Beth was once again staring at the 50's outfit in the window of Rosy's after exiting the restaurant. She didn't know why but she found the outfit calling to a part of her somehow. The long wide skirt with its white lace trim and silly little bear picture on it just looked so special. The white pullover sweater with its deep v neck opening and puffy sleeves in a material that was no doubt itchy to wear as it looked fuzzy. The skirt had a wide waistband and the mannequin had a gauze scarf in light pink with sparkles around its neck. On its feet were short ankle socks with lace trim in red strapped sandals. Beth stared with longing at the outfit in the window not hearing her father step closer.

"Maybe you should go in and try it on."he said close to her ear. The fact that she was sorely tempted to do just that warred with her sense that it would be improper to do so. They were here to get parts for her car not to window shop. She didn't have the money to spend either which would just make it all that more painful if it actually fit her.

"Please Beth do it for me."

Well that changed things so with a squeal to her father and a hopping style hug she left him standing bewildered on the sidewalk as she dashed into the store. The inside of the store did not have many items on display but what was floored Beth's senses. There was dresses from what looked to be a Victorian age thru to the 1980's. Just about anything you would see in a movie somewhere was on display to Beth's poor eyes. She wanted everything, she wanted to feel each dress, to try it on. To see how they felt. There was even a maroon dress that looked to be just like the dress Rachel McAdams wore in Sherlock Holmes opposite hearthrob Robert Downy Junior.

Beth was hopping up and down on the balls of her feet in excitement looking at everything. A woman from behind an all glass counter stepped around to ask her why she was here and what she was looking for. Beth gushed about how beautiful the store was and how everything just called to her. The woman who introduced herself as Anne smiled and explained that her Aunt, who owned the store, created much of what was on display. While not authentic reproductions of the era they were much sought after by film company's to use in movies, adds, and commercials.

Anne said that much of what they sold was done via online ordering and the store was mostly a place where some buyers would come to browse. While a few women came into the store very few would ask to try on many of the items simply because they believed them to be far to expensive. Anne said she believed that many walked away for the same reason. Beth agreed as she felt she could not afford any of the items even if she saved for months. Anne asked her what she thought about the window display and she responded that it really caught her eye.

She had come into the store to try on the outfit in the window but she admitted that it seemed like a foolish idea now and was prepared to offer her apologies and exit when Anne moved to a rack and pulled out a skirt similar to what was in the window. Beth stopped and approached her hand feeling the soft rich feel of the fabric. From another rack Anne pulled out a petticoat that would go under the skirt it was that piece that showed the hint of lace. Beth followed behind Anne entranced as the girl pulled item after item from spots here and there. Some almost magically until she got close enough to see it was really a corner style box invisible unless you knew it was there.

Anne continued with her now armload of stuff as Beth followed her to a curtain. The curtain opened to reveal a standard change room not really that big. There was a large flat Mirror opposite it on the wall. Anne put the items on a hanger inside and asked Beth for her coat. Beth was out of the coat and into the cubicle with the curtain closed before she remembered she wanted to refuse.

Beth turned to open the curtain when she caught sight of the skirt before her and stopped. She had to try it on. That was all there was too it. Her sweater and leggings came off quickly leaving her standing in her panties and bra. The petticoat was pulled out but Beth looked to the skirt and pulled the skirt first which she put on. It was a simple hook and hidden zipper design on the side. Without the petticoat the skirt draped to her mid calves. The petticoat was then drawn under the skirt and she pulled the strings to tie it around her waist settling the skirt overtop with much movement and crinkling. She had expected the outfit to be uncomfortable and was surprised to find it not only very well made but comfortable as well. The petticoat had a long satin lining.

The top Anne had chosen was different from the window. This one while white based had silver fuzz on it giving it a more slight blue look. The inside of the top was carefully and cleverly lined. Beth smiled at this ingenious idea as it would make the top less of a chore to wear. She slide it over her head and pulled it over her breasts almost squishing them tell they settled into the cups of the liner with room to spare. Beth used the compact from her purse to check and yes her shoulder straps were showing. With a few adjustments she was able to hide the straps under the edges of the top.

With a grin she undid the scrunchy in her hair shaking her head to have it settle around her face. She used the scarf first under then over her head tying it into a bow that she settled over the left side of her head. With her mirror and the pencil nub she kept in her purse for the few times she ever outlined her lips she created a tiny beauty mark near her nose. Complete she tried to gracefully exit the change room with a smile on her face.

