It was barely past 6:30am on that Saturday morning and Lilly was
already showered and dressed. She'd pulled her ivory, jacketed-sheath
dress from the closet, hung it on the back of the door and pulled out
her shoes and jewelry, preparing for the big day. The entire time,
she'd been as quiet as she could so as not to wake her son. It was
going to be a long, tiring day for him. He might as well sleep as long
as he could.
She creeped past his door and headed down the stairs to make some
breakfast for them both. When she stepped from the hallway into the
dinning room she stopped to look at the bridesmaids dresses that had
begun this whole adventure and she shook her head at the realization
that she'd neglected these dresses for an entire week now and, if in
fact Keith and Abby were going to go through with their wedding, she
needed to spend a lot of time in this room over the next couple of
weeks to catch up.
As she was admiring the gowns on the garment rack, she was shocked to
hear hushed voices in the kitchen. She moved quietly until she could
hear who was speaking.
"I am excited, sure, but I wonder what she'll think of it when she sees
it, you know?" It was Paul's voice.
"From what you've told me, I would think that she'll love it," It was
hard to tell who it was. It wasn't Lori, that was for sure. It didn't
sound like Beth either. The voice continued, "but, Paulie, this has to
be your choice and your choice alone. From what you've told me, you've
been very public in your female persona over the last few days, but it
can be very difficult to come out like this to your entire family and
your school."
"I'm not 'coming out,' Joyce. I'm not sure what I'm going to do after
today, but..."
Joyce? Who was Joyce?
"...but what, Paulie?"
He laughed. "I don't know. Honestly, I'm more excited to do this than I
have ever been about anything, but, and again, if I am being honest,
I'm kind of scared of where I'm headed. What should I do?"
"You should do what's right for you, Paulie, and only you can decide
what that is."
"Geez, you sound just like a Beth."
"You mention Beth a lot. I think I need to meet this girl."
Lilly needed to know what was going on, so she walked into the kitchen,
pretending to be shocked to find Paul awake and with someone.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize that you were up, Paulie," she fibbed.
"Morning, mommy. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." Paul was
wearing a simple, white, polo-style top with very, very short sleeves
and an undersized pocket halfway up his left breast. The material
stretched tightly to accentuate his new figure. Below that was a cute
pair of peach track shorts. "Mommy, this is Joyce Kim and she's..."
"Hi, Mrs Rooney. Actually, I'm DOCTOR Joyce Kim." The athletic looking,
Asian woman rose and shook Lilly's hand. "I'm a therapist. I specialize
in gender identity issues. Paul came to see me yesterday, and..."
"Paul came...? Paulie!? You went to see a therapist without discussing
it with me!?" Lilly's face was filled with shock and concern.
"Mommy, I needed..."
Lilly had not heard him. She was looking at the clock on the microwave
oven. "And exactly what kind of therapist makes house calls at 6:42 on
a Saturday morning!?"
"Please," the Asian woman smiled and indicated another seat at the
kitchen table, "Mrs Rooney. Have a seat and let me explain. I assure
you that I am here to open up a conversation between Paul and your
family. Not to hide anything from you."
Lilly sat, confused and a little hurt that a stranger was in her
kitchen talking to Paul about these things. Why hadn't he just spoken
to her? If there was something to be said, he could say it to her. He
didn't need a mediator.
"I suppose I should start by explaining my appearance and why I'm here
at this time of day. You see, Paul came to see me, yesterday, after
school. Normally, it would have taken weeks to have fit him into my
schedule and I typically don't go into the office on Fridays, but
Paul's chorus teacher, Nana Mwangi, is my my brother-in-law and he
asked me to make an exception. So, yesterday, Paul and I spent a very
productive hour and a half together. And, I must say, Mrs Rooney, you
have raised a very remarkable young person."
Lilly glanced at Paul, still trying to get a handle on what was
happening, then returned her confused gaze to Dr Kim. "So, you're Mr
Mwangi's sister-in-law?"
"Yes, I am. I'm married to his sister. I know that it can be confusing
with my wife and I being lesbians, and the fact that her family is
Kenyan and mine is Korean, but we are related, yes."
"How did Mr Mwangi get involved in any of this?"
Paul said, "It's a long story, mommy, but he offered his help if I need
it, so I asked him to call Dr Joyce for me."
She nodded at that, then returned her gaze to Joyce.
"To explain why I'm here this morning - typically, a person discovering
their gender confusions approach their milestones of realizations
slowly, but Paul's situation did force things for him a bit due to
today's deadline. So, after our discussion, yesterday, I mentioned that
I jog down your street everyday between 5:30 and 5:45 and, if he needed
to talk more, he could catch me as I jogged past."
"So, I did," Paul concluded.
"Paulie," Lilly felt the guilt that she'd felt earlier in the week
creeping in on her, again, "if you had doubts about doing this, I wish
that'd you'd told me about it..."
"Oh, mommy, no, no, no. I have no doubts about today. I really want to
do this and do it right. My doubts are about what I'm going to do
later. After the photographer leaves and grandma's dress is back in
storage - then what? Do I give up being a boy or do I give up being a
girl? I love being both, but I don't know what to do. That's why I went
to see Dr Joyce. Of course, I want to know what you think, but she's
helped lots of people through these kinds of things, right?"
"I have, Mrs. Rooney," the doctor smiled as she reached across the
table to take Lilly's hand in hers, "and I have to tell you, Paul is
one of the most well adjusted people I have ever met and his questions
and concerns show a remarkable grasp of his needs and society's
reactions to what he's doing today. I am confident that, with your
support, the support of his friends and your other son, and just a
little professional help to offer guidance, he will discover his
correct path."
Lilly nodded, but turned to Paul and said, "Paulie, I don't understand
why you couldn't just talk to me about all of this. I know that we had
some problems earlier in the week, but..."
"Mrs Rooney," Joyce interrupted, gently, "please don't view this as a
break in trust. Paul told me about what happened earlier in the week
and he just came to me to work some things out. That is a much better
decision than bottling up his feelings or lashing out at others or,
worst of all, inflicting pain or worse on himself. Honestly, he did the
right thing and you should be very proud of him for that."
Lilly looked at Paul, his pretty little outfit, his cute hairdo, his
delicate eyebrows, his breasts, the pendant - how could her heart not
melt. She rubbed his cheek and smiled, "How could I not be proud of
you, honey? I wish that you'd told me that you had gone to see Dr Kim
before I found her in the kitchen this early in the morning. Maybe then
I would have been better prepared."
"Sorry, mommy, but I just don't know how to say everything that I'm
thinking. Dr Joyce has a way of asking the right questions. I hope that
you're ok with that and that this won't upset you - today of all days."
She kissed his sweet face. "Not at all, honey. Thank you."
Dr Kim rose and extended her hand to Lilly. "Well, I need to finish my
run. It was a pleasure to meet you, Mrs Rooney. Paul, you have cell
number. Call or text if you need me."
They watched as she jogged down the driveway and turned onto the
street.
"Are you ready for your big day?" Lilly asked. Now that he was standing
and Lilly could get a better look at the whole outfit, Paul looked even
cuter.
