Author's Note: Once again, I adore your reviews and emails of encouragement. I am writing and editing as quickly as I can. Please let me know how you feel about this chapter, too!
Please, leave me a review?
I am always willing to learn! ~Clara.
This version of Kiss Me Bianca: 3 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.
BUILDING A WARDROBE -or- KNOW'ST ME NOT BY MY CLOTHES? CONTINUED
"Good news, everyone," the Assistant Director stood in front of the cast and held up a text on his cell phone to show everyone, "the air conditioning will be back on tomorrow. I'm sorry for the heat today, but you all did a great job, regardless. Ms Weldon is giving notes to the other cast, but she'll be in to talk to you all as soon as she's done in there. Having said that, I have a few notes of my own..."
John, Rose and Gloria shared a bench in the parking lot. They'd all moved outside for notes due to the extreme temperatures in the rehearsal halls. The three of them were wearing just their smocks. The rest of the cast, all male, were in various degrees of undress, cooling off in the shade of the trees. Not for the first time, John envied them.
Typically, John was very attentive to notes, but the heat had really gotten to him today and, as a result, he was only half listening for his name. Until that happened, he was sitting next to Rose, who was in the center, trying to just get rid of the heat headache that was ringing in his head.
Lord, his bra was so damp! The Lycra seemed to not breathe at all. His chest could not sweat, of course, due to the breasts that were glued to it, but every other part of his body seemed to be making up for that. At Jan's insistence, he'd applied antiperspirant to his arm pits four time through the day. If it had helped, he couldn't tell.
"... and Kate and Bianca..." the Assistant Director said and John's eyes shot open, "Your last scene together," he put all of his fingertips together and kissed them in the manner of a cartooned Italian chef, "just perfect, girls. Bianca, your reaction to Kate's submission to her husband... it's just a perfect reflection of what the audience will be thinking. I love it ladies! Keep it up."
There was some supportive applause from the cast. John waved his appreciation and closed his eyes, again.
Finally, Ms Weldon arrived and she did not look happy, which surprised John, since everything seemed to be going very well.
"First of all, I want everyone's attention on me. I know it was hot, but that's life. I have a lot of notes and I expect that anything I criticize here today will be fixed tomorrow and remain fixed forever. Am I understood?"
They all indicated that she was.
"Good. First - the suitors..." she wasn't mean or brutal, but she was demanding and the three suitors were called to task on a lot of things - all of them small things, but all of them important.
"Petruchio..." same thing - lots of little things.
This went on for quite a while. Gloria was relieved to just get, "make your delivery and gestures bigger at that point. You're doing a great job, but that moment needs to be much bigger."
"Yes, ma'm. Thank you," Gloria relaxed.
She was nearly done and had said nothing about Bianca or Kate. John hoped that was a good thing.
"And Kate," John could feel Rose tense next to him, "in the end, do you actually 'love' Petruchio?"
"Yes, ma'am," she replied tentatively.
"Good. Then show it. What I saw was a woman who was - I don't know if respectful is the right word, but at least indulgent of her husband's nonsense and I saw some playfulness between you two, but I need to see actual, complete love between you two and, since Petruchio has to be this pompous character in that scene, it all falls down on you, sweetheart. Make me believe it. Understood?"
"Yes, ma'am"
Rose smiled. That was pretty good, actually.
"And Bianca-" It was a cold and angry voice that had just said his character's name. John wanted to dig a hole and hide. "I don't know where to start." She sighed and shook her head.
"Sometimes," she went on, "a director overreaches and makes mistakes when casting a character. When you auditioned, I saw that you read for the role, say, this well." She held her hand at about breast height. "I'd hope that, after some work with an AD and a coach, that you might get this good." She held her hand at shoulder height. "But I was wrong about you, John, and I should have known better."
John was ready to cry. The whole cast was glancing at him with confusion. As she shook her head and looked at him with disgust, John just wanted to die. He'd never worked this hard or gone through so much for a role. What had he done wrong!?
"John, I am going to suggest that you consider leaving that fancy school up in Boston, because I'm not sure that they have ANYTHING that they could teach you."
Rose held his hand, surreptitiously, and she could feel him shaking.
"You do not belong on this stage, John and that is all there is to it."
There was a stunned silence through the cast. It was broken by Harry, "Ms Weldon, I think that I speak for the entire cast, when I say..."
"Let me finish what I have to say, Harry. Then you can speak."
She returned her harsh, judgmental stare to John. "I say this as a truth, John. You do not belong here. This cast of amazingly talented people, this staff with years of experience and truck loads of talent... John... they... and I... and we... are holding you back."
Suddenly everyone breathed again - just a little.
"John, if I expected you to get to here," she held her hand at shoulder height again, "you have blasted right past that and I cannot even reach the level or performance that I am seeing from you."
John was shaking nearly uncontrollably, now. The fear and shame he'd been feeling had gotten his emotions off balance and he couldn't quite put his head around what she was saying. He didn't even notice the tears falling down his face.
"I've been doing this for over thirty years, John," finally Ms Weldon was smiling, "and I have never seen anything like you! John... No... I think John is gone, forever... Bianca, on behalf of the cast and staff, thank you for elevating this production of this amazing piece to the level of true 'art.' Keep it up, young lady! Keep it up!"
The shaking had become so bad, that Rose held him as the cast rose and faced him with a huge ovation. His smile seemed incongruous considering the tears.
Each member of the cast gave him a peck on the cheek on the way by. John just sat on the bench with Rose until just them, Ed and Ms Weldon remained.
"I'm sorry I put you through that, darling," Ms Weldon rubbed his back, "I guess I didn't realize I'd upset you, this much. Do you forgive me? I was just having some fun."
John had gained control of himself by this time and he smiled as he fluttered his eyes in an attempt to free the remaining tears in his long eye lashes. "I'm sorry, Ms Weldon. I don't know what came over me. I honestly thought that I was about to not only be fired, but told to quit school."
"May I have a few moments with my young friend?" Ms Weldon asked. Ed and Rose nodded and walked away.
She sat beside him, the petite little guy in the lacy smock, and she looked him over. "John," she spoke earnestly and with some concern in her voice, "I was serious when I said you should leave school. I'm not saying that you should stop studying acting, but if you really want to perform, believe me, I know that you're ready to move onto a real stage or, possibly, into film or television. Honestly, with the number of television shows on networks and streaming services these days, someone with your talent could easily find work within a few weeks. You're a very talented young actor, John and you should not be locked up in some school in Boston. The work is in New York and L.A. That's where you should be. And, I know that you grew up in this theater, but it's time to leave the nest, honey."
John was flattered by her compliments, but they scared him, too. Leave!? That was something he'd considered in a couple of years, when he'd graduated. This was a lot to take in.
He nodded, but she could see he was concerned by what she said.
"I'll tell you, what," she rubbed his upper arm in a comforting manner, "I know a lot of people in the casting business. Would it be ok if I invited some to meet you?"
This is what he'd wanted his whole life, why would not want that, but the prospect of success scared him, too.
He gave her a tentative nod and said, "Thank you, Ms Weldon. That's very kind of you. I really, really appreciate your support."
She moved her hand to his face and cupped his cheek in her hand and, for the first time since he'd met her, she gave him a warm, almost maternal, smile and said, "It's my pleasure, sweetheart."
She worked his hair behind his ear and admired his face. "You know, John, I was afraid that you'd bock at this role, but you've really become Bianca. We all say that an actor 'becomes' the role, but its rare that an actor truly does. I know that you've been inflicted with a lot of alien depilatories, and cleansers, and makeup and heaven knows what else, but I cannot believe how extreme your transformation has been. Do you think you'll ever go back to being a boy?"
The question caught John off guard. "Well, yeah, of course I will," he sputtered. "I just did this for the role - you know that. I never even considered this before last Friday."
She nodded and continued to visually inspect his skin and eyes and hair. "Hmmm, if you say so, but, John, I've asked men to do similar things for my shows before, but I see something very different when I look at you."
She left that remark hanging in the air until John finally asked, "What? What do you see?"
"I see a girl, John. A young, beautiful, adolescent girl who enjoys her satin and silk and lace and makeup. I see a little girl who is, slowly, becoming a woman and who, even though she doesn't want to admit it, really... really......really enjoys it."
John's eyes were downcast in thought while Ms Weldon continued to adjust his hair, competing with the breeze to get it framing his face just so. She knew that she'd given him a lot to think about, but he looked so much like a child, so sweet and vulnerable, she had to just go a tiny bit further. "You do enjoy it, don't you, John?"
He paused for a moment, but then nodded. "I do, I guess."
