Sister, Sister, Sister - Part 8
By Missy Crystal

Twelve year old Johnny wants to play Barbies with his sisters, but Barbies are for girls. How can Johnny join the game? A sweet, sentimental story about a young boy's discovery of the girl he should have been with the help of his sisters and mother. This is a story I wrote a couple of years ago and I am posting it here for those who would like to know more about Dr. Jenny Mitchell. It is complete, for those who anguish over being left hanging, but too long for a single post.

I woke up to Mom's voice.

"Beth, Susie, Jenny, girls, wake up sleepy heads. It's nine o'clock."

I sat up, pulled back the covers, swung my legs around and stood up. It was warm enough that I didn't need to put on the matching robe to my nightgown. I headed to the bathroom and ran into Beth and Susie with the same idea.

"Morning," I said sleepily.

"Hi, Sis," Beth replied with a yawn.

"Hi, Jenny," Susie said rubbing her eyes.

"Listen, you two can share the bathroom. I'll go downstairs. It's nothing urgent."

"Thanks," Sis," Beth said appreciatively.

I headed back down the hall, down the stairs and into the bathroom at the end of the hallway. I reached under my nightgown and pulled down my panties, then lifted up the hem of the nightgown to my waist and sat down. When I finished, I washed up and headed for the kitchen. Mom was putting out bowls of cereal.

"Good morning, Mom," I greeted her.

"Good morning, Jenny," she replied.

I noticed that she was still in her nightgown.

"How come you're not dressed?" I asked her. "Won't Mr. Kenneth be here at ten?"

"Yes, but I wanted to make sure you girls have a good breakfast. Besides," Mom said, lowering her voice and turning to watch for Beth coming downstairs, "Kenneth is so much better at doing hair and makeup. I doubt he would be impressed, no matter how long I spent on it. Just like you told me last night about your talk with Clair Johnson, he'll have to accept me for who I am, not what I look like."

She shrugged.

"In that case," I said sincerely, "he is getting the best there is."

"Jenny, that is such a sweet thing to say. Thank you, dear."

Mom held out her arms and I moved in for a hug.

"Well, is this a private snuggle or can anyone get in on it?" Beth interrupted playfully.

"You're in luck. We just have room for two more," Mom told her, holding out an arm.

Beth and Susie moved in and we had a group hug.

Once we released, Beth looked at Mom. After the reprimand she got last night when she criticized Mom's clothes, she was very cautious about what she said.

"Umm, Mom," Beth asked half seriously, "don't you think being in your nightgown might give Mr. Kenneth the wrong impression when he comes to pick you up?"

"No, quite the opposite," Mom teased her. "I do believe nightgowns are all the rage for entertaining."

She twirled around, dancing with an imaginary partner.

Mom was usually serious, so it was nice to see her being silly for a change. Beth laughed and threw up her hands in pretend exasperation. Mom finished putting out the rest of our breakfast and we sat down to eat.

"Don't worry," Mom reassured Beth, "I'm going up to get dressed."

She headed towards the stairs, stopped and turned around.

"I almost forgot. I spoke to Mrs. Johnson this morning. She is going to take Julie to the park and you girls are invited to go with them. She will pick you up at eleven o'clock. She said she would bring lunch for everyone." Mom looked towards me. "And, Jenny, she gave me the information. I'll call tomorrow from work."

After Mom had left, Beth asked me what Mom meant. We had no secrets. I explained about Mrs. Johnson recommending that I see a doctor who specialized in girls like me.

"You mean a real doctor? Like there's something wrong with you?" Beth asked with concern.

"Mrs. Johnson said that Dr. Goldfarb is a psychiatrist. I guess that's a real doctor, but it's not because there's anything wrong with me. I'm hoping that she can help me go to school as Jenny. Mrs. Johnson says I need to work with her before that can happen, so the sooner I get started the sooner I can stop going to school as a boy."

"Wow, that would be great," Beth agreed. "I sure hope she can help you." She paused. "Then again, if you start going to school as Jenny, I'm going to run out of clothes. We will have to do some serious shopping!" Beth exclaimed. Her face lit up. "Maybe we can get Mr. Kenneth to take us."

I shook my head.

"C'mon Beth, Mom deserves to have him to herself."

Beth nodded.

"You're right Sis, I got carried away."

Beth looked at me and shook her head.

"What?"

"I always hate it when you're better at being a girl then me."

"Shouldn't we be getting ready?" Susie asked innocently.

"Oh, my God!" Beth exclaimed. "I made fun of Mom for being in her nightgown and here we're not dressed. Hurry, we can't greet Mr. Kenneth like this. Oh, my God! We don't have much time. Let's get going."

Beth jumped up from the table and rushed upstairs with Susie and me close behind her. We all went into her bedroom.

"We're going to the park and it's a nice day. I'll wear my jeans and a cute top. Susie, you're wearing jeans too, aren't you, and Jenny, how about my denim wrap skirt?"

"Yes, I want to wear jeans," Susie agreed.

"I want to wear jeans too," I told Beth.

"Really, Jenny, I thought you only wanted to wear skirts and dresses?"

"I did, but that was because you told me I needed to wear them to be a girl. Well, it turns out you were wrong. I can wear whatever I want."

Beth thought for a minute.

"I wasn't wrong," she claimed.

"Were too," I argued.