"Almost. I need to shower and have some breakfast."
"Tell you what. Go shower, put on something comfortable that doesn't
pull over your head and lets go to the diner and have a nice, Saturday
morning breakfast before we go to Alison's."
That did sound very good, so Paul hurried up and got ready.
Louie's Diner was just an old train-car style diner on the edge of
downtown. The food was good and the atmosphere was noisy and joyous.
Paul and Lilly went there two or three times a year - usually on
vacation days when there were lots of errands to be done. Saturdays
were particularly busy days, so they knew they'd have to wait in line
to be seated, but that was fine, it was early, yet.
As soon as they got in line on the long ramp that ran up the front of
the train-car, Lilly was approached by another businesswoman who was a
couple places further forward in the line.
"Lilly!" The woman waved. "You're out and about early, today. Are you
running an open house?"
Lilly smiled, "No, no." She indicated Paul, who looked cute as a button
in a casual, yellow-flowered sun dress and flip-flops, light makeup and
his hair brushed out, but still slightly wavy due to yesterday's
chignon, "we have a busy day. We're starting at the salon at 9:30."
The woman smiled at Paul and introduced herself as Esther Foster. "And
your name is?"
"Paulie," he shook her hand and smiled.
"Lovely to meet you, Polly," she looked from him to his mother. "You
certainly are your mother's daughter, Polly. My goodness, you two must
have been made in the same mold."
"You really think so?" Lilly asked, flattered and surprised.
"Oh, Lilly, come on. Your eyes and chin and, good heavens those
smiles... two peas in a pod."
Of course, Lilly couldn't resist showing Esther the photo on her phone
of her own mother and pointing out the resemblances between her and
Paul.
"Oh, heavens, Polly, your grandmother must show you off as her
doppelg?nger all the time! It's like you're twins born decades apart.
Look you even have the same bangs."
Lilly went on to tell the story of the dress and the photo recreation
scheduled for that day. "That's why we're headed to the salon so
early."
"Oh, my goodness," Esther held a hand to her breasts and looked as if
she was about to cry. "I have never heard of anything this sweet,
before! Polly, your grandmother is going to be on cloud-nine when she
sees that picture. What a wonderful things for a girl to do! You are an
angel!"
She hugged Paul tightly and kissed his cheek. Then made a huge show of
wiping the residual lipstick from his pale, smooth cheek. She was
taller than Paul by an inch or so, but her heels made her slightly
taller, still, and she was higher up the ramp than Paul, so he was only
shoulder height to her. Her fussing with him to remove the lipstick
made him feel very small and younger. It was kind of nice.
"Such a lovely, little thing," she beamed at him. Then she shocked him
with, "I have a son just about your age and he's as handsome as you are
gorgeous." She turned to Lilly, "We should get these two together,
Lilly. Imagine how beautiful their children would be!"
Esther didn't notice that Paul turned pale, but Lilly did and she threw
her arm around his shoulders. "That would be lovely, Esther, but I'm
afraid that Paulie is very much taken and they've been dating for
months."
Esther's head tilted to the side as she sighed "Oh, poo. Well, if that
ever changes, Lilly, you send Polly here over to meet my Roland. They'd
be perfect together."
'Oh, my God,' Paul thought. 'Roland Foster! She's trying to set me up
with Roland Foster!" Roland was a freshman in his chorus class.
Actually, when he thought about it, Roland was a very handsome boy -
always well dressed and well groomed and he was usually very polite to
everyone, but Paul had always kind of considered him to be somewhat
spoiled because of the obvious amount of money that was spent on his
nice clothes and nice grooming. It was like Roland was a bit of sissy,
not gay, necessarily, but a bit effeminate. That seemed pretty funny
now that Paul considered how much money and time he'd spent on his own
appearance in the last ten days, and the fact that he was wearing a
pretty, breezy sundress that was playing teasingly about his smooth
legs. Suddenly, Roland was like a hairy, he-man compared to Paul.
Wow! He'd never really thought about his transition in comparison to
other people's search for their own daily presentation, before. He
guessed everyone was searching to one degree or another.
He was shaken from his thoughts by a knock on the window above his
head. He looked up to see the smiling faces of Lori and Beth who had
surprised looks on their face as they indicated that they had room at
their table and that Lilly and Paul should come through the line to
join them.
"Oh, look at that, Paulie! Your friends are inviting us to join them.
Esther, would you like to join us? I'm sure that we could make room for
all of us." Lilly was nearly as relieved as Paul to end the current
conversation, although she did find Esther's praise of Paul's beauty
and his resemblance to his mother wonderfully flattering.
Esther smiled and shook her head. "Thank you, but I'm meeting Joan
Albright. You know Joan? She's in accounting at my company?"
Lilly acknowledged that she knew Joan and they said their goodbyes as
they worked their way up the ramp and through the crowds to join the
table where Lori and Beth had already had a coffee waiting for Lilly
and a tea waiting for Paul.
Paul slid in next to Lori and Lilly next to Beth.
"We didn't expect to see you girls here," Lilly said as she settled her
pocketbook in the space between her and Beth.
"We were surprised to see you, too," Lori kissed Paul's cheek.
"Was that Erick Foster's mother you were talking to out there?" Beth
asked.
"I imagine so," Lilly said. "That's Esther Foster. She works for a
finance company. I've known her for years - just as a colleague. She
mentioned her son, but his name wasn't Erick. Paulie, what was the name
Esther mentioned."
"Roland. Do you guys know Roland Foster? He's in my chorus class. He's
a freshman."
Lori didn't, but Beth said, "I know who he is. He looks just like a
younger version of Erick. You know Erick, Lori. He's in your AP Physics
class. Really good looking... always dresses nice."
"Oh, sure."
"Well, Lori," Lilly teased, "you'd better keep your eye on this one,"
she waved a finger at Paul, "because Esther just tried to hook Paulie
up with her son, Roland."
"Wow!" Lori said loud and playfully, "You're such a little tease!!!"
She hugged him tightly and kissed his cheek.
He smiled, but Beth saw a little concern in his eyes. "Were you ok with
that, Rooney?" she asked.
He shrugged and smirked, "It was ok, I guess..."
"What's the matter, honey," Lilly asked, "did that bother you?"
He shrugged. "A little... I guess."
"Why, baby?" Lori's lack of insight made Beth sigh.
"Lori, he's a straight guy. Of course it was a little weird that
someone wanted to hook him up with her son."
"Well, yeah... but, Paulie, you look like a girl, right? And a really
hot girl... so, of course..."
"I know, but..." Paul thought through his words before speaking, "...I
just want to look nice and be with you guys, you know? I guess that it
never really occurred to me that boys - or boys' mothers - especially
mothers of fourteen year boys - would find me attractive. It's a little
hard for me to think about."
Lori hugged him a little tighter. "I'm sorry, baby. It's not that big a
deal, though..."
He shrugged again. "It kinda is... I'll figure it out though. It was
just something new, you know."