She smiled and pet his cheek once more. "That's a good, girl. Now, go get changed and check the call sheet. I don't need either you or Rose until after lunch tomorrow. Get some rest and I'll see you then."
John stood and smiled at her and before he started back to the dressing room, he said, "Ms Weldon... why me? Why did you pick me for all of this?"
She stood, took his hand and walked him towards the building, his small hand in her larger one as she led him in his smock Looking to all the world like a grandmother leading her nightie-wearing granddaughter. "Because you showed me Bianca when I asked you to, John. And now that Bianca has been set free, I don't know if John will ever be the same, again."
Rose was driving today, Ed had to get home quickly today, so he'd taken his own car. John sat on the passenger side in the of the Tesla in the yellow dress with the black piping that had been laid out for him the night before, the one that had so excited Rose when she saw it. Rose was listening to some middle of the road pop music on an oldies station. ABBA's 'Take a Chance On Me' was playing its nearly-polka sound out of the speakers while John sang along quietly and looked out the window as they passed the public beach. It had gotten very warm in the last few days and today, in that oven of a rehearsal hall, the heat had gotten to him. He'd never minded the heat in the past, but the sheer number of garments he wore as Bianca made the high temperatures difficult to deal with. A quick swim would have been nice, but probably wasn't possible.
So, he was very surprised when Rose turned into the parking lot of the public beach.
"Where are we going?"
Rose had a Cheshire grin when she turned to speak to him. "You, young lady, have a play-date with Cassie and Annie."
John looked at the beach. Being the week prior to The Fourth of July, the crowds were not nearly as big as they'd be next weekend, but there were still lots people and he couldn't exactly wear a girls swimsuit without showing a bulge of some kind.
"Rose..."
"Uh, Uh, Uh," Rose waggled a finger at him, "Connie sent me a text earlier and I spoke to your mom. Everything is all set. Your mom bought you the perfect swimsuit and dropped it off."
"Rose! I'll show!"
"Trust me, little sister. Your mom and I are watching out for you."
He felt a familiar mix of excitement and fear rising in his belly.
"I don't know about this, Rose. What if someone sees my... you know..."
"Trust me, honey. You're in good hands." She pulled into a parking space and got out of the car. She opened the trunk, grabbing a plaid gym bag and locking her purse in. She took John's hand and headed towards the beach house.
"We'll use the handicapped stall. It's unisex and I can help you get into your suit."
John nodded as he scanned the beach, looking, specifically, at the crotches of women and girls. There was just no room for disguise there.
"Rose?"
"Yes, dear?"
"Why didn't you tell me about this? Why is everything a surprise all the time?"
"Because you wouldn't have wanted to come." She stopped and turned and faced him, putting her hand under his chin and raising it until he looked her in their eye. "Remember, Bebe, you are a fourteen year old child. Your mom and big sisters make decisions for you all the time. Connie text me without talking to the girls. This is a surprise for them, too. They don't even know you're coming."
She was right. John had not chosen his own food, clothes, agenda, bedtime or anything else since Monday morning. He looked and acted like Bianca and he was being treated like Bianca. A pretty, little thing who needed to have decisions made for her.
When they were in the changing room, which was approximately eight foot long and six foot wide, plenty of room for two people, Rose removed a bright, one piece swimsuit from the gym bag. It was a combination of many colors and lots of triangular shapes creating the pattern. The pattern changed color in bands. The breast area was a series of small, down-facing, pink triangle, separated by up facing white ones. The torso was comprised of a larger version of the pattern with the down-facing triangles in aqua and the up-facing in pink. At the hips, the pattern became smaller again and the triangles were a series of black and white shapes.
It was pretty, but the crotch... it was definitely not designed to contain a penis.
"I can't wear that," John looked at it.
"But wait," Rose teased. "There is a secret in this suit to help a girl like you who has her own secret to keep. Look."
She showed him the gusset of the suit where Jan had sewn in a small, stretchy pouch, creating a gaff that would hold all of his masculine assets in place for him.
"I'll help you," Rose smiled as she took off his dress and bra.
When she reached for his panties, John was a bit nervous. This was probably not the right time for a hard-on, but, you never knew...
Rose squatted down in front of him and pulled his panties down and tapped one foot and then the other to guide him as she pulled them past his feet. Then, she held open the swim suit. He stepped in and she pulled it up his legs. When she reached the tops of his legs, his organ was growing stiff. Rose gave it a well placed flick on the underside, causing John to let out a startled 'eek' followed by an immediate softening.
"Now, knock that off," she smiled up at him. "You're only thinking little-girly-thoughts this evening." In a fluid motion, she pulled the suit up tight to his crotch, then reached in and tucked his flaccid, traumatized manhood into the 'gaff' in the gusset, then pulled the suit up even higher causing an uncomfortable moment when, John had to assume, his testicles were forced into their cavities.
Rose stood and pulled the suit onto his shoulders adjusted it, quickly, around his breasts and arm pits.
"Look in the mirror, Bebe," Rose unbuttoned her blouse while she turned him towards the mirror.
The suit was appropriate for a girl of fourteen or fifteen and it made him look cute and, possibly just a little, sexy. Certainly, he would give a girl that looked like this a second look, but he would have turned away after seeing her age.
"Cute, huh?" Rose removed her yoga pants.
"Sure," John replied as he looked at the geometric pattern that spread across his modest breasts, down his flat stomach and even flatter lower abdomen and shaped the top of his leg, making them look round and feminine. His hips were a bit narrow, but he was supposed to just be a few years into female puberty, so he guessed that was appropriate. He twisted to see his rear end as well and sighed that it was not a round and firm as the ones he found so exciting as a guy. Oh, well. Maybe puberty would make that grow a bit more luscious, too... wait...
He turned to Rose to tell her how his thoughts were betraying him, but ALL of his thoughts disappeared when he saw Rose, naked and bent to retrieve her suit from the gym bag. His breath caught as he realized that this was what puberty actually did to little girls. Her rear end was smooth and round and perfect. Her skin was smooth and white and flawless. Her breasts were modest, but perfect and her nipples beautiful and inviting. If he'd been able to speak at all, he couldn't possibly have remembered what he'd wanted to say.
Rose stood and turned to see an adorable brunette-banged adolescent staring at her with her jaw hanging agog.
She giggled at the impact her body had on the little-girl-man in front of her. Honestly, had he wet himself, she would not have been shocked. "You like?" She asked playfully.
John's mouth moved, but nothing came out. His eyes wandered from her nipples to the neatly trimmed 'V' that led to her even more inviting sex.
She kissed his forehead. "Aww. You're so sweet," she pulled him into a hug, letting his head settle on her shoulder with those luscious breasts so very, very close to his lips. "Are you horny or envious, baby?"
John finally closed his eyes to catch his breath and find his voice. "A little of both, I guess," he whispered, "but I don't think that I could do much about being horny with my dick trapped in this thing."
"Oh, don't use such vulgar words," she teased, knowing full well that she was torturing him. "Say 'hoo-hoo,' or 'dinky.' That's it, say 'dinky.' I like that the best."
She released him and stepped back, stepping into the bottom part of her blue, two-piece suit, which barely covered her pubic hair. If anything, the job it did providing her modesty made the treasures contained within even more enticing to John. The top was an equally skimpy bra-style garment that had a narrow band of material that went around her neck in the style of a halter-top and fastened in the middle of her back. Again, the effect of the bra-thing was to make John's knowledge of the nipples beneath even more enticing.
"Let me take care of your hair, for you," Rose turned him away from her, again, and began brushing his hair. Her original plan had been to use a hair-tie to pull his hair up into a loose bun, more feminine than his typical boy-bun, but seeing him looking a little girlish, she changed her mind. When she'd finished with his hair, he had two, long pigtails, one on either side of his head. They weren't overly done in a fetishistic way, but just two, simple, pretty, young, feminine pigtails. What she liked the most about it was how they allowed his little, faux-pearl, stud earrings to be seen. That made her smile. He looked like a little girl trying to look like a grownup. How cute was that?
"One last thing." She produced a can of spray-on sun screen from the gym bag. "We'll both be in big trouble if we show up at rehearsal tomorrow with sunburns." She applied it liberally. So liberally in fact that John felt slimy.
Once their clothes were folded neatly and put back into the gym bag, Rose sent a text to Connie, who replied with her location on the sandy beach. "Alright, Bebe. This is a surprise for the girls. Remember, this is research for you, but also have some fun with them. Get into the experience, ok?"
He nodded and took her hand. As they stepped out onto the sand, John realized that this was the first time all week that he'd stepped out in public without wearing a dress and, although he could not complain about the comfort of the swimsuit, it felt so much like a second skin that he did, in fact, feel naked.
