If You're Not Paying It...: 3

 

Once an attentive husband, Andrew has changed. Now, he's a moody, controlling jerk. Headed
for a divorce, his wife resorts to a radical solution. This is not the sweet/sentimental
kind of story I usually write. Nothing violent, or anything, but it is not like Disney
Princess or Dusty Rose.

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Author's Note: Please leave me a review? ~Clara.
 
This version of If You're Not Paying It...: 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.

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Chapter 6
 
 
Monday
 

"Got a minute?" Hillary asked from the door to Maureen's new office.

"Sure, Hilly, come on in," Maureen's smile indicated how much she loved being back at work at the firm. Hillary knew that her friend had missed this and she had missed her friend. It was time that Mo was back in the offices. She wished that it could have been done more easily, but that would all work out over the next few weeks.

Hillary closed the door as she entered.

"So? How did it go?"

"Oh, Hilly, he is becoming such a sweet angel. I am having a hard time believing that that pretty little girl is Andy. I hope that this all works out the way that Dr Perez says it will. I mean, I don't need him to be a cowed little girl, but a more thoughtful and cooperative partner would sure be nice!"

"I know what you mean, Mo. I am so impressed with Dr Perez and how she gets men to do what they should be doing already. You know, I heard about a couple in Canada that was having a very severe problem, similar to yours, and the wife got in touch with Dr Perez and she was able..."

Just then, there was a knock on the door and one of the paralegals ducked her head in. "I'm sorry to interrupt, Ms Green, but there is a police officer on the phone for you. It sounds important. Something about your daughter."

"My daughter!! Thank you Grace!" Then to Hillary, she said, "Oh, my God! Karen..."

Both Maureen and Hillary leaned in quickly as Maureen hit the flashing extension light on the office phone and put the call on speaker.

"This is Maureen Green. How can I help you?"

"Oh, hello, Ms Green," the disembodied voice came through the speaker. "This is officer James Randall of the Maywood Police Department. How are you today, ma'am?"

"I'm fine, officer, but I am very concerned. Did something happen to my daughter, Karen."

The officer took a beat to organize himself. "Well, ma'am, no. There is no problem with your daughter, Karen. This is about your daughter, Annie."

"Annie?" Maureen and Hillary exchanged confused looks.

"Yes, ma'am. It seems that Annie was trying to make some purchases at a local store using your husband's credit cards. When the store clerk refused to accept the card, your little Annie made quite a scene and threatened to, among other things, 'sue the ass' off of the clerk. When the clerk refused to return the cards to your daughter, well, suffice it to say that things got even worse."

"Excuse me, Officer," Hillary interrupted. "I am Ms Green's attorney. Could you please describe Annie for us."

"Ok... I'd say she's about five feet tall, maybe a little less, long blonde hair and, well, she's a real good looking young lady."

"Son of a bitch!" Maureen mouthed to Hillary.

"What, exactly, was Annie doing that caused you to take her into custody, officer?" Hillary asked the speaker phone.

"Well, ma'am, she was trying to buy about six hundred dollars worth of boys clothing at Arturo's Men's Wear using her father's credit card. It seems that Arturo knows your client's husband and when he tried to get a hold of him, young Miss Annie, here, became angry and started screaming and knocking over displays at the shop.

"That's Annie, alright," said Hillary. "We'll be there in about a halfhour. Thank you, officer."

It had been a long and silent ride from the police station back to their house. Andrew was not happy to have seen Hillary with Maureen and he was even less happy that she had followed them back to the house.

When they pulled into the garage, Hillary was right behind them. She entered the garage and waited while Maureen unlocked the door to the house.

They entered the kitchen and Maureen pointed to a kitchen chair. "Sit there."

He did.

Hillary put her purse on the counter and faced Andrew. She was very angry, he could tell.

Maureen came and stood beside her friend. "Well, young lady, what have you got to say for yourself."

"Sorry," he mumbled.

She shook her head. "Sorry's not nearly good enough, little girl. I know that you look like a child, but damn it all, Andy, you know better than to put yourself into a situation like that. What the hell were you thinking?"

"I wanted a suit."

"What?" Maureen said.

Hillary laughed, "Did you say a suit? This was all over a suit?"

"Why, Andy? Why did you want a suit?" Maureen asked.

He sighed. "I got an email from Carolyn and she said I needed to get to the office. I couldn't possibly go like this, so I wanted to buy a suit. That's all."

"That's all!?" Maureen shouted. "That's all, he says," she said to Hillary. "Alright, Andrew, I need to think about your punishment, so go on up to the guest room and I'll call you when I'm ready."

"Punishment!? Maureen, I'm a grown man..."

"A grown man!? Andrew, you acted like a spoilt child before all of this, not a grown man, and I have got to say that I am very, very, very disappointed in you. Imagine what it's like to get a call from the police about my daughter! I thought that Karen had been hurt or worse. My heart nearly stopped then I find out that it's my pig-headed husband doing something that he was expressly told NOT to do. You're acting younger than the child that you appear to be and, since you are acting like a child, there will be consequences."

"Mo, please..."

"Upstairs, little girl, and I mean right this very moment or you'll be sorrier about talking back to me than you can imagine."

Her anger scared him to his core, so he scurried out of the room and up the stairs.

"We've got to make sure that someone is watching him at all times, Mo," Andrew could hear Hillary talking as he climbed the stairs, "he could get into a lot of trouble walking around in the body of a child with the stubborn attitude of a 41 year old guy like Andrew."

"I know, but I can't miss work and Karen's in school..." the voices were hushed as he closed the door and laid down on the bed. He cuddled up to a pillow and, within minutes, he fell asleep in the middle of the day.

"Andy. Andy, honey, wake up. I need to talk to you." Andy had been very sound asleep and the voice seemed to come from a long way away. "Come on, sweetie, I need to you to sit up and listen to me."

He felt hands lifting him up and sitting him on the side of bed. He blinked his eyes and saw Jenny sitting right in front of him. She was smiling and holding his hands in his lap. He blinked some more and glanced around the room to see Hillary beside Jenny, to his right, and Maureen to his left. This couldn't be good.

"Hi, Andy," Jenny said with an almost joyous smile.

"Hi, Jen." He was a little groggy and a bit nervous of facing this tribunal. "Am I in trouble?"

"Well, sweetheart," Jenny maintained her maternal attitude as she spoke, "I guess that the answer to that is Yes and No. You had a very bad day today, didn't you?"

Andrew looked down and nodded, ashamed. "Yes. I didn't mean to, but I got into trouble. Did they tell you about it?"

"They sure did, honey, but let's move on from that, ok?"

He nodded, again.

"Ok, so Momo, Auntie Hillary and I were talking and we came up with a way to keep you busy and keep you safe and out of trouble until you're all better. You want that, too, right, sweetheart?"

He nodded, again.

"Good, sweetie. That's very good. So, starting tomorrow, you're going to be my helper, ok?"

"Your helper? What do you mean, your helper? What will I have to do?"

"You're going to come to school with me, baby, and help me. You can help me with the girls, pass out papers and clean up, make copies... things like that. Won't that be nice? Helping Me with my classroom?"

He shook his head in confusion. "But you teach third graders. I don't know anything about little girls, or teaching."

"Andy," Maureen knelt next to Jenny and smiled at Andrew, "Jenny is being very, very generous. She wants to keep you safe, honey. We all think that this is the best thing for you. You can be helpful and Jenny can be sure that you're safe. After school, you can go back to Jenny's house until Karen can pick you up, then she can look after you until I get home. This is the best idea we have, baby. Do you understand, that?"

He nodded. "I guess."

"Good, Andy," Jenny encouraged, "very good. So, tomorrow morning, Momo is going to bring you to my house at 6:30 in the morning. Sadie and I will help you to get ready and then we'll go to school and you can meet the girls. I know that you're going to be a very big help for me, aren't you."

He nodded. "I'll do my best."

"That's my big girl," Maureen smiled at him.
 
Chapter 7
 
 
Tuesday
 

"Mom, they're here!" Sadie called upstairs from the picture window in the living room. Her Aunt Maureen's car had just pulled up in front of the garage. She had tried not to let her mother see it, but Sadie was very excited about helping her uncle get ready for school.

"I'll be right down, sweetheart." Jenny hollered back. "Please get him dressed as quickly as you can."

"Ok, mom."

The door opened and in came Uncle Andy and Aunt Maureen. Uncle Andy just gave Sadie a nod. Sadie could see that he was nervous about the day ahead, so she walked over to him and took him by his upper arms and rubbed gently.

