Breakfast that morning was pan fried turkey bacon, fried eggs sunny side up, and a toasted English muffin with a bit of butter on it to make it palatable. The meal was served with a cup of coffee, strong, black coffee, unsweetened with cream, sugar or milk. I call it dishwater in a cup. My Aunt Cat said however that this was a breakfast befitting a 'Woman' of my class and breeding and that a 'Southern Belle' should always be mindful of the size of her waist. 

Anyway we ate in silence. My aunt seemed to be brooding and I was happy to let her brood in peace. Once breakfast was done, the dishes washed and put away. My aunt peered at me. She seemed to be looking straight through me. 

“We need to do something about your hair.” She said at last. “Right now, it looks shaggy. You look more like a shaggy old dog than a prim and proper southern woman from high society.” She said, sighing. “Something to add to the list. Today is Thursday, tomorrow is payday, I'll be busy filling out payroll for the field hands tomorrow. I need to add up your pay and your allowance. Count yourself lucky that you get paid for the work you did as 'Casper' and your weekly allowance as 'Hailey' so you're really getting paid twice.” My aunt seemed to be thinking aloud now.

“How about Saturday?” I suggested as I rinsed out the coffee pot. Once the coffee pot was rinsed out, I started to wipe down the counter top, sweeping the crumbs into the open palm of my hand before dumping them into a nearby waste can.

“No, Saturday won't do at all. Saturday we need to clean this out from top to bottom. It's getting cluttered. And Sunday we have church, and everything is closed on Sunday.” My Aunt Said muttered under her breath. “Shit..” She said, folding her hands behind her head. “I guess the main thing is dealing with this meeting today. And then church and after that we can get you squared away. Oh added another thing to the list. I need you to make a Facebook account under your new name. Like as soon as possible. Instagram too,” She added.

“Why?” I said turning around. “I mean, is that a good idea? Considering I've only been 'Hailey' for one day?” I asked as I sat down at the table. I fully expected my aunt to go off on me, to start yelling and raging at me, instead she gently reached over and placed her hand on mine.

“The 'Caspar' I knew was a shy little boy who tried to avoid social media at all cost. But here's the thing, you're not 'Casper' anymore. You're 'Hailey' and most if not all teenage girls your age have a social media account they use to connect with their friends and family. Having an account would make things easier for you should one of the ladies today want to add you as a friend. Once we get you cleaned up, I'll walk you through the steps and make an account and add you. And if anybody asks why you don't have that many friends, we'll just make-up a little white lie.” She said grinning.

“Odd question?” I said, peering toward my Aunt Cat. “What happens if one of you UDC friends wants me to join the UDC? If they start digging around the family tree, then I'm screwed.” I added as I sipped my coffee. For a moment I wondered if they still tarred and feathered people.  I mean the idea of being covered in boiling pitch and covered with feathers and ridden out of town on a rail seemed possible, considering how rural this town was. 

“We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Right now you're my guest. And right now, you're set to leave the Delta before the onset of Autumn. Let's try to take one thing at a time please.” My aunt Cat paused and took a deep breath. “But if that happens, then were up shirt creek without a paddle.”

I nodded my head. That sounded like a solid plan.

“But there also a good chance your father and mother might dumb you here and you'll have to enroll in SIA. Anyway we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.” She added as she stood up from the table. “The main thing we need to focus on is getting through today without anybody taking notice of you. So come along and follow me.”

And with that being said she left the kitchen and I like a lost little puppy followed closely behind her. A few minutes later we were once more entering my cousin's room. Without saying a word to me, my Aunt made a straight line to her closet. A few minutes later she was pulling out a pink, spaghetti strap dress and a pair of white heel sandals. 

“Here go ahead and put these on.” She said as started to leave the room. “Once you put those on, I want you to meet me in my room. We're going to do your hair and add a little make-up then I'm going to get dressed and then we'll get ready to greet our guests. Now I want you to remember that you'll be walking among the bourgeois of the Delta. These women may look like grandmothers, but they control the social life of the Delta. Nothing happens without their approval. Make a good impression on them and they will help you. Make the wrong impression on them and your doomed.”

Aunt Cat said to me as she left the room, allowing me to get dressed in private. Once she was gone, I slipped the dress over my head and somehow managed to zip the back of the thing up. I quickly noticed why they called the straps 'spaghetti' straps thin as noodles. But they were wider than the straps of my bra.. next came the sandals, the sandals had a block wedge on the back. Once I slipped them on I felt myself going forward a little. 

“Jesus.” I mutter under my breath. “How do girls walk in these things?” I asked myself as I inched toward the door. And much to my horror my Aunt Cat decided to open the door at that very moment. She peered at me and then she only sighed. “Teaching you to walk in heels is another thing we need to add to the ever growing list.”

“How do girls manage to walk in these things?” I declared as I felt my legs turning to jelly.

“Practice.” My Aunt Cat said. “Lots of practice. A Southern Belle gets her first pair of heels when she turns twelve years old. From then on she wears them any chance she gets. By the time she is your age, walking in heels is like second nature. You got a lot of catching up to do with your peers.”

“Also I need to get a sample of your hand writing. SIA is an old fashion school, they don't really have computers, and access to the internet is limited. And you'll be expected to take a lot of handwritten notes, so if push comes to shove, I really need you to develop a feminine style of handwriting. Because, to honest, your handwriting right now is chicken scratch.” Aunt Cat said in a blunt tone of voice. “Another thing to add to the list.” She said, sighing.

