Tongue Tied: 2

 

Marybeth knows that her husband, Bob, cheated on her. He admits it, but he won't tell her whom he
cheated with. Marybeth has to know the truth, so she enlists a little witchcraft to get to the truth.

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Author's Note: If this story touches you in any way, please leave me a review? ~Clara.
 
This version of Tongue Tied: 2 has been updated with many corrections towards spelling and grammar.~Sephrena.
 
Image Credit: Image created through the use of ai at https://perchance.org/beautiful-people .~Sephrena.

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Chapter 5
 

It was well past noon and Annie felt like she was losing her mind. No word from Bob. She thought about taking a ride to his house, but if things had gone well and Bob and Marybeth were celebrating, then the last thing that they would want would be Annie showing up to spoil the mood - or, worse, upsetting Marybeth again.

"If I don't hear from him by 4, I'm going to go bang on his door and find out what is going on!" She resolved.

Just then, her phone chimed indicating that she was receiving a text message. She grabbed the phone and read.

Please come get me! MB is at the office!

"Thank God he's ok." Annie thought. She grabbed her purse and ran out the door calling back to the ladies in the shop that she'd be back as soon as she could.

She pulled up in Bob's driveway and was shocked to see a small, thin girl of about 12 years old running from the door to her car. This child couldn't have been more than four feet tall - if that - and she was wearing a tee shirt that was miles too big on her young frame. She jumped in and as soon as Annie saw his face she knew it was Bob.

"Bob!? How!? Didn't you talk to her!? Why would she do this!?"

Bob told her the whole story. How he tried, but couldn't say what he wanted. How Marybeth had initiated the sexual events and the next thing he knew, he woke up on the dining room table wearing the dress that had fit him last night, but now was a tent on his little frame.

"I am taking you to my place and we're calling the police."

"Annie, what would we tell them? Just take me to your house and let me try to think this through."

So, she did.

Annie's house was a cute little cottage in the same neighborhood in which she and Bob had grown up. Very cute. Very sweet. Very girly.

After she found a little peasant blouse that, with a few quick alterations, fit Bob like a dress, they sat on her frilly couch to try to talk through a solution. Bob knew what he had to do, but also knew that he couldn't do it.

"So, where does that leave you now?" Asked Annie.

"What do you mean?"

"Well... how do I put this?... Do you still... I mean... Are you, entirely, you know, female?"

"No. I still have a penis. Kind of."

"What do you mean 'kind of?'"

"I mean," He hesitated, "It's pretty small, but it's there."

"Stand up and let me see it," Annie told him.

"Why?"

"Bob, I have been dragged into this lunacy and I have no idea what's going on, what you did or didn't do or how, on God's green earth, something like this could possibly even happen! This is the weirdest thing imaginable and I want to know what's going on. I am asking you to show me how vindictive Marybeth, who, until a few weeks I ago, I thought of as one of my closest friend, can be! What if she is going to come after me, Bobby!? I WANT to know about it, so, please, show me."

Bob stood up and lifted the hem of his blouse/dress. He wasn't wearing any panties, so his equipment was clearly visible.

Annie breathed in quickly and her hand flew to her lips. "Oh, Bobby! What has she done to you? It looks like a little boy's!"

He bowed his head and cried some quiet tears. "I know." Despite his embarrassment, Bob's penis was starting to get stiff.

"What are you doing?" Annie scolded. "For Christ's sake, Bobby, what's that all about?"

"I'm sorry, Annie, I really am! I can't seem to control it. I know that it looks like a child's but it is still very much a man's and it seems to be more sensitive than ever."

Annie sighed and turned her head a bit. "Well, cover it up and think about other things, will you please? What do you think we should do now?"

They had talked for at least an hour when there was a loud knocking at the door.

Annie opened it a crack and saw Marybeth outside.

"What do you want?" Annie asked.

"Is he here?" Marybeth demanded.

"Yes. What do you want?"

"I want to talk to my husband."

Annie smiled a phony smile and pretended to think. "Hmm. Your husband. Tall guy with a nice hair cut and a broad chest, right? Hmm. Nope. I haven't seen anyone that looks like your husband." And she started to close the door.

Marybeth easily stopped the door and stepped past Annie.

"I'll settle for a pre-pubescent, blonde girl with a little penis, then."

