This is an unauthorized continuation of Jeremy Chandler’s, “My Summer in Pantyhose,” last added to by Jeremy 04/07/2023. The story line and characters belong to Jeremy Chandler and are used without express permission. What follows is intended as fan fiction with the greatest of admiration for Jeremy and appreciation for the original work.

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  The three of them went to the door, since Julie was sure that Samantha’s mother would like it better if she saw a familiar face coming to pick up Samantha.

  “Hi Julie,” Samantha’s mom said when she answered the door. “I presume these two gentlemen are you and Samantha’s dates today.”

  “That’s right. This is Aaron, my date and this is his cousin, Tyler.”

  “Nice to meet you gentlemen,” she replied with a knowing smile at Tyler. “Come on in. Samantha is almost ready.”

  “Nice to meet you too, ma’am,” Tyler said.

  “So what are your plans for the day?”

  “We’re planning to catch a matinee at the mall cinema. Before that we’ll catch lunch in the food court. With any luck, we’ll have the girls back by dinner time,” Aaron explained.

  “Really? I would have thought that you’d want to spend more time with them.”

  “Yes, I think we would. However, this is an introductory date. We thought it best to keep the first date minimal incase the Cretan rubs Samantha the wrong way,” Aaron said with a smile.

  Samantha’s mother smiled at Aaron’s attempt at humor.

  “Here’s an idea,” she said. “Since you’re planning to end the date before dinner, why not have dinner here? Julie, you can clear that with your mother, can’t you?”

  “I’m sure that I can. I may have to swing by home before we come here to let her know where I am.”

  “We’ll count on it.”

  “The new Mexican place is awesome. I was there a couple of weeks ago,” Tabitha said.

  “OK, I like Mexican,” Jamie said, but wondered why he needed more shoes.

  Before mom caught him he only had three pair of shoes, his dress shoes, the tennis shoes he usually wore and a pair of boots for when he had to go out during one of the rare snow storms they had. Last time his mother got the wild idea to buy him shoes, she doubled the number.

  In Nordstrom's they went straight to the shoe department where a young sales assistant greeted them as soon as they started looking at shoes.

  “Hello my name’s Amy. What can I help find?” she said.

  “Jamie here just bought several new outfits. I told Jamie that if I had expanded my wardrobe by that much, I’d need some new shoes. The poor dear only has four pairs.”

  “Really? That nearly a catastrophe. Fortunately, we’re well stocked to solve that. Are we talking about casual or formal wear?”

  “Work casual, don’t you think, Jamie?”

  “Are you on your feet a lot at work,” Amy asked Jamie.

  “Yeah, I work in the stock room at the Fabric Barn.”

  “We’re looking for comfort with style,” she said smiling.

  “Jamie already has some loafers, Birkenstocks, mary-janes and sandals. So some stylish flats would be in order.”

  “What size?”

  “Jamie, look inside your shoe for the size.”

  Jamie was baffled. He knew that he dress shoes were a size eight, but inside the mary-janes it said size ten.

  “I’ll bring a selection of our most popular causal shoes. Have a seat and I’ll be right back.”

  “Mom, why are my dress shoes size eight and these mary-janes are size ten? Jamie asked, as they sat down. “Can that be right?”

  “Yes it can. Women’s sizes are two sizes different from men’s.”

  “Why is that? Doesn’t that just confuse things?”

  “I don’t think when they decided to do it that way they ever though that men would want to wear women’s shoes or vice-versa.”

  “My cousin likes to wear high top tennis shoes but they don’t make girl’s high tops. So she has to buy men’s. She ran into the same problem,” Tabitha told them.

  Jamie’s mother, apparently bored, got up leaving Tabitha and Jamie still sitting as she perused the shoe displays.

  Sitting there in a woman’s shoe depart where they came specifically to buy women’s shoes for him caused him to feel self-conscious.

  “You don’t think I’m weird for buying girl’s shoes for me, do you?”

  “I think you are uniquely you. My mom says that you have courage. Most boys like you would choose to do anything but let people know their gender doesn’t match what their birth certificate says. I like that about you,” Tabitha told him. “I like you and I hope we remain good friends for a long, long time,” she continued as she took his hand in hers and squeezed it gently.

  Jamie squeezed hers back. He expected her to take her hand away, so was surprised when she remained holding it. It put him in mind of how he and Megan used to hold hands. Julie had advised him to hold Megan’s hand if he wanted to be her to be his girlfriend because that’s what boyfriends do with girlfriends. He wondered, Since she’s holding my hand, does the mean she thinks we’re boyfriend/girlfriend? Regardless he liked holding hands with Tabitha. Again he wondered if they would make a habit of it.

