This is the story James Conner, a Boy who in the end finds out he never really was a boy. His mom and his best friend Becky are there each step of the way. While the ending is a happy one, My editor said I should issue a tissue alert. It is I believe a touching story that I hope the readers here will enjoy.

James was a boy's boy and made no excuses for it. He took all the same lumps, bumps and bruises as all the other nine year old boys his age did. This wasn't his first visit to the hospital and his mom was pretty sure it wouldn't be the last.

She watched as James seemed to get some thrill from the nurse that was wrapping his ribs with an ace bandage. Granted, that did nothing to ease the pain he was feeling between his legs. The spill he had taken on his bike had caused him more than a slight amount of pain this time.

To Carol Connors it was almost cute how the tight ace bandage caused him to look as if he had breasts. It was baby fat she told herself, but then a girl wouldn't have her missing work for a trip to the hospital either. Sure a girl could wreck her bike much the same as a boy, but then a girl wouldn't pick the biggest hill in town to take the plunge on. Never mind plowing through a fence and landing in the neighbor's swimming pool.

When the nurse was done, James walked lightly out to the car, while his mom talked to the doctor and paid the bill.

“I think his breasts are bigger now than the last time we saw him,” Dr. Markus said, in a soft tone.

“I am sure they are and as you can see he is actually losing some weight,” Carol replied.

“He's still rather husky for a nine year old,” the doctor said, as she wrote on her report.

“Twenty pounds is a lot to lose for a boy his age,” Carol replied. “I am watching every bite he takes and making sure it is not junk food and the likes,” she added.

“Well, I took another blood sample, but I suspect this one will be no different than the last,” the doctor said with a smile.

As they rode home, there was no denying his breasts were holding his tee shirt away from the rest of his torso. His nipples made pin points in his favorite Kiss tee-shirt now torn from the spill on his bike. As they talked, James told his mom how much he liked the tight feel of the ace bandage. He remarked that it would have been like extra padding had he had it on before the spill on his bike. A light went off in Carol's head, but then, just as quick, she dismissed the idea.

It wasn't till bedtime, when James refused to take off the ace bandage, that the idea she had earlier took root. Carol knew she had it somewhere and having looked in most every place she could think of, the cedar chest in the garage was the only place left.

She had to all but empty the cedar chest, but there it was. The training corset she had worn when she was a girl. James might balk at the soft material over the cups, but, if he likes that tight feel of something wrapped around him, this just might work.

Carol had saved much of her wardrobe from when she was a girl. She had hoped to have a daughter of her own someday to pass some of it down to. That wasn't going to happen now or not the way she saw it. Her husband and love of her life, save James, had been killed in operation Desert Storm. James would never be like his father, his small frame and delicate features made a person have to look just to know he was a boy.

It was Saturday and Carol was up early. It was almost automatic now since she worked almost seven days a week. The alarm clock was more of an afterthought than a necessity these days and James was still sound asleep. As she sat drinking her coffee, she was also thinking of how she would approach James with the idea of wearing the corset. She didn't want to really deceive her son, so the truth with a twist would have to do. If it worked, then that was good. If it didn't, then that was good, too. She would find another way to curb his wild streak.

Unlikely as it may seem, James loved coffee as much as his father did. Just as she poured James a cup and set it aside for him to have later, he came padding into the kitchen.

“Morning, Mom,” he said, as he gave her a hug.

“You're up early,” she replied, while returning the hug.

James took the coffee and sat at the table next to her not saying why he was up so early.

“You're not going to be showing those off all day are you?” She said, as she pointed at his nipples poking through his thin pajama top.

“Well, it's not like I can hide them,” he said with a pouting face. “And yours show, well, sometimes, I mean,” he said, taking another sip of coffee.

“Well, you could hide them, but I think you kinda like showing them off.” She teased him a little.

“I doubt that mom,” he hissed. “Especially, with the ace bandage making them look so big right now,” he added.

“This would hide them,” she said, as she placed the corset on the table. “And you can make it plenty tight enough to hold your broken rib in place,” she added.

She knew full well James had never seen a corset before and probably knew nothing about them. She seized the chance to explain to him that both men and women wore them back years ago. Years later they were known to be more for the women than the men. Still it would fit tight and hide his prominent nipples at the same time.

She watched as James in wide eyed amazement handled the corset with some care. That was sure not his normal way, he was tough on everything. After he had looked the garment over for more than a few minutes he gave her his assessment.

“Well, it might work, but with the lacing thing in the back I would have to have some help to get it on and off,” he stated, sure of himself.

“I thought so too the first time I got to wear one, but there are ways around that,” Carol offered.

“It seems rather small in the middle,” he said, as he examined it more closely.

“It is a little smaller, but then that helps with your posture and you know the teacher is always on you about slumping down in your chair,” Carol reminded him.

He set the garment aside for the moment and drank the rest of his coffee. In a way Carol was thrilled that he had not dismissed the idea of wearing the corset off hand. She felt sure once he had it on he would fall in love with it. The corset would work just as good or better than the ace bandage for his hurt ribs and properly tightened it would make it so his stomach wouldn't allow him to eat so much either. That was a two for one deal she could like.

He knew one cup of coffee was all he would get. So with that drank he asked his mom to help him get out of the ace bandage so he could take a shower. Careful not to seem as if she was pushing the issue, she asked if he was willing to try the corset. If not, she was going to put it away. James knew she was a tidy housekeeper so he didn't suspect her.

“I guess so,” he said, as he headed off to the shower.

In the shower James took inventory of himself. Even he could tell he had lost some weight. At school he played just as hard as the rest of the boys, but at home he ate twice as much as they did. He had been picked on as the fat kid, but if he had his way that would soon be over. To his eyes his mom had just offered him the best way of all to hide how fat he really was. Of course, he couldn't act as thrilled as he was, no boy ever falls for something his mom suggests.

One thing Carol would never have to worry about was James being clean and neat. She and her husband, Shawn, had drilled that into him from the time he started walking and talking. She was making their breakfast as he took his shower all the time hoping he would follow through on her suggestion of the corset. His days of being the fat kid would come to an end real soon if he did.

James listened intently when he turned off the shower knowing his mom would come to make sure he was clean. His steadfast refusal to get a hair cut now had him using both shampoo and conditioner the same as his mom did. In a way he didn't mind it, save that it smelled like flowers. That was so not cool for a boy his age.

It was a mock inspection as Carol knew he would be clean as a whistle, still it was her chance to see just how he was developing. She looked him over, checked behind his ears and then gave him a gentle swat on the butt.

“If you're going to wear the corset, it needs to go on first,” she said, as if it was a reminder to something he had already agreed to.

He paused and hung his head. “Okay, mom, I'll try it if that is what you want.”

Carol brought the corset and liner to his room. She showed him first how to position the liner and then how to place the corset before he started to tighten it. She tightened it just a little at first and he complained that it was pinching his chest. She moved close behind him and showed him how to scoop the loose skin of his breast into the cups. She didn't want to scare him out of it before he even started, so she told him to say when it was tight enough.

James just watched wide eyed in the mirror as the garment slimmed his waist and flattened his tummy. No one would call him the fat kid with this corset on he thought to himself. Carol stopped just past being half way closed in the back.

“You can tighten it more if you want to, I'll show you how later,” she said as she left him to finish getting dressed.

The corset wasn't tight at all, and that wasn't the reason Carol stopped when she did. The cups of the corset were full to the max and, if she remembered correctly, they were B cups. She could only hope that as he lost the extra pounds the breasts would go away as well.

James picked one of his loose tee shirts to wear that day and even so he tucked it in the waist of his pants. His pants were actually loose on him now and there was no way to deny it, he had boobs. He didn't really mind the fact that he had boobs, it was the fat kid jokes that bothered him. He didn't look so fat now and to him that was a good thing.

When Carol first saw him she had to stifle a very big laugh. His pants looked as if he could swim in them and she knew right off that would never work for school. His mid-term break would soon be over and there was no way she could afford another round of shopping for school clothes.

He ate just half of his normal breakfast before he said he was full. Carol knew in her heart then she had done the right thing. The best way for a boy his age to lose weight was to eat less and the corset was already showing that effect. Now she saw another problem coming at her head on. No way was her child going to school in baggy pants.

Carol worked at a garment factory and had taken in the garage for a sewing room. She did alterations as well as designing some of her own clothes. She quickly measured his waist and it was almost the same as hers. He wasn't as tall as she was, but that was just a matter of time. His father was tall and she was, as well, so in time she figured he would be, too.

She measured his hips and surreptitiously measured his breasts. Indeed he filled out the B cups to the max. She wasn't about to tell him that, but she could alter some of her old jeans to fit him for the time being. Once his body weight was down to what a normal boy of his age should be, she was more than willing to buy him some new clothes. She was none too happy that her child was being teased as the fat kid, herself.

Carol was stunned that he took to wearing her old jeans like a duck to water. The fact that the zipper and button were on the other side from his didn't seem to phase him at all. What stunned her more was that he wore the corset to bed and every waking hour, save to take it off long enough to shower. She didn't make him do that at all, it was his choice and she was proud of him for it.

As for the jeans, she had picked only the ones she wore early in her pregnancy since those had the biggest waist. All she really had to do was hem the legs and she did that by adding the old style sailor's cuff. If he continued to wear them, she could always let it back out later.

Once school started back James was excused from P.E. because of his ribs. To the other boys that knew how it happened this made him a big man, so to speak. After all, none of them had dared to try riding blind man's bluff. So called because it was so steep and the turns so sharp you couldn't see around them. James had made it to the bottom only to find out he had no brakes. Then he crashed into the back yard of the prettiest girl in school. Becky Harris, the only girl in the whole school that could really fill out a sweater.

His first day back at school after the break sort of set the tone for the rest of the year. The older jocks that had never been his friends to start with avoided him. The guys that knew him and were his real friends kinda accepted him as a hero for the stunt he had pulled. It was his acceptance with the girls that threw him off balance. Even the aforementioned Becky Harris came to his comfort when some of the other girls teased him about his breasts.

“At least we have some boobs.” Beck shouted at one of the other girls as she walked home with James.

“I don't see how you do it,” she turned and spoke to James. “Every girl in the class has at least some boobs, but you and I are the ones that get picked on,” she stated with some anger in her voice.