Marybeth stormed into the living room where Bob was sitting on the end of the couch. His legs were tucked under his buttocks so his blouse/dress was covering him all the way to the couch.

Marybeth stood in front of Bob and folded her arms. Annie ran into the room behind her, but waited back just a little to see if, maybe, Marybeth and Bob could talk it out.

"Well," Marybeth started, "I didn't have to think much to figure out where you'd run."

Bob just looked down at his knees.

"So, Annie, what do you think of my big, strong husband? Isn't he something?"

"Marybeth," Annie started, but Marybeth continued as if she hadn't heard.

"Did he tell you why this is all happening to him?"

"Yes, he did. He said that he had been unfaithful to you."

Marybeth never took her eyes off of Bob. "I am going to ask you this one time, Annie, and I hope that you will be honest with me. Was he unfaithful to me with you?"

Now, her head turned to look at Annie.

"No, Marybeth, he was not. I love Bobby more than anyone else on earth, but... Well, he loves you, Marybeth and he never saw me that way. And you know what, hun, I love you, too. The day the Bobby told me he loved you was the worst day of my life I cried for about a week, but I put that all aside and I was determined to like you for Bobby's sake. You were beautiful, successful and, most importantly, I THOUGHT you loved Bobby - so I loved you. Like you were my sister. Marybeth, in the twenty-plus years that I have known and loved you, I would never have thought that you could have hurt Bobby like this. I feel like I don't even know you."

Marybeth was obviously shaken by Annie's words. Finally, she nodded her head and said, "Ok. I believe that he didn't cheat with you, but you did cheat, Bob, didn't you."

Bob's head had not moved since Marybeth had arrived. Now, he nodded, but still didn't look up.

"See?" Marybeth asked Annie.

"Yes. I know."

"Do you know who she was, then?"

"No, Marybeth. He never told me. He told that he couldn't." Annie moved to the couch and rubbed Bob's back as if he were a child. "Bobby, if there was ever a time to be a man and face the consequences for your actions, now is that time, sweetie. Please, Bobby, tell Marybeth who it was."

The room was silent for a long time. Finally, Marybeth grabbed an ottoman and placed it in front of Bob.

"Nothing to say, huh?"

Bob said nothing.

Marybeth looked at Annie and shook her head.

"Have you seen his equipment today?" She asked Annie.

Annie kept her hand on Bob's back, but looked away from Marybeth and nodded that she had.

"Watch this." Marybeth told her. "Bob, look at me."

He did.

"Now, Bob, are you wearing panties, today?"

Bob shook his head in embarrassment.

"Ooo, you're a dirty girl, today. You liked your panties yesterday, though, didn't you?"

"No, I didn't"

"Oh, I think you did," Marybeth smiled. "I think you liked the way that your panties felt so soft and silky on your penis didn't you?"

"Marybeth, please..." Annie tried to intervene, but Bob's face was getting redder and she could see that Bob was getting aroused.

"Shh - oh, look at him," Marybeth was really enjoying herself. "You like this, don't you? Now, spread your knees for me, Bob."

He did.

Marybeth put her hand under the hem of his blouse/dress and took his penis softly in her hand. She started rubbing and massaging him. His eyes rolled back in his head and his chest started heaving.

"Marybeth, this is wrong. Come on, please." But Marybeth kept rubbing and prompting Bob with her words.

"How does that feel, baby? Ooh, that's a good girl! Come for me, baby. That's right. Come for me."

Annie had had enough and she stood up and squared off with Marybeth. "Alright, Marybeth. That's enough. This is disgusting. Stop and leave. I mean it, Mary..."

She stopped because Bob looked to be convulsing.

"That's a good girl. Keep it coming." Marybeth said.

Annie couldn't believe what she was seeing. Bob was starting to change before her eyes.

Annie took three quick steps at Marybeth and knocked her off the ottoman. "Stop! Leave him alone!"

Marybeth fell to the floor with a heavy thud. Annie grabbed Bobby and hugged him, but the convulsions grew stronger. Annie let go and fell onto her bottom on the floor. "Oh, my God! Oh, my God!"

The shrinking began and Bob screamed and passed out. The convulsions became greater and greater as he got smaller and smaller.

Annie pushed herself backwards and covered he whole face except her eyes. "Make it stop, God damn it, Marybeth! No one deserves this! Make it stop!"

