Synopsis: Jamie's first day on the job.

Chapter 15

Jamie's grandmother parked in front of the Fabric Barn at five minutes before nine. "Are you excited?" she asked. "Your first day on the job. Probably makes you feel all grown up."

Jamie looked down at himself. The brown apron covered his torso, and the hem of his jean shorts emerged just below the bottom of the apron. His smooth, nylon-encased legs shimmered, and his nylon-clad toes peeked out at the end of his open-toe sandals. He felt like he was wearing a costume. "I think I'll feel more grown up when I get paid."

His grandmother laughed. "I'm sure you'll do fine."

They knocked on the door a few minutes later. Lucelle opened the door and greeted them warmly.

"I think we'll let him off today at one," Lucelle said in response to his grandmother's question.

Jamie waved goodbye to his grandmother then followed Lucelle back to the office. "You're looking very smart today Jamie. Those nylons suit you."

Jamie thanked her for the compliment. Lucelle gave him several documents to sign and gave a brief lecture on what she expected from him and how to sign in and out. She then pinned his name tag to his apron. "As soon as Kelli arrives, she will show you around the store and get you started. I'm afraid I'm going to be busy all morning with updating our inventory on the computer. Do you have any questions?"

"Well, when do I get paid?"

Lucelle laughed. "You'll get a check next week, on Friday, but it will be a small one since it will only be for the days you work this week. I'm thinking we'll have you come in on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Is that agreeable?"

"Yes. And I'll work until one everyday?"

Lucelle nodded. A few minutes later Jamie heard someone unlock the front door. Two women were talking.

"That must be Margaret and Kelli."

Two women entered the office to sign in. The first was a plump, middle-aged woman dressed in tan slacks and a bright yellow blouse. Her blond hair was done in some sort of perm with big curls. She smiled kindly at Jamie as she signed in. The other was a teenager. Her straight black hair was shoulder length and her lips were dark red. She wore a jean skirt with black tights and court shoes. She looked down her nose at Jamie without the least hint of any kindness. Jamie thought she looked a bit goth and, since she did not smile, intimidating.

Lucelle introduced Jamie to them and asked Kelli to show him around the store and get him started. Jamie sensed that Kelli wasn't very enthused. The three left the office and closed the door behind them.

Margaret smiled. "Glad to have you aboard Jamie. Word to the wise. Don't bother Lucelle when she's working on inventory. She doesn't have a good relationship with that computer. She can be a real bear sometimes." Margaret winked. "I guess I'll unlock and get started up front."

Jamie decided that he liked Margaret. He wasn't sure about Kelli.

"So," Kelli began as Margaret walked away, "do you know anything about fabric?"

"Well, you make clothes out of them." Jamie smiled, hoping that Kelli would understand his joke.

Kelli stared at him with green eyes accentuated with black eyeliner. "Right. Well, lets start out front. There's a lot of stuff to unload in the back which is what you will be doing today."

As they entered the front of the store, Kelli turned to him and asked pointedly. "Why do you get to wear shorts? Hey Margaret, he's wearing shorts."

"He can't wear a skirt," said Margaret.

Kelli, who had been studying Jamie's legs, was about to say something else when her expression changed. Jamie knew that look very well by now. Kelli looked him in the eye. "Are you wearing pantyhose? Did she make you wear nylons?"

"Yeah, they're Sheer Energy. I wear them all the time."

Kelli's mouth fell open. "Margaret, you've got to see this. He's wearing pantyhose."

Margaret came striding over. "Keep you're voice down Kelli. This is a store not a gym. Now what's all the fuss about?"

"Look," Kelli said quietly, pointing at Jamie's legs. "He's wearing nylons. Did she tell you that you couldn't wear shorts unless you wore nylons?"

"Yeah, but I usually wear them anyway."

"Hmm," said Margaret. "I didn't even notice until now. They look natural on you. You sure do have nice legs." Margaret winked at him and smiled.

"What do you mean you wear them all the time?" asked Kelli.

Jamie didn't want to unload his life story to someone he had just meant, but he had to say something, and she was staring at him so intensely as she waited for an answer. "Well, I like to wear them so I wear them everyday."

"And your parents are okay with it?"

"My mom thinks it's a good idea."