James was unsure of just what to say. The last thing he wanted to do was mess up a new found friendship with the prettiest girl in the school. “My mom says it's just baby fat and they will go away at some point in time. I have seen you out shopping with your mom, my guess is yours will only get bigger,” he said in a very unsure tone.

Becky laughed as much at what he said, as how he said it. “Yes, Mom has told me the same thing, but they could at least wait till I am older,” she replied with a smile.

“Well, maybe we will both get our wish,” James replied.

“Our wish. What do you mean by that?” She asked.

“Well, maybe your breasts will stop growing till you get a little older and mine will go away with the rest of my body fat. Mom has me on a diet,” he added.

“Oh, so it's cool if I have breasts, but it's not so cool for you?” Becky replied sounding stern.

“I didn't mean it that way. You're a girl, you're supposed to have breasts, and you're the prettiest girl in school. I'm a guy. We're not supposed to have breasts. That's all I meant to say.”

“And what happens if they don't go away?” Becky asked with some intent in her voice.

“I'm not sure. I guess I will just be stuck with them,” James replied.

James walked with her past his house and across the park to the stairs that led down to her house. He so wanted to run home and tell his mom about his new friendship with Becky, but then how could he tell her it was because they had the biggest boobs in class or that she had taken up for him when the other kids made fun of his boobs?

Carol wasn't so disconnected from her son's life not to smell the perfume on his clothes. When she asked him about it, he, of course, told her about Becky, just not the reason they were close enough for her perfume to get on his clothes. It was a very pretty scent that Carol recognized as being popular with the younger girls. She was thankful for whatever reason that her son now had a female friend.

It was a really cold winter and that alone was enough to keep James in the house on most days. He faithfully walked Becky home every day, stopping only at the stairs to bid her goodbye. They even shared a few weekends together as she came to visit him and he in turn returned the favor.

Becky soon realized her grades had shot up. Studying with James had proven he was the smart kid in class, as most had thought. Thing was he wasn't the rude and crude macho type she had pegged him to be. He was actually a very caring and loveable young man. He wasn't really her type, as she preferred the more physically fit boys.

James knew his friendship with Becky would be short lived. Their mutual teasing over their breasts had brought them together and once his were gone, so too went Becky. That was the way he saw it and that was what he eventually told his mom.

Carol had not missed the slow but sure progress James was making with the corset. Every morning now he would loop the lacing over the door knob of the door to his room and pull with all his might to get it as tight as he could possibly stand it. While she was sure he had long ago lost enough weight to be what was considered normal for a boy his age, she was content to let him continue to wear the corset. His breasts were none smaller than they had been at the start. If anything, they might have gotten some bigger.

As spring came in, so did his hips and now Carol was getting worried. There was no reason for this to happen or none that she knew of. She had on the sly measured his breasts and indeed they had gotten bigger. That added to his hips was a sure alert to her that something was not right.

The friendship between James and Becky had blossomed into much more than just a casual friendship. They often studied together and invited each other over for meals. James probably didn't realize it at the time, but he was as good at girl speak as Becky was. To hear them together and not see them you would swear they were two girls having a great time. James still hung out with the boys when Becky wasn't around, but that wasn't often.

As the school year came to a close, Carol realized James no longer struggled to close the corset each morning. She had taken in the waist of his pants as he had lost the extra weight, but she had no idea it had been fully closed in the back for a month now.

James hadn't considered the idea that the corset was made for a girl or that it would make his body end up shaped like one as well. For him it was all about losing the weight and for now he figured he had accomplished just that. He was now a skinny seventy pound fifth grader, save the fact that he still had boobs.

He and Carol had agreed he no longer had to diet when he got to eighty pounds. Still he would not give up the corset or the diet for that matter. She figured as soon as summer came into full swing, the corset would have to go. The hot weather would make it all but unbearable to wear.

Chapter 2

It was a much deserved Saturday off and time for the yearly portrait with his mom. James had avoided anything that looked like a camera since his boobs had grown the way they had and now he had no choice but to have his picture taken. He had even been busy when they made pictures for school that year. He wouldn't say it out loud, although Becky had several times. He looked more like a young girl than a boy.

On Friday night Carol had asked for the corset as it needed to be washed. James begrudgingly gave it up, but only after his mom promised he could have it back in the morning. Carol had no clue what was coming next, but she was sure she had to get the corset away from him one way or the other.

Early Saturday morning she looked in on him while he was still fast asleep. Even when she carried him in her womb he flipped and flopped like a fish out of water. He still did and his bed often looked like a thrashing machine had come through during the night. That was true this morning, as well, but what really shocked her were the firm breasts she saw, coupled with the fact that her son's penis and balls had seemed to disappear. This wasn't baby fat, they were breasts, and his penis was no more than the size of his thumb.

She shared her first cup of coffee with a call to Dr. Markus. She told her everything that had happened over the last six months and how she was all but sure she had a girl now as opposed to a boy. The doctor assured her that humans don't change their sex without some real help. Likewise, she had told Carol long ago that he had an elevated female hormone level and that was likely the reason he had the boobs. He was still a boy, that she was sure of.

Carol decided that nothing more than a firsthand examination would settle the matter with the doctor. So she shrugged it off and told her she would see her next weekend for his checkup. On one hand, Carol was thrilled at the prospect of having a daughter. On the other hand, she feared it would not sit well with James to find out after all this time that he was really a she.

James came to the table about an hour later, got his one cup of coffee and fumed for several minutes at his mom. His beloved corset was not on his dressing table where it should be and he was plenty upset. Carol did her best to calm him down, but he was so afraid he would start eating too much and get fat again that he just had to have it back.

She quickly realized that the teasing about being the fat kid had hurt him much more than she realized. Likewise, the teasing about his breasts had just flown right under the radar as if it was no big deal to him to have them. She also saw an opportunity here, not one she had thought of before and for sure not one she had planned.

“If you just have to have the corset back, you can have it, but it comes with a dress and panties?” His mom added with some vigor.

James quietly got up and went to see if his mom had wrecked her ten speed, cause he was sure she had bumped her head or something like that.

“What was that about?” She asked when he sat back down.

“Just checking to make sure you hadn't taken a spill on your bike,” he laughed, still not answering her question.

“Oh, you think mom is off her rocker this morning.” She replied.

“Kinda, last time I checked I was still a boy,” he paused to gauge her reaction.

“Is that so?” She said with her hands on her hips.

“Pretty much the way I see it,” he replied.

“Well, you got the pretty part right anyway,” she all but fumed.

“Let's go,” she grabbed his hand and led him off to her bedroom, a place he was never allowed to go.

She stopped them both in front of the big mirror that covered the closet door. James hadn't seen it since his father was killed and figured he never would again. In a flash, his mom dropped her housecoat and stood there nude as the day she was born. Bravado set in and James followed suit like two seconds later. She turned his head so it faced the mirror and watched as the shock set in.

His bravado left as quickly as it came and his arms quickly folded to cover his breasts and what was left of his boyhood. It was the most natural girl move his mom had ever seen him make. He quickly put on his oversized tee shirt and ran back to the kitchen table.

“I'm not a girl,” he said through his tears.

“Well, you may not think so, but what did you see in the mirror?” His mom asked sweetly.

His body had the exact silhouette of the corset he had worn for most of six months around the clock. His breasts were firm and proud and to his eyes stuck straight out, as it were. He couldn't deny what he saw looked like a girl. Still he just knew he was a boy.

“A girl,” he said, making no other comment.

“And what type of clothes do girls wear?” His mom said, as she pushed her luck a little. They had talked about this before she was hoping he remembered.

“Dresses and panties, and bras,” he said in a defeated tone.

“So now that that is settled, what will it be?” She asked.

“I am so not having my picture taken looking like a boy with boobs mom,” he stated loud and clear.

“Is there another option?” She asked in a flat tone.

“If you insist, then I will have to dress like a girl,” he said making sure she knew it was her idea and not his in any way.

“Good answer, now, give me your tee shirt,” she stated.

She actually traded with him giving him her short silk housecoat. She asked him to help her put away the clean laundry and gave him all the boys clothes he was accustomed to wearing. Once they were put away and his bed was made, she locked the door and closed it. The lock was broken and had been for some time but, he was not aware of it. He was now locked out of his own bedroom, but it was about to get worse. At least, if you ask him, that is what he would have said.

His mom guided him to the spare bedroom and it was now the most girlish thing he had ever seen in his life. Everything was either pink or rose colored and the canopy bed shouted girl here loud and clear. His macho image would never survive this.

“Now go get your shower. We have an appointment to get our pictures made today,” his mom said in a cheery voice.

This was now his bedroom and he turned to look it over again before he headed off to the shower. Right about now he was wishing he had gotten his hair cut like his dad had wanted him to. No way would he look like a chick with a flattop haircut. Right about now he even wished he had some body hair like his dad, as that would solidify his manhood as well. Alas, he had neither.

Fresh from the shower his mom rolled his long blond locks in rollers and pinned them tight to his head. She stretched the drier cap over them and turned on the drier as she worked on his fingernails and toenails. As luck would have it for his mom, Becky had talked him into letting his nails get longer like hers. In fact, she had talked him into a great many things his mom had noticed, she just didn't know who or why.

Cuddled up in a quiet corner of the study hall at school she had plucked and shaped his eyebrows. She had been the first to give him a manicure and that was the reason his nails were in such good shape even now. At the mall one weekend she had dared him to get his ears pierced. Carol fully figured he would chicken out, but much to her surprise he had gone through with it. The studs were so small you had to really look to see them, but he had done it just the same.

Becky had also been the one to show him how to properly measure his bust size. If what she told him was correct, he was a twenty-eight C cup. He had no clue what that really meant. His mom was a C cup and he was nothing near the same size as his mom. He only knew that cause he had read the tag on her bra.

With his nails all painted bright pink now, he cringed as to what his mom might do next. He did what Becky asked without question as it kept him close to the prettiest girl school. That did quite a lot for his status with the other boys. Under orders from his mom, he sat there still and quiet as his nails and hair were allowed to dry. She left him long enough to get dressed herself, but not so long as to give him time to change his mind.

She came back with a corset in hand and watched as he tried not to smile. She laid it across his lap and at a glance he knew this was not the corset he had been wearing before. By now his hair was almost dry and she turned off the drier. She asked him to stand and she put the corset around him almost the second he did. He saw the little metal tabs hanging from the bottom of it, but had no clue what they were for.