Anna was waiting for her as she exited the changeroom and helped her straighten out the back of the skirt where it had hooked a little on the petticoat. Satisfied she let Beth look over herself in the mirror. Beth twisted back and forth checking herself from side to side. Her breasts were noticeable, very noticeable without really being on display because of the hiding effect of the lining. Her cleavage was visible but also not over the top. Her waist looked delightfully slim to her eyes.

"Wow!"

Beth turned at the sound of the wow to see her father's mouth still slightly open. His eyes were wide open as he stared at her causing Beth's smile to get that much bigger. She sauntered over swinging her hips causing the skirt to dance playfully as she walked.

"Hey there handsome. I hear that the Big Bopper is playing over at the base. I don't suppose you could give a girl a ride there could you?" Beth playfully said to her father in a mock seductive voice.

"If this was 1950 and you were my daughter. I would nail the door on the house shut with a shotgun ready to shoot the boys if you wore that out of the house young lady."

Beth's smile was quite genuine and heartfelt as she went up to hug her father. It was the nicest strangest thing that had been said to her all day. Anne was trying to not giggle and failing at it. Beth twirled once more before heading back to change. She passed the Irene Adler dress and stopped to admire it. She knew her father would not buy her either outfit but it never hurts to just look sometimes. With a sigh she got changed returning the skirt, petticoat, and top to Annie. The scarf was still in her hair forgotten until Anne mentioned it. Beth, embarrassed as such a slip, removed the scarf returning it as well. Anne brought up the total for the ensemble which came to a surprising $134.00. Far out of Beth's price range however it was her father that asked if it was possible to put away the items.

Anne did say that they had a 30 day layaway plan available and her father put the $5.00 deposit on it despite her objections to the contrary. Beth wrapped herself around her fathers arm as they left the store content and quite happy with herself and her father.
The ride back home was mostly uneventful as they left the town. Once again on the highway her father described to her how Eric had taken the car on its first long trip to see her university and the car performed perfectly fine.

Beth felt obligated to tell her father of her own memory of the car. She remembered that her father had gotten the car towed to a garage from her grandparents. Once there it sat for over a year while he made payments to get the car restored. She told him that the first time she saw him drive it into the driveway she had kinda insulted him. She remembered how she thought the front end of the car was really ugly and had let it slip out. Her father had been slightly upset with her about that for days. The interior of the car was grimy but not overly dirty and it was she who spent 2 days scrubbing out the inside of the car making it look quite clean. When it was at the shop someone had used a special oil on the dash making the old dash soft and pliable. It also attracted dirt like honey attracts bees.

Her father told her that he remembered Eric and him cleaning the inside out with some chemicals and that the oil for the dash was this small bottle he would show her later. He explained that you made sure the dash was nice and clean first before you poured a bit of the liquid onto a paper towel. Once the dash had a good coating of visible oil on it you left it sit in the sun where it would soak into the material softening it. He explained this was a good method of preventing the dash from cracking and looking awful.

Beth told her father how her and her sisters at the sorority had cleaned it over the summer with a vinyl cleaner called Armor All. Her father told her rather heatedly that this was not to be done ever again as the Armor All product did more harm than good. Beth promised him that she would not do so again. They continued to chat about this and that with the car. Beth would explain what she had done or not done concerning the car. Such as getting the oil changed. Her father seemed less than pleased she had not had this done since she left home.

When they arrived at home again her mother was waiting in the house with drinks for the both of them. Beth argued with herself when she found out her mother was going to go do some grocery shopping. She wanted to spend time with her father but also at the same time wished to go with her mother like she used to. It was her mother that taught her the ways of grocery shopping. Just because something was marked on sale did not mean it was actually cheaper. Sometimes another brand right next to it was cheaper at regular price. Other times to get the sale you had to buy bulk. That was a good thing which is why people have pantries for groceries her mother had said to the 13 year old girl when she had asked her. If it was a regular item you bought such as a condiment that was well used saving half the price now when it would surely cost more later was a huge savings.

