This is a story about a couple of kids working on a tree fort while talking about their parents. Nothing unusual about that ... right?
Sweater Weather
Copyright 2022 by Heather Rose Brown
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I dropped the heavy two-by-four I'd been dragging through the woods onto the pile of scrap lumber I'd been collecting, then wiped my forehead with the frizzy sleeve of my sweater. A cool breeze whispered through the trees, which brought the sweet, musty scent of fallen leaves.
I turned when I heard distant footsteps, then smiled at the sight of my friend trudging down the narrow path from his house. I waved and shouted, "Hey Stevie!"
My friend glared as he got closer, then stopped in front of me and asked, "Whatcha call me?"
I held up my hands and said, "Sorry, I meant Steve."
Steve smiled, but still sounded grumpy when he said, "That's better."
I leaned against one of the trees supporting the fort we'd been building, then asked, "You okay?"
"Not really," he said while shrugging.
I frowned and asked, "What happened?"
My friend pulled down the bottom of his sweater and said, "For starters, my mom said I gotta wear this."
I blinked a few times, then asked, "Didn't your sister used to wear that?"
Steve hung his head and said, "Ummm ... yeah."
"Sorry to hear that," I said while patting his arm. "I thought things were gettin' better."
My friend sighed, then looked up and said, "Until last night, I'd thought that too."
"What happened?" I asked.
Steve snorted, then said, "It started with Dad sayin' how tall I'd gotten, then Mom sayin' Karen's old clothes would probably fit me now. When I tried to argue about wearin' my sister's clothes, both my parents said there's nothin' wrong with me wearin' her hand-me-downs."
He clenched his jaw and kicked a small pile of leaves. When the last leaf fluttered to the ground, his shoulders drooped as he said, "They also pretty much said it's about time I got over bein' a tomboy."
"Oh jeez," I said, then wrinkled my forehead while asking, "They still think you're goin' through some kinda phase?"
"Seems like it," he said while nodding. "So ... how's things been goin' for you?"
I slid down the rough bark of the tree behind me. When my butt hit the thick mat of leaves covering the ground, I tugged my sweater back down, and said, "I dunno."
Steve sat beside me, and leaned against the tree. We looked up at almost the same time when something chittered overhead, then watched a couple of squirrels leaping from branch to branch. A minute or so later, he asked, "They still ain't got a clue 'bout how ya been feelin'?"
"I think they're at least wondering what's goin' on after I flat out refused to go to baseball camp this year." I looked down at my blue sneakers, blue jeans, and blue sweater, then said, "I think maybe the rest of my hints have been too subtle."
My friend reached behind my head and flipped up my ponytail, then asked, "Ya call this subtle?"
I pulled my legs up to my chest, then wrapped my arms around my knees and said, "I've been thinkin' maybe wearin' girl clothes might help."
There was a hint of worry in Steve's eyes when he asked, "You're ready to let your folks see what you've been hidin' in your stash?"
My stomach tightened when I said, "I dunno if I'm really ready, but I'm startin' to feel like I need to do it anyways."
"Hmmm ..." my friend said while scratching his chin. "I think I got an idea."
I stretched out my legs and asked, "What's that?"
Steve grinned and said, "We could trade sweaters!"
While my friend pulled off his sister's sweater, I asked, "Ya really think that'd help?"
After pulling down his undershirt, he held the sweater out to me and said, "It's pink. It's fluffy. It's got a bunch of butterflies all over it. If your mom and dad *still* don't see you're a girl, they'd have to be totally blind."
Even with the tingle of fear creeping down my spine, I still smiled at the thought of wearing something so pretty. I accepted the sweater with shaking hands, set it down in my lap, then started pulling off my own sweater.
While I was struggling to get both my nose and ponytail past the collar of my sweater, Steve gasped, then said, "You're ... you're wearin' it."
Once I got my sweater the rest of the way off, I straightened out my t-shirt while asking, "Wearin' what?"
He looked at my chest and said, "The ... thing ... my mom gave me, that I passed on to ya."
I crossed my arms when I realized where he was looking, then said, "Well, I *did* say I was thinkin' about wearin' girl clothes."
My friend looked up, and seemed to be trying hard to not look down again while asking, "Did your parents see you?" When I nodded, he asked, "Did they freak out?"
