Marley for the Win Part 8

Paul’s thoughts were suddenly thrust to his past. We never did it, I mean not that I didn’t try, there was that one time we kissed but it ended awkwardly. Everything makes so much more sense now, he thought. “So that’s why we never could get things going,” he said.

“Not that you didn’t try, how many times did I have to slap your hand away from my…” Lisa said.

“That’s not fair you led me on,” Paul laughed.

“When did being friendly and spending time together becoming leading someone on?” Lisa asked.

“You’ve obviously never been a man,” Paul laughed and Lisa joined in. “Can’t fault a man for trying,” Paul laughed. “Really though, why didn’t you tell me, I mean for the last 15 years I’ve been thinking you didn’t like boys.” With the truth out the tension drained from Lisa and Paul, and has they chatted about old times and Lisa felt like she 19 again.

Meanwhile across the street Marley was learning a lesson about impersonating a girl, girls like to shop, like, a lot. It’s not like he didn’t know this, he’d been shopping many times with his Mom and Sister, but usually after following them around for 5 minutes he’d sneak off to the toys, games, magazines, or anywhere to get away from clothes. Yet he was finding this experience somewhat different, he wasn’t just a passive observer. Mandy and his sister kept saying things like, “This would look so good on Marley, or that top matches your sister’s eyes, or that would be like so cute on you.” He knew his sister was messing with him, but he was finding it exciting in a way that he really didn’t understand. It felt exciting because he was pulling one over on the girls, but there was something more.

The Boutique as it was called, was a consignment shop for fashion and it’s main clientele were young women and teens. Taylor Swift flooded the floor and trendy but amateurish bohemian interior decorating was everywhere. Being a Saturday evening at 6:30 there were a few other shoppers in the store. A girl was dragging around her boyfriend who looked like he could die of boredom and Marley thought, I feel for you Bro.

“Marley you should totally get this dress, it would be like so cute, and you could wear cowboy boots with it,” Mandy said.

“Errhh, um yeah, I guess,” Marley said. He imagined himself in the sleeveless calico dress that did look a bit western and he wondered how he would look in it. God I’ve got to get out of here, what am I thinking, he thought.

“Hey now just because were from the country doesn’t mean we’re rednecks, we don’t have cowboy boots,” Ann said with a laugh.

“I know, I’m just kidding around,” Mandy said. Amy who had been more or less looking at clothing in silence wandered across the store to the shoes.

“What’s her deal, does she not like us or something?” Ann whispered to Mandy.

“Amy, oh no she’s like that with everyone. She’s really not a jerk, she just seems like one,” Mandy said. Could have fooled me, Marley thought but kept to himself.

“Oh, OK,” Ann said not really convinced.

“Trust me, you know she’s like Spock, no emotions,” Mandy said.

“Oh that’s from one of those Star something shows, like Star Wars or something?” Ann asked.

Marley rolled his eyes, his sister was so clueless, “You guys like Star Trek?” he asked.

“Well Dad likes the old ones, with Captain Kirk, they’re so cheesy, we watch them sometimes, but really that’s Amy’s thing more than mine,” Mandy answered.

“Oh Marley we’ve got to try and find you some shoes,” his sister said grabbing his arm and nearly dragging him to the shoes.

“Oh no really, I’m good,” Marley protested, but in short order they were browsing a wall of pumps, stilettos, sandals and Mary Janes. Marley felt powerless as his sister pushed him down on a bench and started trying to take off his athletic shoes. “Come on, I really don’t need any shoes,” he protested.

“That’s something I don’t think I’ve ever heard a girl say,” Amy said as she turned and caught Marley’s eye. Am I just imagining things or did she just arch an eyebrow like Spock would, Marley thought.

“Oh these are perfect for you, and they are your size,” Ann said as he handed her brother a pair of lavender stilettos with at least a 3 inch heal. He just looked at them, I’m going to kill you, he thought.

“Come on Mar, try them on,” Mandy said. Marley slipped them on his feet and shrugged.
“OK, come on, you’ve got to walk to see how they feel,” Ann said.

Marley couldn’t avoid giving her a dirty look, but he rose to his feet and started to walk. He took three shaky steps and nearly fell down. It was like trying to walk on stilts. The girls were cracking up, even the one dragging her boyfriend around stopped to laugh, even the boyfriend was laughing. Marley turned beet read and stood perfectly, heels together, butt stuck out and balancing. “Marley those heels really do wonders for your rear,” Ann laughed.

He quickly sat down and took them off, leaving them on the bench he pulled his tennis shoes back on and headed for the door. “Oh, I’m sorry Marley,” Mandy said and started out after him.

Ann stopped her, “It’s OK, like she’s just shy about girl stuff sometimes, she’ll be fine.” A few moments later Amy went out without a word while Mandy and Ann tried on some shoes.

Amy found Marley leaning against a street lamp, trying to calm down.

“Girls can be so foolish sometimes,” Amy said.

