Dottie’s bad day - A Jaci and Dottie story

Little Jaci swished her princess charm school dress, and then felt guilty about that. She knew that her mommy and daddy had wanted her to be a boy, and she had tried her best, but somehow, it just wouldnt stick - acting like a girl just came too naturally to her.

Despite that, Jaci still tried to be a boy, and so hated the fact she enjoyed how the dress felt, and went to Dottie’s room, intending to give her the dress so she wouldnt be tempted by it any more.

She opened the door to Dottie’s room, and found Dottie sitting in a chair in her own charm school dress, rocking back and forth, moving her lips silently, and staring at nothing.

“Dottie, I should give you this ... Dottie? You okay?”

Dottie didnt seem to have heard her at all, she just continued rocking and whispering under her breath.

Fortunately, Jaci knew what to do, and ran to get Tante Drea who was writing in her bedroom.

“Jaci, you should knock first.” Tante Drea said when the small girl burst into the room.

“Sorry Tante but come quick Dottie is having a flashback and I cant get her out of it!” Jaci managed.

Drea got up, and followed Jaci to Dottie’s room where the girl hadnt seemed to have changed position, but was still rocking and whispering.

Drea took the child into her arms, and went back to her own room and laid her on her bed. She then lay beside her and held her tightly, whispering that she was safe and no one would hurt her.

Jaci jumped in and held her sister’s hand, her own troubles forgotten in her concern for her little sister.

Finally, after what felt like hours to Jaci, Dottie blinked several times, and said, “Tante?”

Drea nodded, and said, “You’re okay, sweetie. It was just a flashback, you’re safe now.”

Dottie cried a little, and held on to both Jaci and Drea tightly.

“Now, sweetie. Do you know what brought this on?”

Dottie frowned, and then nodded. “We’re supposed to take ballroom dancing at the charm school. We’re supposed to dance with boys.”

“That scared you?”

“No, it was ... the boys came in, and they weren’t in suits or whatever, but were dressed casually. There was one boy who was in a soccer jersey with a bit of mud on the front of it and ... and...”

“What happened, Dottie.”

“I looked at him. “

“Well, what’s wrong with looking at him, dressed like that? Why do boys like to get dirty?” Jaci asked.

“No! I looked looked at him, Tante. He had nice eyes, and a funny half smile and the shirt hung tight on him .. . and ... and ... I looked looked!”

Dottie began to cry, and Jaci hugged her closer, and Drea wiped the tears from her eyes.

“Oh, sweetie. It will be okay.”

“But .. what if I like boys, Tante? They scare me, but ... what if I like them too?”

“Then you like boys. You may find you like boys, or girls, or even both. Whoever you like, what you should look for are the good qualities - patience, kindness, courage, and so on. You get those, and what gender they are matters a lot less.”

“But I’m scared, Tante!”

“It is kinda scary, at least at first. But it will get less so, especially if you keep working on putting behind you the bad stuff that happened.”

“I’m ... I’m trying, Tante.”

“I know you are, and you’ll get there. And so will you, Jaci.”

“Long as we got each other, right Tante?”

“As long as we have each other is right.”

Dottie sighed, and curled up beside Drea and fell asleep, with Jaci beside her.

Once she was asleep, Drea whispered to Jaci to go get changed into a nightie, and come back.

So it was that the three of them, two wounded girls and the woman who took care of them, slept soundly, each knowing the love of the other two, each feeling safer for that love, and braver because of it too - Dottie to face her fear of boys, Jaci to face the pain of her parent’s rejection, and Drea, who had in taking in these two girls had learned just how much love she had to give.

They all slept soundly, which was probably for the best, because new adventures, were just around the corner .....