Sister, Sister, Sister - Part 1
By Missy Crystal

Twelve year old Johnny wants to play Barbies with his sisters, but Barbies are for girls. How can Johnny join the game? A sweet, sentimental story about a young boy's discovery of the girl he should have been with the help of his sisters and mother. This is a story I wrote a couple of years ago and I am posting it here for those who would like to know more about Dr. Jenny Mitchell from my story "All Dolled Up". It is complete, for those who anguish over being left hanging, but too long for a single post.

My sister Beth is fourteen and my sister Susie is seven. I'm twelve. Our dad walked out when Susie was born. He told our mom that he didn't want the responsibility of having a family anymore. We haven't seen him since. Mom is a nurse. She works an extra shift on Saturday. We used to stay with one of our neighbors, but when Beth turned 12, Mom said that she was old enough to watch us while she was at work.

One rainy Saturday, I was in my room playing video games. I got bored and turned on the T.V. but there was nothing I wanted to watch. Beth and Susie shared a room. As I was walking by, I heard them talking and went in to see what was going on. They were both sitting on the floor playing with Barbie dolls.

Susie looked up and said, "Hi, Johnny. Barbie is having a wedding. Isn't she pretty?"

She held up a Barbie in a white dress and then pointed to a Ken doll that was wearing a gray jacket and pants.

"Cool!" I said. "Can I play too?"

Susie looked surprised. "You're silly," she said. "Boys don't play with Barbies!"

"Well, Ken's a boy," I replied logically. "I could be Ken."

"No!" Susie countered. "Ken doesn't do anything. We're getting Barbie and her bridesmaids all dressed up in pretty outfits."

Well, the best way to make me want to do something is to tell me I can't do it.

"That's not fair," I said, looking at Beth. "Mom wants us to play together and you're not letting me! If you don't let me play, I'll tell on you."

Susie immediately pleaded with Beth.

"No, Beth. No. Don't let him. He's a boy. He'll spoil the game."

Beth didn't say anything. She was very proud of being left in charge and I was sure she wouldn't want me to give Mom a bad report.

Susie kept on, "tell him Beth. Tell him to go away. He can't play with us."

Beth just sat there thinking for a while. Then she got a smile on her face. She looked at me and said, "Okay, Johnny, but you have to be a girl to play Barbies with us."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, Susie is right. Having a boy play Barbies with us would spoil the mood. You have to let us dress you up as a girl. Then it will be like having a third sister and we can all play together."

"Oh, no, I know what you're up to. You don't really mean it. You're just trying to get me to give up and go away," I said. "Well, it won't work. I'm telling Mom."

"Go ahead," she said. "Susie and I will tell her that we did offer to let you play with us and you didn't want to. I'm sure she'll believe us."

"Maybe, I said, "but not when I tell her that you wanted to dress me up as a girl."

"Maybe," she agreed, "but I think Mom will understand. She's was a girl too you know and I'll bet you she wouldn't have wanted to play Barbies with a boy either. So what's it going to be, Jenny?"

She and Susie both giggled.

"Jenny? Who's Jenny?" I asked.

"You are silly," said Beth, "if you want to play with us."

"No way," I said. "You're bluffing. You don't really want me to tell Mom, do you?"

"Suit yourself," Beth replied. Then she turned to Susie. "Now where were we? Oh, I think we were getting Skipper dressed up to be the flower girl. We used to have a little basket with flowers in it. Where is it? Here it is. Which shoes should she wear? It's summer so the white sandals would be good. Are there any stockings for her? She's young, so maybe she should just wear white ankle sox? I think there are some pretty ones with lace around the top. What do you think?"

I didn't want Beth to win. Anyway, I was bored and it looked like they were having fun, even if it was playing with Barbies. What the heck, I thought. Girl's clothes can't be that bad.

"Okay," I said.

"Okay, what?" Beth asked.

"Okay, you can dress me up."

"You're serious? You'll let us dress you up as a girl?"