"And your dad?"

"My parents are divorced."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Well we better get back to work now," said Margaret. "I think we've exhausted Jamie's wardrobe." Margaret winked at him as she turned away.

Kelli grinned at Jamie. When she came into work that morning, she dreaded having to train someone, particularly some geeky boy. Kelli was not very patient. But by now her mind had changed. This was going to be fun. Kelli led Jamie toward several aisles of craft supplies. "You know we've never had a boy working here before. Have we Margaret?"

"Not that I recall," answered Margaret from across the store.

Jamie didn't like Kelli's demeanor. It wasn't sinister but it wasn't friendly either. Megan's smile was soft and inviting. There was something hard and sharp about Kelli's expression.

"You'll need to familiarize yourself with all this stuff. You'll spend a lot of time restocking here. It's important that you put items in the right place. Speaking of the right place, we still don't have a boy working here. We have a boyette." Kelli laughed at her joke.

Jamie smiled. He figured the best approach was to let her have her fun but not encourage her with a lot of resistance. Maybe she would get bored soon.

"Hey Margaret. Jamie's a boyette."

"Back to work Kelli."

Kelli rolled her eyes. "Come on."

Jamie followed her to the cutting tables. "This is where we spend a lot of time. I don't suppose you'll be cutting fabric anytime soon. But you will be shelving bolts."

Kelli pointed to two empty crates that stood three feet high and three-by-three. "That's where we put bolts after we've cut the fabric for the customer. Whenever they get full or you have nothing better to do, you'll need to return them to the shelves. Don't worry, you'll soon learn where everything goes."

Kelli led Jamie to the other side of the store which was crowded with fabric displayed on various shelves and circular displays. "Do you know anything about different types of fabric? Other than nylon? I bet you know all about nylon."

"Not really. I mean I know about...."

Kelli laughed. "I'll take that to mean you don't know anything. Unfortunately we don't sell pantyhose. Too bad too because you could use your discount." For the next half hour Kelli showed Jamie where the different kinds of fabric were stored. Jamie was amazed to learn that while the store seemed to be a chaotic jumble, it was actually well-ordered. Lastly, she showed him the stock room and all the boxes whose contents needed to be unpacked, sorted, and stored.

"If you don't have anymore questions I'll leave you to it. We'll call you if we need help up front but Thursday mornings usually aren't that busy." Kelli turned to leave but then stopped and turned toward him again with a sly smile across her lips. "And be careful," she said, holding back her giggles. "You don't want to snag your hose."

Jamie looked at the many boxes and sighed. Work was going to be a lot of work. He dug into his first real task as a paid employee, and after two hours, he had unpacked and stored the contents of a quarter of the boxes. He kept wondering who on earth would buy all this junk. After awhile he decided that working back here by himself wasn't that bad, at least he didn't have to listen to Kelli's snide jokes. His mind meandered to thoughts of Megan as Kelli faded and disappeared. He kept reminding himself that he had actually sat on the floor with her in her bedroom. What would Mike and Todd say about that? And soon he would have his own money. He could take Megan to a movie. They could go out for ice cream.

"Looks like you're making quick work of that inventory, Jamie."

Jamie jumped as Lucelle's voice startled him out of his edenic revery. "You scared me."

"I like to see an employee that gets wrapped up in their work."

"I'm trying. Sorry I'm not all done yet. Uhm. Will there be this much everyday?"

"Oh no, this has sort of stacked up for a few weeks. I told you I needed some help. Looks like you have a knack for this sort of work."

"Thanks." Jamie had always had higher ambitions in life. He had a vague sense that all of his interactions with Lucelle were clouded by some obscure misunderstanding.

"Why don't you come out front and empty the bin. We're starting to get busy."

Jamie followed Lucelle out of the stock room to the front of the store. The coolness of the air conditioning felt refreshing after the closeness of the stock room. The store was filled with women and children. Both Kelli and Margaret were cutting fabric. Another clerk, who looked to be a teenage girl, was ringing up purchases.

"Did Kelli tell you about the bins at the cutting table?"

"Yes." Jamie noticed that the bins were full, a hodgepodge of colors and patterns. A few bolts were laying on the floor.

"Well, grab a cart and get busy."