Beth smiled and said, "If it helps, Rooney, it's the same way for a
girl the first time it happens, too. You know, it's like, one day
you're a little girl, almost just like a little boy except for the
clothes. Then, out of the blue, you start gaining weight in funny
places, your period starts, you get pimples and greasy hair and you
feel so ugly that you can't even look at yourself in the mirror. Then,
one day, you wake up and you feel pretty, so you dress up a little and
go out and, without any warning, a boy - or a boy's mother - suddenly
starts looking at you differently. Like you're breading stock or
something. I can remember the first time it happened to me, too. It
really shakes you up."
Paul nodded and laughed a little. "She said we'd have beautiful babies.
Can you imagine that? It made me feel really weird."
"She was just being a mom, honey." Lilly smiled. "I've thought the same
thing about you and Lori a million times. It's just hardwired into moms
to think that way."
"Oh, we're going to have REALLY beautiful babies, Mrs Rooney! Aren't we
Paulie?" Lori was beaming.
"See, that doesn't make me feel weird," Paul said, "because I know that
between you and me we have the right equipment to make that happen."
"But not too soon, you two!" Lilly teased.
"I don't know, maybe I just read too much into it," Paul said, "but she
just made me feel funny."
Suddenly, he sat up straighter, "But enough about that. I feel like
having a waffle for breakfast. Let's see if we can get a waitress over
here so we can eat."
They all agreed, but Lilly teased, "Now, don't go stuffing yourself
this morning, Paulie. I don't want to have to let out the seams on
grandma's dress."
Everyone laughed as the waitress arrived to take their orders. When
she'd left with their menus, Paul looked at the women and asked, "Do I
really look like I'm fourteen?"
They all laughed, again. "I think it's the bangs, Paulie," Lilly said.
"They're kind of old fashioned, so they make you look a little younger
than a more modern cut would."
"Just wait till your done at Auntie Alison's, today, baby," Lori gave
his shoulders a playful jostle. "You'll look all grownup and beautiful.
"Just like your grandma, Rooney." Beth smiled. "Just like you wanted,
right?"
Paul smiled and nodded. He'd enjoy every moment today, then make the
real decisions tomorrow.
They arrive at Alison's salon at 9:27 for their appointments. Lori and
Beth were just getting a quick touch up for their hair and makeup and
Lilly was getting her hair "done" for real. Paul, of course, was
getting 'the works.'
Paul knew that his mother was getting hers done - she frequently had a
salon appointment on Saturday mornings. "Why are you guys getting your
makeup done?" he asked Lori and Beth.
"We just wanted to spend a day at the salon with you, baby," Lori
smiled.
"It may be our only chance, right Rooney?" Beth added.
Paul accepted their stories and he went to Alison's chair to begin his
day.
"Hop up into the chair, young lady," Alison patted the seat and smiled.
"Let's get you ready for your big day."
Until now, Paul had been rational and focused on just doing this for
his grandmother and he knew that it pleased Lori and his mother, but
now - he had actual butterflies in his stomach. He was very excited and
not just because of the picture, but because he wanted this. He wanted
to be beautiful. He wanted to put on that dress and look gorgeous. He
wanted to be the beautiful young woman that his grandmother had been -
for real.
The chair was swung around and as the back dropped, placing Paul's head
in sink, he thought about where he was. He was in a place that was
reserved for women. Women who wanted, just like he did, to be
beautiful. It was where he was meant to be, but it was also exciting
because it was, in a way, forbidden.
The warm water felt wonderful and the feeling of Alison's beautifully
manicured fingers scratching into his scalp felt glorious. Then she
squeezed the excess water from his hair, wrapped it in a turban, sat
him back up, then set to work.
She brushed his hair and pulled over a cart of rollers. "Your hair is
holding the body-perm nicely, Paulie, but I'm going to just curl the
back a little more for today. It'll make the chignon even fuller and
I'm going to put a few small curlers in your bangs so that they curl
correctly. I could do that with a curling iron, but since I'm going to
put you under the dryer, anyway, we might as well kill two birds with
one stone, ok?"
"Sure," Paul smiled. "Whatever you need to do is fine with me. I'm all
yours."
"Oh, honey," Alison giggled as she started rolling the first curler
into place, "that is a dangerous thing for a boy to say around here!"
The three pink curlers she put into Paul's bangs were fairly small in
size, as Alison had stated, but she put a variety of different sizes
into the hair in back of his head. "It creates a kind of 'structured-
messy' effect," she explained. "You'll love it, I promise."
Once the curlers were in, Alison put a hair net over his head and
placed him under a dryer beside an older woman. Within minutes, there
was a twenty-something woman sitting on a rolling stool in front of
him. She had a rolling cart as well. She said something, but Paul could
not hear her, but she reached down and lifted his left foot so that it
sat on the front of her stool and she grabbed a cotton ball, soaked it
in nail polish remover and began removing the polish from his toes,
replacing it with the same, deep, brilliant red color. When his toes
were done she went to work on his finger nails, leaving the French
manicured nails glistening with a new, clear coat of lacquer. She
communicated with Paul via smiles and hand gestures throughout her
chore, which lasted as long as Paul was cooking under the dryer.
When Paul's dryer hood was lifted, the older woman next to him lifted
hers and said, "You're getting the whole nine yards today, sweetheart,
aren't you?"
Paul smiled and nodded.
"Are you in a wedding? I know that prom is a few weeks off, still."
He smiled again and gave a quick explanation of recreating the picture
of his grandmother.
"Oh, my dear, what a wonderfully thoughtful thing to do." She waved her
hands near her eyes. "Oh, look at me... you've got me all teary eyed.
Come here, dear."
Paul came forward and the woman took both of his hands in hers and she
smiled up at him. "You are a very special young lady. Don't let the
world jade you, honey. Stay exactly the way you are, today, do you hear
me?"
"Ok. m'am. I promise. I won't change."
"I hope not. Young women are so bright eyed and so full of love." She
kissed both of his hands. "Next time I see you here, I would love to
see the picture."
He smiled broadly. "I'll make sure you see it, m'am. I promise."
"What's you're name, honey?"
"Paulie."
"Well, Polly, you have a wonderful day."
"You, too, m'am. Bye bye."
"Come on, Paulie," Alison called. "We're falling behind!"
Paul wiggled his fingers as a wave to his new friend as he hurried to
Alison's chair. When the curlers were out, she ran a brush through his
hair until his hair was full and lustrous. "Did you like the chignon,
Paulie?"
He did.
"So, for today, I'm going to do the same thing, only fancier. The
chignon will be made up of waves and curls that will have the baby's
breath woven into it. How does that sound?"
He shrugged. "Wonderful, I guess? I don't really know much about this,
but I love everything you've done up to this point."
"Do you?" Alison continued her work as she spoke. "I've been thinking a
lot about you, you know?"
"Really? Why?"
"I've been wondering what it must be like for a boy - a young man,
really - to suddenly be so deeply involved in all this." She spoke in a
normal volume, but with so much activity going on in the salon, no one
seemed to notice what was being said. "It must be pretty strange for
you."
Another shrug from Paul. "I don't know... It all moved pretty slowly at
first, I guess. Then, it took on a life of its own. I was helping my
mom with a big sewing project, and then she saw how much I looked like
my grandma. Now, I'm here."