Marybeth had risen to her knees and was rising to her feet letting out a dismissive laugh. "It will stop when it's done. There's no way to stop it now."

Bob got smaller and smaller and smaller until, eventually, the convulsions slowed and finally stopped. Before the two women was a very small, little girl. She looked to be about 6 or 7 years old and no more than 3 feet tall. Her long, straight, blonde hair was messed with strands stuck to the sweat on her face.

Marybeth was as fascinated as she had been after each transformation. "Wow," she whispered. "Annie, come see him. This is just amazing."

Annie was shaking nearly uncontrollably as she moved to the couch. "Oh, Bobby, Bobby."

She knelt and patted the hair from child's face. She looked at his face. She could still see Bobby, but it was harder than before. He was so small. So fragile. Such a little thing. She lifted his unconscious head and hugged it to her own and wept.

"Oh, stop. He'll be fine as soon as he tells me everything I want to know. Then I can reverse the spell."

Annie wasn't hearing her. She was rocking back and forth with Bob in her arms.

"Let me show you the most interesting part. Every time he gets younger, his penis gets..." Marybeth sat and lifted the hem of the now huge peasant blouse to take a look, but she stopped short.

She was frozen for a few seconds before she stood quickly and turned her back to Bob. Her eyes were wide and wild.

"Oh, God." She whispered.

She turned to look at Bob again and this time looked at his crotch more carefully. "This isn't supposed to happen" Her words started quietly, but got louder and louder as she spoke. "Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!"

Now, at last, she had Annie's attention. Annie looked up to see the shear panic on Marybeth's face. "What is it!?" she whispered. When Marybeth didn't reply, Annie's voice became louder. "What's wrong."

"Look. Look at his crotch!" Marybeth shouted!

Annie held Bobby's little head in the crook of one arm while she lifted the hem of the blouse with her other hand. What she found was the anatomy of a very young girl. A smooth abdomen, a small mound and a vaginal opening.

"It's gone!" Marybeth screamed. "It's not supposed to be gone! He's just supposed to LOOK like a girl, not become one!"

The unreal quality of this entire situation was more than Annie could stand. "Marybeth! Marybeth! Stop! Think! How did you do this? How do we change him back to normal?"

Marybeth was still staring at Bob's new sex in shock. Finally, she came to her senses.

"Myra! I have to call Myra! She gave me the potions! She's into all this magic! She'll know what to do!"

While Marybeth pulled out her cell phone, dialed and talked to Myra, Annie went to her bedroom and grabbed a blanket then ran back and wrapped Bobby in it. Then she cradled him in her arms and rocked him back and forth making soothing sounds.

It seemed like hours, but Myra was knocking at the door within ten minutes. Marybeth opened the door and let her in. "Oh, thank God you came! Come in! Come in!" She led her to the living room.

Annie was still holding Bobby who was still unconscious.

Myra smiled at Annie, "So, you must be Bob's little 'girlfriend.' Nice to meet you."

Annie didn't disguise her disgust. "So, you must be the unholy spawn of hell witch! I wish I had lived my entire life without knowing that trash like you even existed."

Myra smiled back at her, an evil light in her eyes. "So, what's the problem?"

"Look!" Marybeth said and indicated Bob's lower body. Myra reached for the blanket surrounding Bob's body.

"Touch him and I will break your rotten neck, you obnoxious piece of shit!" Annie yelled. Once Marybeth and Myra backed off, Annie, gently parted the opening of the blanket revealing Bob's new sex.

Myra let out a guffaw. "Oh, wow! Is that really Bob!" She continued to laugh. "This is too precious!"

Annie was furious and closed the blanket again.

Marybeth was confused. "How do we fix it?"

"Well," Myra said, "first, let's wake him up."

They both looked at Annie. She nodded and started rubbing Bob's face while inducing him to wake up. "Bobby. Bobby, honey. Come on, now, sweetie, it's time to wake up. Bobby. Come on sweetie."

She continued to gently wake him as his eyes fluttered and then opened.

"Annie?" he whispered. "Annie, why are you so big?"

"Hush, baby. I'm not big, honey. You've gotten very, very small. There's someone here to help you, Bobby, so you have to wake up and talk to her, ok?"

"Ok." He whispered weakly as Annie raised him to a more seated position.

Myra bent forward and put her hands on her knees and looked Bob with a big grin. "Hey, there, Bob! How are you doing today?" She laughed at him.

