trying to get comfortable. "Well, in a nutshell, Andy's withdrawn. He doesn't have friends. Overall, he just doesn't seem happy." "I see. Tell me more." "Well, lately he's been crying a lot more than usual. His teacher at school also has noticed that he's withdrawn, as has his sitter. We thought that it might just be a passing phase, but he hasn't improved. He seems to be holding something inside, but I have been unable to get him to talk about it. I'm really worried." Dr. Rivera breathed deeply. "Have there been any disciplinary problems?" "No. Not really. Except..." Dr. Rivera leaned forward with interest. "... ah... his teacher has told me that he is underachieving and he became combative when I told him we were bringing him to the clinic." "That's understandable." "Understandable? In what way?" Rebecca inquired. "Well... if he's holding something inside, as you suggest, then coming here would risk its exposure. It's understandable that he would feel threatened by that." Rebecca touched her chin with a forefinger. She hadn't thought of that. She just figured that Andy didn't like the idea of the clinic itself. "Do you think he's hiding something?" she asked. "Let's explore that." Dr. Rivera retrieved a manilla folder from her desk and returned to her seat. "Children in Andy's age group often have difficulty expressing things in words, so I always start by having them draw pictures." She handed Rebecca a sheet of paper with a stick drawing of two adult women and one female child. "This is what Andy produced when I asked him to draw a picture of his family." "He's not in it," Rebecca said. "Exactly," Dr. Rivera acknowledged. "And when I asked him why, he said it was because he is invisible." "What?" Rebecca chuckled in disbelief. "Is he fantasizing about having some kind of super power?" "Perhaps, but it also could relate to his feelings." "What do you mean?" Rebecca said, her anxiety level beginning to climb again. "There are two main possibilities," Dr. Rivera explained. "He could feel invisible, because he thinks no one pays attention to him or cares about him." "I care about him!" Rebecca protested. "I know you do," Dr. Rivera consoled, leaning forward and touching Rebecca's had. "This isn't about you. It's about Andy's feelings and perceptions." "Well... what's the other possibility?" "He could be saying he's invisible as a sense of pride or rebellion. In other words, he may believe that he's successfully hiding something and that's what is invisible." "I see," Rebecca said. "Do you think it could be both?" "It's possible, but it's still too soon to know. Look at this one." Dr. Rivera passing another sheet of paper to her. Rebecca studied the picture. It was a crude stick figure that filled the page, with its torso portrayed as a large open square. "What does it mean?" Dr. Rivera folded her hands on her lap. "This is what Andy produced when I asked him to draw what he feels inside." "There's nothing there. He doesn't feel anything," Rebecca exclaimed, tears welling up in her eyes. "Let's not jump to conclusions," Dr. Rivera advised, handing her a tissue. "This last picture is what he drew when I asked him to repeat the exercise, only this time I requested that he draw what he felt deep inside and didn't want anyone to know about, not what he allowed others to see. He resisted at first, but take a look at it." The picture was the same as the previous one, except that inside the square torso was a mass of tangled lines in different colors. Rebecca gasped. "This is worse!" Dr. Rivera reached out and squeezed her hand. "No. It's not as bad as you think. This is progress." "Progress?" Rebecca whimpered, tears streaming down her face. "Yes. This picture indicates that Andy feels a lot of conflict and anger. Look how hard he pressed on some of the lines. But it's non-specific. It's all mixed up." Rebecca sniffled. "I see." "Now that we know this, we can help Andy to untangle all of those feelings and deal with them individually. There is hope." "Do you really think so?" "Of course, I do," Dr. Rivera replied. "Oh, thank you so much. I knew I was right bringing Andy to you." "It may require several sessions. Are you prepared for that?" "I'll do anything to help my son," Rebecca said. "Good. I'd like to see Andy again next week." Dr. Rivera scribbled some notes on a pad. "I also recommend that you keep an eye on him." "Definitely." "Don't confront him about these pictures. He needs to be able to trust me." "Okay. But I can't pretend that he's not seeing you." "Of course not," Dr. Rivera said. "You can talk about the visits in a general sense. Just don't go into specifics. In the meantime, try to connect with him. Take an interest in what he's doing. Ask for his opinions. But don't overdo it." "I understand," Rebecca said. Dr. Rivera rose from her seat. "Well, that's about it. We'll see