James had completely missed the three inch stem waist line of the garment. He was shocked even more that it had no cups to hold his breasts. While it was just snug in place his mom put him in his first bra. It was one of her old C cup bras from when she was little and it fit like a glove. Then with great care she began to close the corset watching it shape his waist line into the three inch stem she had designed.

She had spent the last two months in her sewing room making and designing all the new clothes that now filled her new daughter's closet. She had done it in hope, not as a plan. She had no intentions of forcing her son to be a girl. More to the point it seemed his body had decided for him and her as well. It was an opportunity she wasn't ready to pass up. She had a much grander scheme, but she and her new daughter would talk about that later, when she was more settled into the idea of being one of the girls.

While the corset was still just snug in place she handed him his first real silk stockings. His eyes lit up and they just seemed to pour through his hands like water. He was truly enamored with the feel of them and when they were on his legs, there was nothing he knew of that felt better than this. A chill ran up his back and he felt his nipples get hard as little buttons. The pink ruffled panties that came next he thought was just a little over the top.

“Now, you can tighten the corset as much as you like,” Carol said in a musical tone.

He looped the lacing over the door knob and then moved away using his body weight as leverage. At first he wondered if this corset would be as tight as the first one. That was what he really liked about it, the fact that it had helped him lose the extra weight was just a bonus. He only got so far before he managed to get the lacing tangled. His mom fixed it and then he tightened it even further than she had expected.

At this point Carol felt like there were things she should tell him. Not being born a girl there were some things that might shock him even yet. Like using the ladies room as he would surely have to do. Remembering to put on his panties after his stockings were attached to the garters. That was the proper way although many models were known to do it the other way for affect.

A long form fitting camisole was next and this part he really wondered about. The rose colored mini dress fit almost as tight as the camisole and Carol explained that the camisole hid the boning of the corset as well as the bra lines.

James looked a lot more like Jenny now. He had no idea that his father had married a beauty queen, nor did he know he was next to learn all that she knew and then some. When his mom closed the ankle straps of the size five heels that should have been an alert. He had no clue how high they really were and when he asked his mom, she didn't answer. She asked him to stand just to see if he was totally lacking the ability to wear heels. He was steady as a rock and she smiled even more as she sat him at the vanity.

He looked over all the stuff he saw and then before she had the chance to do anything.

“I want to do this part,” he spoke in an enthused tone. His mom had no clue that he and Becky had played with her makeup at her house.

“Okay,” she replied and stood back to take in the look of her daughter doing her own makeup for the first time.

She sat very straight as the corset would allow nothing less. Her knees were tight together, not at all the way her boy would normally sit. Even with the heels on her shoes were flat to the floor, all things she had thought she would have to teach her. Surely underneath the daredevil boy she knew, there was a girl just waiting to come to life. No boy she had ever known had such mannerisms as he was displaying.

James had shown a talent for colors and drawings even when he was much younger. He colored every page in the books his mom bought him and never once went outside the lines. He mixed and blended the colors very well almost making the picture come to life.

As he worked away at his delicate oval face it was clear to his mom that his talent would carry over to his makeup. The truth be told Becky had seen this, too, and he had done her makeup for the last two months of school. Had she been asked, she would have agreed with Carol there was a girl just waiting to be free under the boy she knew.

When he was done, the face Carol saw almost brought a tear to her eyes. Her son was the prettiest girl she had seen in years and she was not being prejudice. She had often been asked to help the factory pick out the models for their clothes. None of those girls even came close to being as pretty as her son. He looked twice his age when he was done and she had to remind herself that he for now, he was still a boy.

Her next task was getting him out the door and she felt sure that would be a fight every step of the way. Without a word he reached over and picked up the clutch bag that was on the edge of the vanity. Carol watched as he expertly put in it all the things he might need to touch up his looks later. Her shock went beyond words when he started to pull the pins from the rollers that held his hair.

He separated them by size and then placed them back in the box almost exactly as his mom had taken them out. The pins were neatly placed in the box as well and then with just his hands he fluffed out the flowing curls he now had. He took a gold chain style necklace and matching earrings from the jewelry box, and put them on as if he had done it all his life. He looked at the rings, but decided there was nothing he really liked. They might have been fine for an older person.

He paused and with his knees together turned on his butt in the chair to face his mom. “How did I do?” He asked in a tone that was as sincere as the pride that welled up in her heart.

“You did great,” she replied with a smile that she could no longer hide. “How about another cup of coffee before we go?”

Say, yes, she thought to herself. I need the caffeine before I faint right in my tracks.

“Sure, Mom, why not?” Said the face of girl no boy in his right mind could resist.

This was trouble looking for a place to happen and she was the cause of it. She walked just a step behind trying to clear her own head as she watched the natural sway of hips as he walked in heels, again, as if it was just natural for him.

He was putting on a show for his mom's benefit. He knew sooner or later he was going to the studio for the pictures. The problem with that was that it was at the mall and all his male friends would be there watching the girls like they did every Saturday. On any other Saturday he would have been right there with them. Now, he would be on the other end of things, he would be the one they were watching. His best chance of not getting beat up, like two seconds later, was to look as much like a real girl as he could. To him it was self- preservation at the very least.

As he drank the second cup of coffee that day, he asked his mom if he could make a quick stop at the computer shop. He had saved his lunch money all year and had the last payment for the computer he wanted. He really wanted an x-box, but he couldn't do his homework on it. A computer would let him do both play games and get his homework. He said as he pleaded with his mom.

“Sure, you will need some help to get it to the car,” she smiled having never heard her son sound so grown up.

“No, Mom, I am sure the guy at the store will carry it out for me,” he said in that same pleading tone.

“Okay, but you come straight to the studio as soon as that is done,” she stated in a clear tone.

Walk, hip first, he said under his breath as he moved to the cookie jar where his mom kept her spare change. She only emptied it once a year or so, so his lay-a-way ticket was sure to safe there. He put it in his purse, as if it was the natural thing to do, and breathed a sigh of relief as he might not be seen with his mom at the mall together. Like his friends wouldn't put two and two together and know it was him dressed like a girl.

Carol was still so shocked to see her son looking and acting as if he had been a girl all his life. Another cup of coffee was in order. She wasn't ready to believe what her eyes told her was true. Since he was standing right by the coffee pot, he poured it for them both. He left enough room for the flavored cream that he really loved and then gently sat back down exactly as he had practiced it with Becky.

Carol went into full overload when he crossed his legs making sure his dress didn't ride up enough to show the world his panties.

“Do I look that bad?” He asked, as she looked at him as if she didn't know who he was.

“No,” she smiled from ear to ear. “I just can't very well call you James looking like you do,” she stated.

“You could call me Jenny, that's pretty close to James.” Now he had given up the name Becky had given him as well. He figured he was about one step from his mom figuring it all out, but there was no way he was going to tell unless she did.

“Can we go now?” He said, as he put the empty coffee cup down.

“Sure,” Carol replied, as she slipped on her heels and they headed for the door.

James knew she always parked the car behind the house. He was in no danger of being seen getting to the car, as the back yard had a high fence around it. He searched himself for the courage to do what he knew he had to once they got to the mall. If he was seen with his mom, he was busted sure and certain. His life at Plymouth Academy was over and he knew it if they figured out it was him.

Fate or luck was not on his side right now or so it seemed to him. He was on his way to the mall looking like the chick he was normally there to see for himself. This was so not cool and his nerves were getting the better of him quickly.

He had walked to the car and gotten in in the most lady like manner she could have hoped for. There had been no fuss like she was prepared for, but now, as he sat with his hands folded neatly in his lap, she could see him shaking. Had he made it this far only to let his nerves get the best of him. She couldn't let that happen, not after she had gotten him this far. He needed a boost of confidence and she knew just how to give it to him.

She went to the next block and made a quick right that threw James off guard for a moment. Before he could find his voice well enough to protest, they were parked at the salon where his grandmother worked.

“Would you do something for me?” His mom asked in a pleading tone.

“I guess so,” he sputtered a bit.

“I want you to go in with me to see Gram. I bet you twenty dollars she won't know it's you,” she stated flatly.

Once again his bravado got the best of him. “For twenty dollars you're on, Mom,” he replied before she even finished what she had to say. That with the money he already had would buy the game he wanted as well as paying off his computer.

“Now, there is a catch. You have to act just the same as you have for me all morning and if she doesn't guess, you can't tell either,” she stated the terms rather clear.

He opened the door of the car and then turned on his butt just as Becky had taught him, then he walked in the place like he owned it. His gram was a smart woman and she would know her grandson right off the bat. This was an easy twenty he told himself as he stood next to his mom for the introduction.

“Mom, I would like for you to meet Jenny. She is one of our new models and I wanted to get your opinion. After all you were with me all the way from pageants to prom queen,” she said and then waited to see what her mom would say.

James couldn't believe what he was hearing now, his own gram had no clue who he really was.

“Well, that body is to die for so I would hire a security guard first. With that face you had better make double of everything she models cause every girl on the block that can will want to wear it. Her hair is great, but the nails are a little short. Maybe not for a girl her age, but the sooner she gets accustomed to them being longer the better she will look.

He could feel the blush running all over his face and when his gram offered to do his nails for free, it wasn't as if he could refuse.

“I'm sure she would love a set of acrylic nails,” his mom had stressed the word acrylic, as he knew they didn't just come off real easy like.

He caught it as soon as she said it, but there was no denying gram. She never did anything for free and if she was willing to do it for free, she had to think he was really a girl. Yet another nail was added to what was starting to feel like the coffin of his boy's life. Pun intended.

He was calm again and even his mom could tell he had resigned himself to the idea that he was indeed a pretty girl like it or not. Becky had told him much the same having never seen him in a dress. Just some makeup and high heels was as far as he had gone with her. Granted, she had taught him how to act and walk and talk and so on. Still he was unsure that he was doing it right or at least he was till now.

With practiced ease his gram gave him ten beautiful new nails. They were far to long for his liking and he knew he was stuck with them for a while at least. That was unless he wanted to spend hours soaking them with remover till they would come loose.

Back in the car they headed for the mall again. He was still terrified of the idea that his friends might see him with his mom and figure it out. Still he knew there was nothing he could say that would change his mother's mind now.