Within a moment or two, Rose saw Cassie and Annie running towards them. Both were wearing cute two piece suits that better displayed their more-developed femininity than a one-piece would have. "Here come your little friends," she whispered to John. "Go on, now. Have fun."
John waved and jogged over to them, feeling the shifting heft of his own, modest breasts as he did.
Annie reached him first and pulled him into a big hug. "Bebe! We didn't think we'd see you again before we left!"
Cassie joined the hug, "I'm so glad to see you!" Then she turned to Rose and said, "Can Bebe come with us? Mom gave us money for ice cream cones from the store across the street. Can she come with?"
"Ok," rose grinned at their enthusiasm, "but let me get some money for Bebe." She dug into her gym bag for a moment and pulled out a ten dollar bill. She handed it to John saying, "Go have fun, sweetie, but remember to bring me back the change."
'Hahaha,' John thought sarcastically, a little ticked at the remark, but on the other hand, an ice cream sounded pretty darned good, right now, so he replied, "Ok, sis. Thanks!"
As they headed off, Rose caught sight of Connie waving about sixty feet away. Rose waved and hurried across the hot sand to Connie. They said their hellos and gave each other a kiss on the cheek before sitting in a couple of chairs that Connie had waiting for them.
"I think my girls were pretty surprised when they saw your little sister, don't you?" Connie laughed. "I watched them slogging through the sand and then they were running like deer once they spotted you guys." She laughed at her own words.
Rose laughed, too. "They definitely were. They were like three puppies when they headed to the ice cream shop."
"I know. I wish they could stay young forever, though. I'm thinking that this may be our last vacation together if Cassie gets a job next year." She sighed.
"I know," Rose empathized, "but they'll always be your little girls, just like Bianca will always be my baby sister."
Connie smiled and pulled a small cooler forward. "Can I offer you a soda, or water, or iced tea?"
"Iced tea sounds perfect," Rose accepted the bottle, opened it and sipped while looking out at Narragansett Bay and engaging in some relaxed, beach conversation.
Typically, John enjoyed either chocolate or vanilla ice cream, occasionally a mix of both, but this ice cream parlor offered 'mix ins' and, as part of his research, he figured he'd do what Annie was doing and that involved getting some mix-ins. He ended up with cake batter ice cream with gummy bears mixed in. It was A LOT sweeter than his usual choice, but it tasted pretty darned good and seemed somehow appropriate.
As they walked back to the beach, John glanced at the girls. They were wearing substantially less than he was, but he felt absolutely naked. How did they do this. It was all just natural to them. He became determined to relax and try to be like them.
"Come on," Cassie said, pointing a little way down the street, "let's go watch those boys playing volleyball."
They hustled along, maneuvering their cones to keep the ice cream from dripping down their fingers, and quickly came to the boys. They sat on a short wooden knee-wall that separated the sand from the paved parking lot and watched the very tall, fit, very handsome, college-aged boys play their game with the typical aggression found in nineteen and twenty year old men. Even though John knew that Cassie and Annie were a different sex than him, as he looked at the young men, who were his age, playing their game, he thought, and not for the first time, that he could not possibly be the same gender as the Adonises.
"I'll take the red head with the black and yellow board shorts," Cassie teased.
"Not me," Annie drooled. "I'll take the one with the shaved head and scruffy beard wearing the blue Speedo."
"Really?" Cassie looked at her sister's choice. "He's not even that cute."
"Who cares about his face," Annie was already giggling nervously in anticipation of what she was about to say, "look at the size of the package he has in that banana hammock he's wearing!!!"
All three of them burst into fits laughter at this child's bawdy joke. John's hand shot to his mouth to keep the ice cream he'd been eating from coming out.
"Oh, you little tramp!" Cassie teased. "Bebe, I apologize for my sister. I didn't know she was so nasty!"
The laughter continued until they were all doubling over as they sat on the wooden wall.
"Hi," the voice broke into their hysteria and they realized that, while they were laughing, one of the college boys had come over to them. He was speaking directly to Cassie.
"Hi," she was still laughing.
John estimated the boy to be twenty or twenty one and, although not particularly handsome in the usual way, he had a very fit body and he had to be at least six foot two. "I saw you watching us. You girls like what you see." His tone was smug and demeaning.
This was getting crude pretty quickly, John's sense of chivalry began to kick in and his laughter ended quickly.
"We haven't seen much," Cassie said. "We just sat here to eat our ice cream." She wasn't happy with this boy's attitude, either.
"Come on," the boy was dismissive. "Why don't you girls come with us and we'll have some fun."
"Knock it off, doofus," Annie stood and pushed the boy as hard as she could. He barely noticed her. "Go back to your stupid game. Come on, Cassie. Let's go."
"Shut up, little girl," the boy gave her a sharp look, "I'm talking to this nice piece of tush, right here." Again, he turned to Cassie.
"Eww," Cassie uttered. "Let's go, girls."
John didn't know what to do. He could never take this guy in a fight, but things were escalating, quickly.
As Cassie turned to leave, the boy grabbed her arm, "Where you going, bitch. I'm talking to you."
John noticed the other boys were watching from the net. It looked as if they were waiting for the asshole who'd come over to either score or fail to pick up the three of them. This was not good.
"That's enough, asshole!" John heard the words coming out of his mouth, but he couldn't believe he'd said them. What the hell did he think he was doing!? It didn't matter. His mouth was saying more, "leave her alone. She's only sixteen."
"That's old enough for me!" He pulled her closer in a rough manner.
John had had enough and his need to protect the young woman took over. The little girl in the cute one-piece suit and pigtails with the little pearl earrings leapt into action. His arm cocked back and he intended to land a direct punch to the assailant's stomach, but he slipped in the sand and the punch landed low - very low - right in the boy's family jewels. And it landed pretty firmly, for a little girl.
The boy howled in shock and pain as John and Annie grabbed Cassie's hands and ran as fast as they could in the other direction.
The other boys were laughing hysterically, now! "Oh, man! Did you see that!?" One shouted. "The littlest one nailed him! The kid with the pigtails!"
"You little cunts!" The wounded boy yelled. "You'd better run!" He fell to his knees.
When they were clear of danger, Annie said, "Are you guys alright? We should tell a cop."
Now, John was REALLY scared! If they told the cops, then he'd have to give a statement - using his real name - in front of the girls! Connie would have him arrested in a heartbeat! He was shaking, hard.
"Bebe, are you ok?" Cassie asked, noticing.
"Yeah... I think..." His shaking became full blown shivering. His adrenaline was in overdrive and he was feeling faint.
Cassie grabbed him and threw her arm over his shoulder, leading him to another section of the low, wooden wall and sat him down. "Annie! Go get mom and Bebe's sister! Quick! Run!" Annie took off running full out towards where her mother was seated.
"Bebe... Bebe..." Cassie struggled to think of anything that might help her friend. "Breathe, Bebe. Come on. Take a deep breath and let it out. That's it, Bebe. Do it again. That's it. Calm down. Those dip-shit's are gone. Calm down."
Eventually, John gained control, again. This kind of thing was happening too often. He was loosing control of himself. It was very unmanly. He needed to get a handle on himself.
Suddenly, Rose was in front of him. "John, are you alright!?" Immediately, she realized what she'd said, but she hoped that Cassie hadn't noticed. "Bianca, sweetie, are you ok?"
"She's better, now," Cassie said. "She was really shaking hard, before."
Rose hugged him hard and that helped. A few moments later, when Annie and Connie arrived, out of breath, he was pretty much calmed down. Now, he was just embarrassed about losing control and concerned about getting the police involved.
"Is she ok?" Connie's voice was filled with concern.
"She will be, I think." Rose released her hug and smiled at him. "She was just shaken up. You're ok, now, aren't you, baby?"
John nodded.
"Those boys are long gone, now," Connie and Annie had gone to see if they were still there. Had they been, Connie had every intention of calling the police.
"Mom," Annie was overly stimulated, too, "you should have seen Bebe! She was like a super hero, you know!? That guy didn't stand a chance! Pow! Right in the nuts! She was awesome!"
"Annie!" Connie scolded, "watch your language, young lady!"
"Sorry, mom, but you should have seen her! Pow! Right in his soft spot!!!"
"Are you ok, now?" Cassie asked John.
He nodded. "I'm fine. Sorry to get everyone riled up."
"Oh, don't be silly, Bianca," Connie soothed. "You didn't do anything except what needed to be done. Without you, who knows what those boys would have done. Oh, well. I guess we should go pack up and get going."
