Strange and powerful memories started to flood over me. I remembered a time when I was just starting kindergarten. I attended a private kindergarten, one that had a playroom that was attached to the main classroom. I froze and peered up into the sky as I found myself falling through time and space. In the corner of the play room, there was a corner, a kind of private corner. I also remembered there were toy chests that held clothing that the girls in my class use to play pretend and dress up. Boys of course were not allowed to play dress up, they encouraged us to use the building blocks to build things or made small houses out of the massive bins of oversize Lego blocks.

I remembered that one day, I'd broken away from the boys group and had gone into the play corner, that was often called the 'Story corner' because of the number of books housed in that corner. Before going into the corn I had snatched from the old wooden chest a pretty pink dress and a string of plastic pearls. I don't know what I intended to do, I guess I wanted to play dress up like the rest of the girls, but the teacher, a hawkish woman whom I'll always remember for her quick temper and her bitterness toward children stopped me, in fact she reached down, snatched me by the shoulders, spun me around and applied her open palm to my bottom a dozen or so times. Not a scolding word passed from her crack, dry lips, instead she just pointed toward the chest and in a strange, non verbal way commanded me to replace the dress. I did and I buried the memory. Well until a few minutes ago.

Then a sudden knock on the door. From behind the closed door I could hear my aunt tapping her foot upon the wooden floorboards. I could tell she was starting to grow impatient at my delay. So I decided that I needed to quickly get dressed. And so without thinking I slipped on the pair of panties, and slipped on the bra. A moment later I slipped the dress over my shoulder. Once that was done, I'd gathered up the bundle of clothes in my hand and opened the bathroom door.

And just as I'd figured my aunt was standing in the doorway, expecting me. Her baby blue eyes seemed to light up the moment I stepped out the door and into the hallway. “Okay that's good. A little make-up, a little something with your hair, and maybe a bow instead of an Alice band and I'll have my model.” Her eyes then traveled down to my chest. “Maybe some padding to fill out the bra's too, to give you a fuller figure.” She added.

I blushed as I listened to my aunt ramble on.

“Can you give me a little spin?” She said, making a spinning motion with her fingers.

I took a deep breath as I spun around, the hem of the dress lifted itself as I spun around, causing me to blush even more. My aunt nodded her approval. “Looks good, now follow me, a little make-up and you'll look darling.” My aunt paused again and decided to add. “Oh honey if you'd been born a girl, your mother and father would have had to beat the boys away with sticks.” She added sighing.

I blinked and blinked again.

“Okay I totally have to do this.” My aunt said reaching down and picking up her phone. A moment later I heard a clicking noise come from the phone followed by a bright white flash.

“Totally had to take a picture to share with my FB friends.” Aunt Cat said as peered at me. “Oh!” She said looking down at her phone, the phone started to make a loud, dining noise. “Twenty likes already, I need to think of a cute caption to go along with this, let's see. 'Having my lovely niece, Hailey doing a little live modeling for me.'” She read aloud as she typed out the caption on her phone. “Perfect..” she added as she pressed another button.
I blinked and blinked again.

“On second thought, let's skip the make-up, I want the all natural you to come shining through.” Aunt Cat said as she smiled toward me, she then looked down at my bare feet. “Barefooted! Love it, it just screams 'Delta Chic' totally going to sell this one for a higher than normal price.”

A few moments later I found myself being pulled from the upstairs part of the house, down the wooden stairs, through a pair of double or double doors and into the area of the house my aunt called her studio. The whole room smelled of paint, and dozens of unfinished or halfway finished paintings could be seen scattered about the room. Before I could catch myself, I found myself being ushered into the room, an old wooden stool was quickly provided for me to sit upon.

“Go ahead, have a seat.” My Aunt Cat said as she pointed toward the stool.

I peered toward the stool and back toward my aunt Cat and back to the stool again. Slowly I lifted myself up onto the stool. And then like I've seen mom and Cindy do before, I smoothed out the dress as I eased my bottom down, then because it seemed right, I reached up and picked a loose strand of hair, I picked the loose strand between my two fingers and gently pulled it back, tucking it behind my ears. I then folded my hands on my lap and tried to smile.

My aunt just peered at me.

“Okay, that's something boys just don't do.” She said, taking a deep breath. “Anyway we'll talk later.” She said as she handed me a wicker basket that was full of plastic flowers. “Hold this and try to keep a deep thought expression on your face, like you're debating on either giving these flowers to your momma or to a cute boy you sit across from in class.”

And so I tried to do as my aunt asked, and sat there holding the wicker basket full of fake, plastic flowers, the minutes ticked slowly by as my aunt started to paint, every so often her phone would ding and she'll set down her brush to check it. About an hour later something happened that caused her to drop her brush.

“Oh Lord.” She said throwing up her hands. “Casper, I have some bad news for you hon.” She said turning to me with a bemused smirk. “Josephine Plymouth just sent me a message on Facebook.” She said turning toward me. “Here let me read this message to you.” She cleared her throat and in a clear, sing song voice started to read. “Hey Cat, Josephine here. I had no idea you had your niece down, she looks like a charming young lady. And since tomorrow we're having our monthly tea for UDC I figured it would be rude of me not to extend an invitation to her. So please tell Hailey that I hope to see her tomorrow at our monthly social. After all there little in the way a young woman can do here in this tiny little village.”