"Was, not," she insisted. "Remember, you complained that Susie and I weren't dressed up and I told you that we didn't have to, since we were girls?"

"Yes, I remember."

"Well, that's the point. For a boy to be a girl, he has to dress like one, but, you're a girl, so you can wear whatever you want."

"I should know better than to argue with you, Beth. You're right, as usual," I conceded.

"Well, whatever you decided, you better do it quickly. We don't have much time to get ready."

Beth opened her closet and began to look through her wardrobe.

"How about these?" she asked, handing me a pair of pink pants. The material was soft and stretchy. "They're not jeans exactly, but they're pretty. I let Mom talk me into them. They're a little too girly for me, but they'd look cute on you with a white top."

I held them up to my waist and looked in the mirror. They were low cut and had a narrow leg. I noticed that they also zipped in back, so they were different than boy's pants.

"Yes, I like them," I told Beth.

"I thought you would. Now we need a top. We have a few choices here. We can go with a white blouse. This one would work."

Beth held up a white cotton sleeveless blouse with a round collar.

"Then again, you could wear a pullover top. Wait a sec."

She went into the closet and came back with a white polyester pullover jersey. It had a round scooped neck and short sleeves. Finally, she went to her dresser.

"Last choice, a layered look."

She took out a white cotton tee shirt and then a cropped cotton eyelet top with wide straps and lace trim.

"Jenny, please decide quick. I need to get myself dressed too."

Beth pointed to the clock on her nightstand. I looked over. It was 9:38.

"Umm, umm, I like the layered look. Okay?"

"Yes, Sis, good choice," Beth agreed. "That's what I would have picked. Grab them and go get dressed. Then come back and I'll help you with your hair and makeup. Hurry."

Beth turned and began to strip, crossing her arms and lifting up the bottom of the long t-shirt she wore as a nightgown, exposing her panties.

"Eeek," I squealed in pretend shock.

As I hurried out of the room, I heard Beth and Susie giggling at my reaction. I headed down the hall and into my room. I quickly slipped out of my nightgown and took off my panties and cammie. I picked out a pair of pink cotton panties from my bureau and started to put them on. Then I remembered what Beth had said about a VPL, showing a panty line under tight fitting clothes. I stepped out of the panties and exchanged them for the stretchy lace ones that Mom bought the first day she took me to the mall as Jenny. They fit smoothly, once I tucked my wiener under. It wasn't the most comfortable arrangement, but by now I was used to it. Then I squirmed into the pants, pulling them up to my hips and then reaching around to zip them up. Next was the t-shirt, which I slipped over my head and the tank top finished off the outfit. Looking down, I wished that I had a figure to fill out the top and make me look more feminine. I remembered the teen bra with the padded cups that the salesgirl showed me yesterday and made a mental note to ask Mom if I could get one, the next time we went to the mall. As I started back to Beth and Susie's room, I realized I didn't have anything on my feet.

Beth saw me coming in and gave me a nod of approval. I shook my head and pointed down. She followed my finger and headed for her closet. She rummaged around and came out with a pair of white sneakers.

"Here, Sis, these should work. Get a pair of the low socks out of my second drawer. Then start on your hair and makeup. We only have about five more minutes before we need to go downstairs to answer the door."

I followed Beth's orders. I had gotten pretty good at doing my hair and the little makeup I used, so I finished quickly. Beth rushed over and started on her own appearance. She glanced at the clock.

"Two minutes. I won't make it. Jenny and Susie, you go ahead. Look out the window and call up when Mr. Kenneth gets here. But don't let him see you looking. We don't want him to think we're too anxious or anything. Okay? I'll come down as soon as you call. Don't open the door until I get there."

"Okay, General Beth," I kidded her, using my boy's experience of playing soldier, "the troops are headed for the front. We will hold our position until the reinforcements arrive."

Susie had no clue what I was talking about and gave me a strange look.

"Never mind," Sis, I was just being silly. "Let's go."

Then it struck me that Mom should be the one who opens the door when Mr. Kenneth gets here. I stopped and turned around.

"Beth, what about Mom? Mr. Kenneth is coming to see her, so shouldn't she answer the door?"

"Jenny," Beth said looking at me in the mirror while putting her hair in a pony tail and sliding a black scrunchy over it, "a girl always makes her date wait for her, then she slowly comes downstairs to show herself off. Don't you know anything?" she said with a laugh.

"Actually, I'm kind of new at this, if you hadn't noticed," I kidded her back.

She chuckled.

"Okay, point made," she acknowledged with a grin, "now get going. Please!"

I hurried downstairs. Susie was waiting near the door, peeking through the curtains. I joined her. After a couple of minutes I saw a silver Mercedes pull up. I looked at the clock. It was 9:58. Leave it to Mr. Kenneth to be precisely on time.

"Beth, Mom," I called upstairs, "Mr. Kenneth is here. He's just getting out of his car."

"Wait for him to ring the bell, then count to ten, Jenny," Beth directed me. "You don't want him to think we're too anxious."

I shrugged to myself. It was going to take a while for me to get the hang of the games girls played with their dates, not that I expected to try it anytime soon. I waited. The door bell rang. I looked at Susie and held up one finger, then two, counting to ten. At nine, Beth came rushing down the stairs and skidded to stop, making a final primp.

"Ten," I announced, opening the door.

"Hi, Mr. Kenneth," I greeted him warmly. "It's very nice to see you again. Please come in."