each other again next week. If you have questions or are experiencing problems, don't hesitate to call me." Rebecca stood and held Dr. Rivera's hand between both of hers. "I really appreciate your help, Dr. Rivera." "Don't worry. Andy's going to be okay." - - - - - - - - - - - - Andy lay in his bed wearing his faux red skirt and panties. He had done this every night since nearly being caught by Jenna and his mother independently on the same day a couple of weeks ago. He felt frustrated. Despite his best efforts to be invisible, he had drawn the attention of those around him. Everyone seemed to be worried about him, at home and at school. They acted as though they were walking on egg shells around him. They always were asking about his feelings. And there was no escaping the heightened scrutiny. Even Jenna seemed to be in on it. He uncomfortably had less time alone now than he did before. Andy felt more controlled than ever. Although he longed to be treated like his sister Sarah, a beautiful flower that required delicate treatment, he instead was being treated like a bomb, one that if treated incorrectly would explode. He knew that this was the real reason why his mom had arranged for him to see Dr. Rivera. Everyone thought he was a psycho. The visit had not been anything like he thought it would. He had visions of torture chambers before his appointment. But to his surprise, it was nothing like that. Dr. Rivera was really nice and wore exquisite clothes. In fact, she looked like a model. Andy had experienced trouble paying attention because he was so enchanted with her. Without realizing it, she had made him feel so comfortable that he almost told her everything. Fortunately, he had come to his senses before he ruined his life. He was going to have to exert more control during his next visit. She obviously thought he was a psycho too and he had to exercise caution not to be tricked by her. Andy also was frustrated for another reason. Although wearing his sister's panties and a red towel wrapped around his wait had been exhilarating and affirming at first, it had gotten old pretty fast. He had been fantasizing about going outside as himself, a girl, for the past year, but it had remained just that - a fantasy. However, the desire to actually do this had become almost overwhelming in the last two weeks. He wanted to do it more than anything, to proclaim to the world that he was a girl. Sure, he would be exposed. Everyone would see him, but to them he would be invisible. How? Because he would look and behave like any other girl. Andy painstakingly had observed the girls at school. They never worried about being caught wearing a dress or skirt. Girls were expected to dress that way. Andy rationalized that as long as he didn't believe that he was doing anything wrong when he went outside, then no one would notice him. Only if he panicked would people notice him. Otherwise, he would be both visible and invisible simultaneously. The biggest challenge was his hair. He had a classic Beatles-style haircut that parted at the crown and fell around his head in all directions. This meant that he had bangs, which was a good thing. However, his hair only was about 3-4 inches long and not very girlish in style, especially for someone his age. Sarah, for example, had long flowing locks that extended to the middle of her back. This provided for a lot of flexibility in how her hair could be fixed. Andy, on the other hand, had little flexibility. For this reason, he had been practicing with a scarf in the bathroom the past week. This would effectively hide his hair, but still keep everything in a feminine context. The hardest thing had been learning to tie it in a way that it would hold. It always looked great at first, but because he lacked sufficient hair in the back to act as an anchor against which to tie the knot, the scarf always wound up becoming loose after a few minutes. This would be completely unacceptable when he went outside. He finally solved the problem by holding the scarf on his head with bobby pins. Even this proved difficult at first. However, with practice he had learned to do it quick and without the use of a mirror. This was important because he would not have immediate access to a mirror where he planned to change. With the hair situation solved, the plan was set. Tomorrow was Sarah's ballet class. He would use that opportunity sneak an entire complement of clothes from her room for the big day. Although Jenna would be watching him, he would simply wait for the inevitable phone call to come from one of her friends. Then, once she began talking he would mouth silently that he was going to the bathroom. He wouldn't have much time, but he had gone over and over in his head exactly what he was going to get. He was going to wear a navy-blue tiered skirt with white polka-dots and