The New Tradition Part 2 (of 4)

By Nina Adams

Please read Part 1 first----

Author's note: Most of my stories have been about gifted teens that found their calling after after getting the proverbial push. While I have received occasional criticism (mostly warranted) by readers that felt my reluctant heroines had been cruelly forced, I always found myself fantasizing that this lad/lass had been me. Unfortunately, these stories have been 100% fiction. The dribble that begins below is also mostly fiction, however it is to a small degree 'based' upon my childhood. I will leave it to your imagination to know where fact and fiction leave off. If I haven't already lost you, I hope you enjoy "The New Tradition."

Please, please, please comment or let me know if you like it.
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Chapter 4

My older brother David was going to meet us for a few days down in Florida, but he could not take the whole week off from his new job. We're all grateful to arrive on the sunny beach after nearly 24 hours of nonstop driving. We quickly settled into our beachfront rental condo.

On the second day of our trip I slipped on my first new pair of shorts. They fit well, but the design and color was different than most of my others. They were yellow denim, had a cuff at the bottom and the zipper only went down about halfway. They were from a place called ‘The Limited’ which I had never shopped at before. They looked okay so I didn't really give them much thought.

I also discovered over the rest of the relaxing week that she had bought me additional shorts, flip-flops and T-shirts from there. Other than some odd bright colors and oversize necklines most of the items were comfortable. It wasn't until nearly 2 weeks after we returned from the vacation that I discovered The Limited sold only women's clothing. None of my new summer selections were from their sister store called The Limited Express, which sold some men’s stuff. All of the new things I had been wearing came directly from the girls department.

When I confronted my mother about this after returning from the mall, she played it down.

"You needed some new things and there were just more new summer selection at the Limited. Were there any specific items you didn't like? I think everything looked very nice on you."

“It's not that. The selections were nice, but I was wearing girls clothes in public."

"I don't think anyone noticed. You certainly didn't. You can wear whatever you want. Remember we talked about this."

"That's different."

"Is it? If you want to experiment with some new fashions, I think it's perfectly acceptable. This is an innocent way to take a small first step.”

"I admit that I have thought about that one time event, but wearing girls casual clothing out and about was not my objective."

"We will focus on your objective later honey. I would think after our trip to Florida you would know it is no big deal to be a little more stylish. Do you disagree?”

“I was just very surprised to discover this when I was walking past The Limited with my friend Alex. I saw my new shorts on a female mannequin in the window and I awkwardly stopped in my tracks and stared at it. I had to make a lame excuse to my friend that I thought I saw a girl I knew inside the store.”

“Maybe sometime soon we can go out together and pick out some additional summer and spring wear. A few expanded style selections couldn’t hurt.”

“If you are suggesting what I think you are… I’d be way too embarrassed.”

“If you change your mind just let me know. I’m sure it would be a fun and beneficial experience.”

Much like our conversation back in November, I had a hard time getting this follow up discussion out of my head. She was almost encouraging me to try more girl things, and certainly at the minimum, she had no hesitation or did not see anything wrong with me wanting to experiment. After that exchange I sort of accepted the new pieces as part of my everyday wardrobe. Nothing screamed girl, and when I previously wore them I had enjoyed the new look and remembered feeling stylish in them.

As before, I did not receive any immediate follow up comments from her on the subject. She did not mention a followup shopping excursion and basically left it to rest. About a month later I did get some new Jeans, khakis, T-Shirts and a summer sweater. This time I was quick to look at the labels and saw they were mostly from The Limited and The Gap. I checked them out to make sure they were not too unusual and put them with the rest of my clothes.

The jeans felt a little snug and had a squiggly pattern on the back pocket, while the off-white sweater was a little longer and softer than any of my other tops. I knew I probably should not have been so quick to accept the new items, but I thought my mother probably put great effort into purchasing them for me. The only time I was aware that the clothing might have sent out the wrong signal was at an assembly at school. I noticed a girl sitting two rows in front of me wearing the exact same white and grey striped cotton T-Shirt. Her rounded chest gave it a much different emphasis and the top was clearly designed for her shape. I was nervous throughout the pep rally, until I could put some extra space between us. I thought it looked very nice on her and later at home whiling looking in the mirror, I felt a little deflated how relatively boring it looked on me.

Chapter 5

The school term was nearly over and Memorial Day had arrived. Much like Thanksgiving this was a major family gathering. The weather was cooperating so my cousin’s back yard BBQ would include a healthy dash of sunshine. It was almost exactly the midpoint between Thanksgivings.

It had also been nearly two months since our last discussion about my foray into her Holiday dress. During that time I periodically reminisced about wearing the dress and how it made me feel. I didn’t want to seem too anxious, but the idea of slipping it on again had grown intense. While Memorial Day was also loaded with family traditions, there was no magical dress to contemplate.

While I was helping my mother make an apple pie for the festivities we began an unexpected discussion almost out of the blue.

“Ash, I had thought about waiting a little longer to have this conversation, but school is nearly out and your hair has gotten very long. It’s been over a year since you had relatively average length hair and now it must be at least 8-9 inches in most places. You last saw Lulu about 10 weeks ago and we probably should get you back to the salon soon. I warned your father about saying anything about it to you, but it really is quite long now.”

"I know Mom. Most of the time I need to wear a rubber band in the back so it does not blow in my face. I guess you want me to get it cut.”

"Is that what you want?"

"Weren't you just saying it's too long?”

"It is long, but you do have very beautiful hair."

"Thanks, I think. So what's the issue?"

"I know it's only Memorial Day, but I just want you to consider an idea about Thanksgiving."

I quickly sensed the nature of where that she was going with this.

"And?"

"I think we have two choices now. Next week I can take you to LuLu and we can trim your hair back to a more manageable summer length or we can let it grow."