"It is nice to see you too, Jenny," he returned my greeting, then politely turned to address Beth and Susie. "Hello Beth. Hello Susie. It is quite nice to see you also."

"Hello, Mr. Kenneth, welcome to our home," Beth replied.

Susie was shy and stood behind me.

"Mom, will be right down," I assured him.

"Ah, yes. Well, good things are worth waiting for," he said diplomatically.

I noticed that Mr. Kenneth was not wearing his black outfit. Instead, he had on tan pants with a pleated front, dark green shoes that looked like alligator, a matching belt and a dark green shirt, probably silk, pen at the neck to show a gold chain. Mr. Kenneth caught me looking him over and smiled. I quickly looked away, embarrassed at being caught, although I'm sure he really didn't mind. If there was on thing Mr. Kenneth was not, it was modest.

It was awkward just standing there and Beth, who usually you couldn't shut up, was not helping any. Mr. Kenneth broke the silence.

"Mr. Kenneth has brought something for you."

He was holding a small bag, which I hadn't noticed. Reaching in, he took out a little gold box tied with gold string. He handed it to Susie. I saw the excitement in her face as she took it, probably thinking that she was getting more jewelry, although I doubted Mr. Kenneth would be that generous for a house present.

"A little sweet for you."

I recognized the box as one from the expensive handmade candy store at the mall. Mr. Kenneth reached into the bag and took out another small box and handed it to me, then did the same for Beth.

"Thank you, Mr. Kenneth," I said.

"Thank you, Mr. Kenneth," Beth repeated.

"Thanks, Mr. Kenneth," Susie joined in.

Before Mr. Kenneth could respond, we heard Mom coming down stairs and turned to her. She was wearing the black pants and ivory silk blouse we had decided on last night. Black sandals with a low heel completed her outfit. Her hair was loose and she had put on lipstick and done her eyes. Maybe not up to Mr. Kenneth's standards, but she looked really pretty to me.

"Ahh, Carol, you look charming," Mr. Kenneth complimented her.

Mr. Kenneth was a master at saying the right thing. If had called her beautiful or gorgeous, Mom would have known he didn't mean it. Instead, she beamed.

"Really, Kenneth," she said flirtatiously" you do go on so. I'm afraid you'll have to make do with the duckling."

Mr. Kenneth frowned.

"Carol is quite wrong. Fine feathers do not necessarily make fine birds. It is not the outer beauty that is important, it is the inner character that shines through."

He turned to us.

"I create beautiful women, because that is what they want and pay for, but beauty for beauty's sake is boring. You need only read the magazines to see how men and women tire of their glamorous partners. You mother has a wonderful quality, she cares about others, as a nurse and as a parent, and I can see that it has been passed on to you by the love and support you give to Jenny. Mr. Kenneth knows true beauty when he sees it."

If it had been just flattery, Mom would have dismissed it with some clever remark, but his sincerity had her at a loss for words. She just stood there for a moment, her face flushed. Then she regained her composure and quickly redirected the conversation.

Noticing the little gold boxes, she remarked, "Why Kenneth, more gifts for the girls? Really, you'll spoil them."

Mr. Kenneth rose to the challenge.

"Of course the girls will be spoiled. Lovely young ladies must be spoiled. Otherwise, when their many admires shower them with gifts they will not be properly unimpressed with material things."

Mom knew better than to verbally duel with Mr. Kenneth.

"Kenneth, you are terrible," she said in jest.

Again, rising to the challenge, Mr. Kenneth answered with his usual lack of modesty.

"No, quite the contrary, I am exceptional."

That brought a unanimous nod from his three biggest fans.

Mom realized it was time to quit and said so.

"I give up. Thank you for your generosity and kindness to me and my daughters. You are indeed an exceptional man."

That brought another unanimous nod from the three sisters.

Mr. Kenneth took the compliment in stride.

"If you are ready, Carol, then I am at your disposal."

"Just let me get my pocketbook, it's in the kitchen. It will only take a moment."

Mom turned and left.

While we were waiting for her to return, I asked Mr. Kenneth about my wig.

"Excuse me, Mr. Kenneth, I was wondering. Is there a way to make my wig more casual? I'd love to be able to wear it today. I'd feel much better about not being recognized when I go out. I mean, I know I look like a girl, but I still look like a boy too, if that makes any sense.

"It makes perfect sense, Jenny," Mr. Kenneth agreed. "Unfortunately, a wig has a mind of its own. It must be disciplined by washing and setting in order to make it obedient. However, if it is a different look you want, then that magic Mr. Kenneth can perform."

Mom came back with her pocketbook before I could finish the conversation.

"Carol, with your permission, Jenny would like me to help her with her hair. It should not take long."

"Of course, Kenneth, Jenny comes first," Mom said supportively. "Whatever shopping we can get in will be fine."

"Ah, but no, Carol. This is your day. There is no compromise. No, no, I will not allow it," he insisted gallantly, "only a small delay. We shall do it all!" He turned and opened the door. "I will retrieve my bag of tricks. In the meantime, Miss Beth, would you be kind enough to bring a straight chair and Miss Susie, please find a large towel, so I can get started as soon as I return."

I watched as Mr. Kenneth went out to his car and opened the trunk. His 'bag of tricks' turned out to be a silver metal suitcase large enough for our entire family to pack for a week vacation. By the time he returned, Beth and Susie had completed their tasks.