“Why did she want to embarrass me like that, I’ve never worn heels,” Marley said.

“Why would you want to, shoes with heels are so stupid, did you know that in Roman times wearing high heeled shoes indicated you were a prostitute,” Amy said.

“Umm, no,” Marley said. Gosh this girl is weird, Marley thought. It was then that he noticed how she was dressed, wearing tennis shoes, jeans and a T-shirt, no ear rings, no jewelry of any kind, no makeup, and her hair pulled back in a pony tail. I’m dressed more as a girl than her, Marley thought.

“It seems as if being a female means your body is supposed to be like on display or something, like the whole point of your existence is to look good so guys think you’re hot, it’s so stupid,” Amy said.

“Umm yeah, that is kind of messed up,” Marley replied.

“My sister spends hours in front of the mirror, primping, if she spent half the time she wastes on riding she’d be much faster,” Amy said.

“Yeah my sister is the same way,” Marley agreed.

“Listen Marley, you’re what, 14?”

“13,” Marley corrected.

“13, you’re right at that age, if it hasn’t already happened yet. People will say, ‘you’re becoming a woman.’ Everyone will tell you, you’ve got to be pretty all the time. I see some of myself in you, back when I was your age. I didn’t want to be some asshole’s sex object, I don’t want to be Miss America. I don’t care that I’m flat chested, it doesn’t bother me that girls say I would make a better boy then girl. I am who I am.”

Marley wasn’t sure what to say, could this day get any weirder? Maybe she’d like to trade bodies, Marley thought. He wasn’t really sure what to do, but he figured that a girl would probably give her a hug, so he did so, “Thanks for the advice,” he said.

“Yeah,” Amy replied with minimal acceptance of the hug.

“Sorry sis,” Ann said a few moments later as Mandy and her exited The Boutique.

Marley shot a glare her way, “It’s fine,”

Meanwhile across the street, “Remember that time we went over to Hillsdale for the Classic and Will threw up all over his self when he was warming up,” Paul was cracking up.

“Oh God, that guy was such a doofus sometimes, drinking half a case of beer the night before a race,” Lisa was cracking up as well.

The 4 girls walked up to the booth, “What’s so funny?” Mandy asked.

“Oh, nothing, just talking about ‘back in the day,’” Paull answered taking one last sip from a long neck bottle that wasn’t there when the kids left.

“Well we’ve got a long drive ahead of us,” Lisa said. The two adults slide out of their booth and hug like long lost old friends.

“Keep in touch,” Paul says.

“I will,” Lisa replies.

“Thanks for taking us out,” Ann says.

“Yeah thank you guys,” Marley added. The ride back to Jackson High School was somber, and the drive out of town even more somber. Marley kept thinking that if this was a movie that they would slam on the brakes and do a U-turn, rushing back to Jackson where they could all live happily ever after. His Mom and sister were chatting but he wasn’t following the conversation. He was thinking of different stories that ended with the phrase, “happily ever after.”

“Come on princess, we’ve got to go” said Paul, who appeared to be dressed in medieval clothes.

“Hmm, what?” Marley said, he looked around he was lying in a exquisite canopied bed, all done up with lace. He was dressed in a flowing princess gown like Sleeping Beauty. “What the heck?”

Mandy came bursting into the castle bedroom, she too was in a princess dress, this one yellow like Belles’, “She’s coming its too late, we’re trapped.”

“Oh no,” Paul said just as an even more severe Amy strutted into the room. She was wearing military fatigues and packing a machine gun.

“Hey Marley, wake up!” she yelled.

“Hey, Marley, hey, bucket head, wake up,” he recognized his sister’s voice.

“Ahh, no umm, where are we?” Marley asked waking from his nightmare.

“Stopped for gas, you gonna change out of my clothes?” Ann asked.

Marley looked out and saw his Mom pumping gas in a crowded, well-lit gas station. “Yeah I guess,” Marley sleepily started to pull up his shirt.

“No, not out here dingbat,” Ann said.

“Huh, why?” Marley asked pulling the shirt back down.

“Well you may remember you’re wearing a bra, it wouldn’t be very lady like to go showing off your assesets to everyone around here,” Ann explained.

“OK then where do I change then?”

“The restroom,” Ann said.

“Which one?” Marly asked.

“Oh yeah, if you go in the girls and walk out a boy that could be an issue, and vice versa,” Ann said.

“Arghhh,” Marley was trying to unhook his bra under the shirt with his arms behind his back with no luck, “Would you help me with this please,” he asked. He turned around and his sister pulled up the shirt and unhooked the bra. Over the next several minutes he worked out how to pull his sleeves into the shirt and get the bra off. With the offending article of clothing off he switched back to his T-shirt.

“Well how does it feel to be a boy again?” his sister laughed.

“You’re never going to let me forget this are you?” he asked.

“Not likely,” she laughed.

Lisa opened the door, “Well my son is back,”

“Yeah, yeah,” Marley said.