I uncrossed my arms, then rested my hands on both sweaters and said, "As far as I could tell, they didn't notice anything different."
"They didn't notice their 'son'," he said while making air quotes, "wearin' a training bra?"
"Well," I said as my face warmed, "my sweater's sorta loose, and a bit bulky too."
I shivered when a cold gust of air brushed across my bare arms.
"You gettin' chilly?" my friend asked.
I grinned, then said through chattering teeth, "Kinda, yeah."
Steve grinned back, then said, "Me too," before pulling the blue sweater from under my hand.
I picked up the pink sweater, and slipped it over my head. Even though my old sweater hadn't been exactly uncomfortable, it definitely wasn't as soft as what I'd just put on. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding, then squealed when I looked down at what I was wearing.
"You sound happy," my friend said in a muffled voice.
His head popped through the neck hole of his new sweater when I looked up. He smiled from ear to ear when he looked at me, then gave my arm a friendly nudge while saying, "Ya look pretty in pink."
"Thanks!" I said while the warmth in my cheeks spread to my ears. "Ya look good in blue."
Steve stood up, then held out a hand to me and asked, "Ya ready to get started?"
I nodded as he helped me up, then said, "I'm ready for anything!"
"Even clueless parents?" he asked while letting go of my hand.
"Let's concentrate on our tree fort first," I said while climbing up the rickety ladder we'd built together. "Maybe we can figure out what to do with them while we're working."
My friend climbed behind me and said, "Whatever happens, I'll always be there to back you up."
I looked down and gave Steve a huge smile, then looked back up and kept climbing. Even though I didn't know if I'd be facing a storm of rage, or a fog of denial, it was a relief to know I wouldn't have to weather it alone.
Comments
Patent Medicine
One of Heather's sweet tales of hope and optimism. She should get a patent on this elixir. :)
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Thank you!
Your kind words always make me smile. Most of the time, I prefer writing stories with a positive spin. If even a tiny bit of sympathetic magic allows our world to be a little more like my stories, then the time I've spent weaving raw ideas into something readable has been more than well spent. :)
Sweet and touching
Nicely told vignette. Thanks.
>>> Kay
Awww...
I'm glad you enjoyed this story. Thank you for your encouraging words. :)
I wonder
Just how deep into denial the parents really are. Can they look at what the two have done and refuse to notice? Somehow I think Steve will have an easier time of it. After all, we know that it's a step up for girl to be masculine and a step down for a boy to be feminine.
Only time will tell. l wish them both luck trying to convince their parents of who they really are.
Hugs
Patricia
Happiness is being all dressed up and HAVING some place to go.
Semper in femineo gerunt
Ich bin eine Mann
Denial ...
... seems to have no (or litlle) limit to how deep it can go. I'm really hoping things go okay for both kids as well. Coming out to anyone can be difficult, but coming out to family can be even tougher.
Another Wonderful Story
You check all the feel-good boxes with this one. All anyone needs is hope.
Jill
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
*smiling*
I'm so glad you enjoyed this story! I'm also glad this story came out feeling hopeful, even though both kids are having issues with their parents. Hope is one of the things that helped me get through some really rough times in my life.
Hopeful and Sweet
This story was very cute and hopeful. It shows what friendship is all about.
“
If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.”
― Toni Morrison
Friends ...
... can be a really special part of your life. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be where I am today without the kindness and support of my friends. :)
1202 words . . . .
Heather, that was lovely. You have a sense of the place, and the moment, and both young people, in just 1200 words. Thank you!
Emma
Thanks Emma!
I'm glad you like this story, and I appreciate your encouraging words! :)
this was so nice
I'm sure it's not in the cards, but it would be great to see more of these characters.
While I'm pretty sure ...
... this will stay a solo story, I have had characters from one story appear in another. So, while I won't make any promises, Steve and his friend may pop up in another story.
Well-written
Thanks for an enjoyable story. There was enough complexity to get me thinking at the start and a good resolution at the end. Short, unified in time and space, characters that generate empathy -- a writing teacher would give this high marks.
*blushing*
Wow ... thank you! Even though I loved my creative writing class when I was in school, it was still a struggle to get all the ideas floating around in my head written in a way that would make sense to others. The idea that something I wrote might be given high marks by a teacher just ... makes me feel a giggly and happy. :)