"No, mom, no!" Annie pleaded. "Bebe just got here! We haven't had any time at all with her. Please, mom!"
"Yeah, mom," Cassie joined in. "We're going home tomorrow. Can't we spend a little more time at the beach. We can't let those assholes ruin everything."
"Cassie!" Connie was truly shocked. "You're as bad as your sister! Where did these potty mouths come from?"
"Can we talk for a moment?" Rose asked Connie. They stepped aside and chatted for less than a minute, then Rose said, "Ok, girls, this is what we're going to do. I'm going back to our cottage. I'll stop on the way and get something simple to make for dinner. Bebe, you can stay with your friends. I'll see you all at the cottage at around 7:00 and we'll have a farewell dinner together. How does that sound."
John was happy to stay at the beach, but concerned that Rose was leaving him. He decided that it didn't matter. He'd have a good time with these girls, who he really did like, and do a little research, too. It was all good.
Everyone was on board. Rose kissed John goodbye with a warning to not punch anyone else and she said goodbye.
Their ordeals forgotten, John joined Cassie and Annie as they ran to the water's edge. Still cool, this early in the season, they waded in to their waists and splashed about, raising on their toes to avoid having waves of cold, North Atlantic water splash on their sensitive breasts.
When they exited the water, they did that running, too. They ran to the swings near the beach house and jumped onto three, low seats and started swinging as high as they could, then they leapt off of the swings, flying through the air, briefly, before landing and holding up their arms like gymnasts before running back to the swings and doing it all again.
They ran to the dunes and watched the people flying kites in the ocean breeze, then they ran to large rocks that formed the breakwater at both ends of the long, sandy beach. They ran and they sang and they ran and they ran and they laughed and they ran and they ran and they ran. They expressed nothing but joy in their running and laughter and singing. They were, as Rose had described, like puppies and John enjoyed it all so much that he no longer thought of himself as anything other than a friend of these two wonderful girls.
Finally, they collapsed on blankets in front of Connie's chair and listened to show tunes using Cassie's phone and a Bluetooth speaker as the rest of the beach goers packed up and called it a day.
BRINGING HOME COMPANY -or- THAT IS MY HOME OF LOVE
When Rose arrived at the cottage with bags full of pasta and jarred sauce, she informed Marilyn of the company that was coming to the house at 7:00 - just over an hour from then. Before they began cooking, they set about making the room acceptable for their visitors. On a bookshelf, Marilyn kept two picture frames, one with Nancy's graduation picture and one with John's. Within the frame, there was also a print of the school portrait from each year that each child had been in school. It just took a moment for Marilyn to open the back of Nancy's picture, find her eight grade portrait and put that up front. It looked uncannily like John as Bianca. Rose grabbed her computer, downloaded a copy of her senior year picture from her Facebook page and printed it out in high quality and put it in John's frame. Now there were family pictures of both of them on display.
By 6:30, there was water boiling for the pasta, sauce, which Marilyn insisted upon doctoring a bit, warming and garlic bread ready to go into the oven. Lots of starch, but a hardy meal for all.
"Was it you that put his hair into braids and pigtails?" Marilyn asked as she peeked out the window and saw John in his swimsuit, getting out of Connie's car.
Rose peeked out, too, and smiled. "I did the pigtails. My guess is that the girls did the braids."
Marilyn shook her head. "Honest to God, Rose, I don't know where this will all end." She smiled, "But I do like having a little girl around, again."
Marilyn moved to the door to welcome everyone. Just before she swung the door open though, she turned to Rose one last time and said, "I have to admit, I didn't think it was possible for my son to be so damned adorable." Then she opened the door and called out, "Hi! You must be Connie! I'm Marilyn. I've heard so much about you and your girls."
Dinner was filling and filled with the noise of young, excited voices. Both Marilyn and Rose noticed that John had become more naturally young and expressive with these girls. His laughter was big and unguarded, now. He joked with them and sang songs at the spur of the moment. As he sat at the table, still in his swim suit, covered with just a flowered tee shirt provided by Rose, and daintily devoured his pasta, he was indistinguishable from any other female high school freshman. If he'd needed to excuse himself to change his tampon, neither his mother nor Rose would have been surprised.
After dinner, 'the girls' went into the big room and watched 'Mean Girls' on dvd. Nancy had loved that movie when it came out, so John was very familiar with it. The girls knew it, too, and they all knew the songs from the Broadway musical version of it. So, when the moment came in the film when they'd inserted a song for the musical version, of course, they all sang along at the top of their lungs and acted out the songs as they imagined it would have been done on Broadway.
Marilyn and Connie washed up after dinner, while Rose excused herself to take a phone call.
"My girls are nuts about Bebe," Connie said as she loaded the dish washer. "Running into Rose and her boyfriend last night turned their mediocre trip into one of the best vacations they've ever had. I wish that they could stay in touch. You know, Worcester and Manchester are not all that far away. Maybe we could get them together from time to time."
Marilyn considered saying 'that's a great idea' and making John spend some weekends as Bianca just because he was putting her through so much this summer, but, instead, she said, "Oh, I'd like that, but I'm not sure if Bebe will be home a lot. I'm considering several boarding schools in The Berkshires for her high school years. But, let's keep in touch and see how things work out." She hoped that would get John off the hook without sounding suspicious.
"Really!?" Connie wiped her hands. "What schools are you
considering? I could never afford something like that, of course, but, how exciting!"
"Ummm..." Marilyn sputtered a bit, but she was saved when Rose reentered the room.
"Mom, can I see you in my room for a moment?"
Once she'd done all she could do in the kitchen, Connie joined the 'girls' in the big room. By now, the movie was off and they were using karaoke tracks from the internet to sing more Broadway show tunes. "It's getting late, ladies," she said in a classic 'mom voice.' "It's nearly 10:30. We need to leave here in about fifteen minutes."
"Aww, mom, come on!" Annie pleaded.
"I'm sorry, baby. I wish we'd met Bebe earlier in the week, but we didn't and that's that. We have packing to do before we go to bed. Fifteen minutes. End of story."
"Ok," Cassie said. "We have fifteen minutes, so let's each do our best solos for mom and then we'll do 'Seasons of Love' all together. Ok?"
They all agreed. They used the 'Smart TV' to call up Karaoke tracks on YouTube and performed. At first Connie was the only audience, but before Cassie had finished her rendition of 'What I Did For Love,' Rose and Marilyn had taken seats on a couch as well.
Annie followed up with her interpretation of 'On My Own' and John closed out the solos with 'There's A Fine, Fine Line,' singing in such a natural female range that both Rose and Marilyn were even more impressed that they were able to show.
"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you," Cassie acted as the Mistress of Ceremonies. "And for our final number, we shall be singing 'Seasons of Love,' from the Broadway smash, 'Rent.'"
As they started singing, Annie stood next to John and rested her head on his his as she sang. Soon Cassie was doing the same.
They'd obviously rehearsed this song earlier in the evening because they knew the two and three part harmony sections beautifully. By the time they were done, Cassie and Annie had ran running down their cheeks. When he realized that they were crying because they had to say goodbye - probably forever - John felt a few tears falling, too.
They all hugged, said their goodbyes and Rose, Marilyn and John waved from the door as the car pulled away.
"Well, young lady," Marilyn smiled at her petite son, "I don't think you were even acting, tonight. I think you had a great time with those girls, didn't you?"
John had a big smile on his face. "I did, mom. I had a great time. I wish that I had friends my age that were as much fun."
Marilyn laughed. He looked so young and bright eyed and, well, with the swim suit peeking out from under that adorable, flowered tee shirt, and the braided pigtails, he was just as cute as can be.
Marilyn hugged him. She'd always been taller than him, but he usually had some type of shoe on his feet. Now, with her in her comfortable wedges and John barefooted, his head nestled so nicely on her breast. That was nice. She missed having someone to baby like this. "Ok, now, I want you to go to the bathroom, give your face a good washing, then put on your yellow nightie, it's under your pillow, and climb into bed. Leave the braids in for tonight. You'll have time to shower in the morning and I can do your hair, then. Hurry, now. Rose and I will be in in a few minutes. We have something to discuss.
John didn't question it, he just scurried off to the bathroom.
"I hope he's ready for this," Marilyn huffed.
"Me too," Rose sighed. "It's his own damned fault, though. If he weren't so talented, he wouldn't be in this mess."
After his face was scrubbed, John hustled into his bedroom. He took off the tee shirt Rose had loaned him. As he pulled it over his head, he inhaled her wonderful vanilla and floral perfume. He pulled the shirt off, then held it to his nose and inhaled the scent again and again. It smelled like her. Like beauty and strength and confidence. It was a glorious smell. Today, he'd seen her naked for the first time and he knew that there was nothing unnatural about her appearance - no prosthetics, no padded bra, no tucking. She was beautiful and perfect and so wonderfully grownup.