Jamie filled a cart then moved among the shelves trying to return the bolts to their proper places. He forgot all about Kelli's explanations on the organization of the cloth. As he was filling his cart for the third time, Kelli smiled as she handed him a bolt from which she had been cutting. "Work it girl."

Jamie smiled faintly. There were so many people talking that he doubted anyone had heard. Margaret seemed to know everyone and as each customer arrived at the head of the line at the cutting table, a new thread of conversation started.

As he was shelving some fleece, a mother and her two young daughters stopped within a few feet of him. From their conversation, they appeared to be picking out fabric to make some blankets. Jamie glanced at them as he put the bolts of fleece in proper order. At one point, he noticed that while the mother and one of the daughters were debating the merits of a pattern, the other girl was looking quizzically at his legs. Jamie knew exactly what this meant. And he was not at all surprised when she whispered something to her mother and sister.

All three then looked directly at Jamie. Their eyes moved up and down his body. The mother turned and abruptly walked away with the two girls in tow. The youngest looked over her shoulder at him and smirked. Jamie had never experienced a reaction like this before and struggled to figure out what was up. He became seriously concerned when he saw the mother make directly for Lucelle who glanced in his direction as the pair talked. Jamie had stopped working and he felt his stomach sink as Lucelle and the three women approached him.

"Jamie," Lucelle began, "Mrs. Andrews here was complaining to me about how you are dressed. Specifically, she was offended by your nylons."

The mother stared at him while her daughters stood behind the mother and smirked. Seemingly on cue, they both put a hand to their mouths to stifle a giggle when Lucelle said "your nylons."

"But," said Jamie.

"No, no. There's no reason for you to explain yourself. I have already explained our dress code to Mrs. Andrews."

"Lucelle says you regularly wear pantyhose. Is that true?"

"Yes, I do, I wear them all the time. I'm really sorry if it bothers you. I would wear jeans but it's so hot and ..."

"I really see nothing wrong with it," announced Lucelle. "In fact, I think they look very good on him and it would not be fair to the women to require them to wear hosiery if I did not apply that rule to boys as well."

The woman smiled slightly. "Yes, I think you're right Lucelle. They do look good on him." Lucelle and Mrs. Andrews both laughed. Jamie felt the tension of the moment evaporate. "I'm sorry to have bothered you," she said, addressing Jamie. "I was just so shocked to see a boy wearing pantyhose. I guess we'll all have to get used to it." Lucelle and Mrs. Andrews laughed again as they walked away. The youngest girl smiled at Jamie and waved.

The stream of customers dwindled to a trickle and by twelve forty-five Jamie had emptied the bins.

"Well you did a good job Jamie," Lucelle said. "I think you'll make a good addition. You need to meet Tabitha."

Jamie followed Lucelle to the register where the other girl was standing. She had light brown hair pulled back into a pony tail. She wore a white blouse and loose-fitting skirt that ended just above her knees. Her shoes looked like moccasins and her legs looked soft and smooth in her tan nylons.

"Tabitha, this is Jamie, our newest employee. He's going to be working here three mornings a week, unless he proves himself so valuable that we can't do without him."

Tabitha smiled softly. "Hi Jamie. Hope you like working here."

"It's busy, but I think I can handle it."

"Yes, this morning was unusual," added Lucelle. "Help Tabitha bag purchases until your grandmother comes to pick you up. Don't forget to clock out when you leave." Lucelle strided toward the back of the store, leaving them alone.

Jamie stood nervously fidgeting. He knew he should say something to Tabitha but he could not think of anything that did not sound stupid. Tabitha broke the ice by asking him what year of school he was in. Jamie proudly informed her that he would be a freshmen in the coming year.

"Which school?" she asked.

"West-Central."

"Wow, me too. My family just moved to this part of town so I guess I'll see you at school too."

"You'll be a freshman too?" Jamie was surprised as he thought she looked so much more mature than him.

Tabitha nodded.

At that moment, Kelli stepped up to the register. "Hey Jamie, did you unpack all the boxes."

"No, I'll have plenty to do tomorrow."

"Did you avoid snagging your pantyhose?"

"What?" asked Tabitha.