ruffles all around, matched with a white long-sleeve tee featuring a negative screen print image of a large white butterfly on a navy, purple, teal mixed background. He had seen Sarah wear this outfit and it was gorgeous. He would complement the outfit with matching panties and cami, white knee socks and black Mary Jane's. Since he knew exactly what he was looking for, he would be able to retrieve everything quickly. The following day would be his introduction to the world. He had rehearsed the route that he planned to take many times in his head. He would get dressed in the bathrooms at the park. Although he wasn't supposed to enter them by himself, his special day merited an exception. He would then walk three blocks and take a left, which would put him on sorority row of the university. Walking past the sorority houses really was important to Andy, because he needed to know that they would accept him. In this case, acceptance constituted ignoring him, not noticing anything out of the ordinary, as he passed the houses. Once he finished walking the runway of sorority row, he would take a right, walk three blocks, and then take another right. This would be the longest part of his trek. He had chosen it because the university athletic fields were to his left. The football team would be practicing and he wanted to proclaim to them by his mere presence that he was a girl and not a boy. After walking straight for awhile, he finally would turn right on 4th street, which eventually would lead back to the park and the bathrooms where he would change. He would prove to the world that he was a girl. Everyone would know, but at the same time would not know. He would be so pretty, so girlish, that no one would think to question anything about him. It was a perfect plan. However, there was one hitch. He had to convince his grandma to allow him to go to the park alone. This would be a challenge, given that everyone was watching him so closely, but he believed that he could convince her. And this wasn't even the biggest problem that he faced. Even if she permitted him to go to the park, he still had to get his stash of clothes out of the house. His first solution was to sneak the bag out to the garage before he asked his grandma to go to the park. He could then retrieve the bag as he was leaving without her knowing it. Unfortunately, it would not be that easy. This is because it was likely that his grandma would be watching him from the living room window as he walked down the street to the park. There would be no way to hide the bag from her notice. Seeing it would peak her curiosity and prompt her to get in the car and investigate it, particularly now that he was under greater scrutiny. That would destroy everything. The essence of his plan was for everyone to know that he was a girl, EXCEPT his family. They never would accept him. Andy finally solved this problem by deciding that he would exit the garage without the bag and walk down the street so that his grandma could watch him. Then, when he was out of sight, he would wait a couple of minutes and then circle back to the garage and pick up the bag. Everyone would be happy. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Andy hung his bag of clothes inside a stall in the women's bathroom at the park and set about stripping out of his clothes. His hands were shaking and his heart was beating fast. He wasn't prepared for this reaction and worried that he might not be able to calm down sufficiently to leave the bathroom and go on his walk. However, it was critical that he do this. If he was nervous, it would draw attention and that is not at all what he wanted. Things had gone well so far. The only real challenge had been getting his grandma to let him go to the park alone. She had insisted on driving him there with Sarah, so that they all could enjoy time in the park. Andy was dejected. He could not complain too much, because that might make his grandma suspicious. It looked like the entire plan was going to collapse, but in the end Sarah saved him. She stubbornly protested that grandma had promised to watch the 'Little Mermaid' movie with her after she practiced her piano lesson. Andy then piled on and complained that he did not want to be treated like a baby. In the end, his grandma had acquiesced. "I've got to get moving," Andy admonished himself in a whisper, attempting to jolt himself out of his nervous apprehension. After arriving in the park with his bag of clothes, he had hovered near the women's bathroom for what seemed like hours waiting for it to become unoccupied. He had decided to change in the women's bathroom because he rationalized that it would be easier to sneak in there with his boy clothes on than to sneak out of the men's room wearing a skirt. But he needed to hurry. He already had lost valuable time going back to the