"You're the one who said I had to be 'Jenny' to play."

Beth looked at Susie. Susie looked at Beth. They both started to laugh.

"Susie, you come with me to find something for Jenny to wear. Johnny, I mean Jenny, don't you look until we're ready."

They got up and went over to Beth's bureau. I heard drawers opening and closing and the girls whispering to each other and giggling. Finally they came back.

"Here," Beth said. "Go in the bathroom, take off your clothes and put these on. Then come back and we'll finish getting you dressed. Hurry, if you want to have time to play before Mom gets home."

She handed me something pink and shiny. I look at them. It was a pair of her underpants and an undershirt. The nylon felt smooth and silky. I held them up and saw there was white lace around the waist and legs of the underpants and around the straps of the undershirt with a bow at the front of the waistband and the neck.

"Hold on! I'm not wearing these," I protested.

"Girls wear panties and camisoles under their dresses," Beth said matter of factly. You agreed to let us dress you up and that is what you have to wear. Now, are you going to put them on or not?"

"Whatever," I said.

I was sure she figured that I would refuse to wear panties and a camisole and I was determined not to let her win. I took them and headed for the bathroom. Beth and Susie were giggling as I left. When I got in the bathroom, I took off my t-shirt and jeans. I held up the pink nylon panties. I had seen Beth's panties before. Once in a while I would find a pair in my underwear drawer by mistake. Usually they were plain white cotton like mine, but these were silky and very feminine. I took off my briefs and stepped into the panties. As I pulled them up I could feel the silky nylon against my legs and then sliding up over my hips and butt. To my surprise, it felt really good. Then I slipped the camisole over my head. I turned around to look in the mirror. Wow, I thought. Girl's really have great underwear. As I turned around to admire myself, I heard Beth's voice.

"Are you coming out? We haven't got all day. We want to get back to playing Barbies."

"Yeah," added Susie. "Come on out. I want to see my sister Jenny."

Then she and Beth started giggling.

"Okay," I said. "I'm coming out. But no laughing. That's not fair. This is your idea and you can't make fun of me."

The giggling stopped.

"You're right," Beth said. "Just come on out so we can finish dressing you up."

I opened the bathroom door. Beth and Susie were in the hallway. As I stepped out wearing the panties and camisole, they both had a surprised look on their faces.

"I didn't think you would go through with it," Beth said, "and I thought you would look silly if you did," she added, "but you look really nice. Come on, let's get the rest of your outfit."

"Thank you, I think. Okay, what's next?"

We went back into Beth and Susie's room.

"Sit down on the edge of the bed, so we can put on your tights, Jenny."

Calling me Jenny sounded funny, but then I guess I didn't look much like Johnny in pink panties and a camisole. Actually, I liked wearing them and wanted to put on the tights, but I thought I should protest, so they wouldn't know that I enjoyed being dressed up.

"Aw, come on Sis," I said. "Do I have to wear tights? We're just going to play Barbies. You and Susie aren't all dressed up to play."

"Well, first you agreed to let us dress you up and it's up to us to decide what you wear. Second, Susie and I are girls, so we don't have to wear girl's clothes, but you're not a girl, so you do. Now any more complaints and you can go change into your own clothes."

The first argument made sense. I wasn't so sure about the second, but it didn't matter. I really wanted to get dressed up anyway. I walked over and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Good," Beth said, taking a pair of pink nylon tights and rolling up one leg. "Hold up your left leg and point your foot towards me."

She took the rolled up foot of the tights and stretched it over my foot. Then she unrolled the leg over my calf. She did the same with the other leg.

"Okay, now stand up and turn around."

She carefully worked the tights up over my calves until the crotch of the panty was just below my crotch. Then she took the waistband and slid it up over the panties. She reached back down and began to smooth the legs upwards until they felt tight. I guess that's why the call them 'tights.' Then she tugged on the waistband a few times to get the panty snug against my crotch and butt. When she was satisfied that they were properly fitted, she stepped back.