Mr. Kenneth walked into the living room, which was directly off of the hall, and surveyed it.

"This will do. May I?" he asked Mom politely.

"Please, Kenneth," Mom replied, "you are welcome to our home and to use whatever we have. There is no need to ask."

"Carol is most kind," Mr. Kenneth said appreciatively.

He immediately got down to business.

"Miss Beth, if you would place the chair over there," he directed, pointing towards the window. Now, turn it slightly so the light will come over Jenny's shoulder. A little more to the left, perfect."

Mr. Kenneth looked over to me and pointed to the chair.

I walked over and sat down.

"Miss Susie, the towel please."

Susie handed him a large bath towel, which he draped over my chest and shoulders. He went to his bag and undid the clasps. Instead of opening like a regular suitcase, only the top half separated and three trays on each side popped up. He took out a large binder clip and used it to hold the towel together. He then took out a comb with a long, thin pointed handle and a mirror, which he handed to me.

"Miss Beth and Miss Susie, please assist me."

Both girls came over. He took some hair clips out of the case and gave them to Beth to hold. Susie got a handful of hair elastics. Mr. Kenneth stood behind me. I watched in the mirror as he used the handle of the comb to separate my hair into three sections, one high on the back of my head and two lower on each side, taking clips from Beth to hold them in place. Once they were done, he used the hair elastics Susie handed him to turn each into a small ponytail. Going back to his case, he produced a long spool with various colors of ribbon wound on it. At this point, I wouldn't have been surprised if he had a rabbit in there too. He handed the spool to Beth. In the mirror, I could see Susie pouting, because she had nothing to do. He took out a pair of scissors, measured off about a foot of pink and white ribbons and cut them. He handed Susie the scissors to hold, which made her happy, both because she was included and because he trusted her with the dangerous instrument. Mr. Kenneth deftly tied the ribbon around the center ponytail and then fashioned a bow. He took the scissors back from Susie, cut more ribbon and did the same for each of the other ponytails. Returning the ribbon and scissors to his case, he took each of the ends of the ribbon from the bows and made them into curly cues between the tail of the comb and his thumb, just the way I had seen Mom do with the ribbon on fancy gift wrapping. Finally, he found two clips, pink of course - I was sure I could see a rabbit moving around in the bottom of the case and that he would pull it out as the finale to his magic show - and used them to pull back the hair on each side of my face. He took out another mirror and held it behind me, so I could see what he had done in my mirror.

"Jenny is satisfied with Mr. Kenneth's impromptu hairstyling?" he asked, knowing full well that he had worked a miracle on short notice.

I stared at myself in my mirror, moving it from side to side. Mr. Kenneth had changed the look to be completely feminine.

"It's incredible, Mr. Kenneth," I said excitedly. I cannot thank you enough."

I handed him the mirror and started to get up.

"And where is Jenny going? Mr. Kenneth is not done. Sit."

I gave him a puzzled look and sat back down.

"Jenny must learn that she does not leave the stylist's chair until the cape is removed," he said with a smile.

I looked over to Beth. She shrugged, not having any more experience with being in a real hair salon then I did. Mr. Kenneth returned to his case and took out a box. He opened it and emptied out a bunch of pencils.

"Beth, Susie, please come over here," Mr. Kenneth requested, motioning for them to stand next to him. "Carol, please, you too. Now then, I am going to give to you Mr. Kenneth's beauty secrets. Listen well, there will be a test later," he teased.

Then again, I had never known Mr. Kenneth to have a sense of humor.

"When one does makeup professionally, he is a 'makeup artist,' no?"

We all said 'yes'.

"No," he disagreed, shaking his head for emphasis. "Art is for museums and hanging on the wall. Applying makeup is a science. Too little, too much or the wrong kind is worse than none at all. For the day, it should not look as though you are wearing makeup. Only for the most formal occasions should you create a dramatic effect with bold colors and glitter. Most important, young women," he looked from Beth, to Susie to me, "have natural beauty. They should not hide it under a coat of paint. I know that it is exciting to experiment and that the magazines encourage it, but they sell cosmetics, not beauty. Now, watch closely, please."

He took out about six of the pencils and studied my face, finally picking out a medium brown one.

"Jenny's eyebrows are uneven. For a boy, that is natural. For a girl, that is unattractive. For now, she has no choice, so we will fool nature."

I could feel the pencil moving in an arc as Mr. Kenneth lightly drew from the inside to the outside of my eyebrows. He went over each eyebrow three times. I could see Beth, Susie and Mom smiling, but, without the mirror, I had no idea what he had done. He put the pencil down, went back into the case and took out a small box. When he opened the lid, I could see some makeup and a tiny brush with the bristles on one side. I hope he didn't disturb the rabbit, I kidded myself.

"A woman's eyes are her most expressive feature and draw the most attention," he told his three fascinated listeners, "but Jenny wants to look more feminine without drawing attention. The way to do that is to use a natural shade of mascara and apply it lightly. This is sable, a dark brown."

He went over the surface of the makeup with the little brush and applied it to my eyelashes.

"The cosmetic companies want to sell you liquid mascara with a built in applicator. They want you to think it is better, but it is only more convenient and making it easy to use means they can sell more. The old fashioned brush and caked tint are much better for even color and separation."