"Hi, Uncle Andy. Are you doing ok?" She asked looking down at the petite man in front of her. He was wearing a sleeveless, white top with pink flowers on it, and a pink, pleated skirt with a pretty lace trim around the hem.

He shrugged, "I guess. Just... I don't know... nervous, I guess."

"Aww," she giggled a little, "don't worry. I've gone to school with mom a million times. The girls will love you and you'll love them, too." She hugged him and, again, marveled at how small he was, "You'll be fine. I promise. Come on. I'll help you get ready to go to school."

As his niece guided him towards the kitchen, Andrew said, "I thought I was ready."

"No, you need a uniform, Uncle Andy. You do look very pretty, but mom says that anyone at the school who isn't a parent or a staff member has to wear a uniform. No exceptions."

As they disappeared around the corner, Jenny came down the stairs. Her head was titled to the left as she secured an ear ring. "Hi. Is everything ok?"

Maureen laughed and shrugged her shoulders. "I guess so. Sadie seems to have everything under control. Did you really get him a uniform?"

Jenny smiled, "Yep. It was one of Sadie's when she was in sixth grade. It should fit ok. We have a little time before we have to leave, so, if she needs to take it in a little, Sadie can handle it. The sewing machine is set up in the mud room, just in case."

"Ok. It sounds like you have everything under control. I'll just pop in and say goodbye before I leave."

When they entered the kitchen, they found Sadie in her grey, high school uniform shirt with a light blue uniform polo shirt helping Andrew into a pristine, white, button up, elementary school uniform shirt. It had a Peter-Pan collar and the long sleeves had just the hint of a feminine puff to them. It was obvious that the uniform had just been ironed. The smell of the iron and spray starch still hung in the air.

As Sadie stood behind her little uncle and slid the blouse up his arms, his pretty little bra and panty set was on display. They were made of matching lace. The panties had a little pink bow in the very front and center of the waistband and the bra had a matching little pink bow centered between Andrews B-cup breasts, which, on his tiny body, stood out proud and perky.

"Oh," Maureen cooed, "I miss this uniform. I loved seeing Karen and Sadie wearing theirs. They were so feminine and just, I don't know, classic, I guess."

"And you're going to be so pretty in yours," as she came over to button up the front of the blouse for her big brother. She smiled down at him, obviously pleased with the fit of the blouse. "We'll leave the top two buttons open. That will look pretty. Sadie, hand me that necklace, please."

Jenny leaned past him, brushing his face with her breast. She'd always been femininely shy around him and was always very proper. Now, she was treating him like one of the girls. It was a little unsettling.

She laced the delicate chain around his neck and leaned around him to fasten it in the rear. "Hold your hair out of the way for me, baby, please."

Andrew reached up and pulled all of his hair to his right shoulder. He knew that it was only because of his height in proportion to his old hair length, but it felt so much longer than before.

Again, Jenny leaned in and once again her breast touched his face. It was just odd. She was so much bigger than him now. Just being treated like a child made him feel like one.

Jenny positioned the small, gold cross that hung from the thin chain on his chest. When he looked down at the pretty little symbol, it seemed to be pointing at the cleavage that was visible below. He knew that his blouse was buttoned high enough that the cleavage would not be visible from almost any other angle, but this ornament seemed to be drawing unnecessary attention to the new, very feminine assets.

"Here, mom," Sadie said, handing her mother a small, plaid garment, "let's get this on him and I'll take in the waist if I need to."

"Ok," said Jenny as she knelt down and held the skirt open in front of Andrew. As Jenny sat back on her feet, Andrew realized that he was only an inch or two taller than her in this position. "Ok, sweetheart, step into your skirt."

He did as he was told and the soft, wool skirt was pulled up to his waist. Sadie fastened it from behind as they both fidgeted with the waist of the garment. He could feel Sadie pulling it tight behind his back. Then she said, "All set," and the skirt was dropped to the floor again and Andrew was told to step out of it.

He glanced over his sister's shoulder to see his wife standing in the doorway watching this whole procedure.

"I know you don't want to hear it, Andy, but you are absolutely adorable. I have to get to the office." She walked towards him, a big smile on her face and kissed his cheek."Now, you be good for Auntie Jenny at school, ok. I want to have a good report at the end of the day."

Andrew looked at Jenny and said, "I don't really have to call you Auntie, do I?"

"Well, honey," Jenny said in her motherly voice, "it wouldn't seem right to have you calling me Jenny at school, would it. Auntie Jenny or Auntie Jen will be fine."

"Ok," he said, but not happy about it.

"Now that I think about it," Maureen said from the table as she organized her keys before leaving, "it probably wouldn't be appropriate for a child your age to call me Maureen, either. Until you recover, I think it would be best for you to call me mom... or mommy if you'd prefer."

Andrew was shocked. This just wasn't right. "Mom? Come on, Mo, that's not not necessary."

"I think it probably is best, sweetheart," Jenny said while stroking his face to keep him calm. "And, Andy, I think that we need to be sure that everyone understands that Andy is short for Andrea instead of Andrew, too. If you need to spell it, you had better spell it A-N-D-IE, ok."

He sighed and nodded.

Maureen was just headed out the door to the kitchen and she heard the sigh. She called back, "Unless you want us to go back to calling you Annie. Your choice," and she headed towards her car.

Andrew looked at His sister. She smiled, "Andie will be just fine, sweetheart."

"All set, mom," Sadie called from the door to the mud room as she shook the stray threads from the skirt. "Ready to try your skirt on again, Uncle Andy?"

He nodded as Jenny said, "Andie, honey. From now on, until he's back to normal, just call her Andie, ok?"

"Ok, mom," Sadie giggled as they pulled the skirt up and fastened it in the rear, "Andie, it is. That's a really pretty bra and panty set you're wearing, Andie. Did Auntie Mo buy that yesterday?"

Andrew shrugged as he stepped into the skirt, again. "I guess so."

As the skirt passed Andrew's panties, Jenny whispered to her brother, "I'm glad that your mommy tucked that little thing away before came over. I didn't want to have to help you with that."

Andrew had no response other than turning red.

Sadie zipped up the back of the skirt while Jenny smoothed it out, taking just a moment to rub down the very front of the skirt. She looked up at Andrew and smiled her motherly smile. "That fits perfectly, Sadie. Andie, thank your cousin, Sadie."

Andrew sighed. "Thank you, Sadie."

"You're very welcome, Andie. Come here and take a seat. Let me fix your hair."

"What's wrong with my hair" he asked as Sadie sat him in a kitchen chair.

"There's nothing wrong with your hair, Andie, but I can help you make prettier."

Sadie removed the hair tie from his hair and it fell around his head in golden strands. As she started brushing, she tried to encourage her little uncle, "You have really pretty hair, Andie. I've always thought so. It could be even prettier with some shaping and style."

Andrew had always enjoyed brushing his own hair, but having Sadie do it for him was lovely.

"I'm going to just put a little curl in it for you so that it looks a little fuller for you, ok?"

He noticed that his niece and sister had very similar ways of speaking. A kind of maternal, sing-song quality that was strangely soothing to him. Funny he'd never noticed it before. Maybe they hadn't used this tone before. He couldn't remember, but he knew he liked it now. "I guess."

The heat of the curling iron made a distinct smell as it burned into his hair. Living with two women, he had, of course smelled that smell many time s before, but this was different. It was his hair. The heat of the iron was very close to him and it gave him strange tingles from the top of his head to the tip of his toes.

"I love doing hair and make-up for my friends, Andie. Aunt Heather, my dad's sister, says that I can come help out in her salon as soon as I'm sixteen. I hate being fourteen. It's like people expect me to be an adult, but I can't get a job, I can't drive, I can't make my own decisions." She huffed as she moved the curling iron around his head. "Everyone always tells me not to grow up too quickly, you know, like you should enjoy being young while you're young. I don't know. I'd like to grow up as quickly as possible, you know?"

"I do."

"At least being in high school, even though I'm just a freshman, they don't treat you like a little kid. I like that."

She brushed his hair and sprayed it lightly with some hairspray. Then she fluffed it just a bit and moved around in front of him to inspect her work. She screwed up her face, obviously dissatisfied with something.

"Close your eyes for a minute, Andie."

From the counter where Jenny was making lunches, Andrew's sister said, "No makeup, Sadie. She's only supposed to be a twelve year old. Sixth graders in Catholic schools aren't allowed to wear makeup."

"Just a little mascara, mom. She has beautiful eyelashes."