As soon as she parked the car, he gave her a quick peck on the cheek and took off towards the door. She thought it was odd, but then she knew he had his heart set on a new computer as their old one had died just after the new year had started. It was old and slow so she counted it as no great loss. Unlike her daughter who was making her way across the parking lot in three inch heels in record time. Even she didn't move that well in high heels.

She paused at the door of the computer shop then started to walk by at a normal pace. That was until she heard the young boy behind the counter openly flirting with her daughter. She glared at the young man from the door and when he stopped flirting, she walked on as if nothing had happened. She could only imagine having the talk with her son about boys. That didn't sound right in her own head.

James was once again caught off guard by how well he was passing as a real girl. Passing, was that the right way to think about all this? Hell, he just wanted to get the computer to the car, get the pictures done with his mom and get back to the safety of his home. Had everybody lost their mind today, could they not tell he was a boy in a dress a mile away. To him it was obvious, but for some reason nobody else seemed to notice anything but the girl he seemed to be.

As he took the boy out to where the car was parked, he fished in the clutch bag to find the keys his mom had given him. This action kept him from seeing that fact that most every boy and man alike had stopped just to look at him. His legs brushed together as he walked and the feel of his silk covered legs gave him a burst of energy. His hips rocked in the heels a little more than they should have and his mom caught that as well. By what she had just seen in the mall, she knew her son in a dress and high heels could make more money than she ever could.

James stood by the car with his head down hoping to not attract any attention to himself. The boy made three trips to get all the stuff in the car, and she tipped him a dollar for doing it. He wasn't as cool as he thought he was. Had he been paying attention the ticket said James Conner in big black letters. How dense could he be, it wasn't like James was a girl's name now was it, he thought.

He was almost back inside the mall when it dawned on him that he had just experienced what Becky went through first hand. She told him that most of the boys she met away from school didn't even know her name, she was a face with a set of boobs. He made a vow to himself then to never treat another woman or girl that way.

He was halfway down the mall to the studio when his life changed forever. Becky walked up and gave him a hug right in the middle of the place for all to see. Well, that might not be so bad he thought, at least she knew who he really was. He tried to brush her off, but she would have none of that. He started walking towards the studio and she was following in lock step. She was about to blow his plans right out of the water. He couldn't be mean to her, not after what he had just went through.

Inside the studio he sat next to his mom leaving Becky the only other chair on her opposite side.

“I am so thrilled to see Jenny out and about today,” Becky gushed to Carol, as she could hardly believe James had let her in on his secret. Becky seized the opportunity to have a real friend and asked Carol if she could come over and swim with her in the pool this year. This was the first year her mom was going to let her wear a bikini.

Carol hadn't even started to put two and two together yet, but she knew they were best friends. She told Becky it was fine with her so long as her mom and dad didn't mind.

Carol had been so sure nobody would know that Jenny was her son and now it was clear to her that indeed Becky knew exactly who he was. Becky cleared her throat and she saw Jenny quickly bring her knees tight together again. He seemed to be relaxed around her, while he was nervous as could be around other people. She couldn't ask the question that was on her mind there in the studio, but she would as soon as she and Jenny were home.

James was doing his best to think two steps ahead of his mom. Even as he posed and smiled for the camera his mind was elsewhere. Becky might have given him the out he needed. Granted, his breasts wouldn't just up and go away cause of what she had done. Still, she had realized who he was on sight, and that might be enough to change his mother’s mind about him dressing as a girl.

Then of all the things he had to do, he was shopping now for a bikini that he could wear to Becky's house this summer to swim in. This was so not cool and he had spotted the guys from school watching them from the upper floor. He told Becky what he saw, but she said that was normal for a bunch of boys like them. He was like them, didn't she know that he thought for a moment. Becky finally picked for him and it was a french cut bikini that was bright yellow with small block dots on it.

He could already hear what his mom would say as soon as she saw it. 'it was an itsy, bitsy, teeny, weeny, yellow polka dot bikini,' the song was already playing in his head. His mom's radio was permanently stuck on the oldies station and he had heard it a million times already. One million and one was soon to be the count and he was sure of that.

The money he had planned to use for his game, went to pay for his bikini and he wasn't too happy about that one. It wasn't like he could have a fit in the mall, while wearing a dress and not let everyone know just who he was.

The ride home was rather quiet as Carol thought long and hard as to just what it was that had given her son away to Becky. To her the ultimate test had been his grandmother and she had given him a free manicure without so much as a second thought. To her it just didn't add up and she had no reason for it not to.

At home James tossed the bikini aside and quickly began to set up his new computer. Each trip to the car reminded him of his status as a girl when his legs would brush together and the feel of the silk stockings would send that chill up his back. As much as he wanted his boys clothes back already, he didn't want to be the fat kid ever again. For now he was sure that his breasts were there to stay and being a fat chick was just as bad in his eyes.

Carol was content to watch as he moved around in such a lady like fashion. Still wearing the dress that she was sure he would want off the second they were home. So far, he seemed intent on getting his new computer up and running and she just watched with fascination as the clothes he wore seemed to be the least of his worries.

Ever the neat and tidy child, he packed away the old computer in the same boxes that the new one had come in. Had a body not seen it happen it would have looked as if the new computer had been there from the start. He even dusted off the desk and table where he put the new printer and flat panel monitor, all the while still wearing the dress and high heels that he had worn to the mall.

More to her amazement than his, she thought at the time. When he was ready to start it up, he sat and read the books that came with it start to finish. Then as if on cue, she went to the bathroom. When she came out, it was clear to Carol that she had freshened up her makeup and even touched up her lipstick. She then came to the kitchen where she fixed herself a ham sandwich and got the last cup of coffee from the pot. She warmed them both in the microwave and then sat down at the computer and turned it on.

There was no complaint about the high heels or even a hint that she wanted to take off the dress she was wearing. Carol would have ditched the shoes like two seconds in the door. Finally, knowing his mother was watching his every move, he asked her if something was wrong.

“No,” she replied. “If anything, something is very right,” she said, as she kissed his forehead.

He would be occupied for hours now and she decided to go on with her original plan. It wasn't a plan, as such, it wasn't as if she had really thought it all out even. Still she wanted very much to see if the camera loved her as much as she did. If that was the case, she was a gold mine and Carol was determined to know if she was right.

As the week went by, she prepared herself every day for the fight she felt sure was coming. It never happened or not the way she had thought it would. Each day when she got home from work, there sat her new daughter fully dressed and wearing a pair of heels of some sort. Her makeup was always flawless and she always seemed happy when her mom got home.

It wasn't till the weekend came that the fight likewise showed up. It seemed she would have to drag him kicking and screaming to the doctor's office and that wasn't going to work if he had to go dressed as a girl. Carol relented, but only to the point that she gave him a pair of her old jeans and a tee shirt she had stopped wearing so he looked somewhat like the boy they knew.

His firm and shapely breasts, along with the rest of his overall figure, would not fly under the radar of Dr. Markus. It was almost as if she didn't like him much and she was always touching his breasts and feeling of his male parts. He had no clue she was doing her best to understand why it was that his body had suddenly seemed to turn towards being a girl, when she was sure that he was a boy through and through. Neither of them would get an answer to that question today, but Dr. Markus felt sure, after seeing his sizable breasts and well-shaped figure, that his blood work would tell the tale.

She assured Carol that she would find out what it was that caused this. In the meantime, if he felt more comfortable dressing as a girl, she saw no reason not to let him do so. It was almost a relief to hear Dr. Markus give her the okay, as it were, to dress him like a girl. At the moment it wasn't what he really wanted, so much as what she wanted to hear.

That was early Saturday morning and now he and his mom were both at the Walker home sunning by the pool. Carol didn't stay by the pool long, as she was sure Becky wanted to talk to her girlfriend alone. It was more that she had to, to get him out of the house in his or her new bikini. Now that it was done, she intended for him to have bikini lines long before they headed home.

Carol and Ms. Walker watched the girls from the sliding glass window. Ms. Walker seemed unaware that it was a boy her daughter was sharing all her time with. She was happy that Becky had a friend with breasts at least as big as hers. She needed the support only someone her age could give her and that was just what she saw in Jenny.

Carol had no intentions of breaking the bad news to Ms. Walker. If she accepted Jenny for what she saw, then why try to explain something she had no explanation for. She had no more good reason as to why her son had boobs than the good doctor did at the time. No, Jenny needed her support, as well, and Carol saw how comfortable Jenny was around Becky now. This was a good thing she told herself and she would let it play out as far as it would go.

The girls were in and out of the pool a few times just to cool off. They did a little horse play while they were in the water, but not so that either of the girl's mothers got concerned. In fact, it pleased Carol to no end to see her daughter forming a real bond with another girl.

Jenny and Becky talked in their own code and Jenny knew Becky had not told her mother that she was really a boy. Becky explained that it was best, if they wanted to remain friends over the summer, as her mom would never allow a boy at her house. They talked about clothes and boys and all the stuff any other girls their age might normally would have.

Jenny thanked her for picking such a nice bikini for her, even though she didn't really like wearing it all. She told Becky she all but felt naked wearing it and that was a little over the top for her. On the other hand, Becky told Jenny that she loved hers and that she had planned to wear it as often as she could that summer. Jenny thought that sounded pretty normal for a real girl. By the time Jenny and Carol went home it was all but dark outside.

James always enjoyed the time he spent with Becky. She was still the prettiest girl in school, as far as he was concerned, so being with her was like a feather in his cap. That was till he stood in the shower later that night to wash off the tanning oil. The red tint to his skin was easy to see against the rest of it, as white as he was. His fair skin had seemed to turn on him, as well, as it now held the outline of his bikini.

For the next week Becky all but hounded Jenny to come to her place and lay by the pool with her. His mom had told him it was okay if he wanted to do it. That meant he had to walk through the park dressed as a girl since Ms. Walker didn't know he was boy. This was not what he had planned for his summer vacation to be like, but his time with Becky was always fun so he did it. Thankfully, nobody paid attention to the two girls walking through the park each day, as she walked with him both ways.

Now, of all things to happen in his young life, his mom was acting rather strange. She would come in from work, have a light dinner with Jenny, then go to her sewing room and work while she talked on the phone right till bedtime. They usually went out to eat on her payday Friday, but they hadn't done that in almost three weeks now. He wondered if his mom was now ashamed that her boy had turned into such a girl. Becky assured him that was not the case, still he knew something wasn't right about the way she was acting.