Beth looked at Susie.

"Very nice. I think they were made for him, I mean her."

She and Susie started giggling again.

I was going to say something, but then the tights felt so wonderful clinging to my legs and hugging my hips and butt, that I decided not to complain. Beth and Susie turned around and went into the closet. When they weren't looking, I ran my hands over my hips and down my legs. I couldn't believe how smooth and silky the tights felt. I never imagined that girl's clothes could be so wonderful.

They disappeared into the closet for a few minutes and I could hear them whispering, but couldn't make out what they were talking about. Every once in a while there would be a little giggle. Then they came out carrying a pink and white dress. I recognized it as Beth's old party dress. It was white lace layered over a pink taffeta dress with a ruffled neck, three quarter sleeves with matching ruffles on the cuffs, a wide pink sash that tied in the back and a full skirt with built in petticoats. I remember Beth complaining that it made her look like a little girl and finally Mom bought her a more grown-up dress.

"Alright now, Jenny," Beth said. "Put your arms up."

There wasn't anything I wanted more than to put on that dress, but I was afraid if I didn't make a fuss they would know that I really enjoyed being dressed up in girl's clothes.

"Beth, you're kidding. I mean, that's a party dress. We're not having a party. Panties, a camisole and tights are one thing, but that dress is too much."

"I told you before, It's up to Susie and I to decide what you wear." Then she added with a little laugh, "After all, you do want to look nice for Barbie's wedding don't you?"

I decided that I had resisted enough. I just shrugged my shoulders and put my arms up. Beth reached up and slipped the dress over my head. Then she told me to reach forward and she slipped the arms on me. The dress had little pearl buttons in the back which she did up. Then she adjusted the skirt and fluffed out the petticoats.

If the panties, camisole and tights felt good, the dress was heavenly. That is the only way I can describe the feeling. It swished and swirled and the lacy petticoats rubbed against my smooth tights as I walked. I was in heaven.

"Turn around. Let me see. Oh my God," exclaimed Beth. "I can't believe it. The dress looks better on Jenny than it did on me! Walk to the closet for me. Wait, you need shoes. Where are the party shoes I wore with it? Here they are. Give me your right foot."

Beth took a pair of pink patent leather shoes off the shelf in the closet. They had a round toe and an ankle strap with a gold buckle.

"Now walk for me. Stop. Spin around. Wow. I can't get over it. You're gorgeous, Jenny."

I started to blush.

"Stop it Beth. You're embarrassing me. I'm not Jenny, I'm Johnny and I'm a boy, remember."

"Well you sure could have fooled me in that outfit. But we're not quite finished. We still need to do your hair and makeup."

My heart began to race. Hair and makeup too! I never even thought about wearing girl's clothes and now my sisters were dressing me up and transforming me into Jenny.

I thought I still need to be careful about letting on that I liked being dressed up, so I complained, "C'mon Beth. Enough's enough. You said I had to let you dress me up as a girl to play Barbies with you and Susie and I'm dressed up as a girl. Let's go play."

"Yes, I know. But please let me finish getting you dressed. I really want to do your hair and makeup. Please. It will really be fun and then we can play. I promise."

"Okay," I pretended to give in. "You can do it, but if I do, you owe me. More than playing Barbies with you and Susie."

"Fair enough. I'll make it up to you. Now come over and sit at my makeup table. No, Johnny, oops, Jenny, wait," yelled Beth, as I was about to sit down.

"What's the matter," I asked?"

"You can't just sit down when you're wearing a dress. You have to put your hands behind you and smooth the skirt so it doesn't get wrinkled. And when you sit down you have to cross your legs or your ankles, so that people can't see your panties."

"Oh," I said. "I don't have much experience wearing dresses."

Beth and Susie laughed. Then Beth began to brush my hair. I wore it long and shaggy. She tried brushing it different ways. I was sitting with my back to the mirror and she was standing behind me. I felt her put her hand over my forehead and then I felt something cold. I though it was a comb and then I heard a snip.