She was standing in the door thinking about this when her mother patted her on the cheek and said she should stay to watch over her father. The decision now taken from her she felt relieved but she did tell her mom they should go shoppin next time she visited. Shoppin was code for browsing thrift stores for good deals. Not all the items in thrift stores were donations from people, sometimes there is donations from superstores or other businesses. One in particular that Beth knew of in the city bought discontinued stock from other businesses at wholesale slashed prices and sold them to customers. They never advertized and were off the main streets. Much of Beth's current beauty supplies was from there. She had 4 cans of hairspray, label removed, that she got for $2.00. Her expensive looking hairdryer, hair irons, and makeup brush kits came from there as well.

She gave her mother a hug before she left. Once her mother was gone she found out her dad had found her a thick coverall to wear over her clothing. The sleeves were a little long as were the legs. A few quick pins took care of that. The coveralls were just warm enough for her to watch her father. He started to explain in detail about the different parts of the car under the hood. He gave her the tools she needed to change the spark plugs. She was thrilled to be able to do this and often smiled at her father as she worked. She made a few minor mistakes that resulted in a few of the old plugs being broken and mixed up two wires. The fuel filter and air filter were not that difficult to change as well.

The mysteries of how to drain the engine oil and remove the grimy filter however her father would not let her know at this time. She did get to fill the oil filter with oil and put the oil into the engine, after her father showed her where to put it and not into the brake fluid or radiator. While the engine oil was being done her father had sprung a leak in her rad to drain the fluid. She was horrified at first till her father had her crawl underneath the car. There was this little fitting on the bottom of the radiator just for that purpose. He even showed her that when you turned it clockwise it closed up.

Her father removed the hose from the engine to the radiator and a little cap off the engine. That was where the top thing from the parts store was to go. He made her clean off the bolts and use some silicone from a tube on them as well as the cap thingy. Her father bent over the engine and she tried to watch as best she could but from the way he was moving and touching here and there around and in it she guess it was a trick of some sort.

Once the antifreeze was back in the car with some new stuff from a jug her father let her start her car. At first she was alarmed as the oil light came on but after a few seconds it was off and her car actually seemed to run much better. Her father took her to the back of the car where the exhaust was and explained how you could listen for engine problems just by listening to this. If it was steady with no hiccups, or misses as he called them, it was good. If there was a hiccup there was a problem.

Beth started to wipe down all the tools as a favor to her father. He was surprised and seemed quite happy as she did so. He gave her a small hug for it as her hands were full. When he was satisfied that the car had no leaks of any kind he turned off the engine and checked some other fluids on the car. Her windshield washer fluid was low and he told her to buy some the next time she put gas into the car.

They went around the old car a few times with her sitting in the car pressing the brake pedal or putting the car in gear. Her father found two of the light bulbs burnt out and showed her how to replace them. The first one she tried to remove and it broke in her hand. Her delicate skin bled from a small glass sliver quite well. She waited with her dirty hands away as he went into the house for a pair of tweezers and removed her sliver. He then put her finger into his mouth and sucked on it. She protested but he assured her it was the best method of cleaning it.

True to his word it did not bleed for very long and was surprisingly not painful either. He said it could have been worse and to not worry about it. She was touched by the affection he was showing her. Her father was still sucking on her finger when her mother pulled up in the Ford Focus with the groceries. Her mother was out of the car with the engine still running as she hurried up to see what happened. Her father explained what happened to her as Beth felt herself blushing. When she and her father offered to help bring in the groceries her mother admonished them both for their filthy hands. This spurred them to run to the house, Beth laughing behind her father, where they washed their hands in the kitchen sink. Beth's mother was there to hear her tell her father to use the grubby towel. Her mother giggled at her father's comment of doubled teamed.

They got the groceries inside and with the coverall removed Beth helped her mother put away the groceries like she remembered always doing. Her mother thanked her for the help. The comment about how Eric never did not really impress Beth all that much. She talked to her mother as they worked to prepare a supper of chicken sandwiches, a salad, and some quickly made chocolate chip cookies that she made. Her mother watched her but said nothing as Beth prepared the oven and batter in a very short time. When the oven was at a proper temperature she spooned out the cookies on a buttered bake sheet. After 10 minutes she checked the cookies finding them just right she removed them onto an old cut up paper grocery bag to cool and spooned on the next helping scraping the bottom of the bowl in the process. When that batch was just finishing her father came in to dirty the sink again.

He had finished up with bulbs and putting away the tools. He pronounced her car ready for another year to her mother. Once he finished washing his hands Beth ran some water into the bowl she had just finished licking clean with her finger and rinsed out the bowl along with a few of the utensils she used. She turned around to find her mother and father each with a still warm cookie in their mouths.

