A New Style of Education: Hidden Gifts
By: Annette MacGregor

An authorized story, based on the characters and environment of A New Style of Education by Karen Page.

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Part 3

"Hi boys. Mr. Chatworth, I'll take you first. Mr. Humphrey, have a seat."

I wonder what Mr. Mathews was going to say to James... A few moments later, I heard a cheer from James. Now, I really wondered. James came out, and said "I'm off the hook dude! Good luck!" and I understood.

"Okay Mr. Humphrey, come on in. You can head back to class, unless you want to wait, Mr. Chatworth."

"I'll wait for Dan, if you don't mind, Mr. Mathews." He nodded at James, and we went in.

"You turned him down, didn't you?" I said before he had a chance to say anything.

"Yes."

"I'm glad. He really didn't want to leave his friend, and was afraid his friend would hold it against him, if he turned you down."

"We know. As I said last week, our goal is the best for all of our students, and after the interview, it was apparent that this was the right place for him."

I smiled at that. If that’s an example of how far they’ll go, maybe the place will be okay.

"Your concern for your classmate, on the other hand, has confirmed our decision to offer you a place in Hayfield."

I sat there stunned. It's what I'd expected, but the reality hit me hard. "I'll do that much better at Hayfield?"

"You will do better we believe, and another student we've offered a position to will help you to grow more. And, as you’ll probably guess in a minute or two, we expect you to help this student as well. "

"You've already picked a partner for me? I don't have a say?"

"As I said last week, we are very careful matching students. So far, we've not gotten any incompatible people set up as study partners. But, on the off chance we do, we'll work it out, I assure you."

"Do you have an alternate, if I can't go?"

"Yes, but the alternate is not as good a match."

"Okay. I think my parents will agree, too."

"I know,” he said chuckling, “I've already spoken with your mother, and they will be here this afternoon at 1:00 to finalize the paperwork. You can come back here after lunch and meet them."

I was still a little stunned at the way things were going. Someone actually needed something I could provide. I certainly knew there was a LOT I needed to grow up. I had so much to learn.

"Dan, are you going to go out and at least see Mr. Chatworth? I believe he's waiting for you."

"What, oh yeah, I'd best go. Thanks Mr. Mathews."

"From now on, I'm just Dan. Okay?"

"Okay, um Dan."

"Welcome to the family."

I gave a little grin, and went out to see James.

"Dan?"

"I'm going, James."

"Way to go, man!"

"I guess. I'm still kinda dazed, James. Apparently I'm done today after lunch. Dunno what happens next."

"After lunch?"

"Yeah, my folks have to come down here and sign some paperwork after lunch. Guess I'll find out more then."

"Way cool." As I became more with it, it was obvious that James was in much better spirits than he'd been since the interviews last week.

"You were really sweating this too, weren’t you?"

"I was. This way, I can honestly tell Chris I didn't make the cut either. It's really great you made it. You still mixed about it?"

"Yeah, it's a great school, no question. My dad checked it out, and they have this awesome orchestra."

"I didn't know you were into music."

"Yeah, I play the piano a little."

"A man of many talents Dan, that's you. I bet that's why you got in!"

"I dunno. Pianos are only used sometimes with orchestras. And I doubt I'm good enough to solo with them, anyway. I mean really. I'm only twelve."

We got to class then. The rest of the morning went pretty well. I got more congratulations from more people than I'd expected. I hoped that eased off soon. It made me a bit uncomfortable. Eventually lunch was over, and I headed back to the office. When I got there, my folks were just coming in.

"Hi Mom and Dad, I guess I'm in."

"I guess you are, son."

We went in, and Dan was standing there. "Mom, Dad, this is Mr. Mathews. Mr. Mathews, this is my mom and dad."

"Dan, what did I say my name was?"

"Sorry, Just Dan."

My folks gave me a look, and relaxed at his barked laugh. "Okay, you got me there, Dan. You can leave off the just next time." I smiled at this, feeling good about getting him."