"Beth, what are you doing? I said you could dress me up. Not cut my hair."

"Oh, don't be such a baby," she teased me. "I just evened up your bangs. Now you look cute."

"What? I don't want to look cute. I want to look like me."

"Okay, that's the best I can do anyway. Let's put on some makeup. I'll start with lipstick. It's a pretty pink that goes with that dress. Keep you mouth shut now or you'll have lipstick on you teeth."

I heard Susie giggling as Beth carefully began to fill in my lips. I could feel the tube moving slowly over my upper lip, following the curves and leaving a coating of smooth, creamy lipstick. Finally, she finished my lower lip.

"Squeeze your lips together to get the lipstick even. Then put this tissue between your lips and put them together."

I did as she directed and when I took the tissue away, I saw a pink outline of my lips. Then I felt a soft brush on my cheeks.

"I'm putting on little blush to give you color and make your cheekbones look higher. Good, now hold still while I brush on some mascara. It will make your eyelashes look longer and darker. I need to do the lower lashes too. There, all done. Oops, no. Wait a second."

I heard her open one of the drawers of the make-up table and she was holding a gold chain necklace with a heart locket that she fasted around my neck. Next she fastened a gold chain bracelet with a matching small heart charm on my right wrist.

"There, Jenny. You're all done. Turn around and take a look."

I stood up and looked in the mirror. I couldn't believe my eyes. There was a really pretty girl staring back at me. The bangs accented her face and the light make-up made her look feminine, but still girlish. I stood back and admired the pretty lace bodice of the dress accented with the heart locket necklace.

"Amazing, Beth," I complimented her. "If I wasn't seeing it myself, I would never have believed it. I thought you were just going put a dress on me and have me pretend to be a girl. Not really turn me into a one."

"Well," she smiled. "I didn't think it you would make such a pretty girl either, Jenny."

Then Susie spoke up.

"Come on you two. We're wasting time. Let's finish Barbie's wedding."

"Oh my," said Beth. "I got so involved in dressing Jenny up I forgot completely why we were doing it. Yes, of course Susie. You've been very patient. I've had my fun. Now it's your turn."

This time all three of us giggled. Susie and Beth sat back down with the Barbies, but I couldn't manage the dress with the big petticoat.

Beth saw me struggling and said, "Oh, I forgot Jenny. You need a lesson in how to manage that dress. I took me a while. Smooth the front under you knees and kneel on it and then smooth the back under your behind and sit back on our heels. Otherwise the skirt will flip up in back and show your panties."

We played Barbies for a while and finally she and Ken went on their honeymoon. Beth directed us to clean up, because Mom got mad if we left toys out. I helped them put the Barbies back on the book shelf and the clothes in plastic baggies.

"Now what?" asked Susie. "Do you want to read me a story Jenny?"

It took me a second to realize that Susie was talking to me like I was really her sister.

Then Beth said, "I have an idea. Let's do makeovers."

"Oh yes! Let's do makeovers," Susie repeated, clapping her hands.

"Umm, what are makeovers?" I asked.

"We do our hair and our nails and our makeup, its lots of fun. We try different hair dos and looks," Beth explained.

"I already had my hair and makeup done, thank you. I don't think I need any more."

The girls laughed.

"No, you don't, replied Beth. "But it's not fair that you got to have a makeover and we didn't. It will be fun, Jenny. You'll see. Besides, your nails are a mess. You could use a good manicure and we're just the girls to do it."

"That's not fair," Susie complained. "Jenny's already had her turn. It's my turn now."

"Okay, then Susie. Sit down on the makeup table bench and we'll get started. Jenny, you take one of the emery boards and shape Susie's nails on her left hand so that they are nice and round and even. I'll do her right hand."