Mr. Kenneth put the brush back in the box, closed the lid and put it down next to the pencil he had used on my eyebrows. Going back to his case, he took out a large bushy brush and round box.

"You see," Mr. Kenneth lectured his audience, using the tip of the handle as a pointer, "Jenny's cheekbones are low. A very small amount of blush applied to them and brought back towards her eyes will give them more prominence." He looked over to Susie and Beth. "You have you mother's high cheekbones," he complimented them. Continuing with his instruction, he told us, "I like the loose blush better. It is easier to control and apply."

He took the lid off the box, dipped the tip of the brush in the powder, held the brush up and gently blew on it, until he was satisfied with how much was on it. I felt the brush gently going over my face.

"Now then," he announced, "the final touch, Jenny's lips."

He put the brush and the blush with the other makeup he had used and took out another pencil. This one was a dark pinkish-red. I had never seen anyone use a pencil to put on lipstick before, but I was sure Mr. Kenneth knew what he was going. Hopefully, the rabbit knew what Mr. Kenneth was doing too and would be a good sport. It was a silly thought, but I just couldn't get the idea of Mr. Kenneth the magician with his pet rabbit out of my head. I regained my concentration to hear Mr. Kenneth explaining what the pencil was for.

"There is no such thing as a perfect mouth," he explained. "The proper shape depends on your face. Jenny's lips are too thin and so we draw them fuller and rounder and fill it in with color."

I could feel Mr. Kenneth lightly tracing around my lips with the pencil.

"This is most important," he emphasized. "Lipstick is a stick which smears color over your lips. It is impossible to control and there is no way to apply it evenly. What you buy in the drugstore or even in the department store is no bargain. It goes on too thick and it comes off too quickly."

He held up a little black pot.

"This is professional lip color. It goes on with a brush. It is much more expensive, but you use much less, it lasts much longer and it makes you look much better. Again, the color is a natural shade, to highlight without being obvious. Reds and exotic colors are for movie stars and circus clowns," he warned us.

Mr. Kenneth removed the cover from the pot, took a small flat brush out of a clear plastic sleeve and began to paint my lips. When he finished, he held my chin with his left hand and turned it for Beth and Susie to see. He replaced the cover, put the brush back in the sleeve, picked up the other makeup he had put aside picked it up.

"This is for you and your sisters to practice with."

I could see Mom frowning out of the corner of my eye.

"Kenneth, please, no," Mom insisted. "You cannot give the girls expensive makeup. I'm sorry, but I am putting my foot down."

"Ah, but, Carol," he said patiently, "before one puts one's foot down, one should know what one is putting one's foot down on."

From the puzzled look on Mom's face, she had no idea what he was talking about.

"I send all of my clients to Charles for their makeup and brushes. He has the best quality and fair prices. I receive nothing in return. It would not be honest. Instead, Charles provides me with complimentary products. They are a small part of what the sales representatives give him to promote their company's cosmetics and accessories. What I have given the girls are samples and cannot be sold."

Mom shook her head and smiled in quiet acceptance. To the delight of all three sisters, Mr. Kenneth handed me the assortment of makeup and brushes. He then took the mirror and held it up for me to see his magic. I couldn't believe me eyes. It was a girl's face. No one could mistake me for a boy! I looked over to Beth and then to Mom. They were smiling at the amazing transformation.

"I am sorry that I cannot do the rest of the family," Mr. Kenneth said apologetically, looking at his watch, "but your mother and I must leave now, if we are to get everything done. The next time you come to my salon, I will do your makeup," he told Beth and Susie.

Beth told Mr. Kenneth that she understood. Susie knew she couldn't' really wear makeup anyway, so she was quite happy knowing that she would get a chance to put it on when we went for our next appointment. Mr. Kenneth closed up his case. I was sure the rabbit was relieved.

"Miss Beth, if you would be kind enough to return the chair to its proper place and Miss Susie, if you would please put the towel in the laundry," Mr. Kenneth directed, "then your mother and I shall be off."

By the time Beth and Susie returned, Mr. Kenneth was standing at the door.

"Goodbye, girls," Mom said happily, taking Mr. Kenneth's offered arm. "Have fun. I'll see you later."

Mr. Kenneth opened the door and they walked to the car. He put down his case and opened the door for Mom. He was a real gentleman. Then he returned the case to the trunk, got behind the wheel and drove off. Mom waved to us from the window and the three of us waved back. Beth looked at her watch.

"We have fifteen minutes before Mrs. Johnson comes to pick us up. How about if we walk over and save her the trip?"

Susie and I both said yes.

"Jenny, do you want a pocketbook?" Beth asked me. "I've got this collapsible brush that fits in my pocket," she took it out and showed me how the handle folded up and the bristles popped out when you pushed in the back, "and just my lipstick."

"Well, my hairs done up with ribbons, Mr. Kenneth said this lipstick is supposed to last and I couldn't paint it on without some practice anyway, so I guess I don't need a pocketbook either."

"Okay, then ladies, lets get going."

Beth offered me her arm, just the way Mr. Kenneth had done with Mom. I put my arm through and Susie took my other hand. We headed down the street.

"At least one of us is a gentleman," Beth kidded me.

It didn't take long for us to get to Mrs. Johnson's house. When we arrived, we saw that she had the trunk of her car open and she was putting in the food. Julie was helping her.

"Hello, Mrs. Johnson," Beth greeted her.