"Hi, Myra." Bob said with a little more strength than he'd had before. "Why are you here?"

"Because, Bob, I am the one who gave Marybeth the potion that did all of this to you. Things seem to have gone a little further than she expected, now and she called me here to see if I might be able to get you your sweet, little wee-wee back."

Bob's eyes nearly burst out of his head. He turned to Annie in a panic. She nodded that, yes, he had lost his penis, but she wouldn't allow him to explore himself in front of Myra.

"So, Marybeth, did he tell you what you wanted to know?" Myra asked.

"Well, no," Marybeth said, a little confused, "but we've gone beyond that, now. I want you to fix this. Now. Please!"

"Yeah, but you have him where you wanted him right? I mean, he'll never be more vulnerable than this. Let's ask him again!"

"Myra, I don't think...."

"Ask him, please. I think he's ready, now."

Marybeth couldn't see a way around this. "Ok. Ok."

Marybeth sat on the ottoman again and looked Bob directly in the eye. She ran her fingers through her hair and tried to focus on convincing Bob to tell the truth.

"Bob," She said. "This is it, baby. I really need you to tell me the truth - NOW, Bobby, - I need you to tell me the truth - NOW. Do you understand?"

He was still cuddled in Annie's embrace, but he nodded his
understanding.

"Alright, good. Now, Bob, I know that you're scared, but I need you to know that I really do love you. I never meant for this to go this far. It was just supposed to be a punishment and this is the only way to get you back to normal, so - here goes: Did you cheat on me?"

Bob looked away for a moment, then nodded.

"Ok. Now, please, Bob, tell me who you cheated with."

Bobby opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out and tears appeared in his eyes.

Marybeth let out a frustrated breath and bowed her head. Then, slowly, she looked at Myra and shook her head. "I'm done. Just make him Bob again, please."

"In a minute." Myra said. "Let me try."

She tapped Marybeth on the shoulder and indicated that she should get off the ottoman. Then Myra sat in front of Bob. She looked at him with a huge smile on her face.

"Hiiiiiii, Bobby!" She sang. Bob thought that she sounded like a babysitter meeting a new client. "Aren't you the prettiest little thing today? Yes, you are!" and she pinched his nose.

Finally, she got to point. "Ok, Bobby. The time has come for you to act like a big girl and tell Auntie Myra the truth. Who was it, Bob? What's the name of the woman you had an affair with?"

Bob continued to weep quietly.

"Alright," Marybeth said. "That's it."

"No, no, no," Myra waved her off. "I have another idea."

Her gaze returned to Bob. "Bobby? I am going to say something important to you. Are you listening?"

Bob nodded, again.

"Bob, you are free. I release you from my grasp. You may tell Marybeth and Annie the truth,"

Bob's expression changed completely. He looked straight at Myra and his eyes narrowed causing Myra to let out a burst of laughter.

"Whoa!" Myra joked, "Stand back ladies! Here it comes!"

"Who was it, Bob?" Marybeth prompted.

"It was Myra." He said with hatred in his voice.

"What?" Asked Annie.

"It was Myra!" He shouted. "You were in Detroit working that case against that big chemical company. I went out to dinner after work - all by myself. Myra saw me and sat down at my table. I bought her dinner, we had a few drinks and, next thing I knew, I woke up in her bed and it was morning. She rolled over and told me that we'd had a 'wonderful night' and that we needed to keep this between us. That is all of it, Mare! I swear! I have never been so ashamed of anything of done in my entire life."

The room was filled with a stunned silence.

"What?" Marybeth whispered. "I don't understand. It was.... Myra? But.... Myra, you told me you saw him with someone that weekend."

"And I did!" Myra teased. "Me! I saw us together. Bob and me!"

"Then...? Myra, what the hell is going on?"

Myra stood and stepped a little closer to Marybeth as she spoke. "'Marybeth is soooo successful!' 'Marybeth is sooooo smart!' 'Marybeth is suuuuuch a good lawyer!' 'Myra, you should be more like Marybeth!' God! I am so sick of being in the presence of the great and powerful, Marybeth! Do you have any idea what it's like to be in your shadow every god-damned day of my life?"

Marybeth was stunned. Nothing was making sense. "But... I helped you, Myra. When you needed me, I was there for you. I thought that we were friends."