"Then she doesn't need mascara, does she?"

Sadie huffed again. "What a waste," she said out loud to herself. "Here," she whispered to Andrew, "make duck lips for me."

She rolled a tube across his lips. "That just lip balm with a tiny hint of pink. The grown ups will never notice and it'll make your lips shine a little." She handed the tube to Andrew instructing him to use it every hour or so. "It'll be our secret." She smiled warmly. This was obviously a big deal for his niece.

"Thank you, Sadie," he said.

"Mom, she's adorable, but we should get her ears pierced if she's going to blend in. I didn't know ant girls in sixth grade who didn't have pierced ears. Even with long hair, it's still noticeable."

Jenny came over and scrutinized the little, pretty man's face and nodded. "You're right. We'll stop at the jewelry store on the way home."

"Yay!" squealed Sadie, genuinely excited. "You'll love it!" she rubbed Andrews upper arms as she literally shook with joy. "You'll feel so grownup and feminine."

He just nodded knowing that A) his opinion on anything was of no interest to anyone at the moment and B) the holes from the piercing would be unnoticeable later and that they'd heal pretty quickly.

"All set?" Jenny asked, placing the last little lunch bag on the kitchen table. "Oh, Sadie, you did such a great job. She is adorable. Andie, I know that this isn't how you want to spend the next month, but there's nothing we can do about that, so you may as well enjoy it.

She smiled as she patted his cheek in sympathy. "If you act like a good girl for me at school and you just behave yourself with Karen and Momo, or rather, your mommy, the month will just fly by and you'll be back to being my big brother again - instead of my niece. Ok?"

"Ok, Jen..."

"Uh, uh, uh!" Jenny frowned and shook her head.

He sighed again, "Ok, Auntie. I'll be a very good girl for you and everyone else. I guess I can do whatever needs to be done for a month."

"That's a good girl," Jenny smiled. "I'm very proud of you."

"So am I, Andy," Sadie beamed at him. "You'll see. It's great being a pretty girl. I love it. The makeup. The clothes. The boys. It's all so wonderful. You'll love it all, just like I do. I bet that a month from now, you won't want to be a man, again."

"Good morning, Carolyn," Maureen smiled at Andrew's secretary as she swept past her and entered Andrew's office.

Carolyn looked up in surprise, "Oh, ummm... Good morning, Mrs Green. Can I help you with something?" Before Carolyn had gotten to her feet, Maureen was already through the door and placing her new briefcase on Andrew's desk.

"As a matter of fact, Carolyn, you help me with quite a bit. First, you can call me Ms Green. Second, you clear all of my husband's paperwork up and forward it to other attorneys in his department. Third, you can find me three paralegals who have experience in public relations and get them to set up tables in your area. Mr Green is going to be out sick for the next four to five weeks and I need a bigger work space, so I'm using this office. Any questions?"

Carolyn shook her head to organize all the information she'd just been given. "Umm... ok, Ms Green, but I spoke with Mr Green yesterday and he said he felt ok and that he'd be in today. So..."

"I seriously doubt that you spoke to my husband yesterday, because, if you had, you'd know by his voice that he is not a well man." Maureen said as she pulled paperwork out of her briefcase, arranging it on the desktop.

"Well, I didn't actually speak to him, but we did exchange emails. He said it was just an allergic reaction to something."

"And that's what it was, Carolyn. Now, please get started on the jobs I gave you. I have a lot to do."

"But, Mrs Green... I'm sorry... Ms Green, five weeks is a long time. He has things on his calendar..."

"I'm sure he does, Carolyn, so give all of that to other lawyers. Please get started now. I have an awful lot to do and very little time to do it. Ok? Thank you, Carolyn." Maureen sat and looked into the center draw, which was the only drawer, in Andrew's desk. There were a few file folders with clients names printed on it and a key ring with two small keys with red plastic heads on it.

"Please take these," Maureen said as she handed the folders to the befuddled secretary.

"Yes, Ms Green."

"And do you know what these keys are for?"

Carolyn looked at them and started to respond, but stopped.

"Carolyn." Maureen said again. "Do you know what these keys open?"

Carolyn shook her head. "No Ms Green. I don't."

"Ok. Thank you. That'll be all for now," and Carolyn watched as Maureen placed the keys into a pocket of her briefcase.

"And who is your big helper, today?" Said an attractive woman in her late thirties or early forties as Andrew entered the school office with his sister to retrieve her mail and sign in for the morning.

"Good morning, Ms McCarthy," Jenny beamed as she placed a hand in the middle of Andrew's back to push him towards the other woman. "This is my niece, Andrea. She will be my helper for a few days. Say hello to Mrs McCarthy, Andie."

The office was fairly crowded and Andrew was feeling a bit overwhelmed by the sheer number of woman who not only surrounded him, but towered over him.

He raised his eyes to make contact with Mrs McCarthy's eye, but barely reached her chin before he lowered them again. He raised his hand to shake hands with the woman, as he had done when meeting people a million times before. "Good morning, Mrs McCarthy. It's very nice to meet you."

It struck Andrew as odd that the other women in the room let out strange 'aww' sounds as Mrs McCarthy took his hand and very gently shook it. "Well aren't we a big girl?" She laughed. "Very nice to meet you, as well, Miss Andrea and welcome to St Agnes Elementary School. I'm sure you'll be a big help to you aunt and all of our grade three girls."

"Thank you, Mrs McCarthy. I'll try." He replied, stepping back and, without thinking, took Jenny's hand.

There was kind and gentle laughter and a few more 'awws" from the other women.

Another woman came forward and bent low to look Andrew directly in his eyes, an old, teacher maneuver. "You are a very lovely young lady, Andrea. Do you want to be a teacher like your Auntie Jen?"

Andrew didn't know how else to react, so he just nodded and said, "Yes, ma'am. I'd like that."

"Or maybe you could be a principal like me," said Mrs McCarthy. "A smart girl like you can do anything she wants when she grows up, right Andrea?"

Andrew nodded.

"I think she's a little overwhelmed at the moment," Jenny smiled at her colleagues, "And, please, Andrea prefers to be called Andie. She will be in my room, but if anyone needs any help, please come by and grab her. She'll be happy to help out."

"Isn't that sweet," Mrs McCarthy patted Andrew's head. "We love it when Sadie comes in with your aunt. She is great with the littlest ones. Cora, could you use any help in the kindergarten for the next few weeks?"

A very pretty, young woman smiled down at Andrew and bent just a little as she spoke with a condescending tone of voice which would seemed perfectly natural to a real twelve year old girl. "Well, I sure could. Any time that Auntie Jen can spare you, you come on over to the kindergarten and spend some time with your new Auntie Cora. My, but you are a pretty thing. The kindergarten girls would just adore you. Do you like reading to children, Andie?"

Andy shrugged. "I don't know, ma'am. I've never done it before."

Again, the women all giggled and laughed.

"Well, we'll fix that," Cora smiled as she stood and exited the office.

"We need to get to class, too, Andie," Jenny smiled.

It was 6:48 that evening when Maureen came through the front door of Jenny's pleasant home.

"Hi, mom!"

"Hi, Auntie!"

Karen and Sadie were sitting on the living room floor with their books on the coffee table, doing their homework.

Maureen smiled. She loved that Karen and Sadie were close. They were both so smart and so pretty in their own ways. Karen was sleek and athletic like her father and Sadie was curvy and cute as a button like her mother. Strangely enough, Karen's father now looked a lot more like Sadie than Karen. "Hi, girls! Where's our pretty little friend?"

The girls laughed. "She's out in the kitchen with Auntie Jen helping with dinner," Karen smiled and then went back to helping Sadie with her homework.

'Helping with dinner?' Maureen thought. 'This I have to see!'

When she entered the kitchen, she was shocked to see that Andy was wearing a little, blue shirt-dress with a little yellow apron and he was helping to set the table.

"Hi, Mo!" Jenny smiled, happy as could be. "Just get here?"

"Yes and it looks like you two are having a good time." She put down her purse and briefcase and kissed Andrew on the head as he placed silverware on the table. "Hello, young lady. Everything ok?"

Andrew continued his chore, "Hi, Mo... oops... mom. Everything's ok, I guess."

"Your hair is very pretty. Did auntie do that for you?"

"No, mom. Sadie did my hair before school."

Maureen smiled as she wrapped an apron around her waist and started helping with dinner. "So, how was your day, honey?"

"Fine, I guess. I helped Jenn... auntie by making copies and I helped the girls with their work a lot."