He turned to look at himself in the mirror on the back of the door to his bedroom. There he was. Small. Slender. Feminine. Young. The bangs. The braids. The cleanly washed face. The pretty cheeks. The smooth skin. The tiny, pretty, one piece swim suit. He knew that Rose had feelings for him, but what kind of feelings? Was he a potential boyfriend? Or just a friend? Or a little sister? Or just a pretty doll to play with? He knew he wanted to be with her, but he wasn't even sure what he wanted anymore. Part of him wanted to take her to bed and make her moan as he entered her, but another part of him was perfectly content to just be beside her. To hold her hand. Let her brush his hair and buy him dresses and earrings and bows for his hair. He was so confused.
He pulled the swimsuit from his shoulders and rolled it down his torso, pausing before removing it to gaze, yet again, at the perfect, female smoothness of his crotch. He'd always loved the look of that one perfect spot on a girl wearing a swimsuit. That spot that said, 'I am a girl.' He had that, now, too.
He continued the suit's descent and eventually something popped free and hung limp, flaccid and ugly on his hairless abdomen. He'd never considered being a boy - or a man - much before. It was what he was. There was no changing that, so why think about it. Sure, he knew that other guys were bigger and stronger and hairier; so what. He was a guy, too. Just smaller.
Now, though, his sex organ looked wrong and ugly and more fake than these new, modest breasts glued to his chest. He looked more closely at the breasts. They looked real and natural and he liked them more than his penis.
What would it be like to be a women - or maybe just a girl? Except for that one encounter with the creeps on the beach, he really liked how people treated him when he was a girl. They praised his beauty. They praised his clothes. They watched out for him and took care of him. It was very different and he really liked it. He felt less strain as a girl. He laughed more easily and cried more easily. He smiled more broadly and let himself be loved more easily. His mother had just hugged him like she'd never hugged him before and he accepted that hug more willingly and appreciatively than he ever could have before.
He had always been fine with being John, but he was beginning to adore being Bianca. Ms Weldon was right - How could he ever go back? Rose was right - part of him envied her body and wanted to look just like her. The strangest thing though was how much he envied the youth and happiness he'd felt with Annie and Cassie. He couldn't remember ever having that much fun before. Sadly, he realized that he wished, more than anything, right now, at this moment, that he could start his life over again and this time he wanted to be Bianca - for real. To be a real fourteen year old girl who was excited about everything - especially the prospect of being a beautiful woman someday.
His eyes returned to his limp, flaccid, ugly penis.
No. It was no use. He was what he was. He caught the sadness rising in his throat. He shook his head as he walked away from the mirror and pulled another, clean, brightly colored, pretty, little nightie from under his pillow. It was so cute that he could only smile sadly at it. Oh, well. Might as well enjoy these wonderful, feminine things while he could. He'd been happy being Bianca at rehearsal and Bebe at the beach and at home with the girls. All in all, even with the broken air conditioner and the jackasses at the beach, it had been a pretty great day. He held the nightie up to himself and looked at the mirror once more. He loved it. He loved his pretty braids and his pearl earrings. He was done thinking for today. He thought back to a book he'd read in high school and he decided that he was going to follow Daisy Buchanan's advice and be 'a beautiful little fool' and enjoy every minute of girlhood that the world would allow him.
At 11:30, John was sitting up in his bed. The pretty, yellow nightie his mother had left for him was another sleep-romper. This time, the top was very bloused out and just two, very narrow, spaghetti straps held the top to his shoulders.
Rose entered the room first and passed the bed to sit on the far side. Marilyn sat on the side closest to the door.
Each took a hand and looked at him as they searched for words. After such a fun day and his recent soul searching, their serious gazes made him wary. Had John had a pet dog, these faces would be what he would have expected if the needed to tell him that the dog had been hit by a car.
"Listen, baby," Marilyn started, "ummm, Rosie got a call earlier and... well... Ms Weldon says..." she was stuck. "Rosie?" She gave the younger woman an opportunity to speak.
"Ok, now, listen, Ms Weldon called," John was immediately concerned, "and she got you an audition for a new drama/comedy one hour show in LA."
John's eyes were wide open with interest. "Holy cow! When?"
"Well," she continued, "that's kind of the issue. See, they already shot the pilot and ABC has picked it up. They're adding a family aspect to the main character's story line. You'll be auditioning for the oldest son. He's supposed to be sixteen."
Almost shocked that it was a role for a boy, John asked, "When?"
"Well, that's the thing," Marilyn said. "It's Saturday morning. You'll have to take a late flight tomorrow evening and then take another back on Saturday evening."
"Wow!" John was very excited, now. "Mom, I'm sorry to ask this, but is there anyway that I could borrow the money for the flights until I start getting paid, next week?"
"The flight's not an issue, dear. Ms Weldon says that the production company is putting up all the money for a flight, a car service in LA... that's not an issue. The issue is, honey... well... Ms Weldon says that you're going to have to... well... go as Bianca."
"What!?!?" Yes, he loved being Bianca, but he also wanted to pursue his dream of being an actor. How could he look like a fourteen year old girl and audition for the role of a sixteen year old boy?
Rose jumped in, "Don't worry, honey. Ms Weldon already told the casting director that you're in prosthetics for the play. They've seen your headshot and they know what you look like. They're fine with it. You'll do great! I know you will!"
"Ok," John looked from one woman to the other. "Will either of you be coming with me? I mean, what about the airport? Security? TSA? How do I get through that?"
"No, baby, you'll be going alone. You show them your license and explain that you're transitioning, sweetie," Marilyn said.
"According to Ms Weldon, people do it everyday. Just calm down, honey. You know that this is what you want. Just imagine, years from now, when you're a famous star, you can tell the story of the adventure you had getting from Hyannis to LA for your first audition."
NO RISK, NO REWARD -or- WE KNOW WHAT WE ARE, BUT NOT WHAT WE MAY BE
The sun was rising over the ocean before John got any sleep that night. Luckily, he wasn't called in for rehearsal until afternoon, so he got a good three hours of rest before getting up. Marilyn had laid out a comfortable dress for him to wear both for the rehearsal and for the flight. She'd also packed a pair of new yoga pants and a yellow polo shirt for him to wear at the audition. It wasn't exactly a macho look, but time was short.
His mother did his hair and had him do his makeup to be sure he knew the basics. She touched it up for him and told him to just do a simple reconstruction job before his audition.
The plan, which, of course, John had had no say in, was to have Rose drive him to T.F. Green Airport outside of Providence, R.I. It was an easier ride than Logan in Boston. He'd fly to L.A. where a car would meet him and take him to the home of a friend of Ms Weldon's. He'd have a few hours to rest, shower and have breakfast before the car took him to the audition at 11:00. After that, it was straight back to the airport where his mother would meet him and drive him home. Q.E.D.
The only problem was - he looked like a child and he'd be all by himself.
He was petrified and the audition was the least of his worries.
They ran the entire play one time on Friday afternoon. John felt tired and out of the zone for Bianca's first few lines, but by the time they'd turned two pages in the script, he was back to being his own, impetuous, spoilt, flirtatious, Bianca self and his concerns about the trip and audition were closed off and put on hold for the time being.
"John," Ms Weldon said to him in her office before he left for the day, "This is just the first of many, many auditions before you land an actual job. Please, don't get your hopes up too high. Just do your best, answer their questions, take their direction and thank them when you're done. The chances of lightning striking on your first audition are astronomical, so don't expect too much."
"Will they tell me if I get the role or not before I leave?"
"Probably not. The casting director usually sends videos of their selections along to actual director. They make the final decision."
The traffic was heavy, but not ridiculous at TF Green. Rose pulled up the the Southwest Airline door and handed John a small shoulder purse that she'd prepared for him.
"You're going to do great, Bebe," she said with a smile. She took his left hand in her right, lifted it to her lips and gave it a soft kiss. "Show them what you can do."
John nodded and gave a sad smile. "I almost wish Bebe were doing this audition instead of John. At least I'd look right."
She hugged him and said, "We're all pulling for you. We love you, Beebs."
"Thanks," and he opened the door, but didn't put his foot out. "Remember in Jaws when Richard Dreyfus was about to go down in the shark cage and he was just staring at his goggles? They asked him what was wrong and he said, "I don't have any spit."
"I remember, honey. Why?"