"Friends!!!" Myra scoffed. "I owe you everything, Marybeth, and no one will ever let me forget that! Everyone at the office - everyone in my family - everyone in YOUR family knows how you 'saved' me from drugs and from myself and I have not gone a single day in the past 10 years that someone hasn't reminded me of it! Well, the time has come to take the great Marybeth down a peg or two and, by God, I did!"

"You have everything, don't you, Marybeth? Great job! Great house! Great kid and great husband. Ha! Husband. He was always more of a wife than a husband, if you think about it. He did all the cooking. All the cleaning. All the laundry. His best friend is a woman. He works in a bridal shop surrounded by fawning woman..."

"Myra! What have you done!?" Marybeth screamed, finally realizing where things were headed.

"I took your perfect life and I made it crap - just like mine! And you know what? It was easy!'

"I didn't need any magic to get him to come home with me, you know. Oh, sure, 'Mr. Faithful-to my Wife' wouldn't take the bait when I tried to seduce him, but it is amazing how easy it is to slip a couple of 'ruffies' to a guy. That made him very pliable and cooperative. I brought him home, got him to take off his clothes and get into my bed, then, the next morning, I convinced him that he'd screwed me stupid. Then, a little spell to make it impossible for him to tell anyone about it until I released the spell and I had set the perfect trap for you!"

"Myra," Marybeth interrupted

"Shut up!" Myra screamed at her. Then she turned to Annie. "You know what, Annie? Whenever your name came up in conversation, I could tell that Marybeth was jealous of your friendship with her husband. Maybe not 'Fatal Attraction' jealous, but there was a spark of jealousy there for me to work with. Do you know that when I told Marybeth that I was sure that Bob had cheated on her, the first name to pop into her head was 'Annie.' Why do you suppose that was?"

Annie was numb with confusion, but she turned to Marybeth and, in a quiet and confident voice said, "Marybeth, I never once even considered it."

"I know, Annie," Marybeth said. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry." Myra mocked her tone.

"And I'm sorry for anything I did to hurt you, too," Marybeth said to Myra.

"Well, too bad, you competitive bitch." Myra snapped at her. "Oh, it was so easy to get you to believe me! How could anyone compete with YOU!? From that second on, you were willing to destroy everything you had just to insure that 'you were the fairest of them all!' Look at what you were willing to do to the man you loved just to 'win!' You willingly and happily turned him into a little girl!"

"Myra, please," Marybeth pleaded, "how do we turn him back?"

Myra stood with her hands on her hips and her smile suppressed a laugh.

"Myra," Annie quietly said from her seat, "I am not rich, but I have a comfortable life. There's the shop and this house and I have some money put aside. You can have it all, but please - make Bobby right again."

Myra made a mock expression of pity as she spoke. "Aww - poor little Annie. You really are an innocent in all this, aren't you? Good, supportive friend to both Bob and Marybeth and then mean-old Myra shows up and ruins everything. Well, sorry, but you are just collateral damage."

"Myra! Please!!!" Screamed Marybeth. "Please! How do we change him back?"

"You can't." Myra said quietly, but with a childish playfulness to her voice. "What's done is done, as they say."

"What?" asked Marybeth.

"What?" repeated Annie. Bobby just closed his eyes and wept into Annie's shoulder.

"If I could fix him, then your suffering would end. Is my suffering ended? No. I will always be the woman that the great Marybeth 'saved' and there is nothing I can do about that - except - walk away. Let's see you walk away from the mess you made of your life."

Annie pulled Bobby's little body closer to her and wept along with him. Marybeth collapsed into a chair and wept into her hands. Myra looked around at the carnage she'd created and quietly said, "Good. My work here is done." Then, she left the house.
 
Chapter 6
 

It was a hectic morning for Annie. The bridesmaids were finally all dressed in their breath-taking gowns, but not one of them came close to being as beautiful as Kathy was in the gown that Annie had slaved over for the past 18 months. First the designs, then the actual sewing and fitting and beading and this and that and this and that, again. If Annie had another 3 years to work on the gown, she'd still be fussing over it. She had dreamed of making Kathy's gown since the day Kathy was born and now her dream had come true.

The dress was beautiful.

Kathy was beautiful.

Annie was content with her work.