garage to get his bag of clothes and then waiting outside the women's room. Additionally, he was hoping to leave the bathroom without encountering anyone. Andy stepped into the white cotton panties and slid them over his buttocks. He was praying that his pee-pee would stay asleep today and was relieved that it did not jump to attention as usual. The panties were white with teal trim and were speckled with small hearts in different colors. Next, he pulled the simple lace-lined white cami over his head, followed by the pretty white long-sleeve top with the screen-printed butterfly image. He carefully sat on the toilet seat to put on the knee socks. This perplexed him at first. He tried to stick his foot in the sock and it stuck. "Why didn't I think to put these on at home?" He whispered. In fact, he wondered why he hadn't put the underclothes on at home too. "Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" He chided himself. Finally, he figured out how to roll them, stick his toe in, and pull them up. It was surprisingly easy and he began to calm down. He almost was done. Andy slipped on the shoes and then stepped into the beautiful multi- tiered skirt. He shivered as he felt it caress his legs. Then, it happened. His pee-pee jumped to attention. 'Oh no! Not again!' He thought. He couldn't possibly leave the bathroom with that crazy thing sticking out like that. The plan was ruined. Andy's eyes began to fill with tears. "Wait a sec. I'll be right out," a girl said, as she entered the bathroom. Andy quickly sat down on the seat. He was paralyzed with fright. The girl entered the stall two doors down from him. "Eeew!" she shouted. Andy heard the door to the stall next to him open. 'What was he going to do? What was he going to do?' The girl entered and he soon heard the familiar tinkle of urine passing. "Hey," the girl whispered. "Hey!" "Um..." Andy fumbled for words. "... Do you mean me?" "Duh!" She replied. "Like... is there anybody else in here?" Andy didn't know what to say. "There's no paper over here. Can you pass me some?" Andy saw a hand appear under the wall of the stall. "Um... sure." Andy rolled out some tissue and placed it in her hand. "Thanks!" Shortly after, the girl flushed, washed her hands at the sink, and exited the women's room. 'Whew! I didn't plan for that!' he thought. But wasn't that the point? Girls didn't have to plan for things like this. It was just part of being a girl. Andy shook his head in wonderment. He only had been outside for a short time and already it seemed that he had forgotten all of his plan. "I'm a girl," he whispered. "I belong like this. I have to remember that." A benefit of the girl coming in was that his pee-pee problem had disappeared. He was grateful for this and decided to finish his dressing and get out of there before anyone else entered. The only thing remaining was his hair. He took the blue nylon scarf with red trim and white polka dots, positioned it on his head, and then tied a tight knot in the back. The scarf was a slightly different shade of blue than the skirt he was wearing, but it was close enough to look like a match. Andy was proud of himself for achieving this look. After inserting the bobby pins, he grabbed his bag, and exited the stall. Andy halted after a couple of steps. 'What am I going to do with this bag?' he wondered. 'I can't walk around carrying a bag full of boy clothes.' This was another thing that he had not considered. He couldn't risk trying to hide the bag in the park. What if somebody found it? He'd really be in trouble. Andy contemplated taking the bag with him anyway, but he just did not think that it would work. The bag would look out of place, which meant that it would draw undue attention. He would be visible in a negative way, instead of the positive way that he wanted. He quickly scanned the women's room for a hiding spot, but didn't see one. Then, his eyes fell on the trash can. It was a typical round Rubbermaid garbage can with a red top that had a push-through door. Andy walked over to it, lifted off the top, and looked inside. It did not contain any nasty trash, only wadded up paper towels. He carefully tipped the garbage can on its side, pulled the towels toward him, and set the bag behind them. He then returned it to an upright condition and checked inside. Perfect! His bag was camouflaged by the towels. He situated the top back on and then went to the sink to wash his hands. He checked the positioning of the scarf covering his head, turned to leave, and was face-to-face with a women with a daughter about Sarah's age. "Oh, what an absolutely darling outfit!" she exclaimed with a smile. "Don't you think so, Kristin?" The daughter nodded in agreement. Andy blushed and looked down at his feet. "Thank you." "Would you turn around, please? I'd like to get a good look at it." Andy slowly made a 360 degree turn. "Gorgeous!" the woman exclaimed. "Absolutely gorgeous! Do you know where your mother bought it?" "Ah... I'm not sure. I..." "Could you wait for just a minute until we're finished? Maybe I can go outside with you and ask her." "She's not out there," Andy said, panicking. The woman furrowed her brow. "You're out here alone?" "No... um... my Mom and sister started walking home and I'm supposed to catch up with them. I gotta go." Andy ran from the women's room and did not look back. He sighed with relief after a few seconds, when he did not hear the woman's voice calling him. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Andy started to relax. In fact, he felt more confident with each step that he took. He was walking down sorority row and no one was paying attention to him. He was visible, yet invisible. This was fun. Andy was overjoyed by the acceptance he received from this community of girly girls. This was the most important part of his trek. He was so happy that he started to skip, but he wasn't accustomed to indulging in this simple girlish behavior. His feet became tangled and he fell forward onto the sidewalk. Two sorority girls seemed to magically appear and helped him to his feet. "Are you all right, sweetie?" "Um... I think so," Andy replied, brushing dust off his skirt. "Come over here with us and let's check you out," one of them said. "By the way, I'm Kathy and she's Regina. What's your name?" "Andrea." "Cute," Regina said. The two women flanked Andy and guided him toward the porch of the sorority house. He had no choice but to go with them. He was nervous beyond description, but resisted panic. This was a true test. 'I'm a girl,' he reminded himself. 'I'm supposed to be dressed like this.' They had Andy sit on a folding chair and checked his legs for scrapes and bruises. "You're lucky," Kathy said. "You're legs look okay." "Yeah, but she scraped her wrist," Regina commented. "It's okay," Andy said. "No, it's not," Kathy contradicted. "It's dirty and might get infected. Come with me, Andrea. Let's wash it and put a Band Aid on it." She took Andy by the hand and led him into the sorority house. Upon exiting the bathroom with a Band Aid on his wrist, Andy said. "Thanks so much, Kathy. I'd better be going now." "Wait. Why the rush?" Regina said. She gently touched his shoulder and guided him in the opposite direction from the front door. "We were just about to have some Oreo's and milk. Don't you want to join us?" Andy was thirsty and a little hungry. And Oreo's were his favorite cookie. 'Why not?' He thought. He entered the kitchen and saw three other women seated around a large table with a pack of Oreo's and bottle of milk in the middle. "Hey, save some for us!" Kathy called out. "Hi everybody," Regina said. "I'd like you to meet our new friend, Andrea." "Hi Andrea," the three women chimed. "Come on, let's get you some cookies," Regina said, guiding Andy to a chair. Andy knelt in the chair, so that he could reach the cookies and be at the same level as the other girls. One of them commented. "That's a pretty outfit you're wearing, Andrea." "Thanks," Andy said sheepishly. He ate slow and sparingly, remembering that his Grandma always told him not to be a pig when he was a guest. "So, do you live around here, Andrea?" Kathy inquired. "Not real close," Andy said cautiously. "I live over on 6th street with my Mom, Grandma and little sister." Regina frowned with concern. "Does anyone know you're all the way over here?" "Um... yeah. I mean... I'm here with my Mom. I'm waiting for her to get off work." "Do you mean she works here at the university?" Regina asked. "Yes. At the Provost." Kathy gave Andy a puzzled look. "Why are you all the way down here, Andrea?" "Er... ah... I think sorority's are really cool. I want to belong to one someday." "That's so cute," one of the other women exclaimed. Everyone was smiling except Regina, who still had a look of concern. "Does your Mom know you're down here?" "Ah... yeah," Andy replied. "In fact, I'd better be getting back now." He lowered himself to the floor. "Thank you very much for cookies." Kathy squatted and hugged him. "Anytime sweetheart. You're an honorary member of the sorority now, so you can come back whenever you want." "Gee thanks," Andy said with a big smile on his face. He felt so happy, so accepted. He almost did not want to leave. But it was getting late and he had to finish his walk. Kathy and Regina accompanied him out to the porch and gave him hugs again. Andy turned to leave when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe we should walk up there with you," Regina said. "No, it's okay," Andy said, his heart pounding inside his chest. "I know the way." "Well... okay," Regina said. "You go straight there, okay?" Andy nodded his understanding and bounded down the steps. When he