Alison smiled at the innocent response. She knew that there had to be
something just a bit kinky in all of this. She knew her niece well
enough to know that she was getting pretty hot-and-bothered by her
girly-boyfriend.
She decided to push the point a bit. "And after the photographer leaves
today? Is that it? Then you go right back to being a boy?"
There was a pause before Paul answered. "I... I don't really know.
Mom's sewing project isn't done yet, so there's that and... well, I
just don't know..."
Alison smiled as she looked at the picture of Paul's grandmother and
began sculpting his hair on top of his head.. "You like it, don't you?
All the pampering, the hair, the makeup... it's not easy to give all of
that up once you've tried it. I know that I couldn't."
Paul watched her work in the mirror and thought about what she'd said
for several moments before he said, "And would that be so bad? I mean,
if I stayed looking this way. Would that be a bad thing?"
He felt the gentle stab of a bobby-pin being pressed into his scalp to
hold an elegantly puffed pile of hair on top of his head and he heard
Alison say, "That's not for me to say, Paulie, but I will tell you that
I have girls your age in here every single day and I bet that ninety
percent of them would kill to be as cute as you are. You've got the
hair, the eyes, the face, the smile - you've got it all going on as a
girl. Do you like feeling pretty?"
Paul smiled. "I really do. It makes me feel very special."
"And did you like dressing up and looking handsome as a boy?"
That was a good question. In fact, he never really did like dressing up
and wearing a tie. His suit coat was heavy and binding and the shoes
were all clumsy and uncomfortable. "Not really, no. Besides, I don't
think that I look very handsome in a suit. I just kind of feel - out of
place."
"And in a dress?"
"Well, honestly, I haven't really gone out that much in a dress. I
mean, I went to the country club on Tuesday, but that didn't work out
so well - Not because of the dress. I really liked the dress and how I
looked in it. It was something else, but..."
"Did you go out last night?"
"Yes, but just to the Greek place down the street. Nothing fancy. And
we had breakfast at Louie's Diner this morning."
"And?"
"And what?"
"Did you get compliments?"
"Yeah, sure. I got lots of compliments. My big brother even said I
looked like a princess last night."
"In that pink dress? Trust me, sweet-pea, you definitely would have
made Cinderella look like the house-maid that she really was if you'd
gone to the ball in that! You looked absolutely adorable."
"Really?" Paul had the same smile that Alison had seen a million times
before on adolescent girls when they realized how beautiful they had
become. He was definitely smitten.
"Really, Paulie. How Do you like your hair?"
He'd been lost in the conversation until now. Starting with his cute,
wispy, curled bangs, his hair rose to a puffy, perfect ball on top of
his head, then pulled behind his head, where it was sculpted into
another, oblong puff of a chignon, but it was full and curly and
delicate.The very center of the chignon was a rose sculpted of his very
own hair! It was inconceivable to Paul that anyone had the skill to do
such things with hair! He'd never seen anyone with hair this beautiful
outside of a bridal magazine.
"Alison..."
"What? You don't like it?"
"Like it? It's amazing! I LOVE IT!" His skin actually flushed from
excitement. In the gusset of his panties, paul could feel himself
stiffening dangerously, but he didn't want that right now. He just
wanted to look at his hair. His beautiful, amazing hair!
"Now, watch this." Paul closed his eyes Alison sprayed some spray into
his hair. When he opened them, though, he was shocked to see that there
was a sparse layer of glitter in this hair. He glittered! He actually
glittered!!! "You like?"
"Oh, my God! I didn't think it could look better than it did..."
"Oh, I'm not done, honey." She pulled out several sprigs of greenery
with little, white flowers with tiny yellow centers. "Now, I'm going to
weave these into your hair. A little baby's breath for your
grandmother's new, baby girl."
He could not wait to see what everything would look like. As she
started weaving the stems into his hair, he became fidgety, trying to
see each bud in the mirror, all the while praying not to have an orgasm
right here in this sanctum-sanctorum of femininity.
"Oh, my heavens, Paulie, look at you!" It was Lilly's voice as she
stood behind him and looked at his hair from every angle. "I swear,
you're even more beautiful than my mother was." He really was at least
as beautiful as the girl in the picture.
"And we haven't done his makeup, yet," Alison pointed out, "but we're
going to move to a makeup station for that."
She pulled his cape off and helped him stand, noticing that his eyes
were riveted to the mirror. She exchanged a knowing smile with Lilly.
They'd both had this same experience as girls. That first time that
you're really done up for an event! You could never forget that feeling
of being truly beautiful and Paul would be feeling that all day today.
What a wonderful thing to share with your daughter and an even more
wonderful thing to share with your son.
Alison gave Lilly another smile and a raise of her eyebrows before
speaking to Paul, "Do you need a bathroom break before we start your
makeup, sweetheart?"
Paul thought for a moment before saying, "I probably should."
"Ok. It's just back there. We'll meet you at my makeup station when
you're all done."
He smiled. "Thank you," and he hustled off.
"He'll be a few minutes, I'm sure," Alison grinned at Lilly.
"Oh?" Lilly was oblivious for a moment before she realized Alison's
implication. "Oh! You don't think that he's going to....? He wouldn't
do that here, though!"
Alison laughed as she led Lilly across the salon. "I'm shocked that he
hasn't just cum in his panties at this point. He's a boy, Lilly. Boys
can't help it. Just let him deal with it. He'll be fine."
Paul closed the door to the lavatory behind him. It was not tiny, but
not spacious, either. Big enough for the toilet and a fairly large
vanity as well as a little room in case a woman needed to change her
clothes. There was a large mirror over the vanity and full length
mirror on the door behind him so he could look in the vanity mirror and
see both the front of his hair and the back simultaneously. He was
enraptured by it all. His hair and his dress. His smooth face. He was
shaking. At a time like this, the last thing he wanted was to think
about his boyish genitals, but he knew that he'd be in trouble if he
didn't deal with a growing problem very soon.
He took a moment to remove his the lovely dress and hang it on a hook
on the wall.
Oh, Lord, if anything was ever worth the effort, this was it. The
realistic breasts in the soft, lacy bra and the silky panties that
matched perfectly, but as beautiful as his panties were, they had to go
and go quickly! He stepped out of them and hung them as well. Now, when
he looked in the mirror, he saw a beautiful girl with a sizable, rigid
penis where she should be smooth. Her penis was smooth and hairless,
like a little boy's, but it was definitively functioning in a manly
manner. He shivered just a little as he realized that even his most
manly attribute looked as if it belonged to a junior high schooler. For
some reason, even that excited him.
He raised the toilet seat and sat with his legs spread, allowing him to
be able to aim himself down into the bowl when the time came.
He'd avoided touching himself all week. He didn't want to ruin his soft
female garments with ugly male behavior, or stain them with... well, no
need to think about that.
When the shiny fingernails touched him, they felt alien - not like they
were attached to his hands, but like they were someone else's - Lori's,
maybe, but feminine, regardless. They tickled him as they gently toyed
with him. He closed his eyes, concentrating on the feeling of the
fingers, as he slipped their softness around himself.