Finally, he couldn't stand it anymore. His tan was about as dark as he figured it would get and this day he stayed at home. He spent hours on the web, looking at all the fashion and style sites for anything he could do to refine his look as a girl. It was almost noon by the time he decided to get dressed.

He decided on the mini dress he had worn the first day, he really dressed as a girl. He decided not to wear the corset since he had found a garter belt in one of his drawers. It fit much tighter than he had thought it would and after thinking about it for more than a few minutes, he decided to not wear a bra either. His breasts were plenty firm enough to not really need it and of late his nipples only got hard when he was excited or cold.

He used a small barrel curling iron on his hair and piled it high on his head leaving only one or two dangling beside each of his ears. In the jewelry box he found some big hoops that were gold and matched the necklace he already had on. To that he added several bracelets and then a half dozen or so rings spread out on his fingers. He clipped a gold chain style belt around his waist and then picked the highest of the heels he found in the closet.

It was his mom's payday Friday and he wanted to look better than he ever had. Cabin fever had long ago set in, even his time with Becky was not enough to stop that. He was sure his mom was feeling it, too. She was just ashamed of him and that was why they had stopped going out to eat. That was the way he saw it at the time.

At the vanity he sat, and in great detail began to apply the makeup. He was going for that night on the town look, as the web page he looked at had called it. He had no idea why a girl would go to such extremes, but if that was what he was supposed to do, then that was what he would do. Right now he only wanted his mom to be proud of him again.

It took a lot of work to blend the foundation into his now very tan skin. He knew the idea was to not see where it stopped or started and he took great pains to make sure he got it right. It took three coats of mascara to get his lashes to look as full and plump as the pictures he had seen on the web. Three shades of eye shadow gave him that smoky look he wanted and the eye liner defined his eyes with the line stopping just past where it really should have. He plucked a few stray hairs from his eyebrows and then stood and began learning how to walk in the much higher heels.

He had no clue the heels were five inches tall. He did feel as if he was walking more on his toes than on his heels like he normally would have. It was already three-thirty, so his mom would be home in an hour or less. He wasn't as steady in the heels as he wanted to be, so he spent the whole hour walking through the house dusting and making sure everything was just the way his mom liked it.

When his mom drove up, he moved to the back door and waited for her to get out of the car. Just as she was one or two steps from the door he opened it and watched for her reaction with a hopeful eye.

Her jaw went slack and she dropped her purse. He eyes were as big as the peephole in the door and he decided then he was sure he had done the wrong thing. She didn't come in or give him the hug he normally got when she came home. That only fueled his idea that she was ashamed of him and maybe even more so now. He was ready to cry, but he wouldn't allow his mom to see it. He turned and headed back to the living room, then sat down at the computer.

Carol was everything but ashamed of her son. Her heart had jumped into her throat and for several moments she was speechless. Still and silent she watched him walk away in the five inch heels even she had trouble walking in. More to the point she or he did like a pro. Another moment passed before she picked up her purse and followed him into the living room.

She paused in the hallway just long enough to place her purse on the table there. She went to the desk where her daughter now sat and extended her hand. She took it gently, not looking at her mom as she knew the tears had streaked her makeup. All her hard work had been for nothing and she just knew her mom was going to have it out with her.

Carol slipped off her heels as this put her at eye level with her daughter. She cupped her chin and saw her tear streaked cheeks. Before she could even speak she saw more tears forming in the corner of her eyes.

“You are so beautiful,” Carol stated, as she took a tissue from the box on the desk to wipe away the tears. “I was never so stunned to see the effort you put into looking like this tonight. I know it was a lot for you to do and I am so proud of you words fail me,” she paused doing her best to hold back her own tears.

The smile on her face told James she was sincere. For a moment he felt more like the daughter she saw than the boy he still felt like he was. It was if one of many great weights on his shoulder had been lifted and he smiled back at his mom in a most approving way. He had no clue that Becky had called her at work and expressed all his fears to her, in a way he never could.

“I love you with all my heart and no matter what I will always be proud of you. Please don't ever believe otherwise,” his mother said in a most gentle voice.

“Okay, Mom,” he said, as he shifted his weight from one hip to the other.

“Give me just a few minutes to freshen up and then the Conner's girls are going out to have some fun tonight,” his mom said with a smile that was bigger than before.

In what seemed like just a few minutes, his mom looked even better than he did. It had taken him three hours to look the way he did. This was so unfair, he told himself. He likewise fixed the streaks from the tears he had cried and in less than an hour they were out the door. Knowing that his mom was proud of him rather than ashamed did great wonders to calm his nerves.

The Top Hat was the most expensive restaurant and bar in the small town where they lived. You had to be eighteen to get in the door, but his mom assured him that wouldn't be an issue tonight. He summoned all the courage he had and followed her through the door as if he and his mom owned the place. They were seated in seconds and the man that took them to the table never took his eyes off of Jenny. Carol saw it and she thought this time it registered with Jenny as well.

“What was that about?” Jenny said in low voice.

Her mom just smiled knowing she had no clue just how pretty she was.

“Well, honey, it's obvious he thinks you are a pretty woman,” Carol said with a smile.

“Pretty Woman! Like Julia Roberts, Pretty Woman?” He sputtered in an even softer voice.

“Well, of course,” his mother smiled as the man placed the two glasses of wine on the table.

Suddenly, his nipples were hard as rocks and this confirmed to his mom that he was indeed bra-less.

He tapped his glass with his mom's and took a sip of the wine. She ordered them both a chef salad and she tried to make small talk with the son that was truly becoming her daughter. He did amazingly well as they talked about clothes and men or boys. Work was still not a part of his life, but that was sooner to come than even she had thought.

Mr. Williams of Williams & Son's spotted one of his best employees from his table across the room. What really caught his eye was the young lady sitting with her. He hadn't so pretty and fresh a young face as the one that now had his eyes. She was drinking wine with Carol so he guessed she was of age. This girl would be perfect for the new line of girl's clothes he and one of his new designers had been working on. Granted, he was shooting for the ten to thirteen age group, but if she toned down her look she could pull that off, he thought.

Anxious to meet this young lady he thought of and then discarded several opening lines. He had manners and while he didn't want to disturb their meal he likewise didn't want them to leave before he had the chance to meet her. Once he knew who she was, Carol could make the in-roads needed for the company to use her as a model. He bought them another round of wine once the food arrived and decided to wait till he was sure the meal was over.

When the food arrived with a second glass of wine to boot, Carol knew someone else had bought the wine. Jenny pick at her salad as much as she ate it and it just screamed girl here for anybody that saw it for what it was. Even Carol had a hard time thinking of her as the boy she had raised. Becky had taught her well and she was doing just as she had been taught.

When the waiter took away the plates leaving the bread sticks and the unfinished glasses of wine, Mr. Williams decided it was time.

Carol spotted Mr. Williams almost as soon as he stood up. “Don't look up, but there is a man headed this way and he is my boss, so just play along,” she told Jenny quietly.

“It's nice to see you, Carol, and who is this fine young lady with you?” He asked, still treating her like an employee by using her first name.

“Jenny,” she stuck out her hand as if to shake his and not give her mom a reason to lie for her.

“Thomas Williams,” he replied in a single breath. “I was wondering since Carol is a designer if you had ever done any modeling,” he added with a smile.

“No, sir,” she replied,” but I have been told I was pretty enough to several times,” Jenny said, thinking this might stop him in his tracks. Nobody liked a model that was stuck on themselves, her mom had told her that long ago.

“She's not actually old enough to work without her mom's consent and I doubt we could get that,” Carol followed with Jenny's line of reasoning.

That put the brakes on him pursuing her further. Carol was right, if she was young her parent's permission was the first thing they would need. She was drinking wine though, so he had to wonder if Carol was about to step out on her own with her own designs. Carol's work had landed him more than a few big clients, she was the last thing he wanted to lose right about now.

He walked away a bit sad, but equally prepared to dig into his rather deep pockets to keep Carol with the company. She had words with him more than once and he knew, if she wanted to make it on her own, she could very well do it with the right model to get her fashions noticed.

The ride home was quiet with Jenny feeling nervous and Carol thinking that she would have to make her move sooner than she had planned. Thomas was not so dense that he wouldn't put two and two together and realize what she had planned. Granted, fashion wise he was stuck in the fifties and in her mind forever would be. That didn't mean he wasn't a smart man.

Carol walked in the house her smile beaming with pride for her new daughter. She went straight to the coffee maker and started a fresh pot as she looked at her daughter with more love than she had even for her husband. Carol sat Jenny down at the table and began to at least try to explain just what kind of man Thomas Williams really was. Halfway through each sentence she would finish it and her amazement at the maturity she showed just continued.

She gave Jenny just the tip edge of her plan and while she seemed nervous about the whole idea of modeling anything. If this was what it took to get them on their feet and on their own again, then she was ready to do it. Carol and her daughter tag teamed the phones well into the night. They finally found a suitable studio with a proper runway that they could rent.

Carol sent Jenny off to bed and alone she called in every favor she could to get at least three photographers there. She needed at least two models and Becky was the obvious choice both for Jenny's comfort and the security of Carol's designs. Long before either of the girl were awake Carol spoke with Ms. Walker about what she wanted to do. Carol did her best to hide her own excitement telling Ms. Walker that it was a fifty-fifty chance that her designs would be a hit. Ms. Walker agreed on the condition that she could be there for the shoot. That was fine with Carol as an extra set of hands was an extra set of hands at this point. She could help Becky change while she would help Jenny just to keep the show moving at a good pace.

Carol and Jenny, Becky and Ms. Walker arrived first at the studio. All of the clothes were placed on two racks, one for each of the girls. This was her spring and summer collection and having to scramble for time her fall and winter collection was still unfinished. Another week was all she needed, but now that Thomas had seen Jenny she didn't have another week.

Three very well dressed women sat at the end of the runway. A fourth sat way back in the last row as she wanted to see, but not be seen, as it were. The photographers were the last to show and Jenny and Becky were thankful for time they had to practice the walk before everyone arrived. At three on the money the music started and Becky took the first walk down the runway. This was like a dream to her, while Jenny just hoped not to mess up the show his mom had worked so hard for.