  Jamie’s mother was looking at a selection of kitten heels. She glanced back at Jamie and Tabitha and noticed they were holding hands. She smiled. They certainly act like they are boyfriend and girlfriend, she thought. Just then Amy returned pushing a small cart with about a dozen boxes on it.

  “Here we are,” Amy said. “We should be able to find something you like in these.”

  She pulled over one of those ubiquitous stools that populate shoe stores everywhere. She helped Jamie off with the mary-janes and produced a pair of ballet flats. With each pair, he was required to get up and walk around a bit while Tabitha and his mother passed judgement. Somehow it was a kind of De-Javu. It seemed that Tabitha was taking the roll in his life that Megan left void. It was a comfortable feeling and warmed his heart.

  In the end, he ended up with three more pairs. The ballet flats, some slingbacks flats and some pointed toe shoes with a low blocky heel of about an inch and a half. Not one of them could be mistaken for men’s shoes; not even by a blind man on a galloping horse.

  “I really like your new shoes,” Tabitha told him they walked back into the mall.

  “I think you chose some very nice ones. They’ll be a good addition to your wardrobe,” his mother agreed. “Let’s grab a quick lunch and then we’ll get you two over to Mike’s.”

  Jamie nearly panicked.

  “Ah, Mom, I need to stop by the house and change into my jeans shorts and a tee-shirt,” he said.’

  “Oh, well then all the more reason to make it a quick lunch.”

  As they rode the escalator up to the food court, Aaron asked Tyler, “Have you tried the new Mexican place here?”

  “No, I didn’t even know there was a Mexican place here. Unlike you, I have very little reason to come to the mall.”

  “It’s only been here for a little over a month. I gave it a try last week. They do a pretty good burrito.”

  “I think I’d rather have something from Panda Express,” Julie said.

  “Me too,” Samanta said.

  “No problem. The Mexican place is right next to Panda Express,” Aaron informed them. he turned to Tyler and said, “Since I’m paying, you take my debit card and go to the Mexican place. I’ll take the number two special. I’ll go with the ladies and pay for theirs.”

  As they waited in line, Julie was surprised to see her mom with Jamie and Tabitha walking toward them. They were occupied in their own conversation and didn’t see Julie’s group. They got in line right behind Tyler. The line for Panda Express was longer, so they were about fifteen feet away. Julie wasn’t sure that she should say anything to Aaron or not when Samantha took the decision out of her hands.

  “Julie, isn’t that your mom with Tabitha and Jamie right over there behind Tyler?”

  “Yeah. I didn’t know they were coming to the mall. I thought they’d go to the Rack where they got Jamie’s other skorts.”

  It turned out that just as they left the check out at Panda Express, her family was heading for a table near where Tyler had staked claim to one and ended up at the very next table. Julies mother finally noticed Julie as she approached Tyler’s table.

  “Oh Julie, I thought you’d be in your movie by now.”

  “The one we want to see doesn’t start for another hour.”

  Her mother looked a little confused.

  “I thought that Samantha was to have a date.”

  Samantha and Aaron sat down at Tyler’s table.

  “She does. You picked a table next to the one he got for us. Tyler, this is my mother, my brother Jamie, and his g… friend Tabitha. Mom, Jamie, Tabitha, this is Tyler, Aaron’s cousin.”

  “Oh yes, I can see the family resemblance now they at the same table. Nice to meet you Tyler.”

  “Nice to meet you too, ma’am.”

  Julie sat next to Aaron and said, “It’s kind of a good thing we ran into you. Samantha’s mother wants us to stay for dinner when we get back.”

  “That’s fine.”

  “What did you get this time Jamie,” Samantha asked.

  Jamie was a little disconcerted to be dragged into the conversation because he didn’t know Tyler at all. He looked directly at Samantha and made an effort not to think of anyone but her as he answered.

  “I got three more skorts.”

  “Can I be invited to the next fashion show? I see you’re wearing one of you other ones, and I still haven’t seen the rest.”

  “Yeah sure, I guess.”

  “When will that be,” Tyler wanted to know.

  Jamie only thought he was uncomfortable before. Now here was this guy whom he had just met interested in when he was going parade around in girl’s clothes.

  Julie, totally oblivious to his discomfort, suggested, “How about Sunday after church. Aaron can make up some of his signature barbeque sauce. I’m sure we have something in the freezer he can grill.”

  “Better then deplete your stash why don’t I pick up a couple racks of ribs. I know from personal experience his barbeque ribs are awesome,” Tyler offered.

  “Great idea,” Samantha said. , “I’ll whip up a potato salad.”

  “Mom, is that going to be a good time?” Jamie asked, hoping that they were supposed to go to his grandmother’s or something.”