Maureen looked to Jenny for confirmation. Jenny nodded.

Maureen was very pleased. "Very good, honey. Did you do anything else?"

Andrew placed the last fork on the table and thought for a moment. "I helped out in the kindergarten for a couple of hours too."

Now shocked, Maureen turned wide-eyed to her sister-in-law who explained, "That's right. She went down to do Reading Time with the babies and she was there for at least two hours. Here," Jenny pulled out her phone, "Cora, the kindergarten teacher, took these and sent them to me."

She scrolled through six pictures. In each, Andy was sitting on the floor with a group of little girls. Andy in his big-girl uniform and each of the girls in their little-girl uniforms. It was an absolutely precious scene. Maureen smiled and her heart melted. She didn't want to say anything to embarrass Andrew, so she just looked at Jenny and mouthed, 'Oh, my goodness.'

Jenny mouthed back, 'I know.'

"Did you do anything else?" Maureen asked, knowingly.

"No," he said as he brought a bowl of potatoes to the table.

"Really? Huh? I heard that you and Sadie and auntie stopped at the mall on the way home. Did auntie buy you that dress?"

Andrew nodded.

"I hope that you thanked auntie for being so generous."

"Oh, she did," Jenny giggled. I don't think she loves her uniform, but that will change. When we got home, I made it clear that she would have to iron her clothes to get them ready for the next day, so she got changed and did her own ironing. Just like a big girl."

"Very good, baby," Maureen said. "Take off your apron so mommy can see it."

Andrew untied the apron and turned so Maureen could see him. It was a simple dress. Almost like a long, tee-shirt tunic. Light, marked blue with five pretty buttons leading from his chin to his perky breasts.

"Oh, how adorable. Did you pick it out yourself?"

He nodded as he folded his apron.

"And there's one more thing," Jenny teased as if Maureen didn't already know. "Come show your mommy, sweetie."

Andrew came to Maureen and pulled his hair back so that it was behind his ears. Protruding from his ear lobes were two tiny, adorable little pink-glass earrings.

"Oh, those are just precious, Andie. Don't you just love them?" His wife gushed.

Andrew shrugged.

"Oh, Jen, thank you so much. My little girl is growing up so fast. Look how pretty she had gotten in just one day!"

"Supper's ready!" Jenny called to the living room as she pulled five chicken cordon-bleu out of the oven. She placed the food on the table and turned to Maureen. "I have to tell you, Mo, Andie was a perfect angel all day, today. She did everything I asked her to do and she only shed a few tears when she got her ears pierced. I haven't spent an entire day with my big brother since he was twenty-two years old and I loved every minute of it - even if he's my adorable little niece, now. Also, I have to say, my principal was very taken with her. She calls her 'Miss Andrea' and tomorrow, Miss Andrea will be helping her organize everything for the spring field day from 9:30-11:00. She says that Miss Andrea is the prettiest thing she's ever seen and that, if she'd had a daughter, she'd want her to be just like Andrea."

Karen and Sadie on opposite sides of the table, while Maureen and Jenny sat at the ends.

"Come sit by me, daddy," Karen patted the empty chair to her left.

"Oh, come on, Karen," Maureen teased. "Does that pretty, little thing look at all like your daddy? Or anyone else's daddy, for that matter?"

"I guess not," Karen smiled, watching her little father tuck the bottom of his dress under him rear end as he sat in the proffered chair.

"She's just Andie for now." Maureen said.

"Maureen," Jenny asked as she took one ok Sadie's hands and one of Andrews, "would you like to say grace?"

"I would be happy to."

Andrew's nightie this evening was a pretty, banana yellow sheath that hung loosely from his shoulders to mid-thigh. He was seated on their bed watching TV with his legs tucked neatly under his rear-end when Maureen came out of the master bathroom. God, he looked so cute and knowing that there was a man in that tiny body was just so... hot. Perky little breasts and a perfect, little penis. What more could you ask for?

She pulled down the bedclothes and climbed in, inviting Andrew to join her. She laid on her back and pulled Andrew to lay with his head on her right breast.

"It's not so bad, is it sweetheart?" She asked.

He shrugged. "I guess not. At least I feel useful helping at Jen's school."

"Auntie's school, dear."

"Auntie's school, then."

"That's nice, baby. Sweet dreams, sugar."

"Sweet dreams, mommy."

For at least the fourth time today, Maureen's heart melted.
 
Chapter 8
 
 
Thursday - 9 days later
 

Andrew's life had become a new routine. Everyday, he woke and dressed in a clean, casual dress and had breakfast with Karen and Maureen before being driven to Jenny's where Sadie would delight in doing his hair and adding just a touch of makeup every morning. Then he'd put on his school uniform.

At school, he found that he really enjoyed working with the kindergartners and with Mrs McCarthy and that was mostly for the same reason. The babies looked up to him and loved to ask him lots of questions. They would cuddle next to him and sit on his lap while he read books to them. When he worked with Mrs McCarthy, she would give him real, although not overly taxing, jobs to do, then leave him alone to accomplish them. In short, he felt responsible when he was with the babies or with the principal. No one in his family treated him like an adult. Even if Mrs McCarthy didn't treat him like an adult, she at least treated him like an intelligent young woman. That felt good.

Today, Andrew was in the office, placing paperwork into the appropriate teacher mailboxes when he heard Mrs McCarthy's voice behind him, "Well, good afternoon, Miss Andrea. Is everything going well, today?"

He answered, "Yes, ma'am," as he turned, but he was surprised to see Jenny standing with the principal. After all, Jenny had a class right now. Also, she was grinning, which made him wonder what was going on.

"Miss Andrea, would you please join your auntie and me in my office for a few minutes?" She smiled broadly and indicated the door to her office.

Andrew glanced at his sister who smiled and nodded, indicating that he should lead the way into the office. He looked confused and concerned as he walked into the small, organized office with his sister and Mrs McCarthy following close behind.

"Please take a seat, Miss Andrea. There's something I'd like to discuss with you." Mrs McCarthy moved behind her desk and sat, tucking her skirt as she did.

Andrew pulled himself up into a chair and sat with his legs not touching the floor. He sat upright with his back not touching the back of the chair and his legs crossed at the ankles, just as he'd been taught for the past week and a half. Jenny sat beside him and took his hand in hers.

Andrew looked from his sister to the principal and felt very small and vulnerable.

"Did I do something wrong? Am I in trouble? I'm really sorry if I did something wrong," after everything that he'd been through, he was genuinely petrified of upsetting anyone that may be able to make his life miserable until his recovery. He liked being responsible for little things around the office and didn't want to lose that privilege.

There was a moment of silence before both women broke into laughter.

"Oh, my goodness, no, Miss Andrea. You are most certainly NOT in any trouble. As a matter of fact, I am finding you to be one of the most extraordinary young women I have ever met and that is the reason I asked your aunt if we could have this little chat."

Andrew was relieved, but still confused.

"Actually, sweetie, Mrs McCarthy has a very special favor to ask you," Jenny spoke in that sing-song voice again and she rubbed his hand in hers. It made him feel better. He looked to Mrs McCarthy expectantly.

"Well, Miss Andrea, as I was saying, I think you are a very extraordinary girl. I see intellect in you that is far beyond most twelve year olds. Not only that, but you are one of the most attractive young ladies I have ever met. I suppose that should not surprise me, though, since you are Sadie's cousin and she was almost as beautiful as you at your age.'

'Anyway, I do have a favor to ask of you. You see, my son, Patrick, is also an extraordinary young person. He is also twelve years old, but he is a freshman in high school because he skipped several grades along the way. Now, Patrick is very bright, particularly when it comes to computers, but he is also a track team star and a member of the student council at his school. Here is a picture of Pat."

Mrs McCarthy held up a photo of a good looking young man with reddish hair and just enough freckles to make him look like a Norman Rockwell painting.

"Isn't he handsome, Andie?" asked Jenny.

He nodded because it was true. He was a handsome young man. "Yes, Mrs McCarthy. He is very handsome."

"Well, I am glad that you think so, Miss Andrea, because the favor involves Patrick, too. You see, although he is a very gifted student, it is difficult for him to be in school with so many people who are not his age. Can you understand how that must feel?"

Andrew certainly could understand that. "Yes, ma'am, I can imagine how hard that must be for Patrick."

"I knew you would have the emotional intelligence to understand, Miss Andrea. You are a very special little girl."

"What do you say, Andie?" Jenny asked him.

"Thank you, Mrs McCarthy."