They set a slow pace so each had the time to change while the other was making her walk. The flashes of the cameras were coming fast and the looks on the faces of the women at the end of the runway seemed to be approving of their effort. Adele was the woman in the back row and she was stunned that Jenny was everything Carol had told her she was at two in the morning. She had known Carol since college and she was never too big on models. Becky was quite pretty and was model material, no doubt. She had no idea she was looking at two girls that had just turned ten years old.

At the end of the show, when the music stopped, Becky walked to the end of the stage and stood there. “My name is Becky Walker, I am ten years old and I go to Plymouth Academy.

In turn, Jenny walked to the end and stood beside her best friend. My name is Jenny Conner, I am ten years old and I go to Plymouth Academy.

After a collective gasp for breath that would have rivaled Hurricane Sandy, they gave the girls a standing ovation. Of the nine people present Adele was probably the only one that knew Jenny was really James. Carol would have her hands full when she grew up, she was pretty as a picture now at just ten years old.

Ms. Walker took the girls along with the clothes back home. Carol had some business to discuss and she was going to be a while getting home. The men rushed back to their collective studios to start making the prints for the photos they had taken. None of them were sure that the girls they had just seen were really ten years old, but they were new and fresh and that could make or break a good photographer if one of them hit the big time.

Carol dispensed with the buyers before the bidding war ever started. She would take only sealed bids and all bids had to include the use of her models only. Adele knew Carol was a shrewd business woman, but her terms gave her and the kids practically all the profits. That was a hard line to sell considering Carol had nothing in the market at the time. Adele sensed that her real motivation was to get Jenny in the public eye more so than her designs.

Adele agreed to be the agent for both of the girls without any hesitation. The fact that Carol didn't mention her designs any more than she did confirmed what she suspected about getting Jenny in the public eye. Carol wasn't a trusting person and she knew Adele would do what was best for the girls, not her own self-interest.

In the weeks that followed, Jenny's confidence as a young girl grew in leaps and bounds. Carol no longer reminded herself that this was her son James. Jenny or her daughter were the words she used for her now. Her modesty level even changed to such a degree that Carol actually noticed it. Carol was equally careful to never say anything that would let her daughter think she was ashamed of her in any way.

The buyers did submit their bid for her fashions, but none of them would go for the use of her models. That was a deal breaker for all of them. Carol knew full well the ten year old girls would be a hard sell, but she wasn't about to budge on that part.

The camera seemed to love Becky and Jenny with equal measure. On the runway dressed as they were, either of them could have passed for girls in their late teens or very early twenties. They were both tall for their age, it played well in their favor. Neither girl had seen the some fifty odd photos Carol had of them, but she had looked at them with pure joy for hours on end.

Williams & Son's had done little more than raise the hem lines on last year’s spring and summer collections. They had a showing in two weeks and if it sold, it went into production in about two months. Carol knew it wasn't wise to try to upstage the trusted designer of the company. Still her designs were fresh and her girls could sell them by the truck load and she knew it. They weren't cheap and that was what Williams & Son's was known for, fashion on a budget. There was no such thing, Carol told herself, just cheap knock offs.

At this point she had nothing to lose. She was sure Thomas had stewed on the idea of her going off on her own long enough that he was ready to listen to her for a change. If not, she could take one of the offers that was already on the table, she wouldn't like it, but she could if she had to.

Two of the buyers had offered an across the board buy on her designs, but nothing for the girls at all. The last had offered a percentage contract and would use the girls, but it was not exclusive. Not many designers would walk away for the dollar figures she was looking at. Any of the three would put her and Jenny on easy street for years to come. That was too short term in Carol's eyes. She wanted to know her girl was set for life even if something happened to her.

Monday morning she kissed Jenny and told her not to wait up for her. It could very well be a long day and a pretty girl such as her needed her sleep. In her oversized hand bag she had the photos of her and Becky. In her mind the decision was made to upstage the company's top designer. Williams & Son's could continue to make designer knockoffs at a cheap price or they could brave the waters and make real designer clothes at a premium price. It was akin to swimming with sharks, but with no risk you reap no reward.

Under her black and gold nearly see through dress she wore nothing save her garter belt and stockings. It was her design and the form fitting material looked much better than the one like it that had been seen at a recent Hollywood red carpet event. Mr. Williams would say she was dressed like a brazen hussy. Yes, he was that old fashioned and even more so narrow minded.

She waited till they were all assembled in the drafting room. The she walked in, heads turned and eyes rolled, but she gave no acknowledgment to any of her superiors. She placed her oversized hand bag on her chair, then started placing all the photos around the room in a single line along the bottom of the board. The room was so silent she could hear each of them taking one deep breath after another. When she done, she sat down and waited to see who would challenge her first.

“How dare you come to work in such a dress?” Tom's wife blasted her first.

“No guts, no glory,” Carol replied, sitting her down in short order.

Thomas and Marshal, his top designer were walking around the room looking at each photo in great detail. Thomas recognized Jenny right off and her smile along with her great figure sold the designs as much or more than anything. The other girl was new to him, as well, and she was equally as pretty and well-built to boot.

Marshal knew his designs were not near the quality of what he was looking at. These wouldn't be cheap to make, but they wouldn't sell cheap either. He could very well see himself losing his seat at the table to whoever had made these designs.

Thomas saw much of what Marshal did. These were not cheap designs and they would bring a good price on the retail floor as well. They had class and style all of their own and some were sexy to boot. Thomas took his chair at the head of the table and asked the question that was on everybody's mind. He knew the answer or thought he did, he just wanted to see if she had the guts to claim them.

“They are mine,” she spoke plain and clear. “And the models were found by me as well,” she added. She wasn't done and when Thomas started to talk she just kept going.

“Williams & Son's has been in business for more years than I care to count. They had made a profit by playing it safe and actually making other people's designs with a few alterations. Knockoffs, if you don't mind the word. Well, here is a one-time offer to brave the waters of real designer clothes,” I won’t do this ever again, she huffed.

Carol didn't stick around to see if they would take her up on the offer. She stood then, took her purse and as well as the photos and left the room. Damn the lot of them if they wanted to live in the fifties forever, she told herself as she headed out the door to her car. She didn't work for free and she was damn well through making other people's designs. Mrs. Williams had sparked her anger and years of frustration just came out along with it.

After she was gone, Thomas roundly scolded his wife for all to hear.

Thomas told them all that, “Designers don't think in terms of normal conventions. They see what is and then see what could be, that is the very type of thinking this company has lacked for years now. While I can't applaud her delivery, even Marshal will tell you her designs are top shelf. You wont find any of them in a second hand store until they are well worn out, trust me.”

Raymond, his son and CFO of the company, was the first to agree with his father. His only concern was the cost to make such lavish designs and the material she chose for them would cut into the bottom line. Save that both he and Carol were right.

Glenda, their head seamstress, was the next one to get in line. She didn't say it out loud and she would have hugged Carol like a teddy bear had she still been there. She figured these guys were so stuck in the past, nothing short of nuclear bomb blast would get them to change their mind.

Carol was sitting at home consoling herself, as well as her daughter, with a half-gallon of Rocky Road by Ben and Jerry. She lost her temper and that was the wrong thing to do. Still she had her say and for that, such as it was, she was proud of herself. He daughter was her priority now and always would be.

Carol sat at on the couch blurry eyed from the tears she was crying. She clutched Shaun's picture with her and Jenny, just six months old at the time. He never came home after that picture was made, but she remembered him every time she looked at Jenny.

She had his blond hair and emerald green eyes, his cute upturned nose that he so hated, but made him such a beautiful man as well. She had his sense of humor and his will to see whatever she started right to the end, no matter how good, bad or ugly it was. How could she tell her that mom had just lost her temper and probably her job all at the same time. She couldn't and the tears were turning into a river the longer she sat there with her daughter. There was nothing so precious in her life now and she couldn't break her heart. Not now.

In was late in the day when Thomas thought back on the events of that morning. He knew very little about Carol save that she had a child and that her husband had been killed in the war. He knew she was college educated and had a degree in designing. He had seen her alone at the cemetery putting flowers on his grave so he knew she missed him. He wondered now that she was a single parent if her act of defiance had really been an act of desperation.

He and Raymond had already run the numbers. Her designs would sell, there was no doubt about that. The question yet to be answered was if they would sell enough to make a profit. He told his son to make up a standard contract, she could use her models and he would cover the cost. Likewise, he would buy her designs out right and split the profit sixty-forty. Himself taking the larger share as he was taking all the risk. This was a far better offer than his son was accustomed to making, but he did as his father asked him to.

Her talent was wasted working in his factory. His offer was such that she could stay at home and raise her child if she wanted. He knew she did most all of the work he had seen at home, there was no reason for her to show up at the factory. Now, he needed to know where she lived and the HR department was taking their sweet time finding her address. Thomas was not a man to wait for much of anything.

Jenny was up and had taken her shower and was fully dressed before her mom even got out of bed. She would not be going to work today and that was really odd as her mom never missed a single day of work since she had started. Something had happened yesterday that put her mom in a tailspin. She didn't know what it was, but she surmised that it must have been really bad if she was missing work. She was getting more concerned with each passing hour as her mom was still in the bedroom.

Mr. Williams knocked on the front door, expecting to find Carol still as bitter and upset as she had been the day before. The young girl that answered the door took him by surprise and he quickly had to adjust.

“Is your mom at home?” He asked.

“She is in the bed sick today. Is there something I can do for you?” She asked politely as she had been taught.

The tall man got down on one knee and reminded her that she had met him at The Top Hat. “Could I come in and talk with you for a few minutes?” He asked.

“I guess so, so long as you're quiet. I don't want to disturb mom while she's sleeping,” she added.

He was six foot, six inches tall and weighed well over two-hundred pounds, but this girl showed no fear at all. “Are you Carol's daughter?” He asked quietly.

His husky voice carried well into Carol's bedroom and she now stood at the door just to see how this huge man would treat such a small girl. And she knew Jenny lacked nothing in courage.

“I am,” she stated firmly.

Jenny didn't think to offer him a seat knowing how her mom felt about him, she was hoping he wouldn't stay that long.

He realized now that this girl was all of ten and twelve years old at best. The last thing he wanted to do was to make her afraid of him, so he got down on one knee again so they were looking at each other at eye level. He could only imagine what it would be like to have to tell this darling little girl she had lost her job. He knew in his heart had it been him there was no way he could have done it.

