THE DUKES BY LANA LUND

Jobo’s fist was big and powerful and seemed to make a whooshing noise as it
hammered into Joey’s shoulder. Joey slipped the punch effectively
and the punch had little effect and it didn’t slow Joey down in the
least. The punch left Jobo off balance and Joey used that to his advantage.
With Jobo leaning forward, over extended Joey brought his knee up into
Jobo’s nose busting it open and blinding him with the pain. Joey was
slight but quick and lethal. Two quick punches, a left and then a
right ended the fight as Jobo’s boys stood by stunned by the outcome. Joey
used that opportunity to make his escape. Like a shot Joey bolted pass
two of Jobos gang and was at top speed in two strides with a half of
block head start. “Get that sucker” Jobo shouted spewing blood
over the others as they turn to see where Joey had gone.

Joey reached the corner before looking back, and seeing a scene that made him laugh.
There lie Jobo with his crew trying to help him up while he was
pushing them to get after Joey; blood was flying left and right!! Joey took
off running knowing they would never catch him now! Zigzagging his way
through the neighborhood Joey slowed to a walk. The Congress Street Drug
store awaited him as he ducked inside to get out of sight for a moment
and to make a quick change.

Joey walked up to the counter and ordered a coke. The brief run had left him dry so he chugged the drink down and watched the rest rooms for five minutes before heading for the restroom door. Looking over his shoulder checking to see if anyone was watching
he ducked into the lady’s restroom. Quickly he checked the stall only
to find the room empty so he entered the stall and locked the door behind him.
Not wasting any time he opened his backpack and he began to strip his clothing off.
Reaching inside he found the bra the matched the aqua panties he was
already wearing. Quickly he secured the bra and spun it around to the
front and he placed his arms through the straps and he made the
necessary adjustments. He dropped his jeans and stepped out noticing some
of Jobo’s blood on his knee. He hung the jeans and t shirt on the hook
and retrieved a denim skirt from the backpack. Joey kicked off his
sneakers as he buttoned and zipped the skirt securely. He sat down on the seat as he stepped into the wedgies and fastened the straps. He stood careful as his sea legs returned. “Quick change girlfriend” he uttered to no one. He removed
the rubber band from his ponytail and his hair fell to his shoulders.
Shaking his head the hair fell evenly into place and with it his
femininity fell in place as well. Joey stuffed his boy clothing into
the backpack and found the clutch purse with his makeup. He opened the
stall door and approached the mirror looking like every other teenage
girl looked these days except with no makeup.

Within a short period of time he applied the make up that change him to her. As she ran the brush thought her hair she thought about how she had reached this point in her
life and about just how right it felt to be Dee Dee Perez!

Joey was the leader of the Duke’s a street gang that consisted of
eight Latino boys from the same neighborhood. Joey was not the biggest of
the boys but he was the unquestioned leader of the Dukes. He was the
toughest and the smartest, the former serving him as much as the
latter. Joey had many challenges on “the streets of the flats,” the name
for the neighborhood in which they all lived and Joey had answered each
challenge with fist and feet. Older guys had fallen to the ground in front of Joey with out Joey breaking sweat. The one thing that his father had taught him before leaving the Perez family behind five years ago was how to fight.

Mr. Peter Perez beat up everyone including his wife and kids. Joey knew at an early age how to take a punch and how to give one. His father use to play a sick game with his kids the girls and the boys. It was called “round and round.” He would play “round and round” when the kids had done something seriously wrong or when Pete was in the mood. He would say to the kids “hit me go on hit me.” Of course the kids would not hit their father. So Peter would hit the kids right across the mouth and tell the again to
“hit me!” This would continue until he tired of the game and often left
the kids bruised and bloody. Only his older sister Maria had every hit him back and he
then proceeded to beat her to within an inch of her life. That was until
Joey had turned just eleven years old. Joey had been brought home by the
Police department. Joey and his boys had been shoplifting and gotten
caught. Peter Perez hated cops and he hated being noticed by cops even
more. So when the Officers had left he turn toward Joey and punched him
squarely in the chest. Joey flew backwards and fell on his living room
floor. His father stood over him with fist clenched, “Get to your room
kid you and I are gonna go round and round” Peter announce as a smile
came across his face. Peter enjoyed this cruel game a great deal. As Joey ran
to his room fighting back both anger and tears he convinced himself that
he was going to hit back this time!

Joey knew that the only chance he had was to catch his father by surprise. That was one of the lessons that Joey had learned from his father and he learned it well “be
first” his father would yell during those boxing lessons in the back
yard. Joey positioned himself behind the door in his room with his
baseball bat! “I’ll be first and I’ll be the last one to hit
too”, he promised himself. Peter Perez got himself another beer and
thought that this was going to be fun said sadistically. He opened
the door to Joey’s room with beer in hand only to be slammed in the
stomach with Joey’s ball bat. “Surprise I’m first“ Joey yelled as
he stood over his father who was now doubled over with the beer still in
his hand, the drunk!
Quickly Joey brought the bat down across his fathers back knocking him to the floor on all fours. Three more quick shots on the back and his Dad was done. Joey stepped on his fathers back as he left the room. As walked down the hall toward the front door he
turned to see his father in a heap on the bedroom floor, “I’m all done taking your shit, we all are, we’re DONE!!”

Joey had sent the message to his father and his father had received it
and left the Perez family that day and was never heard from again.
Joey’s mom worked hard to support the family from then on. Often
working two or three jobs and taking any overtime that was offered. Joey
older brothers and sisters were grown and had gotten away from their
fathers abuse as quickly and they could. That left Joey and his youngest
sister Bella, pretty much alone and on their own.

Bella was studious and cared for the home while their mom was at work. Between Joey and Bella they had become able to cook, do the laundry, and clean the house very well.
Both had decided that their mom shouldn’t have anything to do but
sleep when she finally got home from work.

The two siblings worked well together and kept things neat and picked up at all times. They were very close and Bella was the first and only person that really knew Joey’s
true self.

Joey had the outward image as a tough and streetwise gang member, and an athlete, but behind the doors of their home he was a teenage girl named Dee Dee Perez. Their days were spent as sisters Dee Dee and Bella. The day would begin with showers before they even went downstairs. Their mourning routine would mirror each others shower, doing their hair, getting dressed always skirt or dresses, doing there makeup and then
chores around the home. They did everything together chatting away as they worked. They talked of things all girls do closes, makeup, style
trends and boys. Joey would talk openly with his sister about his
feeling about being a boy that felt like a girl! This would include the
struggles he faced with being a boy that had strong feeling for other
boys. Together they taught one another about creating a classy Perez woman style.

As Dee finished applying her makeup she quickly did a check to make
sure the Joey was totally gone and all girl remained. The only
semblance of Joey was the backpack. Dee Dee exited the ladies room and
scanned the drug store to make sure there were no threats in the store.

The familiar nervousness that she always felt while dressed returned. She
quickly exited the store and head for her home. Her sister Bella would be wonder
where she was as she was already about a half an hour late. She noticed
her reflection as she walked past the store front windows. She knew from previous trips out that she had nothing to fear that no one would think she was anything
other then a beautiful teenage girl. Dee Dee always found a great deal
of joy in just being out in the public presenting as what appeared to
all that could see, as a typical teenage girl. She loved the feel of her
hair on her shoulders. She loved the evening air blowing gently of her
legs under her skirt. She loved the taste and the scent of her makeup
and even the sounds that her shoes made as she walked toward home. She
counted herself lucky that she could openly experience these feminine
feeling and get away with passing as Dee Dee Perez.

As she rounded the corner to get to her home, there scanning the street that she lived on were Jobo and his crew.