I had watched Mom filing her nails while she talked on the telephone or watched T.V. and now I was getting to try it. I held Susie's hand with my left hand a used the fine side of the emery board on her nails. When we finished Beth applied a coat of pink nail polish on each nail. Then she handed me the bottle. I very carefully used the brush the way Beth did and after a couple of messy attempts that were cleaned up with nail polish remover, I was able to apply a smooth thick coat.

"Wow!" said Beth. "You're a natural. Are you sure you haven't been secretly using my nail polish?" She added, "I did my nails yesterday, so it's Jenny's turn."

I sat down on the bench while Susie and Jenny filed my nails and applied a coat of the pink polish. I followed Susie's example and wiggled my fingers in the air, blowing on them to dry the polish.

"Will you do my hair now Beth?" asked Susie.

"Sure, honey. How about twin ponytails with bows?"

"Oh yes, please. That will be so pretty."

Beth collected a handful of Susie's hair and used a brush to smooth it into a pony tail. My rapt attention to her skillful hairstyling was interrupted by Mom's voice. We had lost track of the time and she was home.

"Hello, girls," she said. "Beth, honey, who's your friend and why is she wearing your party dress?"

I was trapped. Beth usually had an answer for everything, but this time she was speechless. Susie was the only one that saw the humor of her mother finding her big brother wearing her big sister's party dress. She started giggling.

"Well," Mom said. "Aren't you going to introduce me?"

I had my back to the doorway and could see Mom's puzzled expression in the mirror.

"Beth, what's going on?" she said in a sterner voice.

I figured, what the heck. Mom's going to find out sooner or later. I slowly turned around to face her. At first she didn't recognize me.

"Hello," she said. "I'm Beth's and Susie's mother. My name is Carol. What's yours?"

"Hi Mom," I said.

Mom gave me a closer look.

"Johnny, is that you?"

I was surprised that her voice didn't sound angry. Maybe she would think it was funny too, like Susie. Then Beth spoke up.

"I'm really sorry Mom. It's all my fault. Jenny, I mean Johnny wanted to play Barbies with us and we didn't want a boy to mess up the game. It was Barbie's wedding and we had everything all set up and, well, anyway, I thought if I told Jenny, I mean Johnny, that he had to wear girl's clothes, if he wanted to play a girl's game, he would go away, but you know how stubborn he is. So then I gave him my pink nylon panties and cammie. I didn't think he would put them on, but he did. Then I got my frilliest party dress with the matching tights and shoes. I was sure he wouldn't put them on, but he did. Then, after I got him all dressed up, he really did look like a girl and I had a pretty little sister, instead of an annoying little brother. I guess I just got carried away doing her, I mean his, hair and makeup, but then we had fun playing Barbies."

"I see," said Mom quietly. "You do look pretty in your party dress, Jenny. Please come over here."

I wasn't sure I heard Mom right. I thought she had said, 'your party dress' and called me 'Jenny.' She said, 'please' too, so I guessed she wasn't mad at me.

"Jenny, I don't want to speak you name more than once. Come over here now!"

I slowly walked over to the doorway. My petticoats made a swishing sound and the skirt of my dress bounced as I walked. I stopped about a foot away from her.

"Stand still, Jenny" she said, and began to walk around me. "Hmm, very nice. You did a good job with her hair and makeup Beth. I'm very impressed. Did you have fun?"

Mom had said, 'her' and she was complimenting Beth on turning me into Jenny."

"Thank you Mommy," Beth said. "Yes, it was lots of fun," she admitted.

"Jenny, what do you think about all of this?"

It took me a moment to realize she was speaking to me, that I was Jenny.

"I guess it was okay. I had fun too. But I promise I won't do it again. Really, it was just, well, it was just that I was bored and I didn't want Beth to think she outsmarted me."

"Didn't she? You're the one in the dress," Mom said with a laugh.

Beth and Susie started laughing too. Then I started to laugh with them.

"I guess you're right. Can I go get undressed now?"

"Whatever for?" said Mom. "You look very pretty the way you are. Don't you like your party dress?"