"You're very welcome, Miss Andrea. Now, for the big question. Patrick has a formal banquet coming up two weeks from tomorrow, on the twenty third. All the other kids are bringing dates and I was wondering if you'd be willing to be Patrick's date for the evening."

Andrew felt flushed and confused. She was trying to set him up on a date with her son!

Andrew looked to Jenny who smiled and nodded, but Andrew felt as if he was in a free fall. As if the tightrope he'd been walking for the past two weeks had just snapped and he was plummeting towards oblivion.

Suddenly, he had an idea. "I would be very happy to accompany Patrick, Mrs McCarthy, but I am afraid that I will not be staying with my Auntie Jen on the twenty-eighth. I will have returned home by then."

He was actually a little proud of coming up with this response.

"Oh, I see..." Mrs McCarthy said before Jenny jumped in.

"No, no, baby. You're not leaving until the third at the earliest."

He felt the trap snap shut, again. The third? That was cutting everything pretty close. Andrew took in a sharp gulp of air and held it as he struggled to come up with anything to say.

"Well, then," Mrs McCarthy smiled, "what do you say, Miss Andrea?"

"Oh, don't be silly," Jenny said with more glee than Andrew deemed necessary. "The opportunity for a girl her age to get all dolled up in a new dress and big-girl makeup...? Of course she wants to go. I'm sure that she's just nervous about going on her first date. Tell Mrs McCarthy that you'll go to the party, Andie."

Andrew stared at his sister in disbelief. He shook his head almost imperceptibly and widened his eyes to beg for help, but he could tell that Jenny was too caught up in the idea of shopping for a dress and preparing him for the dance to let this opportunity pass her by.

"Andrea... tell Mrs McCarthy that you'd be thrilled to go to the banquet with Patrick."

He turned to Mrs McCarthy, the heat of anxiety creating a bead of sweat around around his bra band. His lips were tingling. He licked them, but could think of nothing he could say that would get him out of this ness. Nothing came to mind, so he said, "Thank you, Mrs McCarthy. I would love to be Patrick's date for the banquet."

"Wonderful!" Mrs McCarthy clapped her hands. "This is wonderful. You'll love Patrick. I swear that you two were made for each other. Let's get you two acquainted before the party. I was thinking that you two should do some kind of an activity so you could get to know each other. How about bowling on Saturday afternoon. I'll come by your place with Pat at around 2:00 on Saturday to pick you up. Does that work for everyone?"

Andrew gave a resigned nod.

"Oh, this is going to be so much fun!!" Jessy squealed she bounced in her seat.

"Oh, do stop sulking, Andie. You have an opportunity to experience the excitement of getting completely dolled up to go to a banquet - and as a beautiful young lady! Andie, you're going to love it! I don't understand why you are taking this attitude," Jenny lectured while looking into the rear view mirror of her minivan at what appeared to be an angry, very young woman in the back seat who sat with arms crossed and shoulders tensed.

"Mom's right, Andie," Sadie said as she looked around the back of the passenger seat of the minivan. "I know it seems like a lot, but once you start shopping for a dress and thinking about your makeup, your going to love it. Besides, Patrick is a really nice boy. Kind of shy, but that's because he's so much younger than his classmates. Honestly, he's a nice boy."

"Sadie! Jenny!..."

"Uh, uh, uh! It's Auntie Jenny at all times, young lady."

Andrew growled in frustration. "Alright, 'Auntie Jenny,' I don't care if he's a nice boy or not. You still arranged for me to go on a date with a boy. Can't you see how wrong this is!?"

"Oh, Andie, please!" Jenny laughed. "You're accompanying a shy, nerdy twelve year old boy. I wouldn't exactly call It a date. "

"Seriously, Andie," Sadie's smile was broad and sincere, "you're going to love it."

After nearly a solid minute of silence from the backseat, there came a defiant mumble, "I'm not doing it."

Sadie turned to reengage in the argument, but Jenny shook her head. "We'll talk fave-to-face when we get home. I think she'll understand things better when her mommy is there to help explain thing to her."

"Now, honey," Maureen cooed as she gently circled Andrew's right nipple through the gauzy fabric of his soft, yellow nightie, "remember how much fun I had with Karen when she was your age and got invited to events like this? I loved getting her all gussied up in her prettiest clothes and helping her look like a lady. It was so much fun, remember."

Andrew laid back on their king sized mattress, his eyes were closed as he breathed heavily and concentrated on the feelings in his tender breast. "I remember," he whispered through labored shivers.

"Well, baby, that's all that this is, ok? Just a chance to dress my newest little girl up for a fancy night out, ok?"

Andrew wanted to agree because he didn't want Maureen to stop playing with his nipple, but he needed to say something. "It's just... It's just that, well, it's just that it's with a guy..."

Maureen leaned down to nibble his nipple through the soft, sheer fabric. She gently kissed the exposed flesh of his upper breast, then his chin and his cheek. Then she whispered, "He's just a sweet innocent little boy. Nothing is going to happen. His mother will pick you up here, take you to the party and take you right back home. Everything will be safe and sweet. Ok?"

He began to grind his groin into the air as his breathing picked up tempo.

"And, besides, I am the breadwinner for the time being and, as you always used to say, 'If you're not paying it, you've got no say in it.' So..." with her free hand, she took his hand and guided it towards the area where his legs met and his shrunken and youthened penis was tucked into his panties. She coaxed his movements until he was rubbing that area briskly, "you'll do this for me and for Jenny so that she isn't embarrassed in front of her principal, right? You'll be mommy's good girl and be Patrick's pretty, perfect little date, right?"

His senses were overwhelmed, but he did not respond. Maureen grabbed the hand that was rubbing his penis and held it in place. "Say yes and I'll let you finish," she giggled in his ear.

He didn't want to, but he whispered it. "Yes."

Maureen let go of his hand and allowed himself to continue to masturbate. She smiled as she leaned down and suckled his nipple one more time. "That's a good little girl,"she whispered. "That's mommy's good, little baby." She used her tongue to maneuver the gentle elastic and lace bust-line of his nightie to the side, exposing his perfect, perky, feminine breast. "So, so beautiful," she whispered, more to herself than to her cute little partner, as she took the nipple into her mouth and sucked and licked Andie to a massive, exciting orgasm.

She leaned back and looked at him, as his breathing normalized. She smiled down at him. "Did that feel nice?" She asked with the same tone of voice that a mother would use when speaking to a child.

He nodded.

"Good. Now, be a good girl and give mommy a kiss, then go take off those icky panties, wash off your hoo-hoo and put on a clean pair and a clean nightie as well. Put all the dirty things in the hamper, like a big girl, and jump back into bed so that mommy can cuddle with you until you fall asleep."

Andrew sat up, smiled as he kissed Maureen's cheek, then scooted out of bed and hustled to the master bath.

"You are truly beautiful, Andrea. You are going to look gorgeous at the banquet." It was the first time that Maureen had called him Andrea, but he didn't even notice as he set about following her instructions.

'I could get used to this,' Maureen thought as she pulled the bed sheet back up around her.
 
Chapter 9
 
 
Saturday
 

"My goodness!" The sales lady called out, "is that little Karen Green all grown up an looking so beautiful!?"

Karen blushed at the attention. "Good morning, Miss Granby. How are you?"

"And who is that with you?" the fifty-ish woman enthused. "Is that your beautiful cousin Sadie?"

Now, Sadie blushed at the attention. "Hi, Miss Granby. It's good to see you."

Miss Granby hugged each of the girls, then looked the child standing between them. "And who is this gorgeous creature?"

Karen and Sadie grinned as they looked at their father/uncle.

"This is our cousin, Andrea, Miss Granby," Karen explained. "She is visiting us for a few weeks and she has been invited to a formal banquet. We're hoping the you can find her something that she'll look beautiful in for that night."

Miss Granby looked directly and uncomfortably into his eyes, touched his cheek and said, "Well, that will be easy. You are just beautiful as you are, pumpkin. Any thing we add will just be gilding the lily., but that's what I do."

Miss Granby continued looking at him for an uncomfortable moment, examining his face. "Your cousin, you say. My goodness, you three look so much alike that you could all be sisters. You're all just the spit and image of your father, Karen, but you, little Andrea, you look exactly like him. It is uncanny."

Andrew was shaking. Had she figured it out? How could she? No one ever did this before, had they!? He had been in this store dozens of times when Karen was younger, but he didn't think that he'd said twenty words to the owner. How could she know!?

He was relieved when he heard Maureen's voice from behind him.