"Because I don't have any spit, either," he said with tears fighting to fall from his eyes before pushing himself out of the Tesla, grabbing his carry-on from the back seat and running to the airport door. When he stopped, just inside, to wave, Rose's heart nearly broke. He was petrified and alone and, despite what the calendar said, he'd become such a little girl.
She wanted to run after him and bring him home to his mother, but the 'whoop' from a Rhode Island State Trooper's siren in the car behind her told her that her time was up and she needed to leave and leave now.
TSA barely noticed that he looked nothing like his ID and in no time at all. He was sitting in the aisle seat in the fifth row from the front of the plane. There was an unoccupied seat in the middle of his section and a very pretty woman of about forty-five sat in the window seat. John and she acknowledged each other, then the plane took off and John closed his eyes.
He was awoken five hours into their seven and a half hour flight when they had to land in Phoenix and take on more passengers.
"Feel better?" the lady two seats over laughed.
John shook the sleep from his head. "I beg your pardon?"
"After your nap?" The lady asked. "Feel any better?"
In fact he did, so he smiled and nodded.
"You were really zonked out. You were snoring like a truck driver."
John's hand covered his mouth and he smiled, embarrassed. "Oh, I'm so sorry."
"Oh, don't be silly. Where are you headed, honey?"
"I'm going to LA, but I'm going home again, tomorrow."
"Tomorrow!?" She guffawed. "Wow, that's rough. Why are you headed back so quickly?"
"I'm just here for an audition. Then, I have to get back to The Cape. I'm in a play. It opens next Friday, so I have to be back and rested for rehearsal on Monday."
The woman became very interested in his story and was amazed that a child his age would be traveling all alone like this.
"Your mom and dad are ok with this?"
"My Dad is... well, you know... not in the picture, and my mom supports what I want to do. The production company only bought us one ticket, so mom had no choice but to let me come on my own."
When the plan landed, the woman gave John her card. It read 'Rita Gonzales, Talent Agent.' Listen, Bianca," she was being very serious and maternal, "if you need anything - anything at all - while you're out here, I want to to call me, ok? I know that you and your mom worked out a plan and all, but plans sometimes fall apart and I don't want a naïve fourteen year old child to get hurt or worse out here. Do you have any luggage?"
"No ma'am," John put the card in his purse. "Just my carryon."
"Good. Me too. I want you to stay with me until we find your driver, ok?"
That sounded good to John since the only airports he'd ever been in were Logan in Boston, TF Green in Providence and Orlando
International when he'd gone to Disney World. He was very grateful for a well traveled guide through LAX.
They maneuvered their way to the entrance where there were several people dressed in dark suits holding signs with the names of the people they'd been sent to pick up. To John's horror, he spotted a man holding up his name, "John Foley."
"I don't see anyone here for you, Bianca. Are you sure they were sending a car?"
What to do? What to do? He thought about saying he needed to use the ladies room and telling her to just go on without him, but he knew that wouldn't work. She would insist on waiting for him. So, as scary as it was, he opted to tell the truth.
"Ms Gonzales..."
"Rita, dear. I wish your driver was here."
"Well... Rita... he kind of is. That man with the red sign. He's here for me."
She glanced at the sign. "Oh, don't be silly. He's here for a John..."
She stopped and looked at John.
"I'm sorry," John whispered. "It was just easier than telling the truth."
He eyes widen and she grinned, "You're kidding me. I never would have known. Tell me, how old are you? Sixteen? Seventeen?"
"Twenty," he said, confused by her reaction.
"Oh, good lord! You're amazing!"
She looked at the driver and asked, "Is your audition for Jim Sheldon at ABC?"
John nodded. "How did you know?"
"He always uses that car service. Where are you staying?"
John showed her the address. "A friend of the director of the play I'm in."
"Who's the director?"
"Ms Weldon..."
"Ms Weldon!? Maureen Weldon set this all up for you!?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Oh, my God!" Rita laughed. "You have Maureen Weldon, one of the most important director's alive, setting up an audition for you with Jim Sheldon, one of the best casting directors in California... Bianca, you must be one helluva commodity to have these big wigs interested in you. Do you have representation?"
He shook his head.
"Well, you do now. I live very near that address. Give me a ride home and I'll go to the audition with you in the morning. If you like what I do for you, then we'll work out a deal. If not, I'll buy you lunch at the airport before your flight. Deal?"
John had heard that it was very difficult to find an agent and this one seemed to know what she was talking about. "Ok," he said and they stepped over to the chauffeur and then moved on to the town car.
As they sat in the back seat, Rita asked, "What role are you playing for Maureen?" but before John could answer she interrupted, "Oh, don't tell me you're playing Bianca in Shrew?"
John nodded and smiled.
"Oh, good lord!" She laughed out loud. "Maureen Weldon is either brilliant or insane - or maybe a little of both!"
When the car arrived at the apartment complex where Ms Weldon's friend lived, the driver pulled out a key and explained that the 'friend' was out of town and John was to just let himself in, but Rita would not hear of that. "Imagine - letting a fourteen year old child stay on her own in LA! You'll stay with me for the night." She gave the driver her address and he proceeded to her condo.
"I'm not really fourteen, Rita," John mumbled, afraid the driver would hear.
"Well you know that and I know that, but do you suppose that the sex maniac watching for a vulnerable, pretty child knows that? Of course not and you'll have a hard time explaining it to him while he raping you."
That seemed very harsh to John, but she had made her point.
Rita's condo was nicer than John had expected. The Spanish stucco on the exterior of all the units looked and felt correct for John's image of Southern California. On the inside, the open floor plan, subtle colors and shiny appliances spoke of a successful owner with an eye for the most recent trends.
"My husband is in Asia for a month, so it's just us for tonight. The guest room is through there. It has an attached lavatory, so make yourself at home and get some rest." She rubbed his upper arm reassuringly. "You'll do fine, tomorrow. You'll see. How could you not? You have Maureen Weldon and me in your corner! Sleep well."
When he'd changed into a comfortable nightie and brushed his teeth, John laid in the most comfortable bed he'd ever felt and sent texts to his mother, Rose, Ms Weldon and Ed telling them that he'd landed safely and was safely in bed. He was just too tired to explain about Rita. He turned on a white noise generator on his phone and immediately fell into a deep, exhausted sleep.
Once Rita was in her silk pajamas, she sat on her bed and wrote a text:
RITA: Hi, Maureen. Long time, no see. Funny story. I just flew from Providence to LAX and, long story short, I have a pretty little girl staying with me tonight before her big audition tomorrow. Small world, huh?
Moments later, a text came back:
MS WELDON: Rita, it is a small world. Are you interested in representing him? No nonsense, now. He's a very special kid. He's got a big future ahead of him.
RITA: No nonsense is right. I like what I've seen so far. He had me fooled till he had no choice but to tell me. Too tired to talk now. I'll call you at 6:30 my time. We'll chat. You can tell me how you made him so cute.
Moments later, John received a text:
MS WELDON: I hear you met Rita Gonzales. She knows her stuff, but be careful of her. She's known for taking advantage of young actors. Follow the game plan and get your butt back to Hyannis ASAP!
PREPARING FOR THE AUDITION -or- COME, SIT, EVERY MOTHER'S SON AND REHEARSE YOUR PARTS
John pulled on the yoga pants, the first pants he'd worn in five days, slipped on the black flats his mother had provided and pulled the yellow polo shirt over his head. He'd brushed his hair, but it was wavier than usual because he did not have a flat iron with him. He felt he'd done an admirable job on his makeup.
He stepped back from the bureau-mirror and looked at himself. He thought he looked too casual and way too female to be auditioning for the role of a boy. He'd never get it, but that wasn't the point, was it? It would still be a learning experience.
When he opened the door and ventured into Rita's apartment, he could hear voices. As he entered the kitchen and the open area beyond, he spotted Rita, dressed more expensively than he'd ever seen anyone dress before, in a tight fitting dress that stopped at least eight inches above her knees and clung to every curve of her body. Her makeup and hair looked as if a stylist had just walked out of the room.
She was sipping coffee while an iPhone laid face up on the table. There was a voice coming out of the phone. "Just be sure that he looks presentable and that you have him there at lease a half hour before his audition time."
"Maureen, sweetie," Rita's voice was exaggerated and cloying. "You have nothing to worry about. Rita is here! She'll take care of everything." She noticed John entering and continued speaking to the person on the phone, "Oh, and here's your little protégé, now."
To John she said, "Say 'hi' to Auntie Maureen, sweetie."
Rita was obviously in 'schmooze' mode. John opted to not comment on that, but instead spoke to the phone. "Hi, Ms Weldon."
"Good morning, John. How are you feeling. Are you all set?"
"Yes, ma'am, I think I am."