"Mom!" I said. "Its not mine, its Beth's. She just dressed me up in it. And I don't wear dresses. I'm a boy!"

"Oh, I see. Well you certainly don't look like a boy. You look like a very pretty girl. And from what I could see when I walked in, you enjoyed being a girl when you were playing with your sisters."

"Yes, that's true. I did enjoy myself. They're always doing girl stuff together and I have nobody to play with. To tell you the truth, it's been difficult being the only boy in the house."

"I know honey," said Mom reassuringly and gave me a hug. "It's been difficult for me too raising a boy by myself." She paused and then added, "You should have seen me trying to teach you to pee standing up."

Beth and Susie started laughing.

"Mom! Please!"

Then Mom got serious.

"You know, it really would be nice having three girls. Would you like to keep on being Jenny?"

"Are you serious? You want me to be Jenny?"

"It's up to you honey. I don't want to make you do anything you don't want to do, but, yes, I'd like Jenny to stay. Would you girls like to have Jenny keep being your sister?"

"Yes," said Beth.

"Yes," said Susie.

"So, what will it be?" asked Mom. "You can take off your dress and put on your boy's clothes and nobody will say anything more. Do you want to do that?"

I thought for a moment. Jenny was special. Beth and Susie liked her and I had fun spending time with them. Mom seemed to like her too. If I went back to being a boy, things would not be the same.

"No, Mom. I really like being Beth's and Susie's sister."

"Wonderful. Then let's celebrate Jenny's birthday by going to the mall."

"Mom," I said, "are you nuts? I can't go out as Jenny. What if somebody recognizes me? It would be too embarrassing."

"Well, first of all young lady, I'm your mother and I almost didn't recognize you. Second, nobody's going to be looking at you that closely. Third, if people do see a family resemblance, we will just say that you are my sister Nancy's daughter who is visiting us for a while. Now, let's not waste any more time. I had a hard day at work and I want to relax at the mall with my daughters. I'm going to change out of my uniform. Beth and Susie, you need to find something less conspicuous for Jenny. Now hurry, its six o'clock and the mall closes at nine."

Mom left and Susie turned to Beth.

"What's 'conspickulous' mean?"

"Not 'conspickulous,' silly," said Beth, 'conspicuous'." It means something that makes people notice you, like wearing a party dress at the mall. Now let's find an outfit for Jenny. How about a pair of jeans and a cute top? That's what most girls wear to go shopping at the mall."

"Well, I'm not 'most girls'. I think I would be better off with something that didn't look like boy's clothes. Remember when you were dressing me up and I asked you why I had to wear a dress to play Barbies when you and Susie didn't? You said that you didn't have to dress as girls, because you were girls, but I wasn't a girl so I did. It didn't make sense then, but it does now. If I want people to believe I'm a girl, I have to dress like a girl."

"My goodness," said Beth mockingly. "Our new sister Jenny has become a fashion expert." She started to laugh. "But she's right. So let's see what I can find. How about a miniskirt and sweater? With a little makeup, I can make you look hot!"

"Beth, the only way I'd look hot is if I stuffed my bra like you."

"I beg your pardon, missy," Beth replied in mock anger. "If you weren't my sister I'd scratch your eyes out for that remark." Then she laughed. "How did you know?"

"Well, even a boy knows that girls don't grow boobies overnight."

"Hmm," she said. "And girls don't call them 'boobies', they're breasts. Its not just clothes, hair, nails and makeup, you know. You have to walk and talk and act like a girl too. I can see that Susie and I have a lot of training to do."

"Okay, you can give me acting lessons later, but right now I need an outfit. Mom told us to hurry or the mall will close."

"I thought you didn't want to go to the mall? Now you're in a rush to get there? If I didn't know better, I'd think you were born a girl the way you change your mind. But, let's see. Oh, I know, my new jean jumper. It's perfect. I was going to wear it to school on Monday, but it should fit you. Turn around so I can unbutton your dress. Susie, go to my bureau and find a pair of red tights."