“I brought these for your mom,” he stated, as he gave her the big bunch of roses. “Your mom showed me more courage yesterday than some of the men that have been with me for years. I hope you are very proud of her, as I know you are the world to her. Would you also give her these papers to look over? She will understand what it is about,” he paused, seeing a clean and proper house, but not one that said there was any wealth here.

“I would be glad to,” she said with a twinkle in her eye.

She turned and used a foot stool to get a vase from a high shelf. She put the flowers in first and then ran some water in a vase making sure it was firmly on the table before she let go. She took the papers and placed them with her mom's purse and then asked if there was something more she could do.

There was no anger in this child, no guile at all, she was the most innocent thing he had ever laid his eyes on. He felt nothing from her but genuine love and respect, something he was sure Carol and her husband had taught her. Her smile had melted his heart in a way he had never thought such a young person could. He was the one holding back the tears now and he couldn't stop himself doing what came next.

Jenny saw the man reach inside his jacket and the real size of the man registered on her. His one hand was big enough to make both of hers and some left over, she told herself. She wasn't afraid of him, but she was worried that he would wake up her mom if he didn't leave soon.

From his wallet he took two five hundred dollar bills. He gave them to the little girl and then gave her his business card as well.

“I want you to share that with your mom. Maybe you can go to the Top Hat with her again sometime. This is my business card and it has my home phone number on it. If there is anything you need, anytime day or night, you call me. Okay?” He said as he stood to leave.

Carol could hear his voice shaking and she knew Jenny had melted the big man right to his core. She thought she would walk out and let me him apologize to her with her daughter present to hear it. She didn't, that would spoil the moment, as she had never seen him be so gentle with anyone.

When he stood again, Jenny realized even more so just how big he was. She walked him to the door and her head was almost as high as his elbow. No wonder her mom was so afraid of him or at least that was the way she talked about him. Jenny promised to have her mom call him and then he was gone.

Carol had just witnessed an event that would have made every Hollywood filmmaker green with envy. Armed with nothing but her love for her mother, a smile and pure honesty. Her ten year old daughter had just reduced a hulk of a man to nothing more than putty in her hands. Had she asked for it he would have signed over his company and not thought a second about it.

Carol slipped out of her room and got a cup of coffee and was sitting at the table when Jenny turned back into the house. Jenny ran as much as she could in her heels to give her mom a hug.

“Tell me you're not sick, tell me it's going to be fine mom, you can't go away like daddy did,” Jenny's voice broke and she was ready to cry.

“No, no, honey, everything is fine and it's only going to get better from now on,” Carol said in a voice that reassured her daughter. “Have another cup of coffee with me,” she said, as if it was the most natural thing in the world for a ten year old to drink coffee.

As Carol looked over the contracts, the scene she had just witnessed played over again in her mind. Jenny was Shaun made over, he could have any girl he wanted with a blink of his eyes and she had seen her daughter do far worse to a very big man.

There was three checks mixed in with the papers. One for Jenny for ten-thousand dollars and one just like it for Becky. For her part she got five- hundred-thousand dollars for her designs and forty percent of the profits. That had been pretty close to what she had wanted from the other buyers and she signed them with Jenny standing over her shoulder.

It wasn't till Williams & Son's reported that they were going with a new designer this year that the press really caught on. Less than a week later Becky and Jenny were like whales in a pond. Everybody knew them on sight and the girls were loving every minute of it. Of course, that meant the boys were lined up around the block, as well. Jenny had plenty of time to work on figuring out the boys. Her mom was making sure they kept a safe distance.

Dr. Markus had correctly diagnosed Jenny as being inter-sexed. She had parts that were both male and female. It was clear that her body had taken a hard turn to the girl's side of the fence, but her mom wasn't about to force her into anything. When she was ready, she could decide on her own which she would be.

In the meantime, she was adjusting to private school and security guards that watched her like a hawk. She came home every day after school just like she always had only now she was driven by her mom's chauffeur. None of this went to her head like you might think. She was still the very loveable girl she had been from the start. And, no, she and Carol did not become snobs of some sort.

Save what you already know very little changed in their life. Sure they had money, but it didn't define Jenny any more than it did Carol. Carol still worked in her garage and Jenny spent most of her time on the computer or with Becky. Jenny's celebrity status would pass as would Becky's sooner or later. Then things would settle back to their normal pace.

Jenny had no idea about the ongoing request her mom was getting to have her model again. For now she just told them all no. With her gender in limbo they would have to lie or at least keep it a secret neither of them wanted the hassles, so for now no modeling.

When the time came, both Jenny and Becky modeled her fall and winter collections. Thomas renewed the contract just the same as it had been and gave Carol the check for her forty percent of the previous collection. That check alone secured their future. There was more to come and Jenny would be a very wealthy girl if she stayed the course she was on right now.

It took another year for the rest of Jenny's and Becky's friends to see them as normal girls again. In that time Jenny, as well as Becky, only matured and became even prettier than they had been. James, well gone by now, but not forgotten by any means.

The next year saw the girls go through leotards and tights as if they were water. They both were hooked on Aerobic exercise and spent every spare minute working out at the gym. Of course, this did nothing more than define both of the girl's figures. They were never hard to find in the small town they lived in, just look to see where all the boys were hanging out and they were close by.

Just before they turned thirteen, Becky began to have a regular period. Jenny often had the symptoms, but it wasn't as real to her as it was to Becky. Dr. Markus was sure beyond all reason that Jenny was a really a girl now. From her body, to her smile, to her mannerisms, everything shouted girl here loud and clear. An MRI done just before her thirteenth birthday was proof positive that she was indeed a girl.

All the parts a normal female would have were there save her unfinished vaginal canal. Some corrective surgery could fix that and that was the offer she made to Jenny.

Even to an untrained eye Jenny could see what Dr. Markus pointed out on the MRI. She had now been living the life of a female for most of three years. Money wasn't an issue, as far as the surgery was concerned, it was a matter of if her mom would allow her to have it. Carol had not been in the room when Dr. Markus broke the news to Jenny. She wanted Jenny to know the truth first and then make her own decision. To Carol it was pretty much a done deal.

Becky shared all of Jenny's secrets and she knew, if nothing else in the world was true, Jenny was all girl now. Jenny had told her as much and she loved all the pretty and soft clothes she got to wear. She was as much into makeup as she was the clothes and was always up to date on that as well. Her biggest fear was that her manhood would soon assert itself again and that was the last thing she wanted. More than that was her mom, who had given birth to a son, and now it seemed he was a daughter, he was so afraid he would disappoint his mom.

Jenny had spoken with Dr. Markus in January and now it was early May and school was soon to be out for the spring break. Jenny had kept her thoughts and fears to herself while it seemed that her mom only worried about her more with each passing day. Becky had urged her to just be honest with her mom as she had always been, the worst thing that could happen was for her to say no.

On the last day of school Jenny walked in the house with wide streaks in her makeup. Carol knew she had been crying and asked her straight up what had caused her to cry.

“We need to talk, Mom,” Jenny stated.

“Yes, we do,” her mom smiled. Then waited to see just what was on her mind.

“I knew you gave birth to James, a son that you were very proud of. I'm not that boy anymore and I am so afraid that if I don't have the operation Dr. Markus told me about, he will come back.”

The tears poured down her cheeks like a waterfall now. Carol could see and well knew the boy was gone. While she wanted to comfort Jenny, as much as any mother would, she had to wait and let her have her say. There was more Jenny wanted to say and Carol sat there silent, holding back her own tears, waiting for Jenny to bear her soul.

“Please, Mom, tell me, love me as Jenny as much as you did James. I want to be Jenny always and I promise I will be the best daughter you could ever want. Please. Tell me I can have the operation,” she stopped again as she was crying too hard to speak.

“Yes, Jenny, you can have the operation any time you want. I love you with all my heart and always will. You will never know how happy I am to have you as my daughter and I promise to be the best mom I can be,” Carol said, as she held her daughter tight to her chest.

They packed that afternoon and by dark were on their way to the hospital. Jenny would have to talk to the staff shrink before the operation, but it was just a formality. Ms. Winters told Carol, once Jenny was sedated for the operation, she had never spoken to a child such as her that seemed so well adjusted. She figured that Jenny would have no problems adjusting to being a real girl.

Jenny was in the operating room some six hours before the doctors came out and gave her the good word. Jenny needed very little work, as it turned out that most of what she should have had was there. In fact, if she could urinate and walk without any pain, she could take her home the next day.

Jenny was thrilled when the doctor held the mirror so she could see between her legs. What she saw looked as natural to her as any other girl on the planet and she smiled ear to ear. They stayed an extra day as Jenny feared she might pull out some of the stitches walking around.

By the time they were back home Jenny felt almost back to normal again. Throughout the summer she wore her bikini with pride and without a wrap as she had before. Carol didn't realize the fear of discovery that had plagued her all this time or not until now. Jenny really was the girl she saw in the mirror now and it showed in many ways.

Junior High brought many changes for Jenny, but in ways she caused as many as she endured. There was no getting the girl to wear pants, no matter how cold the weather got. Carol figured that she had worn pants all she wanted to while she was James, of course, that was just a guess. And so it was that she and Becky became quiet the trendsetters.

It wasn't till Christmas that year that her true story somehow got leaked to the press. Carol and Jenny rode out the storm with ease, as the bond they shared would never be broken. All of their friends as far as school went already knew Jenny was once James, so the story died out almost as quickly as it started.

Thomas Williams was the big surprise that year. He gave her a bonus check just weeks before Christmas that was equal to the forty percent that he gave her mom. Added to the other money that her mom had put in the bank in her name, it made Jenny worth just a little over one million dollars in cash.

Thomas didn't ask for the real story behind what he had read in the press, but when he personally delivered the check, Jenny felt he should know the truth. It was one on the most touching sights to see her explain it her own way that a person of age could ever see. It was Christmas Eve morning when he knocked on the door.

“Mr. Williams, please come in,” Jenny said to the man that still towered over her.

He came in and smiled with his hello to Carol along with his best Christmas wishes for them both. He gave Carol the checks as he always had and then personally thanked Jenny for all her hard work as well.

Even in her tallest heels she was looking at him somewhere between his stomach and chest so when Jenny started to talk, once again the big man dropped to one knee so as to look at her face to face.