"Hi, Mrs. Johnson," I echoed.

Susie hurried over to Kelley and whispered in her ear. Then they both looked at me and giggled. Mrs. Johnson had her back to us and turned around to see what the girls found so amusing. She caught on immediately.

"My goodness, Jenny, aren't we glamorous today," she complimented me. "I love the way you did your hair and your makeup is lovely, dear."

"Thank you, Mrs. Johnson," I replied politely. "I wish I could take credit for it, but it's all Mr. Kenneth's work. Actually," I explained, "I only asked him if he could do something with my wig, so I could wear it today. This is the result."

I put my hand on my hip and slowly turned around, then struck a pose with my other hand behind my head, the way I had seen models do on TV. Mrs. Johnson joined the girls in their amusement.

"My sister, the fashion model," Beth chimed in.

Mrs. Johnson turned to her.

"You look very nice too, Beth, and you too Susie," she said diplomatically. "Obviously, glamour runs in your family."

"Momny," Julie complained, "Jenny's wearing makeup and Susie says that she's going to get to wear makeup too. I want to wear makeup, Mommy. Please," she pleaded.

Mrs. Johnson turned to Beth and me and gave us a questioning look.

"Oh," Beth explained, "Mr. Kenneth only had time to do Jenny before he had to leave with Mom, so he told us that the next time we came to his salon, he would do us. He left us some samples to try. Just for fun," she emphasized. Beth turned to Julie. "Susie's not going to wear makeup for real. Not 'till she's older."

Beth looked at Susie and raised an eyebrow. Susie got the message.

"No, not for real," Susie agreed.

Julie wasn't convinced or at least she wasn't going to give up the opportunity to wear makeup so easily.

"Please, Mommy, Jenny's wearing lipstick and eye stuff," she argued.

I looked at Mrs. Johnson and shrugged. I'm sure she understood the reason why I had on makeup, but, as far as Julie knew, I was a girl and Mrs. Johnson wouldn't betray my trust. She shrugged back.

"Julie, Mr. Kenneth explained to us that at our age girls don't need makeup to look pretty. In fact, he was trying to show my sisters and me how to look natural. Beth and I don't usually wear makeup, except maybe lipstick," I assured her.

Beth nodded her agreement.

"Okay, no makeup," Julie conceded, "but I can wear lipstick."

She was definitely going to be a lawyer when she grew up. Mrs. Johnson sighed and made a motherly compromise.

"I'll tell you what Julie, when we come back from the park, we can go to the drugstore and get you some lip balm. It will make you lips look moist and shiny, okay?"

Realizing that a small victory was better than no victory, Julie gave in.

Mrs. Johnson returned to packing the car and then directed us to get in. Beth got in front and Susie, Julie and I got in back. Mrs. Johnson backed out of the driveway and headed for the park, which was only a short ride. When we arrived, we helped her carry the lunch over to the picnic tables. Once everything was set up, Julie and Susie headed for the playground. Mrs. Johnson took out a book and found a comfortable place to sit. There really wasn't much for Beth and me to do, other than to enjoy the beautiful day and keep an eye on the girls. As we walked towards where they were playing, Beth wondered what Mom and Mr. Kenneth were doing right now.

"You're the one who went through Mom's closet the other day to find something for her to wear on her date," we looked at each other and giggled, because Mom had insisted it wasn't a date, "and you're the shopper in the family, so your guess is better than mine."

"Well," she thought out loud, "if it was me, I would go to a fancy boutique and buy some really stylish outfits. Then to a designer shoe store and get some heels to go with them. I think it's too early for Mom to be taking Mr. Kenneth to buy jewelry," she laughed.

"Beth, you're terrible. You know that's not the way it is with them. Mr. Kenneth is just a nice guy. I don't think it is a date."

"Maybe, Jenny, but you have a lot to learn about men."

She paused when she realized who she was talking too. Then we both started laughing.

"I have a lot to learn about women too," I half joked. "For one thing, I don't understand the games you play. I mean, not like Barbies, but how you act. A boy would just say whatever is on his mind. Like, when you got me mad, I would just yell back at you. Whenever I made you mad, sorry about that Sis, you would pout and I had to figure it out for myself. Why is that?"

Beth stopped and turned to me.

"Jenny, I'm no expert. Mrs. Johnson probably is the one to ask about how girls think, but, as a girl, I know that I am very sensitive about my feelings. If someone does something to make me mad, I want them to realize what they did and to apologize. As far as I can see, boys are always getting themselves into trouble and saying, 'I'm sorry,' to get out of it, but they don't really mean it. This would probably seem very silly to a boy, but when one of my girlfriends and I have a fight, we hug each other and even cry when we make up. That's how girls are."

I reached out and gave Beth a hug.

"That's how I am too," I said with a pretend sniffle.

Beth pulled back and gave me a playful swat on the behind.

"We're not all sugar and spice, you know," she laughed.

Then she ran off towards the playground with me chasing after her. When we got there, Susie and Kellie were fooling around on the climbing structure. Beth and I sat on a bench. After a couple of minutes of silence, she turned to me.

"Jenny," she asked in a serious voice, "are you really sure about being a girl? I mean, I love having you as my sister and all, but you're going to see that doctor and at some point you want to be Jenny full time. That's a big decision. I was born a girl and I'm happy I am one, but boys have it a lot easier."