"Hey those are for after supper."

"These are so good. I didn't know you could bake." her mother said while trying to not spit out the half chewed cookie.

"Mom it's chocolate!" like that should explain everything."Besides you taught me. It is your recipe after all."

"Mmm mine are never this good. You must tell me your secret!"

This prompted a comparison of ingredients and a check of the cookbook where Beth explained what she did and why to her mother who listened avidly. Her father stole away with another 4 cookies as they did so.

"Beth you are wonder. It makes me wonder what I did without a daughter all this time." her mother exclaimed with a smile on her face.

"But I always have been here." Beth said momentarily confused before her smile slipped off her face. Her mother noticing this hugged her tightly.

"It's okay Beth I didn't mean to hurt you."

"It's not that mom. I am beginning to wonder if I really am myself at times."

"What on earth do you mean Beth?"

"I'm not quite sure myself. Lets talk about this later for now lets feed daddy's bottomless pit called a stomach."

And feed him they did, mostly because her mother was not used to her daughter's smaller appetite and had prepared a bit too much. What Beth didn't eat her father did. So much so he said he needed a nap after supper. The two women giggled as the now over full man stumbled to the couch for a much needed after dinner nap. They packed away the many leftovers into the fridge and froze a number of the cookies in small bags that Beth made. When the kitchen was nice and clean, according to her mother in record time, the two women went into the living room. Her mother lay down with her father on the couch while Beth snuggled up in the same chair as the night before.

Her father would occasionally snore as they watched a soap opera type evening show before the main movie was to come on. When the movie came on Beth sat up as she loved this old movie. She could remember every part of it as she had watched it a number of times singing along to it.

Beth sat eyes glued to the tv as the first part of the movie played. She silently mouthed along with most of the film until her favorite part came up. It was then that she stopped being silent.

"Doe a deer a female deer. Ray a drop of golden sun. Me a name I call myself. Fa a long long way to run. So a needle pulling thread. La a note to follow so. Tea a drink with jam and bread."

She paused while the tv played out the chorus with her eyes closed. She no longer needed to see the movie to know this song by heart. She unconsciously nodded and tapped her foot in time with the music that she felt in her heart. She joined in in perfect timing with the movie at the next part.

"When you know the notes to sing. You can sing most anything."

Beth sighed to herself as the channel switched to a commercial. She was a little taken aback when she opened her eyes at last. Both her mother and father had switched positions on the couch as both were sitting up staring at her.

"What?"

"That was beautiful." her mother whispered not wishing to ruin the mood. Her father simply nodded to agree with her. Beth blushed furiously at this remark. She was never very good at singing.

"Thanks but I'm no singer I don't have the voice for it."

"I find this hard to believe it's me saying this. But yes you do."if it was anyone else but her father that said anything like that she would have dismissed it. Her father, however, never gave out a compliment like that unless he really meant it. Beth was a bit taken back but the remark. The commercials didn't last very long and The sound of Music came back on. Beth tried to watch the rest of the movie without singing along. A part of her so wanted too and she had to consciously fight to not burst into song. She caught the occasional look from both her parents.

By the end of the movie her cheeks felt like they would be permanently red at the amount of blushing she had done. When she announced that she was going to get ready for bed her mother came to give her a hug but it was her father who gave her the final kiss on the forehead that she had longed for last night. With her heart singing along to the love of both of her parents Beth went up to the washroom to clean off her makeup and get ready for bed. Her lingerie would not be needed for tomorrow.

As she laid in her bed in the guest room she spent some time planning what she would wear to church tomorrow as her family would, like always, surely want her to go. Her eyes were closed as she planned this however and she was not quite asleep as she felt the door to her room open.

"Henry she is so beautiful. How did we produce a child like her?"

"I do not know Bev. I do know she is all girl as far as I'm concerned. There is no part of her that is Eric."

"I know what you mean. A part of me knows she is somehow our son but she is so unlike him and a real girl through and through. I do not know what happened to our son. I feel like I should grieve for Eric but I can't somehow. What are we going to do Henry? I don't want to loose such a precious girl."

"I do not know Bev but there has to be answers."

The light against her eyelids went dark as the door closed once again. She did not move from her spot as sleep finally claimed her. It was with the thoughts and concerns of her parents that her dreams started.

Unnoticed by anyone, least of all the now sleeping Beth, a single tear rolled down her hairless cheek.