"You're not the first to say that, Eva. Andrea was named for Andrew and she is growing up to be just like him. Isn't she just adorable, though?"

"Maureen!" Miss Granby hugged Andrew's wife. "It's been ages since Karen needed a shop for juniors. I'm so glad that you found a reason to come back and see me. I thought that Karen would be picking out the dresses today."

Maureen laughed along with the shopkeeper. "Well, Karen and Sadie probably will have the last say, today. They know more about fashions than Jenny and I do."

"Is Jenny coming too? Oh how nice!" Miss Granby clapped her hands.

"Yes, she'll be right in. We stopped for breakfast and we sent the girls along to see you while Jenny and I finished our coffee. Jenny went back to the car for a moment. The girls are so excited! Sadie and Karen are more excited than little Andrea. She's a bit overwhelmed, I'm afraid. First date with a boy and all."

"Oh, how sweet!" Miss Granby clutched her heart in sentimental affection. "Well, Karen and Sadie will take good care of her."

By now, the cousins had led Andrew to racks of bright, shiny, feminine dress and were holding dress after dress up to his body to check colors and styles. Maureen's heart melted as she watched. It's too bad that it took something this drastic to get Andrew to spend time with his own daughter, but at least they'd have this time to cherish when he was back to his old self. Hopefully, this may teach him a lesson or two about how to treat people.

As they watched, they felt a breeze from the door opening. They turned and saw Jenny entering. Maureen put her finger to her lips, "Shh. Just look at this scene. Isn't it just precious?"

Jenny peered over the racks to see her niece and daughter holding beautiful dress after beautiful dress up against her big brother's tiny body. "Oh, my. That is sweet. It's like they have their own, life-sized Barbie doll to dress up and get ready for a date with Ken. If nothing else, Andrea is going to learn a lot about being girly in the next couple of weeks."

Maureen scoffed just a little and said, "That will have to be Sadie's department. Karen has always been such a tomboy."

"Oh, stop," Jenny teased as she gave her sister-in-law a light tap on the arm. "Karen is a bit of a jock, but she knows how to turn on the glamor when she wants to. I saw her prom picture. She knows how to get a boy's attention and now she can share all of her skill with little Andie."

"Andie?" Eva asked.

"That's Andrea's nickname. Just like her uncle."

"Oh, how nice," Mis Granby swooned as they joined the girls in the racks.

"If it's going to be pink," Miss Granby said, "then it needs to be a bright, electric pink or it will not look nice with her snowy complexion. I'd recommend a rose or a pretty lavender for that skin tone. Of course, with those eyes, blue is always going to be pretty, too. Here. Try this one on, please."

Eva's expert eye had settled on a medium blue, short skirted dress with a subtle, crepe and lace bodice and a built in petticoat that gave the skirt a slight bell-shape even on the hanger. The neck-line was a vneck with a small embroidery of flowers at its base. The medium width shoulder straps were just the crepe material with a lighter blue

"Oh, that is darling!" both Maureen and Jenny agreed. "Do try it on, baby."

It was the moment that he had been dreading, but it was made much worse when Maureen casually added, "Karen and Sadie, please give her a hand in the dressing room while I look at shoes."

Andrew was led to the dressing room and all three of them stepped inside. As he stood confused, Karen took over like a babysitter with a toddler. She turned him away from her and slid the zipper on the back of his modest, casual dress to the bottom of the track, leaving him in just his bra, panties and flip flops.

"Here, daddy... oops, Andie, just step carefully into the dress."

Karen held the dress low to the ground so that he could step in. As she started to lift it, she stopped. She noticed that (A) her little father was shivering and (B) there was a distinct bulge in his panties with which she needed to deal before sending him out onto the floor to face Miss Granby's inspection of every aspect of his dress.

"Andie," Karen said, but Andrew just shook and stared into space. "Andie? Andie? Daddy?"

Nothing.

Karen knelt in front of him and took his hands in hers, then spoke to him as if she was his babysitter. "Andie. Look at me, honey." He continued to shake as she brushed his hair back gently from his face.

"Andie, honey. I need you to focus for me, baby, ok?"

Andrew blinked and gave a little nod.

"You don't want to upset mommy or Auntie Jenny, now, do you?"

He shook his head and began to weep a little.

"It's ok, baby. No one is mad at you just take a big breath and relax."

Andrew took a deep breath and let it out.

"That's it, sweetie. Do that again."

As he did, Sadie played with his hair, kissed the top of his head and laid hers on top of his in an affectionate hug. "Good girl. You'll look so pretty. Everyone will think you're beautiful."

"That's right, honey," Karen continued. "Everyone will see how beautiful you are and mommy will be so proud. You want mommy to be proud of you, don't you?"

He took another deep breath and nodded again.

"That's a good girl," Karen continued to talk as if to a child. "Now, show me a smile."

He managed a small smile as Karen wiped the tears from his cheeks. "That's it. That's a big girl."

Andrew breathed deeply and let out a big sigh as his smile grew bigger and he began to relax. He could do this if it made everyone happy. He just had to ride this out until he was back to his old self.

"Now, honey," Karen's smile remained steady and comforting, "I need you to tuck yourself in before we pull on your dress, ok?"

Andrew was confused. He was wearing a bra and panties. He had nothing to tuck in. He was about to ask what she meant when Miss Granby's voice called in from outside the door, "Is everything ok in there?"

"Just fine," Sadie answered. "We'll be out in a second."

Then she turned to her cousin and said, "Just tuck her in. We have to get her out there."

Andrew looked at Sadie, still confused, as he felt Karen pull the waistband of his panties and reach her hand in to tuck his penis firmly between his legs. There was nothing sexual or exciting about it. It was just startling. Not only having someone else, his daughter, no less, handle his penis, but the size of her hand as she gently maneuvered him into position, drove home how little he was in proportion to his high school-student daughter. He felt like crying again, but - no - he was almost halfway through this. He could survive this and come out stronger on the other end. When he had his own life back, then he would be in charge, again. He had his own plans for then. All he had to do for now was to breathe and get through it all. 'Smile, Drew. You can do this,' he thought to himself.

He stepped into the dress and Karen pulled it up and settled it onto his shoulders while Sadie pulled the zipper up his back. It felt nice. Nicer than anything he'd ever worn, actually. It was soft and light flattered his feminine form in a truly lovely manner.

"Oh, that's so pretty," Sadie sighed.

"Oh, daddy," Karen's grin was huge, "you make a very pretty, little girl. You are going to break that little boy's heart in this dress."

"Here she comes!" Sadie announced as she opened the dressing room door. Both she and Karen stood like models on The Price is Right, one on each side of the door, with their center arms extended towards the center and their outer arm held head high as Andrew walked out to the cheers and applause of his wife, his sister and Miss Granby. The oohs and ahhs were deafening.

"Oh, that's just perfect!" Maureen said.

"On, Andie, oh, Andie..." Jenny kept repeating as she wiped happy tears from her eyes. "You're just so beautiful, baby."

"Oh, yes, that'll do just fine," Miss Granby said as she snatched a pair of white, kitten-heeled sandals from Maureen and knelt to put them onto Andrew's feet. While she was kneeling, reached up under the dress to fluff the petticoats and straighten everything out. Her hand brushed against Andrew's crotch several times. He was glad that Karen had tucked him away in the dressing room.

"Turn around, dear," Miss Granby ordered, but the words were merely a curtesy since she had already grabbed his shoulder and turned him towards his daughter, who's grin was still huge.

Andrew's eyes shot wide open as Miss Granby lifted the back of the dress up high to expose his panty clad bottom to everyone, including several mother's and daughters who had come into the store while he was in the dressing room. No one seemed at all shocked by this behavior. Evidently, woman were more casual about showing off their panties in public than men were about dropping their pants.

"Until her bottom fills out to match her top," Miss Granby said, touching his rear for emphasis, "a little petticoat helps to give her a more mature profile." She turned Andrew back around to face her and said, "Don't worry, honey, you've got all the right genetics. You're going to be a beautiful woman."

'God forbid!' Andrew thought as Maureen led him to a small platform with three mirrors that allowed him to see himself and the dress from three different angles. He had to admit, it was a lovely dress and it did look nice on him. Oh, well. It was just one night.

After Karen and Sadie brought him into the dressing room, stripped the dress off of him and redressed him in the clothes he had worn to the store, they all moved to the register to pay for the dress and shoes. Andrew was relieved that the shopping day had been quick and moderately painless.

Jenny grabbed the shoe box, Maureen grabbed the garment bag and they headed for the door. As they reached the sidewalk, Andrew turned left, heading to their car, but the rest of them all turned right.