"Maybe they do, Beth, but, well, I don't know. It's hard to explain. It's not that I don't want to be a boy. I'm not a boy. I mean remember that movie we saw about the sisters who found a magic coin and they swapped places? The older feminine sister became the younger tomboy and the younger sister had to start being all girly girl."

Beth laughed.

"Yeah. The younger sister in the older sister's body had to drive them to school and then she started flirting with guys. She even kissed her sister's boyfriend. It was really funny." She paused and gave me a puzzled look. "I don't get it, what does that movie have to do with you?"

"Not me, you. In the movie, the sisters swapped places girl to girl, but what if you found the coin and ended up in my body. You said that boys have it a lot easier than girls. Would you want stay a boy?"

Beth didn't hesitate.

"Of course not. I'm not a boy. I'm a girl. Why would I want to be something I'm not?"

Her face dropped when she realized what she said.

"Oh, Jenny, I'm so, so sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

"That's okay, Beth, really. You made my point."

"Huh?" was all she could manage.

"I don't want to be something I'm not either. I'm a girl in a boy's body, just they way you would be if you used the magic coin. Except that there's no way for me to swap back to my girl's body. I just have to do the best I can with what I've got. So, you see, there's no choice for me to make. I'm afraid you're stuck with a sister."

Beth started laughing.

"Beth, I'm serious."

"Oh no," she managed to get out. "It's not that. Remember about the little sister in the big sister's body trying to drive a car and swerving all over the road? Well, I had this thought of me in a boy's body." She lost control and couldn't stop laughing. After a while she calmed down. "I, well, I pictured myself," she blushed, "trying to use, you know, boy's equipment to pee for the first time and, like," she broke into laughter again, "getting it all over the place."

I rolled my eyes.

"Only you could think of something like that."

By the time Beth got herself together, the girls had moved over to the swings. As we followed them, I remembered the last time we were at the park and ran into some of Beth's friends. Beth wanted to go with them and, as part of Mom's attempt at embarrassing me out of being a girl, she sent me along. Actually, it worked out okay, but trying to fit in with real girls wasn't something with which I was comfortable, even after Mr. Kenneth's makeover. I looked and luckily there was nobody around.

After a while, the girls had enough. It was about lunchtime anyway, so we headed back. Mrs. Johnson must have seen us coming, because she had everything laid out. There were half a dozen tuna sandwiches with the crusts cut off, pink lemonade and home baked chocolate chip cookies for desert, soft and chewy, my favorite. I was hungry and thought about Beth's observation, that boys had it easier. At least when it came to eating, that was true. A boy could stuff a sandwich in his mouth and gulp down a drink, but I controlled myself and took dainty little bites, sipping the lemonade and carefully using my napkin. Mr. Kenneth had said the lipstick would last, but there was no sense in putting it to the test. When we finished, Mrs. Johnson handed us a baggie with the crusts in it to feed to the ducks. After helping her to clean up, we headed over to the pond.

Beth gave Susie and Julie each a handful of the bread. They started throwing it into the water and the ducks greedily gobbled it up. I saw that there was one duckling that wasn't having much luck. Whenever she, I really didn't know if it was a girl, but I imagined it was, tried to get to a floating piece of bread, a bigger duck would paddle over and scare her away. I took a small piece of the bread, rolled it into a ball and pitched it as close to the duckling as I could. This time she got to it first.

I was so intent on feeding the duckling, that I didn't see a group of boys coming towards us. I looked up and it was the gang I used to hang out with. I moved over to Beth and whispered to her that I knew them. She took a quick look.

"Maybe you should head back to Mrs. Johnson. I'm fine here with the girls. There's no sense asking for trouble," she cautioned me.

"No," I told her. "I'm not asking for trouble, but I'm not hiding from it either. I can't run away ever time I see someone who might recognize me."

The boys were almost here.

"Are you sure, Jenny?"

"No, but it's too late anyway. I'm sure they've seen us. I'd rather know now than spend the rest of the day worrying and be surprised when I get to school."

Beth nodded her agreement.

One of the boys in the group, Kevin, was the one who I used to sit with on the bus. The day after we played Barbies and Beth dressed me up, he noticed that I was wearing nail polish and had an earring, so he was the one most likely to spot me, if anyone did. I noticed Beth moving so that she was between them and me. The boys stopped a short distance away.

"Hi girls," the leader of the group, remarked with a silly grin. "I'm George, this is Bob, he's Danny and that's Kevin. What's up?"

Why was it boys always acted dopey around girls, I wondered. Well, at least that was a good sign.

"Hi," Beth said coldly. "Nothings up. My We're feeding the ducks. What's it look like we're doing?" she challenged them. She turned to Susie and Julie, "come on, it's time to go."

The girls got the message and started off. Beth and I quickly followed them. I glanced back, to see the boy's reaction, but they had already started walking. Knowing them, they wouldn't have missed an opportunity to make fun of me, if they had caught on, so probably I was safe. There was no way to tell for sure until I got to school. Even then, I thought to myself, they wouldn't have any proof. I'd be back in boy mode and it would be my word against theirs. I breathed a sigh of relief.

When we got back to the picnic area, Mrs. Johnson had everything ready to go. Julie couldn't wait to report our little adventure to her mother.

"Mom, there were some boys at the pond and they talked to Jenny and Beth," she exclaimed excitedly.

Mrs. Johnson gave me a questioning look and turned to Beth.