As his excitement built, his mind played tricks on him, and suddenly it
was the penis that felt alien. The amount of hand and face cream he'd
used over then past few weeks had soften his hand - which, of course,
was very familiar with his penis - but he hadn't realized that the body
washes had softened the skin on his boyhood so much. That, combined
with the lack of pubic hair, made everything feel different.
It wasn't his hand - it was a woman's hand - yet, somehow he was that
woman.
It wasn't his penis - it was another man's penis - yet, somehow, he was
touching that other man's penis.
He could smell the fresh hairspray in his hair and taste the pink
lipstick he'd reapplied after breakfast and the breasts on his chest
and the bra securing them and hugging him so softly, securely and
lovingly and he could feel the other man's penis stiffen and twitch as
his pace increased and his breathing became ragged.
The soft "Ahh!!!" of a woman resounded in the room as the man's
twitching became spasms and it exhausted itself in the soft,
controlling, female hand that Paul was manipulating, but Paul continued
to caress it to make sure that he milked every creamy drop from the
man.
Finally, he shivered and shook as he felt something shake his entire
body through and through. It was an icy feeling that shot from the area
of his fingers and groin and then shot through him, leaving behind a
warmth that overwhelmed him to his core. His eyes shot open as he
sputtered to inhale until it passed and when it did, it left him
feeling spent, yet fulfilled in a way that he'd never felt before.
"Oh, my God, Oh, my God, Oh, my God..." he muttered quietly as the
shaking stopped and his breathing returned to normal. He closed and
opened his eyes several time as he slowed his breathing and regained
control of himself. What had happened? Whatever it was, it had never
happened before and he sure as heck wanted it to happen again - but not
now. Now, he had to clean up and get back to being the virginal vision
in the picture. He looked at himself and his surroundings. He was a
little sweaty, not too bad, he could clean himself and wash his face,
but he'd completely forgotten to adjust his aim before his climax. This
would take a few minutes to clean up.
Paul glanced at the clock as he reentered the salon. He had no concept
of how long he'd been in there. It could have been three minutes and it
could have been three hours. He was both relieved and embarrassed to
see that it had been thirteen minutes. No one takes that much time in
the lavatory unless they're suffering from a stomach bug or...
He spotted Alison at her makeup station, but his mother seemed to have
left the salon.
Alison smiled as he sat down. "Feel better, sweetie?"
"Yes, thank you."
"Things like this can get very exciting, can't they?"
'Oh, my God!' Paul thought, "She knows what I just did."
Alison felt him tense up, so she let him off the hook. "Probably gave
you an upset stomach, huh?
He relaxed. "I guess...Yeah."
She brushed on a base coat of makeup to smooth out his skin tone, then
worked his cheeks a little.
"Your grandmother had a very wholesome look for back then. Most girls
of that era overdid it with lots of blue on their eyelids. Lucky for
you, your grandmother was subtle. You have those light blue eyes, so
I'm going to use a brown eyeliner instead of black. It will keep
everything looking more natural for you."
She leaned down as she worked on his face, standing to judge her work
on occasion and showing smiles or scowls depending on how she evaluated
the makeup job.
After a good long time in the chair, Lori popped her head into his
sight line. "Baby, Beth and I have to go. We'll see you at the house in
a little while. Your mom is back, now, so, you should be all set. Ok?"
She kissed his cheek and whispered, "Oh, baby, you look so pretty!"
He smiled. "I love you."
She stood back up. "I love you too, baby. Oh, my God, this is SO
EXCITING!!!"
Alison went back to work and pretty soon, Paul saw his mother smiling
down at him. "Paulie, Paulie, Paulie..." she said quietly, "you are not
going to believe how beautiful you are."
Finally, Alison proclaimed him ready. He stood and looked in the
mirror, then looked again to be sure that it was, in fact, his
reflection. The girl who looked back at him was truly beautiful. Her
face was plump, soft and white, with huge, soft blue eyes that were
lidded with long, dark lashes and the classic, deep, velvety, red lips
were bigger, plumper and more inviting than anything he could have
imagined.
The thing that was most shocking, though, was that, despite the modern,
flowered, yellow sundress, the girl in the mirror WAS the girl in the
picture. He had actually become that girl. He had actually become his
grandmother.
He tingled with excitement and the anticipation of completing the look
with that beautiful dress.
"So," Alison explained to both of them, but mostly to Lilly,
"Everything he's wearing is waterproof and long lasting. I'm sending
Home a tube of the lipstick with you, just in case, but he should be
fine, even if he eats or drinks before the picture. Now, before you go,
I want you to promise me that I will get a copy of the picture, ok?"
Lilly air-kissed Alison's cheek, promised to bring a picture as soon as
possible and told Paul to thank Alison so that they could get going.
"Alison..." he started, "l don't even know what to say. I can't believe
that you made me look like... well, like THIS! Thank you, so much."
"Oh, you are so welcome, little girl. Now, you go home and look pretty
for everyone."
He smiled broadly and with an unselfconsciously feminine nod of his
head, he took his mother's hand and allowed himself to be led to the
door.
It was too early for Paul to get completely dressed, but, because he
was so excited, when they returned home, he wanted to start getting
ready, so his apparel for the late morning was comprised of the silk
and lace matching bra and panty set that Lilly had bought specifically
for this event, the waist nipper, the open toed, cream colored pumps
and the new, knee length petticoat that was covered in layers and
layers of soft, bouncy, lacy material.
At 12:30, an hour before the photographer was to arrive, Beth and Lori
both showed up, dressed beautifully - Lori in a short, gold, formal
dress that she'd worn to a wedding last summer and Beth in a very
pretty, sleeveless, white top and the pleated skirt she'd bought the
day before.
"Hello, hello!" Lori called as they entered, finding Paul hurrying to
grab a shirt. "Relax, baby," Lori told him, "we've seen you in much
less."
Beth assessed her friend in his finery and said, "Hocky smokes, Rooney!
You're making me feel underdressed and you haven't even finished
getting ready, yet!"
Paul smiled, but pulled on the checked blouse with the darts in it that
he'd worn back when his mother started all of this.
"I thought that I heard you two come in." Lilly entered looking
beautiful in a sparkling, champagne colored, cocktail dress. "And you
both look absolutely beautiful."
"So," Paul sat, smoothing his petticoats daintily beneath him, then
crossing his legs at the knees, "is anyone going to tell me why
everyone is so dressed up?"
"No big surprise, honey," Lilly smiled. "Since I'm paying for a
photographer, I thought that it would be nice to get pictures of the
whole family. I've even invited Keith to get dressed up and join us.
You don't mind, do you?"
He smiled. "Why would I mind? I'm getting pictures with everyone I
love! I'm thrilled!"
"Would you like us to help him get dressed, Mrs Rooney?" Lori asked.
"Oh, no, no, no. Not yet. I'd like to wait until the photographer is
all set and ready to go before Paulie is dressed. That way he can't get
wrinkled, but while we are waiting, Lori, come on in the dinning room.
I'd like you to take a look at something I'd like to add to your prom
dress."
Beth sat with Paul while the other women left. "How're you holding up,
Rooney. You've already had a big day, huh?"
"I'm great, Beth. Thank you for asking. I'm really excited. I mean,
after everything we've done this week, I can't wait to actually do
this."