"Oh, you didn't know?" said Kelli. "Jamie here wears pantyhose. It's the rules."

Tabitha looked at Jamie's legs. "You are. I never noticed."

Jamie shrugged and nodded.

"Did Lucelle say you had to wear them?" Tabitha asked.

"He wears them all the time," said Kelli. "He's a boyette."

"You're kidding," said Tabitha.

"I do actually."

"By choice? Don't people make fun of you?"

"Most people don't say anything. They mind their own business I guess." Jamie glared at Kelli to let her know the last remark was aimed at her.

"So why do you wear them?" asked Tabitha.

"I like the way they feel."

"Wow. You're brave," remarked Tabitha.

"He's sacrificing himself for a new fashion trend," remarked Kelli.

Jamie was saved from any further barbs from Kelli by Margaret who called to Kelli for help. Kelli rolled her eyes and left them alone. He was trying to think of something else to say when he saw his grandmother enter the store.

* * * * *

"They told you that you have to be nice to him?" asked Carla.

"Yeah. I got in big trouble for us laughing at him. I even had to apologize to princess M."

Carla laughed. "It's so funny that you call her princess."

"You would too if you had to live with her."

Melissa and her friend Carla were sitting in a covered swing in Carla's back yard.

"So what are you going to do?" As an only child, Carla lived vicariously through the conflicts between Melissa and Megan.

"I don't know yet. But I'm going to get her and that sissy wuss she's dating."

"They're dating? She dating that guy who wears pantyhose? I figured he was gay."

"She says they're just friends. But he follows her around like a love-sick puppy. And she defends him to everyone."

"Are you sure he's not gay? I mean he's wearing women's underwear."

"I haven't heard he is. And he spends a lot of time ogling Megan. I would find it disgusting to have some sissy drooling over me."

The two friends swung in silence. Carla stretched her arms and legs, enjoying the summer weather. Melissa stared ahead, lost in thought. A self-satisfied smile spread across her lips.

"Carla, you're a genius. You've given me a wonderfully wicked idea." She turned to Carla and laughed. "This is going to be good."

* * * * *

"So how was your first day at work?" asked Julie. She was laying on the couch in the living room. Her shoes were on the floor and her nylon-clad feet were resting on the arm of the couch.

"It was ok," answered Jamie. He flopped down in a chair across from the couch.

His mother, who had followed Jamie through the front door, told them that she was going to warm up some leftovers for dinner.

"So what did you do? Did you have to sew something?"

"No, I mostly unpacked boxes. You wouldn't believe all the junk people buy."

"I hate unpacking inventory. Do you like your coworkers?"

"Well I like Margaret. She's an older lady and she was nice to me. I also met a girl named Tabitha who's going to be in school with me next year. She was nice too."

"Uh-oh. Poor Megan has competition."

"She's not as pretty as Megan."

"How shallow you are."

"Then there's this girl named Kelli who was in charge of training me. She's kind of goth. She teased me a lot but not in a nice way."

"Really, what did she do?"

"She teased me about wearing hose. She kept calling me a boyette."

Julie stifled a laugh. "I'm sorry. That wasn't very professional on her part. You ought to complain about her if she keeps doing it."

At that point, their mother called them to dinner.

"Mike left a phone message for you," his mother said. Jamie veered toward the phone. "After dinner."

Julie asked him more questions about his job such as how often he would work and how much he would be paid. His mother asked what he intended to do with his money.

"He'll buy more hose," remarked Julie, "or spend it all on Megan."

"That's what I'm afraid of. I think we'll set up a savings account for you and you can put half your check in it."

"Mom, I'm not going to make that much."

"Every little bit counts. Your sister saves half of her check."

After dinner Jamie called Mike who asked him to come over. He told his mother he was going to Mike's house as he headed out the door. He rode his bicycle the four blocks to Mike's house.

Mike's mother answered the door and as he stepped inside to take off his shoes, he noticed her look at his feet. She smiled. "I think Mike is upstairs."

Jamie knew Mike's house almost as well as his own. He found Mike in his room at his computer.

"Hey Mike, what's up?"

"I haven't seen you much."

"I'm at my grandmother's a lot and I started my job today."

"Yeah, I read your email. I guess there are worse things you could do than working in a fabric store."