“I’m confused.”

"We have not really had a meaningful follow up talk about last Thanksgiving’s secret adventure, but I think this is a good time to bring it up again. If as I suspect you want to explore that experience again, but this time with me, I have a proposal."

She knew I still had that bug in me even if I was not ready to fully admit it to her.

"Mom, I haven't really decided for sure about that. What are you suggesting?"

"It's pretty simple, but I want you to make a decision."

"Why now?"

"My proposal is that you continue to grow your hair until after Thanksgiving. Early that week when school is on break, but before our big gathering, we will have some fun and dress you up so that you look your absolute best in that dress. Instead of just slipping it on and off, we will make you appear as perfect as we can in the dress. Maybe even take a photo so you can compare it to how I looked when I first wore it.”

"Are you serious? You want to completely dress me up?”

"Honey, I think it is something we both would enjoy and have fun with. I know it has to be something you have at least wondered about."

“Truthfully, it crossed my mind a couple of times. I figured I would probably look ridiculous and besides theirs dad and my brothers? My hair is so long now, what would they think?”

"I'll handle the family if this is something you want to do. We will make sure your hair is professionally taken care of and I will work on all of the other details. You just have to decide if you really want this and I will work out the plan and preparations and bring your little fantasy to life."

"It seems you have thought about this too. Is this such a good idea?"

"I'd be lying if I didn't think it would be fun. You know how much I love you, but having some daughter fun with you sounds very appealing, but only if you want to do it. This has to be something that you really want.”

"Why are you bringing it up now?"

"Nothing specific, but I wanted you to have some time to let last year’s experience sink in and with your hair getting so long, it just seemed like the right time to discuss it."

"Thanksgiving is still about six months away and my hair is already past my shoulders. It's longer than a lot of the girls at school."

"If you want to do this, we will need to take extra special care of it. Longer hair looks terrible if it is not well maintained. LuLu will still need to give you a trim next week, but with six months more growth the possibilities will be almost endless. I am sure you already have nicer hair than many of those girls at school."

"Gosh mom, what you're suggesting sounds a lot more than just trying on a dress on a lark."

"It is, but if you really want to know how wearing something so beautiful feels and looks, I think putting your best effort into it would be worth it. You have been wearing the nicer clothing that I picked out for you this spring with no reservations and I think your experience last year just piqued your interest."

"It's just a lot more involved than I was been occasionally contemplating."

"At least you were still thinking about it. My guess is this anticipation will continue to grow on you."

"I know my brothers are out of the house most of the time, but what about Dad? Will he really just let me grow my hair even more? He already had made some goofy comments about it."

"I will manage your Brothers, your Father and if necessary anyone else including your cousins. Growing your hair extra long and exploring some fun with your mother is perfectly okay if it is something you want to do and we do it appropriately."

"It’s just hard to justify planning something so elaborate."

"I think after you let this idea sink into your imagination, you will put any lingering reservations to bed. If you decide against trying it, you probably will regret the missed opportunity down the road. Also, in 2 to 3 years it might be more difficult to make you look like a lovely debutant.”

"A what?"

"Debutante. I'm just saying at this stage in your life you have a great deal of potential to look ravishing."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"So I need to decide now?"

"We'll not this very moment, but by the end of the Memorial Day weekend. After the barbecue would be fine. I will make an appointment with Lulu and depending on your decision she will cut either a little or a lot."

"Alright, I will think about it."

"Let's finish making the pie. I will anxiously await to hear if you have chosen to be Ash or Ashley for Thanksgiving.”

I smiled at her comment, but did not say anything. I knew that my parents named me Ashton, but they had planned to call me Ashley if they had found out a daughter had been on the way. Hearing her say that name was one more piece of evidence that she was very serious about this idea.

I had already pretty much decided long ago that I wanted another opportunity to try on the dress, I didn't want to appear too determined, but now my mother had dramatically up the ante. The concept of going all out and adding elements beyond just the dress was more than I had expected, but also sounded like quite a rush. It made me question in my heart why the dress had such a pull to me.

That dress in my mind represented the ultimate in female beauty and having seen it on my mother so many times it was my favorite way to think about my mother.

I loved my whole family, but I always idolized my mother and felt my personality and her’s were most aligned. I did not specifically wish I was just like her, but at least subconsciously I knew I did want to emulate her to a degree. Dressing completely like her was beyond any game plan I had considered, but the concept of doing that if even for a brief mother-daughter encounter had great appeal.

She somehow knew how I felt and her encouragement tended to remove my last inhibitions. I think verbally admitting my acceptance was just a mental hurdle and was probably already anticipated by my mother.

I didn't wait until the end of the weekend to give my blessing. In the kitchen Sunday morning when we were alone, I told her that I would like to try being Ashley when I put the dress back on.

My timing caught her a little by surprise, though she was clearly happy by my declaration. The smile that radiated in my direction confirmed to me I had made the right choice.

"This is going to be so much fun. We have six months to get you ready and prepare.”

"You mean grow my hair?"

"Well of course that, but we need to get you a few other things you will need and get you mentally ready."

"Like what Mom?"

"That's why it will be so much fun. You have no idea what is involved to be a beautiful woman. You don't just put a dress on and say look at me. There are so many little things necessary to looking your best. You'll need preparation from head to toe and in between your ears. I'll be your guide and you just have to just pay attention and follow my lead.

"I guess that shouldn't be too hard, But it is still a long way off."

"That's true, some big things will have to wait, but along the way I will provide you with my coaching and insight. We'll probably be doing more things and spending more time together if that is okay with you?

"Sure mom. As long as it doesn't interfere with summer school."

"I'll try to do it gradually and it should all be easy for you. In the end we'll make your transformation totally worth all of the effort.”