Marybeth walked into the dressing room at the hotel wearing a beautiful mother-of-the-bride dress that Annie had made just for her and when she saw her gorgeous daughter, she stopped dead in her tracks and put her hands to her mouth. "Oh, Kathy. You are so beautiful!"

"Thanks, mom. So are you!" Kathy beamed back at her. "And thank you Auntie Annie!"

Annie kissed Kathy on the cheek, "You are very welcome, baby."

Marybeth hugged Annie and kissed her cheek, "Thank you, Annie. She is gorgeous."

"You are very welcome." Annie smiled and hugged Marybeth.

"Is everyone ready, then? Only about 10 minute before we start?" Marybeth asked.

"Nearly!" Annie said. "Just the junior bridesmaids to go. Come on over here girls and let's make sure that you are all ready!" She called

The three little girls, June and Kellie, both aged 10 and Emma, nearly 8 hustled over to submit to Annie's loving inspection. All looked like miniature brides with dresses that were nearly identical miniatures of Kathy's masterpiece of bridal finery complete with a lavish veils.

June and Kellie were ready in a heartbeat, but, of course, Emma had to have last minute adjustments.

Annie had already changed Emma's tights twice due to, first, Emma slipping on the stairs in her slippery shoes and, second, Emma playing with their puppy, Quincy, before Annie convinced her to put on the sundress that she was to wear to the hotel.

Annie fussed over Emma, adjusting the veil so that it was securely anchored in the child's hair. "What am I going to do with you, young lady?" Annie said in mock exasperation.

"I guess that you'll just have to keep on loving me." The child replied.

Annie smiled, made the alterations that needed to be made and gave Emma a long, maternal kiss on the forehead. "I guess I will," Annie giggled back. "I love you sweetie."

"I love you, too, Annie. Thank you for everything, today."

"No need to thank me. She's my baby, too. Both of you are."

Marybeth squatted down to inspect Emma, too. "My, you are beautiful, honey." She told the child. Marybeth touched Emma's face and smiled. Her hand moved to Emma's heavily hair sprayed hair and Marybeth snorted a little laugh. "The price of beauty, I guess." Marybeth's smile saddened just a little bit, "I do love you, you know."

"I know," Emma said.

As Emma walked away to join Kellie and June, Annie thought about the last 18 months.

Bobby had refused to leave Annie's house with Marybeth that day, no matter how many times Marybeth apologized; Bobby just clung to Annie in complete and total terror of his wife.

The next few days were a combination of tears and adjustments for the three of them. Annie became Bobby's strength and protector. She would not allow Marybeth near him for a week and only then because Marybeth had come up with a plan to try to continue with their lives.

They met in Marybeth's office one evening after everyone had gone home. Marybeth was wearing a new pants suit and was looking tired and a bit defeated. Annie was, as always, perfect in a mid-thigh silk dress. Bobby's long blonde hair had been cut into perfect bangs and he was wearing a little green 'jumper' dress with a crisply starched, white, Peter-Pan collared shirt, little, white tights and little black pattern leather shoes - almost like a little first grader in a private school, Marybeth thought. He entered holding Annie's hand and she helped him into a chair.

Marybeth's plan was simple and, as it turned out, it worked.

They staged a boating accident and reported Bob missing. After a few days of searching, they gave up and a few months later, Bob was pronounced dead and Marybeth signed over Bob's half of the bridal business to Annie. Then, little Emma appeared. Marybeth's law firm saw to it that all of the adoption papers were in order and everything was legal. The only question was who was going to adopt this little, 6 year old girl. Marybeth's plan was for Emma to live with her, but Bob just couldn't do that. He was still having nightmares about what she'd done to him. So, Emma was now Annie's daughter and, mother and daughter were doing just fine.

Once Annie's adoption of Emma was public knowledge, Annie enrolled her daughter in home school programs. Annie and Marybeth both insisted that Emma not test any higher than a fourth grader - after all, 6 year old who could pass a GED level test would unquestionably attract attention and attention was not wanted.

So, the daily routine had become a mother and daughter breakfast at home, then getting dressed, almost all of Emma's clothes were hand made by her mom - and mom didn't like her little girl in pants. Then they headed for the shop. Bob's office was set up to accommodate Emma's proportions and, since most of the office work was done on line, Emma was able to continue doing a lot of Bob's work for the shop without drawing much attention. They hired a new man to work part time in the warehouse and cover that part of Bob's old duties. As long as Emma completed her grade 4 work every week and Annie had an up to date portfolio to give to the home-school supervisors, everything was fine.