"Okay Mr. and Mrs. Humphrey. Thank you for coming down. Let’s go into this office they put at my disposal and answer any questions you may still have. Am I correct in assuming your intent is to let Dan attend Hayfield?"

"At this point, yes it is, Mr. Mathews. We do have a few questions, but I don't believe the answers will change our decision."

They asked a few things that showed how much they'd actually checked out the school. A few of the things were stuff Dan said was in an info packet he had for them, like the phone number and post box address they could use to mail to me. The one thing that surprised all of us, was that I was to take nothing from home with me to the school. Apparently the school provided everything. Wow. I hope the clothes are comfortable.

"I'll see you tomorrow afternoon at 1:00. And we'll pick up your study partner on the way to the school. Remember, nothing but lint in the pockets tomorrow! And dinner will be a bit later than normal tomorrow, so don't forget to eat lunch."

"Okay Dan. I'll see you then."

My folks and I went home after that. I was a little dazed at the speed everything had happened, and then I realized I'd not told Sensei I'd be leaving, nor had I had a chance to test. "Mom, I need to stop by the dojo."

"George, I think he's right. They took him on rather quickly for us."

"Okay, luckily it's early and traffic isn't bad. You're sure your sensei will be there Danny?"

"I think so, Dad."

We stopped at the dojo, and I ran in.

"You are in a hurry, young one."

I stopped, and caught my breath. "Yes, Sensei" I said, bowing to him.

"This is not your usual day or time. Something has changed in your life?"

"Yes, Sensei."

"I thank you for coming to me to tell me." He indicated some mats off to one side. I took my shoes off before kneeling on the mat facing him. "Tell me."

I told him how I'd been accepted into a special school, and that it was a boarding school, so I’d be unable to continue training with him, and how I'd miss his wise teaching.

"You have learned well and fast for one so young. If this school is as good as you believe, they will provide a way for you to continue to grow. Since you came running in, is it correct for me to assume one of your parents is in the car waiting for you?"

"Yes, Sensei, they both are."

"It has been an honor guiding you. Continue as you have, and you will grow far. I thank you for coming to tell me in person." He bowed to me and I returned the bow, before getting my shoes and heading out to the car.

"Thanks, Mom and Dad. That was important."

"Do you need to say good bye to your piano teacher too, son?"

"No, he's nice enough, but it wasn't the same there. If there’s time tonight, I can call and thank him and explain what’s happening. After all, he did offer to try to find me another teacher. "

"That’s good of you Danny. All right, let's get home."

I spent another restless night, though this was more anticipation, and got up pretty early. Breakfast was kinda subdued.

"Okay Danny, I've gotta say good bye now. I know you'll do great son; you know how proud we are of your accomplishments, and I’m sure we’ll continue to be as proud as any parents could be.” He paused then, and took a breath before continuing. “Well, I guess I’ll see you in about 5 years!"

"Thanks Dad, I'm going to miss you!"

"I know. We'll miss you too, son, but it's only a while, and we can at least write. Do us proud!" I was a little surprised when he hugged me, but it felt good anyway.

Mom and I were left alone after he was gone. "Danny, you want to take a walk in the park?"

"That'd be good, Mom. Hyde Park is so nice. I hope there are nice parks or grounds for walking and thinking at Hayfield."

"I'm sure there will be, son."

We walked quietly for a while, just enjoying the park. "I'm really going to miss you, Mom."

"Son, I know you’ll do fine. And remember, we’re not totally cut off from you! How’d you like the occasional letter from your old man?" I could tell she was trying to keep things light. Maybe she was having as much trouble with things as I was.

"Thanks, Mom. I guess I’ll do okay. I’m just worried about not knowing ANYONE. At least when we moved here, I had you and dad."

"Come on, son. It's not like we'll be in a different country!"

"Sorry Mom." We were quiet again for a while. A strange thought came to me. "Mom?"