She reached over and held his hand. "And after this?"
He shrugged. "I'm still not sure, but I have boobs till tomorrow night,
so I'm a girl till then, anyway."
"Boobs, or not, Rooney, you're about a kagillion times more girly than
I am right now, and I have a vagina."
"You're not jealous are you?" Paul asked as he batted his eyelashes at
her.
"Kinda, actually!" She joked. "Seriously, though? You don't have any
idea what you're going to do?"
"Beth - look at me. I've never felt more beautiful or special or
important as I do right now. No one every looked twice at me before.
Now..."
"So... you're going girly?"
"Like I said, I still haven't decided. As special as I feel right now,
this would definitely be a lot more work than going back to being a
boy. And I don't mean the beauty parlor and all. I mean explaining who
I am and what I am all the time. So, I still just don't know."
At that moment, a minivan pulled up in the driveway.
"That's the photographer!" Lilly shouted as she hurried through the
kitchen to exit onto the back porch, waving and calling all the way.
Paul and the girls giggled at her enthusiasm as they watched the
somewhat flustered man being led around to the back yard by Lilly, who
spoke nonstop and with broad hand gestures.
"Did she sleep at all last night?" Beth asked.
"I think so. Why?" Paul looked out the window to see if any assistance
was needed out back.
"Because she's more excited than a kid on Christmas."
"It's nice to see old people excited, though," Lori said.
"You want to see the flip side of my mom's 'happy and excited coin?'
Let her hear you calling her 'old!'" Paul laughed. "Years from now,
I'll be looking at pictures of me and Beth and mom and Keith and
feeling sad because mom threw my girlfriend out of the house that day."
Lori laughed. "Don't worry about it, sweetie. I know when to keep my
mouth shut."
A short while later, the photographer and Lilly came into the kitchen.
Lilly was still talking nonstop.
"...Keith just text me that he was on his way, so we can get Paulie
dressed and we'll be ready when he gets here, ok? Oh, and this is
Paulie."
Paul stood and offered the man his hand.
The photographer took it and shook it gently. "Hi, Polly. I guess
you're my victim today, huh?"
Paul smiled. "I am. This is Lori and this is Beth. They're victims,
too."
The photographer smiled. He liked this girl. She was quick. "Hi, girls.
Just call me Rick."
"Hi, Rick," they said in unison.
"Oh, here's Keith, now," Lilly said, taking Paul by the shoulders and
leading him into the dinning room. "Lori, I'll need your help and Beth,
would you be a dear and grab my camera?" She nodded at Beth and kind of
directed her eyes towards the back door in a manner indicating that
Beth needed to do something.
Paul was immediately suspicious that something was going on, but Lilly
guided him into the other room too quickly for him to ask any
questions.
Lilly took the dress off the hanger and turned to Paul, who was
removing his blouse. She looked at her son - her petite, beautiful son
with his perky breasts, his stunning red lips, his silky skin and
equally silky, lace adorned lingerie - and she couldn't help it. Her
emotions took over and tears of joy flowed from her eyes as she hugged
her mother's empty dress to her own bosom.
Paul smiled as he approached his mother and hugged her and the dress.
"Are you ok, mommy?"
"I'm just... so happy, Paulie. You're so beautiful and you've done so
much and been through so much to get ready for today... I know it's
silly to cry, but, honestly, sweetheart, I just can't help myself."
He hugged her more tightly before releasing her and smiling at her, his
own eyes glistening with tears of joy. "You'd better stop, mommy, or
I'm going to start crying, too."
He turned to face Lori only to find her wiping tears from her eyes,
too. "Oh, you two... look what you've done to me, now." She giggled at
her own emotionalism.
Out in the kitchen Paul heard Keith say, "Hi, Beth. Where's the lady of
honor?"
"In the dining room getting into the dress," Beth responded.
Then the voices became hushed. There were women's voices as well.
'Keith must have brought Abby,' Paul thought. That was fine. He thought
that they'd reached an agreement at the restaurant last night when he'd
felt more confident in her presence than he'd ever felt before.
Besides, even if she was only feigning her contrition, she'd behave
herself with all of these people around.
"Turn and face towards mommy, baby," Lilly said softly.
He did.
"Are you ready?"
He nodded.
"Lori, I think we need Beth's help, too."
Lori went to the door, said hello to Keith and called Beth in to help.
Finally, with the three women creating a triangle around him, the dress
was lifted carefully over his head, then lowered down onto his hairless
arms, past his gorgeous hair, until it rested on his tiny, feminine
shoulders. Then they continued to guide it past his breasts and hips to
settle over the petticoats.
All four of them shivered at the beauty of the frock. It was, truly,
every girl's fantasy to wear something this painstakingly rendered.
Something that glittered and shone in the midday light of the dining
room.
Even Beth wiped a few tears from her eyes. "Rooney..." she was at a
loss for words. That never happened. "Paulie..." She hugged him and
kissed his cheek and whispered, "I love you."
Paul whispered back, "I love you too, Beth. You're the best friend I've
ever had."
Beth shook her head. "You're not my friend, Paulie. You're my little
sister - or my little brother - or whatever, but we're family, now."
"Oh!" Paul squealed quietly, his eyes melting towards tears.
"No," Beth scolded, her eyes doing the same, "no more tears. Just be
beautiful."
"Do you have my camera, Beth?" Lilly asked.
Beth nodded and grabbed the camera from the table and handed it to
Lilly.
"Lori," Lilly continued to direct the scene, "ask the photographer and
Keith to come in."
When they'd both come in, Lilly said, "Ok, now, Keith, I want you to
button up the dress and we'll take pictures."
Keith came up behind Paul, put both hands his shoulders, leaned over
and kissed his cheek then said quietly, "Wow, princess, you look
amazing."
"Thank you," Paul smiled as he leaned his head back into his brother's
chest.
"Ok," Lilly took over, again, let's get started. "Abby," she called
over Keith's shoulder, "Come on in and see this, too."
Abby took her place next to Beth. She looked happy, if a bit sheepish.
"Ok, Keith," Lilly continued, "just pose like you're fastening the
buttons."
"Like this," the big man asked as he pretended to work the buttons.
"Yes, just like that." Cameras clicked and everyone smiled.
Paul giggled at the silliness of the situation.
"Alright," Lilly proclaimed, "now, button Paulie up for real, but do it
SLOWLY so you don't pull the material. It's very delicate."
"Ok," Keith laughed.
It took a moment, but the buttons started to close around Paul's waist,
slowly and carefully.
"Just keep looking toward me, Polly," Rick, the photographer said as
the camera clicked and clicked.
After a minute or so, the dress had been buttoned about half way up,
but pictures were still being taken. "This all seems a bit excessive,"
Paul laughed.
"It sure does," Keith agreed as he stepped in front of Paul and moved
beside Abby. He smiled at his younger brother.
It took a moment for Paul to realize that the dress was still closing
around him, yet Keith was not the person closing it. He started to turn
to see who was fastening the buttons, but a voice scolded, "Now, don't
squirm or I'll never get this buttoned up."
He looked forward again at the six smiling faces of the people who were
all taking picture after picture after picture.