"No, you're not," Rita interrupted, slapping a pile of papers on the table.
"What's this?" John asked.
"Well," Rita gloated, "it seems that the miraculous Ms Weldon isn't the only one with connections. These are the sides you'll be reading from."
The sides were scripts with limited sections viewable. Typically, it gave just the character's lines and the line that preceded it. These had a little more than that, but not much. It did have several character outlines, as well.
"Holy cow!" John grabbed the papers and read:
CHARACTER NAME: Matt
SEX: Male
AGE: 17
OCCUPATION: Student. High School Senior
SYNOPSIS: Very Smart. Good student. Not athletic, but not a nerd, either. Very motivated. Very artistic. Stands up for himself and his younger brother, Alex.
Ms Weldon's voice came from the phone, "Rita really came through for you, John. Don't squander this extra information. Read the
descriptions and lines for each of the children. You never know what they may ask you to do."
"Yes, ma'am," John nodded as if she could see him.
"Now, John," her voice was similar to that of a teacher, "no matter what happens, sign NOTHING until Rita and I have had time to review everything. Understood?"
"Understood." He confirmed.
"Good. How does he look, Rita?"
"Like an unmade bed, honestly. Did you approve this ensemble? Yoga pants and a cheap, pull- over shirt?
"Yes, Rita. I wanted him to look as babyish as possible. He can't take off the breasts for weeks, yet. You don't approve?"
"I certainly do not," Rita scoffed. "They know he's a boy. I'd rather he look his best - with the breasts, obviously, I mean as a girl - than this Walmart getup."
"Ok. I'll leave that to you. John, do whatever Rita suggests. You should get going, ladies. John, break a leg! Don't get your hopes too high, but show the confidence you showed me."
"I will, Ms Weldon. Thank you."
"Bye, Bye, Maureen. We'll talk soon."
She turned to John. "What else do you have to wear?"
"Just this and what I wore yesterday."
"Seriously!? Well, that's the first thing I've heard you say that didn't sound like a girl. Any girl flying three thousand miles to an audition would have brought at least a few choices. Come on. I'll buy you a muffin on the way. We have some shopping to do."
As they drove, John read and reread the sides, mumbling the lines with different inflections.
"Look at the younger brother's lines, too, John. They may ask you to read for that role, too."
"Yes, ma'am."
He read:
CHARACTER NAME: Alex
SEX: Male
AGE: 13-14
OCCUPATION: Student. High School/Middle School
SYNOPSIS: Very Smart, but held back by shyness. Not a leader, but not a follower, either. Always tries to do the right thing. Likes to cook.
"I doubt that I could pass for someone this young on TV, Rita," John laughed. "From the stage, sure, but up close? I don't think so."
"You sure fooled me, John, but it doesn't matter. These are just outlines. They may like an actor and change the age. Just be ready for both."
When the car stopped, they were in front of a store called, simply, 'Frocks.' It was clearly a high end shop.
"Rita," John looked at the window and knew that he couldn't afford anything in there, "I cant afford..."
"Hush, Bianca," she smiled and took his hand. "I'm pretty sure that I'll be able to get the money back from you soon. If I'm wrong, then you get a free dress. Come on. Let's go."
As they entered, Ms Weldon called out, "Bonjour, Paulette! C'est moi! Rita!"
A beautiful woman, who stood at least five foot ten inches tall, materialized from the racks. Her French accent seemed put on and theatrical to John. "Bonjour, Madame Rita!" They made a show of air-kissing each other's cheeks. "Oh, is this the little garçon you told me about?" She jerked John forward and appraised his figure. "Small hips, modest breasts, pretty face... I have just the thing! Go take off your clothes, Cheri."
Rita pointed John to the dressing rooms where he disrobed and waited. He heard Paulette return to the sales floor and heard Rita say, "Oh, Paulette, that's perfect! It'll make an impact without being ostentatious."
Suddenly, the door burst open and Rita entered with the dress. John didn't even catch a glimpse of it, before Rita turned him toward the mirror and said, "Oh, what a body you have! I wish I was young again, but you probably see me as an old lady, don't you?"
Remembering Ms Weldon's warning, John searched for a noncommittal response. "You're a very beautiful woman, Rita. Honestly, if I were interested in women..."
She laughed. "Don't lie to me, little girl. You love women and I would love to take you right here, right now, but... tick, tock..." John blushed, both flattered and a bit scared.
Rita opened a small bag and handed him a very sheer, nylon stocking. Not only had he never worn anything like it before, he'd never even seen anything like it before. His mom wore pantyhose to work, of course and his sister used to leave the bathroom full of hers when she lived at home, but this was just a single, nude toned leg with a wide silicone band of lace at the top.
He stared at it for a moment, not knowing how to begin to wear it.
"Seriously," Rita said, just a bit frustrated and just a bit amused, you don't know how to put on stockings? How long have you been a girl, anyway?"
"Six days, or so."
Her eyes bulged. "Six days?" Was that even possible?
She rolled the nylon stocking correctly and knelt in front of him. "Lean against the wall and put your foot on my knee. I'll put them on you."
He did as instructed and Rita ran the silky material, slowly, up his smooth, slender leg, rolling and smoothing the stocking to within inches of his manhood, limp with nervousness and trapped in the gusset of his black, lace covered panties.
Sensing his nervousness, Rita smiled and lingered longer than she needed. She ran a finger around the inside of the top of the silicone band that topped the stocking. "You have such slender legs, Bianca." She raised her hand and gave a brief, gentle pat to the silk, lace paneled front of his panties. "And they'll never be ruined by pregnancy or menopause. Aren't you a lucky girl?"
She took the other stocking, rolled it correctly and brought it up his other leg. She took an abnormal amount of time with her ministrations, caressing, rather than smoothing, the stockings onto his legs.
When she'd finished, she stood, turned him away from her and slipped the lined dress smoothly over his head. It fell neatly in place and it felt so nice that he knew, before seeing it, that he'd love it.
It was, essentially a sheath dress with a narrow skirt, the hint of a slender waist and a top that sat comfortably on his limited curves. It had a white background with large, blue flowers printed here and there about the dress. There was a slit-neck that revealed very little, but had black piping starting at the waist line and traveling up and around the neck, creating the illusion of a plunging neckline. It had scalloped, cap sleeves that also had piping following the pattern of the scallops. It was very pretty, mature-yet-young, and fitted his body just perfectly.
"Perfect, don't you think?" Rita asked.
John nodded. It probably wasn't perfect for the occasion - i.e. auditioning for a male role, but Ms Weldon said to do what Rita said. Besides, he'd auditioned for Ms Weldon dressed as a guy and now, we'll, now... here he was trying on yet another dress...
"Good. Now, leave your clothes, Paulette can burn them for us. Let's go grab a pair of shoes and a purse."
Fifteen minutes after entering the store, John and Rita exited. Instead of the 'Walmart' look he'd had going in, John looked like a model. The perfect little dress set off by a pair of black, pointed toed, kitten heeled shoes and a small, black clutch purse. "Ok, Juan," Rita called to the driver, "get us to the audition, please."
They pulled up to the front of the office building and Rita gave Juan a few instructions regarding when they'd be out and where he should wait. Then, she put her arm around John's shoulder and led him into the building. "Let me do the talking - you can do the acting, ok? Now, I'm going to encourage them to let you read for both parts. I agree that you may be a little too old for the younger brother, but if they let you read for it, do it as well as you can. Ok?"
Rita spoke nonstop from the street, into the lobby, into the elevator, up sixteen flights, out the door of the elevator, down the hall and into the casting director's office.
"Rita Gonzales to see Jim Sheldon," she said to the receptionist.
"Umm, I'm sorry, Ms Gonzales, but I don't have you scheduled..." the poor girl stuttered. She'd encountered Rita before and didn't want to upset her."
"Oh, I'm sorry... Rita Gonzales and John Foley to see Jim Sheldon."
The receptionist was relieved when she saw John's name on her clipboard, but when she looked at Rita and John, she was confused. "Is Mr Foley with you?"
"Don't be impertinent," Rita scoffed. "This is Mr Foley."
The receptionist looked at her list again and shrugged. She'd seen stranger than this, that was for sure. "Please take a seat. Mr Sheldon will be with you very soon."
Ten minutes crawled by. Then twenty. Then an hour. John's leg had started bouncing up and down about thirty minutes into the waiting. Rita had to keep reminding him to stop. Finally, Rita rose and was about to lay into the receptionist, when Jim Sheldon stepped out of a conference room.
"Rita!?" He called as he saw hear. "I didn't know you had a client auditioning!"