"Andie, sweetie," Karen called to him, "this way."

Andrew knew where the car was, so this confused him. "Where are we going. We got the dress and shoes for the banquet, right"

The girls and woman laughed. Sadie spoke first, "Yes, silly, we got your dress for the banquet, but you need something for your date with Patrick, today."

"Can't I just wear this?" he asked.

That just made them all laugh more.

Karen and Sadie both put their arms around him and guided him towards a casual clothing store down the street. "No, sweetie," Karen laughed, "you want to impress a boy when you're on a date. We need to find you something pretty that you can go bowling in, as well."

He just sighed and followed his wife and sister down the street while his niece and daughter walked on either side of him and explained to him the nuisances of a successful first date.

At 2:00 on the dot, Mrs McCarthy's Lexus SUV pulled into Jenny's driveway. Sadie and Karen had dressed Andrew in his new, blue, flowered romper. It was very comfortable, too, and it was the closest thing to pants that he'd worn in the past few weeks. It was a lot shorter than he would have preferred but Karen said he looked really cute in it, so that was that.

Sadie had done some work on his hair, making it more full and more a little wavy. She'd also taken two strands of hair, one from each temple, and created a braid in back to keep his hair from falling into his eyes when he was bowling. A tiny bit of eyeshadow, a tiny bit of blush and a soft pink lipstick completed his look. When he'd checked his look in the mirror, the only word to describe him was 'cute.'

"Knock, knock," Mrs McCarthy called as she came in through the unlocked storm door. "I've brought a handsome prince to meet his princess!"

The joy in Mrs McCarthy's face was reflected in an equal and opposite emotion on her son's face.

"Mom, please," Patrick begged quietly while slumping just a bit more than he had been as he entered the house, "you're embarrassing everyone." The boy looked so put upon that Andrew actually felt bad for him.

"Oh, stop," she joked. "Everyone else is more excited than you, Patrick. Come one in and say hello."

"Hi, Pat!" Sadie called as she skipped to the entry to greet the guests. "You look nice!" She complimented him as she tried to get him to relax.

Patrick was wearing a green polo shirt and beige chinos. Nothing fancy. Just neat and clean.

"Hi, Sadie. Thanks"

Mrs McCarthy waved and walked towards the kitchen to talk to the moms.

"You know my cousin, Karen," Sadie took over as host of the younger folks.

"Hi, Pat," Karen smiled her approval of the boy.

"Hey," Pat replied.

"And this," Sadie ran to Andrew and took him by the hand, then ran quickly back to Patrick, dragging Andrew along, "is my cousin Andrea. Say hi, Andrea."

Both Patrick and Andrew looked shy and embarrassed to be put on the spot, but both were pleased with the look of the other. Andrew thought that Pat looked like a good kid. Good looking for a twelve year old, in a bit of a bookish kind of way. He was taller than Andrew had expected. He was a good couple of inches taller than his mother, probable five foot-seven or so. Patrick was shocked to see how cute Andrea was. He expected a homely little sixth-grader. She was a really pretty girl.

"Hi."

"Hi."

Little smiles creeped across both of their faces as the awkwardness of the first meeting passed. Then another awkwardness developed as neither could think of anything to say.

"Umm, is that for Andie?" Karen asked, indicating a small card and gift in Patrick's hand.

Patrick, who had been staring at Andrew, relieved that his mom had found such a cute girl to go to the banquet with him, was startled out of his revery. "Oh, yeah, it is. Sorry. Um, Andrea, this is for you."

"Aww, isn't that sweet, Andie?" Sadie gushed. "You should say thank you, Andie."

Andrew knew that whatever was in the little box was probably Mrs McCarthy's idea, but watching Patrick struggling to stay cool, was just adorable, so he smiled broadly and said, "Thank you, Patrick. That's very nice of you."

"Please, call me Pat."

"Ok, but you have to call me Andie."

They both smiled, nodded and giggled a little.

Andrew opened the card which read, 'Dear, Andrea. Thank you very much for accompanying me to my banquet. I hope that you will enjoy the event. It should be fun. Sincerely, Pat."

Andrew smiled and closed the card. He intended to put it back in the envelop, but Karen grabbed it from him. "Oh, come on. Let us see." She and Sadie read it together and let out yet another, "Aww." Both Andrew and Patrick rolled their eyes at the girls.

The wrapping paper was meticulously folded and taped around the small box. Andrew opened it carefully and pulled the small box from the paper. It looked like the box contained jewelry, but, when Andrew pulled open the top, he found eight small pieces of chocolate. He raised his eyes to meet Patrick's as a genuine smile appeared on Andrew's face.

"I hope you like them. They're sea-salt caramels dipped in either milk chocolate or dark chocolate. They're my favorite. I always like something sweet when I'm nervous, so I thought that you might like some thing like this if your aunt was stressing you out the way my mom is stressing me out." Patrick's smile was warm and sincere.

Andrew was truly touched by this gift. This was the gift of a thoughtful twelve year old boy. His mother hadn't picked it out for him. This was a heartfelt gift.

"I love them," Andrew said. "Here, have one. I'm sure you need one, too."

Andrew held the box open for Patrick, then he took one for himself. They each took a small bite of the salty-sweet candy and smiled as it began to melt in their mouths.

As the box's cover was being replaced, Karen and Sadie both cleared their throats. "Ahem," they both mocked and put their hands out, requesting a chocolate.

"Not on your life," Andrew laughed. "This is ours. We're taking it with us, right, Pat?" Andrew was actually a bit giddy. It was the first time in a long time that he felt good. We was wearing comfortable clothing that looked good on him, he'd received a lovely and thoughtful gift from a nice young man, he was enjoying time with his daughter and niece, both of whom had made life tolerable for him over the last couple of weeks.

"Whatever you say, Andie." Patrick was thrilled that his little gifts had been so very well received by this pretty little girl. He really liked her.

"Kids," Mrs McCarthy called as she crossed to them, "I've been talking to your aunts, Miss Andrea, and we've added a little something to our agenda today."

"Mom," Patrick was obviously agitated by the intrusion on his conversation.

"Don't worry, Pat, you're still going bowling." She turned to Andrew, "He's a great bowler and he just wants to show off for you, Miss Andrea."

Patrick turned red and smiled shyly at Andrew.

"But, after you go bowling," Mrs McCarthy continued, "why don't you have some dinner at that cute little 1950s themed dinner attached to the bowling alley and then go see a movie at the theater across the parking lot. That comedy that you wanted to see is playing there, Pat, and that way you can make a whole day of it and, next week, when you go to the banquet, you'll be old friends. What do you say?"

Patrick looked expectantly at the pretty little girl beside him. He really wanted her to say yes, but he didn't want to put any more pressure on her than she was already feeling.

For his part, Andrew felt a great deal of apprehension about extending the "date," but he was enjoying himself and, after all, what was going to happen? They were just two kids having a fun day together as friends.

Andrew shrugged his shoulders at Patrick and said, "Sure, if you want to do it. It sounds like fun. What do you say, Pat?"

"Yes!" came out way too quickly and way too loud and it made all the females in the room titter and giggle.

"Alright, then," Mrs McCarthy clapped her hands and said to Andrew, "Let's get going. Miss Andrea, kiss your aunties and cousins goodbye and we'll head to the bowling alley."

Then she turned to her son and said a bit too loudly, "Isn't she just the prettiest thing, Pat? I told you that you two would be just perfect together."

"Holy cow, Pat!" Andrew shouted as they finished their second string of bowling, "You've gotten a strike or a spare on every throw. You really are a great bowler." It was not just flattery. The boy knew his way around a bowling ball. Andrew, who was always a reasonably good bowler before, had a hard time finding, first, the right weight ball, his usual ten-ponder was way to heavy, now, then found that his breasts jiggled oddly when he threw the ball and that threw off his game, too. By the second string, he was doing better, but no where near the level of proficiency that Pat was displaying.

Beyond being shocked as to how well Patrick bowled, Andrew was enjoying himself in a way he hadn't enjoyed himself in a decade or more. No alcohol. No posturing. No bull. Just having fun. He had forgotten that this kind of enjoyment was even possible. As soon as he got back to normal and was able to take care of everything that he had lined up, he was going to make some new friends and have more times like this.

"Thanks!" Patrick was very pleased with how this had all gone. She was pretty and she was a pretty good bowler, for a girl. She was also having a good time with him. Patrick had a lot of friends and some were girls, but, since they started looking more like women than girls, he was a bit uncomfortable being around them. He felt different with Andie, though. "One more string?"