"Friends of yours?" she asked, careful not to give Julie any idea that I might be familiar with kids from around here.

"Not me," Beth replied. "They looked like they might have been around my brother's age," she added, keeping up the pretense.

"Oh, did they mention that they know him?" she asked, giving me a concerned look.

"No, Mrs. Johnson," I told her. "They just came over, tried to talk to us and we left. I'm pretty sure they didn't have any idea who we were. At least they didn't act like they did."

Mrs. Johnson nodded and let the subject drop. We helped her carry everything back to the car and headed home. It was still early. Mom probably wouldn't be home until late afternoon. Mrs. Johnson must have been thinking the same thing.

"Do you girls want to come over for a while?" She asked us.

I looked at Beth. She shook her head. I had a lot of studying to do to make up for all the time I wasted during most of the school year. Then I had an idea.

"Thanks, Mrs. Johnson, but we'd just as soon get home. Beth and I both have things to do. How about if Julie comes to our house instead? She and Susie can play. We can keep and eye on them and that way you can have some free time for yourself."

"Why thank you, Jenny," Mrs. Johnson said gratefully, "that's very thoughtful of you. Unless Julie wants to go home, I'll take you up on your offer. Julie?"

"Fine with me, Mommy," Julie agreed. "Maybe Jenny will have some time to play with us. Will you Jenny?"

"I'll try, Julie," I offered, "But I have a lot of studying I need to do. You and Susie will have to find something to do for most of the time. You might have to settle for Beth."

Beth turned around and stuck her tongue out at me. I gave her a big smile back.

"Okay," Julie conceded.

By the time we finished the conversation, Mrs. Johnson was pulling into our driveway. We got out. Mrs. Johnson waved and drove off.

"Susie and Julie," Beth said, taking charge as usual, "why don't you girls go in the den and watch some TV or a video while Jenny and I get organized. One of us will be there in a little while to spend some time with you. Okay?"

"Okay," both girls said.

Susie took Julie's hand and led her out. Beth turned to me.

"I'll hang out with the girls, if you like, but it's obvious which one of us is their favorite," she said with a laugh.

"Having me as her sister is new to Susie and Julie likes me, because I was really into her game when I babysat the other day, since I'd never played girl's games growing up," I said defensively.

"That's okay, Sis," Beth assured me. "My feelings aren't hurt at all. I had a lot of time to be with Susie. I mean, we've shared a room since she was in a crib. I'm happy to see how she's taken to you."

"Thanks, Beth. She's a sweetheart. I just wish I had realized it sooner." I shook my head. "I wasted so much time not paying any attention to her, because she was a girl. I could kick myself."

Beth put her arm around me.

"Don't feel bad, Jenny. To be honest, I took having a little sister for granted too, before you came along. It's you who's made me realize how really special both my sisters are. That was worth waiting for."

I put my arm around her and we held each other.

"With Mom out," said Beth, releasing me, "I can call my friends without her nagging me about tying up the phone. Why don't you get your homework? I'll check on the girls. I'm sure they'll be fine for an hour. I should be done by then and I'll do something with them. Julie wanted to try wearing makeup, so we can do makeovers with the samples Mr. Kenneth gave us. That should kill another hour or so. Will that be enough time for you to get some studying done?"

"Perfect plan," I complimented her. I had done as little as possible to get by BJ, 'before Jenny'. Now I was paying the price. "We only have a few weeks before our end of the year exams. If I don't catch up on all the work I missed, I can forget about getting into the advanced courses next year. A couple of hours should give me a good start. Thanks, Sis."

"My pleasure," Beth said, as she went off.

I went upstairs, got my backpack and brought it down to the kitchen. I took out a notebook and pencil. Math was the subject that needed the most effort. Mr. Merrill, my math teacher, had given me the back assignments and I was working my way through them from the beginning of the year, but it was slow going teaching myself. I opened the math book and copied down a problem. In the background, I could hear Beth talking to one of her friends with an occasional giggle. Gossiping was another girl skill I was going to have to work on.

My concentration was interrupted by Susie. I looked over at the clock on the stove and it had been almost an hour. Through the doorway, I could see Beth and Julie waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs.

"Jenny, we're going to do makeovers. Don't you want to do it with us?" she asked me.

"I do, Sis, but," I caught myself.

As far as Julie knew, I was Susie's cousin. I glanced over to see if Julie showed any reaction, but she did not seem to have noticed. Then again, I've heard girls sometimes refer to each other as 'sisters,' even though they're not related.

"I wish I could," Susie," I quickly corrected myself, "but I have a lot of homework to do, being in a new school and all." I made a slight motion of my head towards Julie, so she would understand, and winked at her. "Another time, okay?"

"Okay, Jenny," Susie agreed and winked back.

The girls continued upstairs to Beth and Susie's room to play with the makeup and I got back to work. I swapped my math book for my science book and started outlining the chapters I had skipped over. Taking notes as I read was a trick that Beth had taught me. It helped to organize the information and made it much easier to review. I was going over the chapter questions when the phone rang. It was probably one of Beth's friends calling her back. I waited for her to pick it up. After a couple more rings, I figured that either she didn't hear it or she was in the middle of something, so I answered it.

"Hello," I said, expecting to hear a girl's voice on the other end.

"Oh, hi Jenny."

It was Mom.

TO BE CONTINUED