I nodded my head and stumbled as I made my way toward her. Second by second though I seemed to be getting the feel for walking in heels. Aunt Cat watched me struggle on, I'm sure it was a comical sight. But after a few moments of watching me struggle she rolled her shoulders and in a defeated tone of voice said.

“That's good enough. Now, we need to get your face ready.” She paused and looked at my chest. She peered at my chest for several long minutes before tossing her hands into the air and shaking her head.

“And I need to find something to fill out your bra too.” She added. “Really at this point I think it would be better if I just drove you down to Rolling Fork and put you on a Greyhound Bus with a one way ticket to a city of your choice.” Aunt Cat said.

I blinked and blinked again.

“I thought we have a cousin who lives in Benton?” I asked. “Maybe I could go and stay with her?” As hopeful as that sounded. I knew it was really a shot in the dark.

“Dawn can barely afford her monthly rent, groceries, and such. Trust me, I thought about sending you to her. And I'm sure she would love to have you. But, honestly she is struggling as is. Nursing are always in demand, but the pay is horrible.” Aunt Cat said. “So no, I'm afraid you and I will just have to stick it out together.” She said as she walked past me.

I rolled my eyes as my aunt Cat walked past me, I then lifted them toward Heaven and once more I breathed a soft prayer under my breath. After I finished praying, to whom I have no idea. I turned around and fell behind Aunt Cat. Soon enough I was being ushered into her bedroom, without a moment to lose I was ushered to her vanity and as soon as I eased my bottom down upon the chair she set to work. 

She painted my lips, applied eye shadow and other such cosmetics. She then took a curling iron to my hair, she rolled one section at a time around the hollowed out tube before letting it drop. Once that was done, she reached into a drawer and pulled out a bottle of pink nail-polish. Without saying a word she applied a coat of polish to each of my nails. I just sat there stunned, I was lost.. and decided it would be best if I just went with the flow. After she finished painting each nail, she applied a second coat, and then a third coat.

“The way you look.” She said, taking a deep breath. “Reflects directly on me and your uncle. A little make-up is tasteful. Too much and people might start talking. When we go to church Sunday, you'll be expected to have an 'All Natural' look about you. Meaning a light foundation. Remember with make-up less is more, moderation is the key. Same goes with perfume. Some perfumes cost as much as a dress. Lucky for us Cindy left some of her old perfume bottles here at home. Now girls start wearing perfume when they are twelve. When they reach your age they have developed a good sense of how much is too much.” Aunt Cat said in a lecturing tone of voice.

“Yes ma'am.”

“Now for your first perfume we are going to go with something that every girl wears when she first starts out. It's the most basic of scents, it's an old favorite.” She said as she reached down and pulled out a bottle. “This scent is called 'Cotton Candy' . It is wonderful. Trust me, you will have to beat the boys off of you with sticks.” She said as she sprayed a fine mist over me. She sprayed for a few good minutes, she coated the top of my head, my arms, she even lifted my dress and sprayed my bra and panties with it. Once she was done I could feel the stickiness of the spray starting to settle down on me.

“Good.” Aunt Cat said. “I'll be sure to pick up another bottle of this when we go into Jackson. I'm thinking one day you and I could hit up the mall in Ridgeland.” She said smiling. “Have an aunt and niece day, buy you a few basic things. Cause I can't keep raiding Cindy's closet all the damn time.”

“Now onto more thing sugar.” She said as she reached and slipped two mounds of plastic into my bra. The plastic felt cold, though they did fill out of my bra. And give the impression of a modest chest. “Lets go over your history, these are old southern women after all. They want to know everything about you. Including where you come from, your hobbies. And one or two of them might have a grandson that needs a date and there is nothing more entertaining than hooking the new girl up with one of the local boys.”

I blinked and blinked again.

“Okay, so for starters, I thought about this. My name is Hailey Elizabeth Sharbrough. I'm sixteen, I'm going to be a Junior next year. Right now I'm attending St. Clare Episcopal Academy in Vicksburg, Ms. It's an elite private school for girls.” I said, taking a deep breath. “Mom and dad are taking a grand tour of Europe and since I was late getting my passport I decided to spend the summer here with you guys. Depending on when or if my mom and dad come back, I might be returning to St. Clare's or I might be enrolling in SIA.” I added.

“Okay, perfect.. I guess nobody is going to ask too many questions... then again I doubt anybody would ask any questions.” Aunt Cat said, taking a deep breath. “Okay, perfect. We got this girl. We got this.” 

And with that she went away, to get dressed I guessed. And so I was left alone, alone with just my thoughts to keep me company. Then something came over me, as I walked into the kitchen to get a drink of water from the fridge, I caught a glimpse of my own reflection in the window pane located above the kitchen sink. The reflection was that of a young woman on the cusp of maturity. Smiling, I brushed away a few loose strands of my hair. I had this, I was a Sharbrough after all. And this town was named Sharbrough's Landing, my forefather had founded this town.. they had built this town, they had demanded the railroad come here.. their blood flowed in my veins.. it surged through me with every heartbeat.

“I'm going to make this town..” I paused. “No, I'm going to make the whole Delta respect me..” I said, taking a deep breath. “I just don't know how yet..”