“I know you have read the newspaper so I think it is best that you hear the truth and from me,” she paused.

Thomas looked at Carol as if asking for her permission before he spoke. She nodded her consent and then he turned back to Jenny

“By all means, little lady, you have the floor,” he said in a way that gave her as much respect as he would have given her mom.

“It's true everybody thought I was a boy when I was born. As I grew up it turns out that I was actually a little of both a boy and a girl. The first time you saw me mom had only let me dress as girl cause I looked so funny as a boy with breasts. Mom and I didn't do anything to make me this way and the doctors said it best to let my body decide which I would be. So this is who I am and I hope the story in the news didn't hurt your business,” Jenny said.

The shock registered on his face like he had been stuck with a cattle prod. Here was a little girl that still sounded all of ten years trying to sum up her life in a paragraph that this full grown hulk of a man would understand. She used the word breasts as if she fully understood what that really meant and had expressed no doubt that she was a girl through and through. He had to let that moment of shock pass before he was able to speak.

It was such a poignant moment he had to search for the words. “You have done neither me or my business no harm. I am as proud as your mom to have you be a part of it. I truly hope so long as you and your mom are willing you will continue to be a part of my business,” he stated flatly and offered to shake her hand.

She took a single short step forward and gave him a hug. This was the only man that had not teased or hurt her feelings in some way. She knew her mom held no love for him, but to her he was even bigger than he really was. Carol was shocked, but not nearly so much as the man who felt the arms of this tender young girl around his neck.

Jenny had no idea of the effect she was having on the man. When she turned him loose he stood and again wished them both a Merry Christmas. If ever Carol had known a Scrooge, this man would have gotten her vote. Now she saw the tears welling up in his eyes and realized his sudden urge to leave had a bigger reason. He wasn't the work hardened old war horse she had known him to be, not that day and not any day after that.

Twice now Jenny had reduced him to putty. She saw it first time, but afterwards he seemed to be the same old workhorse he had been. In truth, she felt as if she had never worked for such a heartless man, as that was the way he treated everyone including her.

Jenny in her most innocent way asked her mom to take her shopping. She wanted to buy Mr. Williams a Christmas gift after all, she bought gifts for everyone else she knew. She so seldom saw Mr. Williams she had all but forgotten about him.

Carol tried to explain to her that he had enough money to buy anything he wanted for Christmas, but she was intent that she would give him something for Christmas. Jenny asked her mom just what he might not spend the money to buy for himself. Well, I know he loves to drink Scotch, so a well-aged bottle of Scotch would be a nice gift.

Jenny really feared that she, as well as her mom, might lose their job despite the fact that she had been open and honest with Mr. Williams. She still for the most part held the same opinion of him and she really thought a Christmas gift from her might ease any anger he had towards them.

The only place open on Christmas eve was the most expensive place in town to buy alcohol. Jenny would not be denied, so Carol took her there and together they picked out a twenty year old bottle of Scotch. They paid way too much for it and Jenny sighed as it was more than she had spent on her mom even.

It was nine thirty that night when I got to Carol's house. My name is David Conner. Shaun was my cousin and best friend till the day he died in the war. I work for a newspaper as a writer and have ever since we were all in college together. I dated Carol before Shaun ever knew about her. Back then the only thing that out shined her beauty was her openly feminist attitude. That was in part the reason she and I stopped dating, as she carried that as if it was a chip on her shoulders.

Shaun was sure it was something she would mature out of, where as I was sure it would only get worse with age. Thankfully, he was right, although, he didn't live to know it. By now I had already proposed to Carol and while she was more than willing to say yes, there was a caveat.

She had an inter-sexed child that a man about the house might influence in a direction she didn't want to go. Even she was doing all she could not to influence the child in one direction or the other or at least not until the child's body gave some sure sign of the future. Just shortly after we began to see each other on a regular basis breasts appeared on the child and stayed well on into puberty.

I had been wanting to write a book for a while now. The story of Carol and her child's life, after losing Shaun in the war to me, was right up my alley. I could easily see a story that centered around a mother and child who had a really hard life after losing their husband and father in the war. If you have made it this far into the story, you already know that is not how it turned out. At least now you know who narrated most of the story for you and how I knew so much, as Carol poured her heart out to me often.

We sat at the kitchen table as she recounted the day’s events. I had to paint my own image of the big man down on one knee as his heart melted to a thirteen year old girl. Carol smiled widely as she told the story to me and the pride she had for her daughter was all too easy to see.

In a moment of reflection, she told me again how she led James to believe his boy's clothes were locked away in his bedroom and then told me the lock was broken and had been from the start. If James had really wanted to continue to dress and act like a boy, his things were available to him had he only checked. I think she told me that more for my benefit than her own. I recalled telling her that it seemed when she did that she was forcing the change on him.

On Christmas Jenny was up with the sun. Carol knew this would be the case and as if from nowhere, under the tree there were presents for all. Jenny passed out gift after gift for mom, Becky, and Ms. Walker, saving her own for later. She seemed more happy this year to be passing out the presents than receiving them. When she got to the bottle of Scotch, she wouldn't have it any other way than for them all to go and deliver it personally.

Jenny remembered well the rose colored mini dress she had worn the first time she met Mr. Williams. She was taller now and more experienced in high heels, but to the unsuspecting eye this just made her look older and prettier than she already was. Her fuller breasts and rounded hips told anybody with eyes this girl was a heart-breaker.

Becky and Ms. Walker bowed out as they saw this a moment for Jenny to shine, as it were. Carol was unsure, to say the least, that Mr. Williams would accept the gift or see it as being as heart felt as it really was. Carol knew he would be at the plant and, yes, it ran all three shifts even on Christmas.

James had been there once and Carol hadn't set foot in the place for most of three years now. Carol had wished him a Merry Christmas albeit through gritted teeth and that was as far as she went. What she did now she did for Jenny.

Mr. Williams wasn't in his office when they got there, but Carol was sure where she could find him. She and Jenny walked out on the cat walk that overlooked the cutting room floor and there he was barking away orders at one of his workers as if they had no clue what to do.

The other man just smiled as Carol and Jenny came into full view. Thomas had no clue what had taken the wind from his sails, that a worker would smile while being read the riot act. He turned and there stood Jenny and Carol with Jenny just two feet from him. He knew Jenny had caught him in the act, as it were, and no matter how good he treated her, she and Carol would see it as a put on or an act.

In a flash his voice went soft and low and he sent the worker on his way.

“Let's go out to my office,” he said, looking almost scornful at Carol.

It wasn't a long walk and Jenny was shaking as she followed Thomas with her mom behind her. He opened the door to his office and offered them a seat.

“What brings you here on Christmas?” He asked, as he looked at Jenny.

She opened her big handbag and got out the gift wrapped bottle of Scotch.

“I got this for you Mr. Williams. Merry Christmas from me and mom,” she spoke with a smile.

You would have thought she had shot him through the heart. His eyes teared up that second and there were no words to come from his mouth as he opened the present as if he himself were a child. He looked over the bottle and checked the year it was made. He calmed himself, then called his line foreman and told him to have the workers finish what they were doing, then assemble them in shipping and receiving area.

Raymond wasn't in his office and Carol knew this was odd as he had fussed over every penny ever since she had been there. More to the point he acted as if they were broke or damn near it all the time. He pushed everybody as hard or harder than Thomas did.

Finally, calm and collected as he would get that day, he thanked Jenny for her gift and offered to share some with her and her mom, but there was something she needed to see first.

He stood and pulled out his big fancy desk chair and asked Jenny to sit in it. He rolled her out the door and down to the service elevator that went to the plants main floor. Carol, Jenny and Thomas rode down together and the doors opened to the most silent factory Carol had ever heard.

Thomas pushed his own chair that Jenny sat in down the big main hall that separated the cutting rooms from the sewing rooms. Less than ten minutes ago there would have been so much noise you could hardly think, now Carol could hear the sniffles Thomas tried too hard to hide. She was all but sure she and Jenny were about to get the axe in a very public manner.

At the edge of the loading dock there was a small platform and Raymond, with some help from Thomas, set Jenny's chair and all on the platform. The workers lined up in rows and Thomas handed Jenny a big stack of envelopes. He started to talk, but the lump in his throat just wouldn't go down and he asked his son to do the honors.

The crowd was getting restless and Raymond motioned for Carol to come up and stand by Jenny. “As many of you may or may not know, my father and I have been the sole owners of Williams & Son's ever since my oldest brother died some years ago. Two years ago we were more broke than most of you think you are. We had mortgaged everything we owned to keep the plant open and to be able to pay our employees. As hard as my father and I pushed you, we pushed ourselves to keep all of you working,” Thomas was openly sobbing by now and it was all Raymond could do to carry on.

“Then almost three years ago now Carol Conners had had enough. She brought her own designs and her daughter to model them along with her best friend, Becky Walker. She put her offer on the table and told us to take it or leave it.” For force he had to stop talking, as the workers applauded so loud nobody would have heard him.

“Carol wasn't a new employee to us and the show of force so impressed my father that we took her up on the offer. I am happy to report that barring some real tragedy you will all be working for years to come. In fact, we are going to let Carol and Jenny pass out your paychecks and the largest bonuses the company had ever given out. If you will please thank them both as you take your checks and go home, we don't want to see any of you till the Monday after the New Year.” He had gone the last mile and his voice was breaking with tears when he stopped.

Jenny quickly called the first name on the envelope and gave that person a check, while her mom gave out the bonuses. Carol had never seen the faces at the plant smile as they were now. More to the point she had never seen Raymond or Thomas be so open about the affairs of the company. She could only guess that Jenny's confession to Thomas had caused this.

When the last employee was gone, Thomas opened the bottle of Scotch and poured them all a shot each. Of course, he asked Carol before he gave Jenny a glass. Thomas made the toast and it was probably the most honest and profound thing he could have said in Jenny's presents.

“Jenny, I would be a much lesser man and much poorer had you and your mom not come along when you did. Your mom's hard work, along with your beauty and honesty, are the reason many people in this town will have a much better Christmas than they would have. Salute,” he said.

The taste of the Scotch caught Jenny off guard and she made a face that had them all busting a gut laughing for several minutes. Carol stood as proud and tall as Jenny as they left the plant that Christmas day and Jenny still had presents to open when she got home. She had no idea it was the hearts that she opened that Christmas that would forever be thankful.