I blinked and blinked again.

“First off what does 'UDC' stand for?” I said tilting my head to the side.

“United Daughters of the Confederacy '' Aunt Cat said with a sigh. “I only joined because Sidney is a member of the local chapter of 'Sons of Confederate Veterans'.. And Josephine Plymouth is the queen bee of the group. Casper might seem like an invitation. And normally you could turn that down. But that was more like a command, Josephine wants to see you tomorrow and if you don't show up as 'Hailey' there going to hell to pay for both of us.” Aunt Cat said, shaking her head. “So in a way we've both managed to open Pandora's box.” She said, sighing.

I blinked and blinked again as I gently clutched the basket of flowers I was holding in my hand. I had to think quick. And before I could catch myself I started to spew out information. It all came to me at once, and when it came to me, it spewed forth like a huge gusher.

“So okay starting with the basics, my name would be 'Hailey Elizabeth Sharbrough' I am from Jackson and I attend St. Andrew's Episcopal School. I'm going into the eleventh grade next year. I'm here because I'm writing about the history of Sharbrough's Landing. The story will be carried in The Memphis Commercial Appeal. It's to be published this autumn.”

My Aunt Cat blinked and blinked again.

“Two questions. One, why would the Memphis Commercial Appeal publish a story by a highschooler? And what if somebody wants to add you to their Facebook? Do you even have a Facebook? How would you say this without raising suspicion since everybody and everyone has a Facebook now?” My Aunt Cat asked.

“Simple.” I said, smiling a little. “I'll tell them I'm a Roman Catholic and a Democrat and I'm staying off social media to avoid the firestorm.” I added. I knew enough about drawing room politics to know if I mentioned I was both a Roman Catholic and a Democrat I'll never be allowed to sit in on another one of the UDC tea parties again. Nothing is more hated in the Delta than the church of Rome. And nothing is more despised than a Democrat.

“...” My Aunt Cat blinked and peered toward me.

“That could work.” She said smiling. “I could dress you up, and give you some pointers on how to act. Act like I'm trying to find you a possible farmer boyfriend and then you'll go ahead and derail it. No self respecting Delta woman who belongs to the UDC would allow her son, or grandson, to date a girl like that. Doing so would be social suicide. Her UDC friends would shun her and she might even get kicked out of the group! Hailey! That's brilliant!” Aunt Cat said with a smile.

I blinked.

“Girl think about it, you comment social suicide by flaunting every rule of polite southern society, and since I'm your aunt that would backfire on me. And we'll both get kicked out.” She said, clapping her hands together as she smiled. Her smile reached from one ear to the other. “Oh this is going to be so much fun! I'm totally going to have a field day getting you all prettied up, those old fussy hags would think it's just a perfect and fall head over heels in love with you. Thinking you're the perfect example of southern womanhood and then boom. You open you mouth and ramble on about the Catholic Church, how you're going to a nun, and all..”

I blinked and blinked again.

“I don't think this will work..” I said, peering toward Aunt Cat.

“Oh trust me, what could go wrong?” Aunt Cat said with a small smile.

I blinked and blinked again. A lot could go wrong, but it was a plan, but then again even George Armstrong Custer had a plan. As my Aunt Cat resumed her painting, I could just sit there and listen to rain fall down upon the window panes. There was so much that could go wrong, I had the better part of eleven hundred dollars in hundred and twenties stashed in a small shoe box in my room here. Two weeks pay for a hundred and four hours of back breaking work in the field.

At that moment I decided if push came to shove, if this plan backfired, I would leave the farm, take my wages and start moving. I could take the train, but the train only came into the village once a week. Now, the Delta despite what you might read in such well read publications as Delta, Southern Living and Y'all. Was not a nice place to be, the White Citizens Council had been born here. The Klux Klan still thrived here..” The Klan controlled the local government of many of the small cities and towns that dotted the area. Only Washington County remained free of the Klan and that was because the few remaining Percy's who were the desentes of another   old Planter family still held power.

And so while my Aunt started to paint. I started to wonder what course of action I should take if word got around that a guy in drag had attended a tea party that was put on by the local chapter of UDC. I guess, I had to act as passing as possible. Or else they might find me swinging from a nearby tree, who am I kidding, they would have wrapped my body in chains and tossed me into either Silver Creek or the Sunflower River.

“Don't worry.” My Aunt Cat said smiling. “Everything is going to be fine. Trust me, this will be our little secret .”

God I hope she was right. And it turns out she was wrong, for a moment later her husband Sidney walked in. His hard brown eyes focused on me and he took a deep breath.

“I think we need to talk. Cat could you get dinner going. And Casper, don't change, but go upstairs and fetch me that old brown leather bible from the study.” And with that he turned upon his heel and stormed off. I swear I heard him punch the doors as he walked off.

“Oh well the cat's out of the bag now.” Aunt Cat said. “No pun intended.” She quickly added.