"Hmmm?"

"Do you think I'll keep growing and end up tall like dad?"

"You might, dear. With the growth spurt you put on last year, you're as tall as I am now. It all depends on whether you take after your dad's side of the family, or mine. If you do, you’ll have two more spurts. Otherwise you may be done getting taller, and will just fill out."

I nodded, recalling that mom's brother, Uncle Phil, wasn't any taller than mom. Well, time would tell. Mom looked down at her watch, "We'd best head back if you want to get a little practicing in before lunch. I'd like to hear some before you take off."

"Okay, Mom."

When we got back, I sat down and played a while. It was good, because I completely lost track of time until Mom came and said, "I hated stopping you Danny, but you need to hit the bathroom before Mr. Mathews gets here. I made you a lunch to take with you."

"Thanks, Mom." I gave her a big hug, and ran for the bathroom. When I got back downstairs, I saw the mantle clock almost at one. "Mom, you're wonderful." She was holding what looked like a big bag of food. I gave her another hug as I took the bag.

"Just tell Mr. Mathews that it's all disposable."

"Yes, Mom." At that point, there was a knock at the door. "I'll get it."

"If it's Mr. Mathews, just go ahead, Danny."

"Thanks Mom." Mom gave me a last hug, before I headed for the door. I wondered, that hug seemed tighter than usual. Could she be going to miss me as much as I’ll miss her?

I could see Dan through the window, so I gave Mom a wave as I went outside with Dan. I was afraid I’d start crying if I stayed much longer, and boys don’t cry!

"Already said your goodbyes I take it."

I took a deep breath and let it out before replying, "Yeah."

"Empty pockets?"

"Yep, not even lint." I pulled them inside out so he could see.

"What's with the bag?"

"Lunch, if that's okay. I completely lost track of time while playing the piano and mom didn't stop me until it was almost time for you to arrive."

He laughed and said, "Okay, you can eat on the way. We need to get on the road if we want to get to your partner's and then out of London before traffic picks up."

We started out East and drove along the North bank of the Thames. "Wow, that the Tower?"

"Yes. You've not seen it yet?"

"No, we'd planned on taking some time next month to go, though."

"It's a good tour. If we can't get you there soon, I'm sure you can see it once you finish at Hayfield."

“That’d be so cool. Is the school an old castle like that?”

“No, you’re thinking Hogwarts. Hayfield is old, as you’ll see, but not that old. We should be on the Isle of Dogs soon. That’s where your study partner’s temporary foster home is.”

“Foster home? He’s an orphan?”

"Yes, she’s an orphan. Do you have any problems with that?"

"Of course not, I’d assumed my study partner would be another guy."

“That’s a small part of our consideration when trying to identify study partners. As I mentioned before, we try to look at the whole person and try to do the best for all of our students.”

I nodded, thinking back over the last year or so of school. I’d had better experiences on the rare occasion I’d had a girl as a project partner. They’d not tried to clown all the time and they had mostly been willing to do their share on the projects. While thinking about this, we pulled to a stop.

As Dan got out, he said "Well, why don’t you move into the back seat while I go and get your study partner."

I got out, and climbed back into the back. I moved over, leaving her the side by the curb, and waited. It wasn’t a long wait. I guess she had been waiting for him. As they were walking toward the car, something about the way she walked was familiar, but I couldn't figure out why. Then, she opened the door to the back seat, and was getting in and I remembered. "You!"

She responded "Dan?"

Dan looked back, "You two know each other? I didn't think you'd been in Westminster long enough while Dan was there for you to have met."

"Umm. Sorta, she talked to me once, and then disappeared." I turned to her, and said, "I’m afraid I don’t even know your name. Sorry."

"That's okay Dan. I'm Renee MacInnis"

"Well, you two get settled back there, and we can get on the road. We’ve got quite a drive ahead. Hopefully we won’t have too many people taking off early today. It’ll take us a while to get north to the motorway, but once we’re there, with luck we’ll be there in less than two hours.”