"Who...?" he mouthed, as the buttons were attached all the way to the
top of the dress.
Small, cool fingers caressed his bare shoulders. "There. You're all
set, now."
Paul turned slowly to see a woman in her seventies, but looked as if
she was in her fifties, her beautifully coiffed hair was nearly
identical in color to Paul's.
"Grandma!" Paul whispered.
"Paulie," she smiled as she stroked his hair. "You look beautiful,
pumpkin. Why, I don't think I ever looked half as pretty in that dress
as you do." She kissed his cheek and hugged him tightly.
Paul was in an emotional overload. He'd been a bit trepidatious about
how his grandmother would react to the picture. He hadn't ever
considered her actually being here and seeing him in HER dress! Now,
here she was and she seemed absolutely at ease with the fact that her
grandson had gone to very great lengths to look just like she had at
his age.
"Grandma..." He sputtered, "... are you, you know, ok with this? How
did you even found out?"
Keith chimed in, "That's kind of my fault, Paulie. Sorry. I stopped by
grandma's to talk about the wedding and everything, and I just assumed
that she knew about the dress and the picture. Anyway, since the cat
was out of the bag already, I invited her to come for the pictures. I
hope that you're ok with that, Paulie."
"Paulie, sweetheart," his grandmother caressed his cheek again, "I'm
your grandmother and I love you and I truly love that you and your
mother would go to all this trouble for me."
They smiled at each other, then Paul hugged her and nestled his head
into her neck. "I love you, too, grandma."
"Do you realize," she reminisced, "that I met your grandfather fifty-
five years ago tonight while I was wearing that dress? It was one of
the most wonderful nights of my life. I really didn't want to get all
dressed up to be paraded around like I was in some kind of an auction,
but I did it for my daddy - and thanks heavens I did..."
She pulled Paul to arms length so she could take him in. "...because
everything good that happened in my life happened because of that
night. I was with your grandpa for nearly fifty of marriage and he gave
me your auntie and your mommy and they gave me your cousins and Keith
and, of course, you, Paulie - my sweet, pretty, baby."
Paul smiled and blushed. "We all love you, too, grandma. And so did
grandpa. I remember how you two always held hands and kissed no matter
where you were. You were the only two grownups I knew who did that."
His grandmother ran her hands down his arms and she flounced his skirts
and watched them settle. "I remember how your grandfather looked at me
the night I wore this dress. I knew right then and there that he was
the man I would marry - and I did - and he looked at me that same way
every single day until the day he died."
She looked at Lori. "What do you think of Paulie looking like this?"
"I think he's the most beautiful, exciting thing I've ever seen."
"Good." She nodded and smiled. "That's a good answer." She kissed his
cheek, again. "You truly are a beautiful girl, Paulie. Now, I think we
should go outside and take some pictures."
"An excellent idea!" Rick clapped his hands. "Ladies," then to Keith,
"and sir, let's head out to the backyard and get this started. Mrs
Rooney has a long list of portraits she wants taken. So, the sooner we
start, the sooner we'll be done."
Paul grabbed the tiny, lace covered, white gloves that completed his
ensemble and they all filed out the sliding door in the living-room,
across the deck, down the patio-stone-walkway to the flowering bush
that made up the focal point of the beautiful back yard. The Bush was
in full bloom with huge pink, blue and white balls of color exploding
from each blossom. It made a perfect backdrop, just as it had fifty-
plus years ago when his grandmother wore this same dress.
"We'll start with the recreation of the original picture," Rick
announced. "Polly, I need you to stand here and look towards that
corner of the house..." he went on directing Paul.
Paul's grandmother stood back a few feet to watch all of the
excitement. Her daughter and her grandsons and the women who were
important to them, all together in the yard in which she'd grown up. It
was a wonderful moment and she just wanted to take it all in.
As she sighed with contentment, the one young woman that she didn't
know approached her and extended her hand.
"Hi," the pretty young woman said, "I just wanted to introduce myself.
I'm Beth. I'm Paulie's friend."
The older woman smiled. "From what I understand, Beth, you're much more
than Paulie's friend. You were Paulie's savior this week. I'm Rose,
Paulie's grandmother."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs...?"
"Call me grandma, please. I can see how much you mean to Paulie." She
kissed Beth's cheek. "Thank you for being the sister he needs."
'Wow!' Beth thought while thinking back to the conversation she'd had
with Paul less than a half an hour ago. 'I like this lady!'
"I think we're ready," Rick announced as he adjusted his lighting just
a little.
He took several pictures and each time his shutter opened, the
resulting image popped up on his laptop where he could compare it to
the original picture. At first, he adjusted Paul's stance or raised or
lowered the camera on its tripod, but it just wasn't coming out as
perfectly as he wanted. Something wasn't quite right.
"I'm going to see what they're doing," Beth told Rose, who accompanied
her to look at the computer screen.
There was a lot of discussion going on as they reviewed the shots.
Everyone had an opinion, but they just couldn't put their finger on
what was amiss.
Rose knew, though.
While the others conversed, rose went and whispered to her beautiful
grandchild.
"Paulie, in my day, women weren't like Lori and Beth. We weren't
independent like they are, now. That came later. We were demure. I
didn't WANT to be a debutante. I was TOLD that I had to be one and I
did as my father told me. The saving grace of preparing for the ball
was this dress, Paulie. It made me feel so grown up and womanly; just
like you feel, right now, but, Paulie, we weren't allowed to show as
much joy as you're showing. Think about what it was like to know that,
even if you met the man of your dreams, that he would always be your
superior. Thank God, your grandfather was different, but that's what we
girls had to look forward to, back then. You need to bow your head,
just a little, baby, then, look back up at the camera and when you
smile, just let me see your front teeth - not the huge smile you're
showing now. Do you understand, sweetness?"
Suddenly, Paul felt a little sad for his grandmother, but then he
thought about how much he depended on Lori to be strong for him, to
take care of him. How strong she was when he needed her to be.
He thought about Beth, too. His rock when he was falling apart.
And he understood. Completely. Totally. He understood what his
grandmother was telling him. He was more like her than he had ever
thought.
"Thank you, grandma." He kissed her cool, smooth cheek. "I think I know
what to do."
"Let's try it again," Rose called as she moved behind the others.
"Ok," Rick looked through his lenses again and refocused on Paul.
'Click' went the camera and they all looked to the laptop to see the
result.
It was perfect. His eyes were just slightly lidded, his smile was
sincere, but more maidenly, more feminine. All the changes were small
and subtle, but they were what was needed. The photo was identical to
the original. It was impossible to tell if the virginal, fertile image
of blossoming womanhood was Rose or Paul.
They all sighed in relief. They'd done it. Lilly and Rose had their
picture! Now, they could move on to the simpler chore of photographing
all of them in large and small groups.
Rick had packed up his gear and was backing out of the driveway, as
Keith, who had carried most of the gear from the backyard, reentered
the house, his tie loosened, three shirt buttons unbuttoned and his
sleeves rolled up. "Well, mom, I'd say that you've had a very
successful day. What do you think?"