reached the sidewalk, he turned and waved to them. "Bye bye." - - - - - - - - - - Kathy and Regina watched Andy walking down sorority row. "Such a sweet girl," Kathy sighed. "As sweet as they come," Regina agreed. Kathy folded her arms. "She's not walking toward the Provost's Office. "I know." "Do you think we did the right thing?" "I know that we gave her a memory that she will cherish for a long time." "Yes," Kathy turned to Regina. "But did we do the right thing?" Regina made eye contact. "She's going to face a lot of challenges in her life. We didn't need to add to them." The two turned and went inside the house. - - - - - - - - - - Andy was full of joy. He had just received the acceptance that he had so long yearned to receive. This walk was turning out better than he ever could have imagined. He was now an honorary member of a sorority! He hoped that he could return back there as soon as possible. As Andy approached the athletic fields, he experienced his first disappointment. Football practice apparently had ended and there only were a few people in the area taking care of equipment. He wouldn't be able to proudly display his femininity to the football players as he had planned. Although Andy felt dejected, his passage by the athletic fields still would have some symbolic significance. He would have to be satisfied with that. 'It must be late, if practice is over,' Andy thought. He realized that it was starting to get dark and started walking faster. 'Grandma will get worried if I don't show up soon.' A black Lexus sedan was coming toward him, so Andy moved off the shoulder of the road and walked on the grass. The car slowed almost to a stop when it reached Andy and then sped off. 'What was that all about?' he wondered. He gently touched his head to verify that the scarf still was in place and then made a quick check of his clothes to make sure nothing was out of order. Satisfied, he continued his trek. He felt a great sense of pride about the courage he had displayed to present himself to the world today. His mind now was filled with plans for how he would do it again, and again, and again. Andy snapped out of his reverie when he realized that a car had come up behind him and was pacing him as he walked. It was the black Lexus. Andy felt anxious. He looked forward and continued walking, acting as if the car wasn't there. Fortunately, he still walked on the grass and the car was on the other side of the road, going in his direction, so there was at least some distance separating them. He heard the window of the car descending. In his peripheral vision he saw a chubby-faced man with a receding hairline. His cheeks appeared flushed, as if he had been engaged in some sort of physical exertion. "Hi Cutie," he called over to Andy. Andy kept walking and did not acknowledge him. "I've got a puppy in the back seat. He's cute as can be, just like you. Would you like to see him?" Andy and Sarah had been pestering their mother about getting a dog for what seemed like ages, but they had not convinced her yet. Although he really wanted to see the puppy, the man, with his squeaky voice, made him uneasy. He picked up his pace and was ready to run if the man stopped the car. "My puppy's name is Sparky. What's yours little girl?" The man inquired. Andy kept walking. "Come on, Cutie. Just come over and take a quick look. Please?" Andy was full of panic. He searched for some way that he could escape. He quickly looked behind him and saw that a car was approaching. "There's a car coming," Andy warned. The man looked in his rear-view mirror to confirm it. "I'll be right back," he said. The car accelerated. As soon as the other car passed, Andy crossed the street and ran toward his 4th street turn. It was about 100 meters ahead and he did not want to be on this road when the black Lexus returned. - - - - - - - - - - Andy rounded 4th street and ran nearly another block before stopping. Panting, he turned and looked back just in time to see the black Lexus pass by on the street below. He was safe. Having caught his breath, he set out to walk the final three blocks to the park. It was dark enough now that the street lights had come on. Andy had to make it to the women's bathroom, change his clothes, and get home. He had almost reached Tulip street, when he saw a girl on a bicycle round the turn and head toward him. Andy gasped. 'It's Cindy Witcomb!' He made a 180 degree turn and walked away from his destination, hoping that she had not seen him. Cindy was in his class at school. If she had seen him, he was dead. Dead! Dead! Dead! But she sped past him and gave no indication of it. Andy stopped and sighed with relief. 