Dan asked how we'd ended up meeting so as to be memorable in the couple of days we'd overlapped there. Renee told him about how I'd intervened to stop some guys from harassing her.

"Dan, were those the same guys you mixed up with before the interview?"

I nodded, and recalling he couldn't see, responded. "Yes, they were harassing Chris and James that time."

"You got in their way again Dan? That's not all that smart; they could have made trouble for you. Complaints by their parents caused my foster folks to send me back to the orphanage again."

"Well, I guess it's too late for them now," I responded.

"Too true; so, how'd you get those two away from their clutches?"

"I got them talking to me and while they were watching me, Chris and James took off."

"So, it was quite like when you did it for me?"

I was about to agree with her, when Dan chimed in, “Tell her the whole story, Dan. I'll explain later"

I looked at the back of his head, and thought about what little he'd said about my study partner, and then shrugged. "No, it wasn't quiet that smooth. I'm afraid I let the situation boil over a little, and they ended up attacking me. I had to defend myself."

"You got hurt?"

"No, they really didn't know what they were doing, so I was able to deflect most of what they tried, though I did have to throw a few of them. I pulled all my punches so they didn't get hurt."

"You took on the bunch of them? How many were there?"

"Ummm, eight."

"You took on eight guys bigger than you are, and didn't get hurt? Damn, I wish I'd seen them get wasted like that. They certainly deserved it, the way they always picked on the scholarship kids."

"I'm not all that proud of what I did, Renee. Sensei got me to realize that by fighting I wasn't helping, and that I could have accomplished my goal without it. Then, he reminded me how little I do know."

"Sensei? You do martial arts?"

"Some, yeah. Oh, Dan. I forgot to ask you, will there be an opportunity for me to continue my martial arts training?"

"Probably, at most, you might need to change disciplines to one where we can arrange an instructor."

"Thanks. I was worried I’d have to give it up."

"Now, you two relax back there while I navigate these lovely roads."

We chatted a bit, but, I guess she’d probably had as much trouble sleeping as I did. It wasn't long before I was asleep anyway.

At some later point, I felt a poke, and woke up, looking around. "Huh."

"Wake up; I think we're getting there. We just turned onto this track from a road that went through a village."

It was obvious a minute later when we pulled up to a big iron gate. From the front seat, Dan waved his hand and said "Open Sesame", and the gate swung open.

"Where's the opener button, Dan?"

"In my other hand, I take it you’re not impressed, huh."

"My dad pulled similar stunts on our garage in Athens. It got old pretty quick."

"Sorry about that." At which point, Renee pointed ahead of us. I'd known we were coming up to a building, but her motion caused me to look at it.

"Wow, that's some building! How old is it?"

"The main building is about 220 years old. The wings were added when we established the school." Dan said, as he pulled into a small lot off the main entrance. "Welcome to Hayfield Hall." he said as he got out. Renee and I quickly scrambled out as well and followed him to the entrance.

"Wow, this is as nicer than some embassies I've seen!"

"We do like it. It sets a good tone for the school. We've kept this main building close to its original with very minor and well hidden updates. You'll be eating and relaxing in the facilities here. Orchestra rehearsals are here, too. You'll see we've got a nice theatre as part of the building." 'Wow, this must have been some house in its prime!' "The wing on the left as we came in is where the living quarters are and we'll head there next. The other new wing is where the classrooms and learning activities tend to occur. Later you'll find a number of the other facilities on the grounds."

"This place is really awesome, isn't it Renee?"

She nodded, but kept pretty quiet. I wondered what was up.

Dan was showing us how to get from this building to the bedroom wing. "Each year has a private common room, where only year members can go without being invited by someone in the year. We'll start there. After that, I'll show you your rooms."