Lilly kissed her oldest son's cheek. "I think it has been a wonderful
day, so far, but I don't think it's over yet, though." She turned to
the rest of the crowded kitchen, "listen, we're all dressed up, let's
all go out to dinner. My treat."
"Oh, that would be lovely," Rose clapped her hands, "but it's Saturday
evening. Where could we go with seven people and expect to get in? I
don't want to stand and wait for an hour or more."
Lilly smiled, slyly, "I took the initiative and I made a reservation
for seven people at "The Cupola" for 6:15 this evening. What do you
say, everyone?"
"Am I going out in this?" Paul asked.
"No, honey," Lilly smiled at him. "You'll need to change into something
else, but it should be something nice."
Paul's heart sunk just a bit at the prospect of taking off this amazing
dress, but he'd still be dressed up, so that would be good. "What
should I wear?"
"Well, with that hair and makeup, it should be something very nice.
What do you have?"
"Everything I have is either casual or kind of everyday. The only 'very
nice' dresses that fit me are the bridesmaids dresses and this one."
"Oh!" Lori offered, "I have just the dress for you, Paulie! I wore it
for my confirmation. We saved it for Meredith, but it's a little small
for her. I'm sure it'll fit you. I'll run home and grab it. I'll be
back in twenty minutes!"
"Ok," Paul laughed at her enthusiasm and she ran out the door.
"I guess that takes care of that, then," Lilly laughed, then looked at
her mother who was sitting at the kitchen table. "Lori has been in
heaven since Paulie started wearing dresses to get ready for this."
"Come here, Paulie, sweetness," Rose called.
When Paul reached her, she took his hands in hers and spread his arms
wide. With her seated, her head was just about bosom high to him and
afforded her an unimpeded view of the dress on his petite form. "I
can't believe that this dress looks this good after being in storage
for so long. Or that you could look so beautiful in it, Paulie."
"Thank you, grandma."
She smiled at him, then asked, "So, now what, Paulie?"
"What do you mean, grandma?"
"I mean what now? Are you going to be my grandson or my granddaughter?"
"I'm not really sure, yet, grandma. I've decided that I need to make a
decision before I go to bed tomorrow so that I know what I'm going tell
people at school."
Rose nodded and considered how difficult this could be for Paul. She
smiled at him and said, "You are a wonderful grandchild, Paulie." She
kissed both his hands and held them to her chest. "Whatever you decide,
I know that you always will be my precious child, but, just so that you
know, I have always imagined that you would look exactly like this if
you'd been born a girl. Every time I looked at you, I saw myself as
girl and now I see myself as a young woman. You are my special grand-
baby, Paulie, no mater what."
"Thank you, grandma," the tears welled in his eyes. "You're my special
grandmother, too."
She let go of his hands and laughed. "I'd be flattered if I weren't
your only grandmother. Now, go get changed. Beth and Abby, would you
please help him? I need to talk to Lilly and Keith for a few minutes."
Abby balked a bit at this, both because she felt that she was being
dismissed so that 'the adults could talk,' and because she knew that
both Beth and Paul were frosty towards her because of her, admittedly,
horrid behavior of a few days ago, but, rather than ask to stay, she
went, some what sulkily, with the teenagers.
There was a cool silence in the dining room for a few minutes until,
finally, Beth said, "Abby, if you could start with his buttons, I'll
run up and get his robe."
When Beth had headed up the stairs, Abby asked, "Is that ok, Paulie?"
Paul looked a bit confused. "Yeah, of course. I'm sorry, I can't really
reach much of anything in this. I'm kind of trapped until you get me
out."
Abby smiled, then began to unbutton him, taking great care with each
button. The last thing she needed right now was to damage the dress in
some way and have Keith's family get mad at her, again.
"Abby," Paul asked, careful of his words, "can I ask you a question?"
"Sure, I suppose."
"Do you love my brother?"
"Of course, I love him Paul. I'm going to marry him."
"I know you're going to marry him, but do you truly love him. You know
- like 'you'd die if you had to live without him' kind of love? Do you
truly LOVE him?"
Abby stood taller, having finished unfastening the buttons, and she
thought about the question. "Paul... Paulie... To be honest, if I had
to, I could probably live without Keith, but I truly do not want to. I
really, really love him."
Paul nodded and shrugged the dress from his shoulders and undid the
waist nipper. "Could you loosen my petticoat for me, please."
She did. "What about you, Paulie?"
"You mean, do I love Lori? Yeah. I'm completely in love with Lori."
"No." Abby lowered the dress and petticoats to the floor so he could
step out of them. "I mean... do you love Keith enough to ever forgive
me?"
Paul, in his pumps, panties and bra, turned to Abby and looked her in
the eyes. She was at least four inches taller than him, but she looked
small and frail, waiting for his answer. He wanted to be strong and
cruel and leave her hanging for an answer, but it just wasn't in him -
not any more. Instead, he hugged her, without saying a word.
It took Abby a moment or two to bring her arms up and hug him in
return, but when she did, she started crying. The tears were tears of
regret and of relief - and, most importantly they were sincere. It felt
as if Paul had given her a ladder to climb out of the hole that she'd
dug. She was grateful, relieved and happy.
"I'm sorry, Paulie. I'm really, really sorry. I was such a rotten bitch
to you and, I'm just so, so sorry."
Paul released her and looked her in the eyes again. His smile grew,
slightly, then he pulled his lips tight to keep from tearing up,
himself. He nodded and sniffled before saying, "I'll never forget how
you hurt me, Abby, but Keith certainly loves you, so I will, too."
"Thank you, Paulie." She picked up the dress and hung it and the
petticoats from hangers. Then she turned to look at Paul. He seemed
so... un-boy-like... in his lingerie, full breasts and smooth fronted
panties. He also seemed completely unabashed about being not just in
his underwear, but his women's underwear in front of her.
"Here you go, Rooney," Beth entered with a mid-thigh, light blue wrap
in her hands. She held it so that Paul could slide into it.
"Thanks, Beth." He tied the belt.
When they rejoined Keith and the two older women in the kitchen, Paul
just caught the end of something that Keith was saying, "...Abby and I
really want to help out any way we can."
"Here are the girls, now," Rose said.
"Lori should be here in a moment," Beth said. "She sent me a text about
five minutes ago saying she was on her way back with the dress. Rooney,
she says that you should keep your white pumps on."
Paul shook his foot at Beth to show that he was in compliance. "Yes,
m'am."
"Here she is, now," Lilly pointed towards the window.
Lori burst through the door, breathless and carrying a dry cleaner's
bag with a lavender dress within. "Sorry! I hope I didn't hold everyone
up. It took a minute to find it in Meredith's closet. Come on, Paulie.
I'll get you dressed."
"No need to rush," Lilly stood and straightened her dress. "As long as
we're underway in the next ten minutes or so, we'll be fine."
Paul followed Lori into the dining room, started removing his robe, but
someone from behind him helped him take it off. He turned to see his
grandmother laying the robe on the back of a chair. "Heavens, your
mother has turned my mother's beautiful dinning room into a garment
district warehouse!" She smiled at her own joke as she looked at her
grandson in his lingerie.
Paul returned her smile, then became just a bit self conscious as her
eyes scanned him c