"Sure! Sounds great!"

"Hi, kids! What can I get you?" The waitress in the 1950s themed restaurant said as she sidled up to their red-and-black-Naugahyde booth with the red-Formica-topped table.

"Two burgers with fries and two Cokes." Patrick felt like a grown up, ordering for both of them. Andrew, who had become, honestly, impressed by this bright, polite, handsome young man and remembered what it was like to go out on a first date with a cute girl, decided that, for today, anyway, he'd just play his part.

"You got it, big spender," the waitress teased. "Are you two on your first date?"

Both Andrew and Patrick looked at each other wide-eyed. They had no idea how to respond, so they just giggled until Patrick shook his head and said, "it isn't a real date. We're just getting to know each other."

The waitress winked at them and gave a sly smile. Then she rubbed Andrew's shoulder affectionately and said, "Well, don't let him get to know you too well, sweetie. You know what boys are like."

Both of them turned blood red with embarrassment. Satisfied that she'd made them feel special with her ribbing, the waitress went off to put in their order.

Throughout their dinner, they got to know each other better. Andrew tried to be as vague as possible saying that he lived is a small town a few states away and that, when his parents returned from an extended business trip, he'd be moving far away, possibly another country, depending on the results of their trip. He also implied that his parents would not allow him on social media of any kind, so when he left after the banquet, he was probably gone for good.

"That's too bad," Patrick lamented over their dessert of chocolate milk shakes. "I really like you. You're very easy to talk to. And, you're really pretty, too. I wish we could spend more time together."

"I'm sorry, Pat, but you know how it is for a kid. You do what your parents say. After all, they pay the bills, so they're in charge. My dad always says, 'If you're not paying it, you've got no say in it.'"

"Ha,ha. Yeah, I've heard that a few times before, too. 'I pay the bills around here, Patrick, so you will do as you're told!' But, it's not fair, you know. Grown ups earn the money and all, but we have hopes and dreams, too, right? We should have some say in things."

The words hit Andrew hard. He thought about how many times he'd said 'If you're not paying it, you have no say in it,' to his wife and daughter and how many times Maureen had said it to him in the last few weeks. Maybe he was being a bit of an ass at times, but... Well, what difference did it make at this point. A month from now, he'd be back to normal, Pat will have moved on, Karen and Sadie will have a memory of their little play thing to think back on and Maureen, Hillary and Carolyn... well, they'd probably hate him by then, but so be it. He'd already made his plans. He couldn't let a little time with a boy who didn't understand how the world worked turn his head. It did bother him just a little that Jenny might get hurt by his plans. She'd been really nice to him growing up and, now, with all of these changes, he felt close to her again.

Andrew shook off all of these thoughts. You can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs.

"I know, Pat, I really do, but you'll be a grown up, soon. You'll have kids of your own and you'll look like the bad guy to them. It's the circle of life, I guess."

"I guess," Pat smiled and his gloom and doom disappeared in a heartbeat. "Hey, we should get going if you want to see that movie. It starts in ten minutes."

It was after 9:30 when Mrs McCarthy pulled up in front of Jenny's house and Patrick walked Andrew to the door. It was an awkward good night. Pat wanted to kiss Andie, but his mom was watching from the car and Sadie and Karen were peeking through the curtains. In the end, it was just a little wave and an awkward nod as Andrew entered the house.

Immediately, Karen and Sadie started in. 'Did you have fun?' 'Was he a gentleman?' 'Did he kiss you?' 'Was it romantic?'

"Alright, ladies, leave our little love bird alone. I think she needs to get home and get to bed after such a busy day, right Andie?" Maureen saved him.

"Yes, please. I'm exhausted."

They said their goodbyes and thank you's before heading home.

Andrew took a quick shower with a shower-cap to keep his hair dry. When he came out of the bath, he had a towel wrapped around his upper body and he was looking for the soft, white nightie that he'd neglected to bring in with him.

Maureen was sitting on the bed and, once again, marveled at how small Andrew had become. She was getting very used to this arrangement and she knew that it had to change soon, but she still hoped that this might help Andrew become a better husband again. If he could just stop trying to be in charge of absolutely everything and start paying more attention to his family, then maybe it would all be worth it.

"Come here, sweetheart. I'll help you with your nightie."

Maureen prepared the nightie and Andrew stood in front of her and dutifully dropped the towel. Maureen looked over his body and felt a flash of warm desire. It was easy to forget that there was still a penis below those perky breasts and that there was a fully grown man hidden under all of that cuteness.

She lowered the nightie over his head and straightened it as it settled high of his thighs.

"Here, sit on the bed and let me brush out your hair."

Again, he did as he was told. The hair brush felt wonderful as it slid and pulled through his hair. He closed his eyes and luxuriated in the feeling. He loved this. It was the best part of this whole situation.

"Did you have a good time on your date with Patrick today?"

"I did, actually. He was very pleasant. He's smart and funny and, man, that boy can bowl."

Maureen flushed and smiled. Why did his response make her horny?

"Did he kiss you?"

"Don't be silly. He's just a child."

"Did he hold your hand?"

Andrew hesitated for a moment before responding. Just that hesitation was enough to make Maureen flush even more.

"Umm, yes. He held my hand a few times. Sometimes when we walked and during the movie."

"And did you like that?"

"Mo..."

"Mommy, sweetie."

He sighed. "Mommy... I don't know what you want me to say. I mean, I'm not exactly making tons of friends, lately. I enjoyed having a little freedom with someone that didn't treat me like a child's doll. I didn't dislike holding his hand. It made him very happy and I felt like I had a friend."

Maureen smiled. "A friend, huh?"

He nodded.

"Well, be careful of your new friend, baby. He is a boy and you are a very pretty girl, so don't let temptation make you get carried away."

He knew she was teasing, so he just scoffed.

"I'm serious. I know what it's like to be a young, pretty girl with a big, strong, handsome boy. Eventually, you'll start to fantasize about him touching you like this." Maureen's right hand reached between his arm and torso and gently caressed his right breast. It was completely unexpected and Andrew shivered with delight that his wife was touching him. His little cock, which was nestled, unpantied, in his cute little nightie, stirred immediately.

He let out an excited breath.

"Little girls like you need to always be aware of the desires of their dates. A teeny thing like you couldn't possible defend herself from a big strong boy like Patrick, now could she?"

Her left hand worked its way to his left beast and he leaned back on her breasts, eyes closed, absorbed in the sensations. He leaned back to let rest his head on his wife's shoulder. Both of them were lost in the erotic sensations of the moment.

To Maureen, he felt so small and tender and innocent. His skin felt like a girl's. His breasts felt like a girl's. He smelled like a girl, but she knew that it was Andrew in there. A man that she'd once loved whole heartedly and who she now hoped to be able to love that way again, if he could be a bit more reasonable.

To Andrew, Maureen felt big, and safe, and warm. He'd been feeling very feminine all day, even having some thoughts about what it might be like to kiss a boy. Now, his wife, his lover, and for now, his protector was bringing the most feminine feelings imaginable to him. He wanted more. Much more.

Maureen nuzzled his neck and kissed it softly. She nibbled his pierced ear lobe and rutted softly into his back.

"There's some nice parts to being a girl, isn't there, honey?" She teased.

His eyes remained closed as he nodded.

"Tell me that you like me playing with your nipples."

"I do."

"Tell me."

"I love it when you play with my nipples."

She smiled. She liked this. A lot.

"Tell me you like your pretty nightie."

"I like my pretty nightie."

She increased the speed of her massage.

"Tell me you like being a pretty girl."

"I like being a girl."

"A pretty girl."

"I like being a pretty girl."

Maureen felt her first, subtle orgasm as she started inching one hand towards Andrew's crotch.

"Tell me that that you want to always be mommy's little girl."

He smiled, but said nothing.

Maureen lightly touched the tip of his penis and stroked the underside of the tip very lightly.

"Tell me."

Still, just the smile.

"Tell me, or I'll stop."

Andrew rolled his head to the side and buried it in Maureen's breasts.

"I always want to be mommy's little girl," he said softly.

"That's a good girl," Maureen praised as she rolled him off of her and onto his stomach. She raised the back of his nightie and stoked his cheeks. "So pretty. So, so pretty," she cooed as she slid a finger into his virgin buttocks. He pushed back against the finger and she pressed it in even further. Then she added another finger. Then another.

Andie's moans became louder as the evening wore on.
 
 
To Be Continued...