Wow, this room was amazing. The fireplace was nice, and on the wall next to it was a huge plasma TV. I guess Dan noticed my gaze, "You've gotten the first of the 60 inchers. The other years will have their 48 inchers replaced over the next few weeks, when they can schedule a time for the crew to be in their common rooms. We were able to get yours done early, since none of you were here yet. I think you'll be happy with the channel selection. They come in from all over the world. The foreign language stations come in handy if you're studying that language." We both nodded. I didn't know about Renee, but I was getting blown away by all of this. "You'll find your radio options are as wide ranging. Both are accessible here or in your rooms."

I couldn't believe this was a state funded school. But dad said it was. There's no way the US government could set up an exclusive school like this! This reminded me, “Where is the rest of the class, uh sorry, year?"

"Yes, it's year here." He smiled, pulling out what looked like a PDA of some sort. I'd always wanted one, but they were so expensive. "They've not arrived as yet, but the next pair will be at the main hall in twelve minutes."

"That's exact? You must have trackers, somehow."

He nodded, and continued, "The rest of the year will get here over the next hour and a half." Well, let's head for your rooms, so you can get cleaned up and changed. We walked off to the sleeping wing. "You each have your own private room with an en-suite. There's an interconnecting door between study partner’s rooms. Renee and Dan, as I mentioned earlier, you'll be study partners."

Dan stopped in front of one room. I noticed none of them had any indication of a number or anything. "This will be your room, Renee." he said as he opened the door. Wow, some room. I could see three doors. On the wall to the right was a single door, which must be to my room as the left wall had two doors.

"Is that my room over there?" I said pointing at the single door.

"Yes. The other two doors are to the en-suite and the closet."

“En-suite, what’s that?” I asked. Renee gave a little laugh at that, and I looked at her.

“You got me again, Dan.” He paused a moment, I guess thinking. “I’m not sure what you Americans call them, but basically it’s a private bathroom. Every room has one.”

"Wow, that and walk in closets! Nice. But how'd you know what kind of clothing to get?"

"Our background checks are pretty extensive. And, your clothing will be updated over time as you grow." I nodded at this, hoping they knew my mom altered my cloths... Well, I'd find out soon enough.

Dan went over to the computer system. Wow, a retinal scan. I'd not seen one of those in real life, except in the embassy when dad showed me around. "No logging in as a buddy, here!" I said.

Dan turned. “No, we're pretty security conscious here, though there is a special network for those of you that are real geeks/geekettes. Once you're released on it, you get to do some pretty serious hacking, I understand." I shook my head at that, knowing I wouldn't be one of those. I mean, I can get around a computer pretty well, and can follow some of the geeks talking, but actually doing it? Not likely!

After he scanned in, a menu came up and he quickly navigated around the system and then turned to us. "I thought you'd like to see where the rest of the class is. The five dots are the cars with your classmates. Only one other pair was able to be picked up together. Your year mates come from all over." It was interesting watching the dots. One was close, as he'd said earlier. I guess Dad was right. Security was pretty tight here. After we'd watched a minute or so, he said. "Renee, I've got to register you onto the network." He tapped a few keys and we heard a verbal prompt "Position for Iris scan."

"Renee, place your right eye like you saw me do." She did, and shortly, we heard "Iris scan complete."

"Okay Dan, your turn." he said, as he had us change places. Soon I was also registered. And he logged out.

"Okay, I want each of you to log in." Since I was sitting there, I did it first, and a welcome screen appeared. In the top left was a flashing icon. To do? "Go ahead and click the Icon. Renee, you'll have one waiting for you as well." Clicking the icon brought up 'Menu Selection'. "Don't worry for now. But once you're in your room, you'll need to log in and make your meal selections. The system has a tailored menu based on you and your needs. It'll make sure you get a balanced diet and an appropriate caloric intake. You get to choose a lot of things. One option is even when you have your biggest meal. If you decide to eat a LOT at one meal, later meals will have fewer selections or smaller portions. The system keeps track of your selections as well. So, if you forget, or are too busy one day despite the reminder, the system will choose for you based on your demonstrated preferences. That said, I wouldn't forget for a while if I were you. It doesn't know you well yet." He chuckled. "Do either of you have any questions?"