  “I don’t see why not. I was thinking takeout Chinese for dinner tomorrow.”

  Tabitha’s parents found a parking spot near the street in the parking lot of Central Christian. Church.

  “Judging from the number of cars in the lot, it’s a popular church,” her father said as he turned off the ignition.

  “Yes, but I see the majority of people making their way inside are families,” her mother observed.

  They got out of the car and joined the throng heading inside. Tabitha searched the crowd to see if she could spot Jamie or anyone in his family. Lacking that, she did see Samantha. Having only seen her once, she wasn’t sure she should approach her. Samantha was standing near the entrance and they couldn’t help but walk right by her.

  For her part, Samantha was doing the same thing that Tabitha was. As Tabitha neared her, she made eye contact and smiled.

  “Tabitha? Hi. I didn’t expect to see you here.”

  “Oh, hi Samantha. Have you seen Jamie?”

  “Not yet. They should be here any time now.”

  “Tabitha, are you going to introduce us?” her mother wanted to know.

  “Oh; Mom, Dad, this is Samantha. She’s Julie’s friend.”

  Tabitha’s mother reached out to shake hands with Samantha.

  “Nice to meet you, Samantha. Julie?”

  “Nice to meet you too. Julie is Jamie’s older sister; my friend.”

  “OK, that clears that up.”

  “This is your first time here, isn’t it.”

  “Yes. We’ve recently move to this side town to be nearer my job and are church shopping. We’re hoping to find a family friendly church.”

  “I think this is one. I’ve been coming her with my mom for the last eight years. The pastor is a real family person.”

  “Jamie pretty much said the same thing, so we thought we’d come check it out.”

  Jamie sat brooding in the back of his mother’s car as she drove to church. He was dreading the afternoon. Samantha had wanted to see his new wardrobe and he was OK with that. Samantha was an old friend of Julie's and he’d known her forever. She had been decent about his wearing hose right from the start and even started wearing hose whenever she was around him, in sympathy. But somehow, the fashion show that she’d requested turned into a barbeque party. Tyler would be there. He didn’t know Tyler from Adam. Who else could be invited between now and then? he wondered.

  His mom was running late, mostly his fault, and got nearly the last parking spot in the lot. Julie was quick to get out and go looking for Samantha. She spotted her by the entrance talking to a couple Julie didn’t know. As she got closer, she recognized Tabitha, the girl standing with them. She’d only seen her once when they were having lunch at the mall. A quick deduction told her the couple had to be Tabitha’s parents.

  “Here comes Julie now,” Samantha said. “Oh and there’s Jamie and their mother.”

  She waved at Julie and Julie waved back. Tabitha turned and spotted Jamie.

  “I’m going to talk to Jamie. Maybe we can sit near them,” Tabitha said and headed toward Jamie.

  “Did you see the way her face lit up when she saw Jamie?” Tabitha’s mother asked. “They’re just friends, just ask them; either one will tell in no uncertain terms.”

  “Julie says she’s noticed the same reaction,” Samantha told her.

  Tabitha wanted to run to Jamie but thought better of it. She was in her Sunday best and she was at church. Jamie looked up and saw her quickstepping toward him and his mother. He quickened his pace as well and met her twenty or so feet ahead of his mother.

  “Hi,” she said breathlessly and took both of his hands in his.

  “Hi,” he answered. “You came. I didn’t know if you really would. Can you sit with me?”

  “I don’t know. I’ll have to ask my parents.”

  “Hello, Tabitha,” Jamie’s mother said as she reached them.

  “Hello, I’m here with my parents. They’re over there talking with Samantha and Julie.”

  Tabitha turned toward the church and they resumed walking toward the entrance. She kept hold of one of Jamie’s hands as they walked.

  Tabitha’s mother observed her walking toward them holding hands with Jamie. She noticed that Jamie was wearing decidedly masculine clothes. It seems he’s not out everywhere, she thought. When they Jamie and Tabitha reached them she was grinning like she’d just found out that there no school for the month of September.

  “Good morning,” Jamie’s mother said.

  “Good morning. This is my husband Trevor. Jamie made this church sound so good we thought we might give us a try. We haven’t settled on a new church since we moved at the end of the school year.”

  “I think you’ll like it. The pastor is young and keeps his messages geared toward relevant topics that are easy to apply to your life.”

  “Mom, Jamie wants to know if I can sit with him.”

  Tabitha’s mother looked at Jamie’s mother questioningly.

  “There’s usually room in the pew we sit in. Samantha often sits with us and Jamie has had friends join us before. If you like, I’m sure that there’ll be room for all three of you.”

  The conversation went on and it wasn’t until they got inside that Trevor learned Jamie’s mother’s name.