'What am I doing?' he thought. He was acting nervous, exactly the type of behavior that would upset his visible-invisible plan. He had to calm down. "I am a girl," he whispered. "I'm supposed to be dressed like this." Andy turned and headed back toward the park. If Cindy came by again, he would just keep walking. - - - - - - - - - - Rebecca Robinson entered the park frantically looking for her son. She had a flashlight in her hand, but the park lights provided sufficient illumination that she didn't really need it. "Andy! Andy!" she called out. Of all the nights to arrive home late from work. Her mother and Sarah had been watching the Little Mermaid DVD and completely had forgotten that Andy was out in the park. 'Why did mom let him go there alone in the first place?' She asked herself. Andy was very fragile right now. A lot of things were going on inside him. Letting him go alone to the park had been a real lapse in judgment on her mother's part. But she would have to deal with that later. Right now, she had to devote all of her attention to finding Andy. She really didn't know where to look. The park seemed pretty empty. Sure, a few people sat on the benches, but they all were adults. She didn't see any children, especially children that were by themselves. Rebecca walked deeper into the park full of dread. Her mind was swimming with thoughts of bad things that might have happened to her son. "Andy! Andy!" Her cell phone rang. She saw that it was a call from her mother and answered it immediately. "Is he there?" she asked anxiously. "No," her mother said. "I was calling to see if you found him." "Not yet. I'm still looking." "I feel sick about this, Becky. I shouldn't have let him go." "Don't worry about that now," Rebecca said. "Let's just find him and get him home safe." "You're right. Do you think we should call the police?" "Not yet. Let me search here for a few more minutes. If I don't find him, then we'll call them." "Be careful, Honey." "Okay, Mom." Rebecca turned a full circle, trying to figure out what to do. She caught sight of a girl at the far end of the park. She appeared to be in a hurry because she was walking fast. Rebecca couldn't tell for sure, but the girl looked like she might be about Andy's age. She decided to catch up to her and ask if she had seen her son. - - - - - - - - - - Andy entered the park and headed straight for the bathrooms. It was late and he knew that he was in trouble. Nevertheless, the walk had been exhilarating and well worth any punishment that he would receive. What was he going to tell his Mom when she asked where he had been? He knew that he could not say that he'd been in the park all the time. There was a possibility that his Grandma and Sarah had been there looking for him. No, he'd probably be caught in that lie. Andy was so focused on trying to come up with a believable excuse for coming home so late that he failed to notice the woman approaching diagonally to his left. "Excuse me. Excuse me," the woman called, shining a flashlight light in his direction. There was a split second that seemed to pass in slow motion. In it, mother recognized son and son recognized mother. "Andy?" Andy bolted, as if shot out of a cannon. He heard his mother frantically calling after him. "Andy! Please stop! Why are you running?" Andy was in the flight version of the fight or flight response. He wasn't thinking. He was just reacting. "Andy! Stop!" He made a bee-line for the bathrooms, entered the women's room, and leaped into a stall. He sat on the seat, pulled his knees up to his chin, and shook with fear. "Andy?" he heard his mother call as she entered the women's room. There was a long pause, and then she said, "I know you're in here, Andy, so you might as well come out. I'm not mad at you. I'm just glad that I found you and you're okay." 'Oh sure,' Andy thought. 'She's just saying that to get me to come out. And when I do, she'll send me to a house for crazy people and I'll never see her, Sarah, or Grandma again.' He started to whimper. "Oh Sweetheart, don't cry." Andy could tell that his mother was crying too. "Just come out. We'll go home and figure this out." Andy didn't know what to do. He was tired and scared out of his mind. "I can't," Andy bawled. "I'm afraid." "I'm afraid too." "Really?" Andy sniffled. "Of course. I don't know what's going on. I was worried sick that something had happened to you. I'm just happy that I found you and you're all right." "I don't want to go to the crazy house!" Andy wailed. "What? Ah... um... I don't understand what you mean, sweetheart." "You're going to send me to the crazy house!" "That's not true. I'm not going to send you anywhere. I love you. I just want to give you a big hug you and take you home." Accepting that he had no choice, Andy stood, and slowly opened the door to the stall. The first thing he saw was his mother's face, contorted with worry and with tears streaming down it. Rivulets of tears flowed down his face as well, as he ran into his mother's embrace. "I'm sorry, Mommy."