When neither of us indicated a question he said, "Okay Dan, go ahead and log off and let Renee at the computer.” After Renee went through it as well, he had her log out as well.

"Your retina scan will allow you to log into just about any computer on the network. If you can't log in, there's a reason. If you think you should be able to, just ask someone on staff. The rest of the systems will be no problem. All of the computers are interlinked on a redundant network. There's a bunch of other details that you can find out about through the student interface, and in your computer class later in the week." At my questioning glance "Yes, you'll all get some computer training. It's hard to get by in the world without it."

"Okay, we'll leave Renee to deal with her menu, shower and get changed.” Then to both of us, “Once you change, all of your old clothes go into the bag." He indicated a black bag sitting on the bed. "Dan, your bag is waiting on your bed, as you’ll see in a minute. Other than those three tasks, you're both on your own until six, when you need to be in the year room."

He went over and opened the separating door, and beckoned me to follow. I noticed there was no lock on the door as he closed it behind us. "No locks?"

"No, there are no secrets between study partners. I'll go over a lot of this later with both of you. Study partners are trusted to look out for each other and be considerate of each other's space." I thought about that for a bit, and wondered how it would work out with a female partner. "Don't worry about it Dan. If you ever need to talk, I'm there for you. You should find an icon on your screen to send me a page that'll show up on my PDA here."

"Those things sound pretty neat."

"You'll have one of your own by the end of the day." I looked up incredulously. "Yes, every student and staff member has one. You’ll be required to keep it with you at all times when you’re outside this room or Renee’s room."

"Wow." I guess I'm getting repetitive, but this place just kept blowing my mind.

All of a sudden, I remembered something he'd said in one of our conversations. "You said my study partner had some issues. Renee seems normal to me."

"She'll have to tell you herself, and I suspect she will sooner than any of us expect, but that's the consideration side of the partnership."

"Okay thanks." Only as he was walking toward the door, did I notice the keyboard. "What..."

"I was wondering when you'd notice that. Since a piano is a tad difficult to cart around, it was felt you might benefit from having the keyboard here. This will allow you to play at any time. Don't worry about disturbing anyone except your partner, as the walls and door to the corridor have had sound abatement materials embedded. This also applies to the floor and ceiling. And, if at times you need to play at a time you might bother Renee, there are some wireless headphones."

I stood there awestruck. I couldn't believe it could possibly be a top of the line Kurzweil synthesizer! I'd just read about them, but never had a chance to touch one. I walked over and just hovered my hands over the keys in a daze.

"Are you going to try it out?"

"Can I?"

"That's what it's there for."

I reached up, and hit the switch and sat down on the bench and moved the pedals to where I'd need them. I went through a few exercises. The feel was light and responsive. Not quite like a grand, but better than any keyboard I'd ever tried. I wondered what I could do with this. There were supposed to be lots of voices and such. I started looking for the manual.

"The manual's online and it's interfaced to your desktop." He paused. "I take it we were right in our assessment?"

"Oh yeah, thanks Dan."

I had turned back to the keyboard to begin to play when he interrupted me. "You might want to take care of the rest of the things before getting lost there."

"Umm. Yeah, thanks." He headed off at that.

With all the time on the piano at home, I'd not gotten a shower this morning, so I went and grabbed the bag and went to the bathroom. I thought about it a bit, and put my sneakers in as well. Seeing a laundry chute, I guessed that was where the bag went and tossed it in. After my shower, I was feeling good, and padded out to get some underclothes. Not paying all that much attention, I opened the door and seeing a section of drawers just inside, I pulled the top one. What the heck. The drawer was full of bras. I opened the next drawer, panties. How could they have made this mistake?