Emma did find that strictly office work wasn't filling all of her days, so Annie had started teaching Emma how to sew and bead the gowns. It was very satisfying work and Emma really took to it. Seeing her work on a bride or a bridesmaid made her very proud and, very quickly she understood what Annie meant when she said, "Every woman in the world is my own, personal Barbie doll and I love making them look pretty."

After work, every day, Annie and Emma went home and cooked a nice dinner before settling in for quiet evenings of reading or something crafty - Sewing, embroidery, knitting, etc.

Emma was always in bed by 8:30. She may have the brain of a fully grown man, but she had the body of a little girl and needed sleep. The first few weeks, the nightmares had been so bad that Emma had slept cuddled in Annie's loving embrace, but, eventually, she was able to move into her own room which, for appearances' sake, Annie decorated with pink and white dominating the room.

Marybeth and Emma had reached an understanding. Marybeth was truly sorry and genuinely mourned the loss of her husband, but she took responsibility for her actions and tried hard to make a good, new life for little Emma. She was attentive to the needs of the little child who she referred to as 'her niece' and, from time to time, she would take Emma shopping or to lunch or even a movie.

After Annie, Marybeth and Emma had agreed to Marybeth's plan, Emma and Marybeth had to make a decision together about what to tell Kathy. Marybeth agreed to let Emma think about this problem for a few days and then to let her handle whether they told Kathy about the plan or let her believe that her father had passed away.

"I will make a decision before we stage 'Bob's' death." Emma had said. Marybeth had found the dichotomy of seeing this beautiful, little angel speaking in such an adult manner very odd and, as the days wore on, Emma began to adopt less sophisticated manners of speaking in order to draw less attention to herself.

The wedding coordinator entered the dressing room with a great flourish and a self-imposed sense of importance.

"All right, ladies!" she called as she clapped her hands like a petulant kindergarten teacher. "It's time! Let's line up. Kellie, June and Emma, come right up front here and line up. Emma, sweetheart, you're the smallest, so you're first. June and Kellie, right behind her."

"Wait! Wait!" Kathy called as she struggled with her lavish dress to jog over to the little girls. She knelt by the girls and her shirts inflated all around her. "I almost forgot! I have a little present for each of you!"

The girls all looked excited. Kathy presented each with a little white jewelry box.

"Ok, Let's open them together. On three! 1. 2. 3!"

They all opened them and found an exquisite silver little cross on a silver chain for each of them.

"Let me put them on you."

First June. Kathy fastened the necklace on to the child and kissed her cheek. Then she did the same for Kellie and gathered them both in her arms for a group hug. "Oh, my sweet, sweet cousins! Thank you so much for being a part of my wedding. I love you both!"

"We love you, too!" The girls said in unison. Then they returned to their places in line.

Kathy smiled a huge smile as she turned Emma so that she could fasten her necklace for her.

"And for my very prettiest and newest 'cousin' a beautiful, silver cross to wear. If you wear this every day, then I will always be with you. I love you, baby, you know that, right?" Kathy said.

Emma smiled, but little tears were forming in the corners of her eyes. "I love you, too, Kathy."

Kathy laughed just a little. "Now, don't you cry, sweetie, or you'll make me cry, too. And won't the two of us look just beautiful marching down the aisle with our mascara running down our cheeks. Come here."

Kathy drew the little girl to her and hugged her tightly to her breast. The cloud of silk and veil created by the two matching gowns nearly obscured the two girls from view.

Kathy took that moment to whisper to Emma, "I love you, daddy. I love you with all my heart. No matter what."

Emma did let a few tears fall this time. "I love you, too, baby. You will always be my baby and I will always be your dad. No matter what.

The organ started playing and Kathy released Emma then held her at arm's length to look at her again. "Oh, no, no - let's kiss those tears away." And she did.

The wedding coordinator gently took Emma by the hand and led her back to the front of the line. "Alright, sweetness, back to the front of the line."

As the doors opened and Emma was led out to start down the aisle, she looked back at Kathy once more and fingered the little cross around her neck and smiled. Then she stepped into the hall and heard the impressed gasp of the people gathered there. As she started her march down the aisle, she said a little prayer of thanks that she had all of her girls with her again, today.
 
 
To Be Continued...