Rita gave a smile that simultaneously conveyed her joy at seeing him and her annoyance at being forced to wait for over an hour. "Jim! How very nice to see you. I do have a client, John Foley. He was recommended by Maureen Weldon. He flew out from Massachusetts, just for this and I am about to walk him out the door if you can't see him."
Jim Sheldon glanced at the pretty little thing in the dress with the big flowers. "Rita, may I speak with you in private for a moment?"
Rita followed him down the hall, out of John's earshot.
"First, Rita," he began, "Let me be clear. When I agreed to see 'John,' I knew that he'd have prosthetics on, but... I mean, come on, Rita... that's not a boy in there. That's a little girl. I can't use him. In fact, I was just coming out to tell him that we'd cast the part and send him home."
"Wait a minute," Rita was a bit peeved. "How did you see him before you came out?"
"We have camera's, Rita. It is the twenty-first century. I didn't notice you were here, because I was focused on him. We've been discussing whether to bring him in or not for the last half hour."
"Jim, according to Maureen Weldon, a week ago, that little girl was an average twenty year old guy. What does that tell you about his ability to disappear into a character, huh? And, besides, you already paid to bring him out here. Give him ten minutes, for chrissake. I'm pretty sure that you'll be impressed."
"Rita, come on, it's been a long, tough morning..."
"I don't care about that, Jim, and you know it. Just hear the kid read. Come, on! It's your job for crying out loud!"
With that, a young man stuck his head out of an office door. "Are we all done, then?"
Jim looked from the young man to Rita, then rubbed his hands across his balding head in frustration and mumbled, "Oh, for crying out loud, Rita. You owe me! Understand?l
"Not if he's good, I don't!" She hustled back to the waiting area and waved for John to follow her. "And read him for both parts, Jim. He's been patiently waiting for over an hour."
Jim was waiting by the door, fully composed and seemingly happy to see him when Rita lead John around the Conor and introduced them to each other "Mr Foley! How nice to meet you!"
He held the door for John to enter. When he did, all the talking ceased and everyone did their best not to stare at him, but failed miserably.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Jim said with fake bravado, "This is MISTER John Foley. John is playing Bianca in Shrew at the moment, so he's wearing prosthetics."
"Oh!" A female camera operator let out as John walked past. "I love your dress!"
"Oh, thank you," John smiled, lighting up the room as only he could.
"It's sooo cute! I just LOVE IT! And it'll play beautifully on the camera."
"Thank you, Joanne," Jim said with obvious annoyance, "but we're reading for the BOYS parts today."
Joanne gave John a comic grimace and swung her camera around to face the audition area. "Camera one running!" She called out.
Jim read from his script, "Please state your name and age."
"John Foley. I'm twenty."
A slight murmur ran through the people assembled.
"Tell us a little about yourself, John."
"Well," he stuttered as he began. "I'm from Worcester, Massachusetts and I don't usually look like I do right now. I am about to start my junior year at Emerson College as a performance major and I hope to make my living as an actor." John's voice remained high and feminine.
Jim took notes as he spoke and listened. "Tell me a little about this recent cross dressing thing you're doing, John."
"Well, I'm in a production of 'Taming of the Shrew' and..."
"No, John," Mr Sheldon interrupted. "Lots of actors look different on stage. Why are you dressed like this, now?"
John thought for just a moment before answering, "Because my director requested - or, in fact, demanded - that I live Bianca's life while I am playing Bianca."
Jim nodded. "And you always do as your director tells you?"
"Within reason," he chortled.
"And giving up your life as a man and becoming this... female child? That's reasonable?"
John shrugged. There was no good answer. "I got in a little over my head, I guess." He smoothed his skirts and tried to smile.
"I guess..." Jim wrote some more. "Cindy," Jim said to a script girl. "Will you read the part of the father? John, look at page seven. Please read Matt's part for us."
The script girl read with no inflection of emotion at all. It took John a minute to find his footing, but once he was able to ignore her delivery, his instincts kicked in and he bit into the role. The character was angry about an incident that had happened in the family and John's anger was so real that it felt as if he would throttle the script girl.
While the scene proceeded, Jim wrote on a scrap of paper and showed it to his assistant. 'Kid's good. Too small though, I think.'
The assistant wrote back. 'Have him read for Alex.'
Jim stopped the reading and said, "John, please turn to page fifteen and read for Alex."
This time, John was ready for the bland reading from his cohort. He looked at the page, quickly. Matt was upset about the same issue, but he didn't have the same tools as his brother, to whom he was speaking. At the bottom of the page, the stage direction said, 'Matt cries.'
They started reading and John's demeanor was completely different than it had been as Matt. He reacted as if each line the script girl read, tore him apart. When the tears came, they poured down his face, but he kept right on talking, the same as someone would in real life. By the time the scene ended, half the people in the room wanted to hug him and comfort him.
They complimented and praised him as he left, but once the door was closed, Jim said, "Shame we can't use him."
His assistant said, "I think we need to encourage the director to take a risk on this kid. I think he's unbelievable and that he's just what this show needs."
"How'd it go!." Rita asked as he returned to the waiting area.
"They seemed to like me, at least they said they did, but I when I was leaving, I heard the casting director say that they couldn't use me."
"Really?" Rita had had clients read for parts hundreds - more likely, thousands - of times and only very rarely did they receive compliments - and each of those auditions led to a part. "Well, we'll just have to see what happens. For now, though, I need to get you to the airport and I owe you lunch."
GOING HOME -or- WHEN I WAS AT HOME, I WAS IN A BETTER PLACE, BUT TRAVELERS MUST BE CONTENT
Traffic was horrendous and, by the time they reached the airport, there was no time for a sit down meal. While John checked in, Rita bought him a boxed salad. He thanked her, but he really wasn't all that interested in eating. All the way to the airport, he kept thinking that, had he looked like himself, he would have gotten a part. He'd left the audition feeling a little let down, but he had grown sadder as they drove - and the traffic had just depressed him more.
"Bianca," Rita said as they approached the TSA line, "this is just the first of many auditions. Remember, they complimented you. That's not typical. I'll let you know if I hear anything, but, no matter what, I want you to stay in touch with me. I think we're going to find some work for you sooner rather than later."
He nodded and smiled a little. "Thanks, Rita. I'll stay in touch, for sure. It was great meeting you. Thank you for everything."
She kissed his cheek. "Have a good flight, Bianca. Take care of yourself."
The flight was more crowded, this time. On the first leg to Phoenix, John was crammed against the wall by two very hefty women in the other two seats in his row. The women smelled of very musky perfume and neither appeared to speak English, so they ignored him until they disembarked.
In Phoenix, a young man, in his early twenties, sat in the seat next to John. When it became obvious that the aisle seat was going to be empty, the young man moved to allow John some extra room. John closed his eyes and tried to just become unconscious, but the best he could do was doze for a few minutes at a time.
His phone buzzed as they flew over New York City. It was Rita.
"Hello?"
"John. Good news. You've got a callback! They want to have you to read for the roles again. This time for the director."
"Wow!" John shouted louder than expected. The young man two seats away smiled indulgently at the young, excited girl in his row. "When?"
"I'm working on that, now. I probably won't know until, Monday, though. I just wanted to let you know."
"Oh, Rita! Thank you so much! This is wonderful! Thank you!"
"Excuse me, miss," an attendant interrupted John. "You'll need to hang up, now. We're starting our final descent."
John nodded. "Rita, I have to hang up. We're landing. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" He disconnected the call.
"Good news?" The young man asked.
"Very!" John was incredibly happy. "I got a call back for a TV show."
"Wow!" The young man smiled. "I hope you get it."
John beamed. "Thank you."
They landed and the young man helped John with his carry-on. John nearly skipped to the front of the airport, desperate to tell his mother or Rose or both about his call back. It was all coming together.
He exited to the pickup/drop off area with a huge grin on his face. He didn't see either his mother's car or Rose's so he rose up on the toes of his kitten heeled shoes to try to get a better view as a brand new Honda CR-V pulled up right next to him, lowered the window and the driver shouted it at him.
"Mom told me that you looked like me, but, Jesus Christ, John! What the hell are you playing at!?"
It was Nancy.
To Be Continued...
Comments
Poor Bebe..
Flying all that way, getting a call back and then suddenly, what looks like a fight with her sister.
I love the way that "John" doesn't realise how much "Bebe" is the real person now.
Lucy xx
"Lately it occurs to me..
what a long strange trip its been."
Sibling rivalry !!
Going to be fun seeing how Nancy deals with having a sister cuter than her - or at least just as cute !!
Loving this story - no wonder you have a loyal fan base from other websites !!!
Hugs&Kudos!
Suzi