I rushed over to the computer; made sure the camera was pointed away and logged in. Where is that icon? There it is. "Dan, the cloths are screwed up." I typed and hit send.

A moment later, there was a chime and a flashing icon. I clicked it, and he said. "Sorry about that, Dan. I forgot to tell you one important thing about your clothing selection. All wardrobes are set out the same. The left side has the male clothing, the right the female, and the back, androgynous. Your door opened on the left, so the first drawers you saw contained the female clothing. You're allowed to wear anything you like. Some kids like to experiment, and as part of their growth, this is encouraged here, though from your reaction, it sounds like maybe you're not quite ready for that. Take a look in the drawers on the left, and I believe you'll find what you're looking for."

"Oh, I was afraid a big mistake had been made, and I'd already dumped the bag down the laundry chute. That was where it went, wasn't it?"

"Yes, that's where it goes. I'm sorry about not explaining it to you. I talked it over with Renee last week at her interview, and I was so looking forward to seeing your reaction to the keyboard, I forgot to tell you. Before you sign off, that reminds me. There's another thing I forgot to mention. Renee also plays a non-standard instrument, and it can be quite loud. That, more than your piano, is why the soundproofing was put in. She probably won't be practicing that much in the room, but we wanted to make sure she could."

"Thanks." Wow, the ends they seem to go to make things work for us.

I clicked the 'end conversation' icon, relieved at this, and went to find the correct drawers. Yep, what I now expected was there to be found. I heaved a sigh of relief and got some on before examining the clothing selection. To say I was amazed by the amount of clothing displayed is an understatement. I ignored the girl's side as a joke, and turned. Wow, even a tux. I grabbed a sport shirt and some slacks. There wasn't a pair of jeans to be seen, but I figured I may as well look decent when meeting the rest of the kids. Dad always says first impressions are important!

I couldn't believe the level of detail and support this place goes into. They have to have outside funding too. There ain't no way all this is government funded! "Noooo" I guess they were not as thorough as they thought. The slacks were so loose they'd fall down. Well, not fall down, but I had a good six inches of extra waist material. And a belt would bunch things up crazy. Oh well, I pulled one on and looked in the mirror. Yea, I look dorky. I gave a sigh. Well nothing for it. I got some socks and shoes, and went to take care of my meal menu. Wow, that's some list.

About then, I heard a tapping from the door, so I stood up and said "Come on in, Renee."

She opened the door, and came in. "Dan." and then she stopped and stood there, staring. "What happened? You always looked sharp that week we had together."

"I dunno, my mom always had to take in my pants 'cause I've got this narrow waist. I guess in their background checking they missed that, since mom never sent them out to a tailor."

Renee got a thoughtful look. Or at least that's how I interpreted it. "What's up? You can't sew, can you?"

That got a short laugh, "No, but I have an idea that might work, if you're willing to try."

"I'll try almost anything Renee. I look like a dork like this."

"Okay, wait here." She went into my closet, and shortly came out with a similar pair of slacks. "Try these, and let me know how it works. I'll go back next door." After she did, I switched. They actually fit. I didn't recall there being two pair like this. Hmmm. I put my shoes back on, and knocked on the door. It opened right up.

"I thought that might work."

"What, did they just have one bad pair in there? I didn't remember seeing a second pair like this when I looked."

"Umm, that's 'cause I got it from the other side of the wardrobe, Dan."

"What! You mean these are girls slacks?"

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Author's Note: I want to thank Karen for allowing me the pleasure of starting this story and I hope you all get as much pleasure out of reading it as I've had writing it. I also want to thank the two individuals that proofed and commented on the story as it developed. Their comments and criticisms helped immesurably! I also want to thank the person that gave the chapter a final review to hopefully reduce the mechanical errors (typos and the like). Any problems remaining are mine.

The next chapter is at the editor's for final proofing, and will hopefully be reviewed fairly soon. The 3-4 chapters after that are in first draft, so things are moving right along. Any comments you might have would be greatly appreciated.