"It's not so bad really. They have me unpacking stuff and putting it away."

"Somebody told me that you've been hanging out with Megan Whitticker." Mike raised his eyebrows.

Jamie told Mike about having ice cream at Megan's house and playing chess with her in her bedroom.

"Man," said Mike. "And she doesn't care about your, uh, hose?"

"Strangely enough, I think that's what got her attention. I guess it made me stand out."

"Wow."

"And she's coming with my family to a barbecue on Saturday." Jamie couldn't help bragging at this point. He had never had anything to brag about involving girls before. He suddenly felt a little older and more mature than Mike.

Mike paused, looking thoughtful. Jamie assumed Mike was still awestruck by his success with Megan. "There's something I need to tell you," Mike announced. "I talked with Todd the other day."

"Ok."

"He doesn't want to hang out with you anymore. He said he doesn't want to be associated with a guy wearing pantyhose. He doesn't care if I'm still friends with you, but he doesn't."

"Really?"

"I know. I didn't want to tell you over the phone. I think Todd's being stupid but he wouldn't listen. He thinks people are going to beat up on you."

"Nothing has happened so far."

"I'd watch your back if I were you."

"Right."

Neither of them said anything for a few moments. Jamie turned over what had just happened in his mind. He had gained some new friends and lost a longtime friend. Maybe Todd wasn't such a close friend after all.

"Holy crap," exclaimed Mike who was standing at his window. "You gotta see this."

Jamie joined Mike at the window. Around the pool, stretched out on lounge chairs, were Monica and two of her friends. All three were wearing bikinis. Thoughts of anything else evaporated as the two adolescents stared at the females sunning themselves by the pool.

* * * * *

After leaving Mike's house, Jamie took a detour on his way home. This was an unannounced visit, but after missing her the day before, he felt he simply had to see her. He parked his bike in Megan's driveway and approached the front door, pushed the doorbell then waited.

Megan's mother answered the door. "Oh, hi Jamie. Is Megan expecting you?"

"No, I'm sorry. I was on my home and decided to stop."

She smiled. "That's ok. Come on in. I'll let Megan know you're here."

Jamie sat in a chair in the living room as Megan's mother disappeared upstairs. There were various pictures of Megan and her sister scattered about the room, showing them at various stages in their lives. He wondered if maybe this wasn't such a good idea. He didn't want to be a nuisance. A few minutes later Megan's mother returned and told him that Megan would be down shortly.

A few moments later, Jamie heard people coming down the stairs and the voices of multiple girls. Jamie became nervous and distressed, particularly when he saw Kim and Nikki accompany Megan into the living room. He noticed immediately that they all had wet hair.

"Hi Jamie," said Megan. "What's up?" She sat down in the couch across from him. The other two girls sat on the couch as well. Although Megan was smiling and seemed to be happy to see him, he sensed that that there was something different about her demeanor when her friends were around.

"I was on my way home and thought I would stop by."

"That's nice. You would have missed us if you had stopped earlier. We just got back from the water park."

"I guess that's why your hair is all wet."

"Yes. So how was your first day at work?"

"You have a job?" asked Kim.

"He's working at the Fabric Barn," Megan answered.

"It was ok. I'm doing a lot of inventory stuff." He wanted to tell Megan everything but not with her friends around.

"Do they let you wear nylons or is that just too weird?" asked Nikki. Kim laughed.

"Nikki," said Megan. "Stop being mean."

"It's a valid question," Nikki retorted. "I'm just teasing. You didn't mind teasing those guys at the water park."

Jamie wanted to disappear into his chair, but something about Nikki's jibe pushed him over the edge. He now recognized that she was challenging him. "Yes," he announced. "I do wear nylons at work. They want me to."

The girls stared at him, as if for the first time they realized that there was another person in the room.

"I guess we ought to head home," said Kim as she stood up. Nikki joined her. "We'll just get our stuff upstairs."

Jamie and Megan stood as well. As soon as the girls left the room, Megan turned to Jamie. "I'm sorry. You really should call before you come over. But you're welcome any time."

"Thanks. You're still going to the barbecue on Saturday, right?"

"Oh yes, of course," answered Megan as she walked with him to the front door.

to be continued