Beth quickly undid the little buttons at the back of the dress and I let it slip off my arms and then drop to the floor. I stepped out of it and was standing in my pink nylon tights and pink nylon camisole.

"What do you think you're doing, Jenny? Maybe boys don't care about their clothes, but girls do. That dress is very delicate and has to be dry cleaned if you get it wrinkled. Please pick it up and put it on one of the padded hangers."

As I was hanging up the dress, Beth had taken the jean jumper out of the closet and was looking for a top. The jumper was black denim with red stitching on the seams and the shoulder straps. It had a belt that was attached at the sides and tied in back, defining the waist. Susie came back with the red tights and Beth brought a red cotton top with a crew neck and short sleeves.

"Here," Beth said, handing me the top. "Put this on first."

"Wait," said Beth. "Not like that. First put your hands inside and spread open the neck so you can pull it over your head without mussing your hair and getting makeup on it. Then put your arms in the sleeves. Honestly, Jenny!" and she laughed.

I followed Beth's directions and did not let the material touch my face or lips as I pulled it over my head. I forgot I was wearing lipstick and I could see where a girl had to be careful not to get her makeup all over her clothes when she was getting dressed.

I asked Beth, "Why don't girls do their hair and put on makeup after they get dressed? Then they wouldn't have to worry."

"If you brush your hair when you're dressed, the hair gets on your clothes. And putting on makeup is messy too. Some women do use a plastic cape to keep their clothes clean, but it is uncomfortable spending an hour all dressed up with a cape on while you put yourself together.

"Gosh, Beth, how do you know so much? Did Mom teach you all this?"

"Some, but remember Jenny, I've grown up wearing dresses and making myself pretty. Sometimes I watch Mom and sometimes I see things in magazines or on T.V. shows. A girl's looks are very important and we're always trying to learn fashion tips and beauty secrets. Now enough of this girl talk! Let's finish getting you dressed."

Susie handed me the red tights.

"Remember how I did it when I dressed you up? Bunch up one leg and then point your toe and slip your foot in. Unroll the leg until it's below your knee. Then do the same with the other leg. Once both legs are in, stand up, hook your thumbs in the waistband and pull the panty up over your waist. Then go back and smooth the legs up and tug on the waistband until the crotch of the panty is snug. Go ahead, try it. The tights are pretty heavy material. They won't run, but when you wear sheer pantyhose, you have to be really careful."

I followed Beth's directions and to my surprise my first attempt at putting on tights went perfectly.

Beth checked them out and said approvingly, "Are you sure you haven't worn tights before? Have you been secretly trying on my clothes?"

I knew she was kidding, but wondered to myself why I hadn't thought of it.

"Here, step into the jumper and pull the straps over your shoulders. I'll adjust the buckles on the front and tie your belt. There. That looks great. All we need are some shoes."

Beth handed me a pair of what at first looked like boy's loafers, but the resemblance ended with the thick soles and chunky one and a half inch heel. I slipped them on and stood up. They felt funny at first, but after I walked a few steps I got used to having my foot arched.

"Let's see, have we forgotten anything?"

Beth took her brush and fluffed up my hair. Then she combed my bangs.

"Better freshen up your lipstick too. Oh, of course. What was I thinking? A girl can't go out without her purse. You have to carry all you girly stuff, especially when you start having your period."

"What are you talking about? I'm not going to have a period."

"Sorry, I forgot. I really am starting to think of you as my sister Jenny. Anyway, here's a little red leather purse. It's very important to coordinate your outfit with just the right accessories. We can put in your lipstick and some tissues and a comb. No girl would go out without a comb or brush to fix up her hair. And a mirror too. Now you're ready. Oops, no. Not quite."

She went over to the makeup table and got a small spray bottle. She spritzed some lilac scented perfume on me.

"Now you smell like a girl too. That's also important. Every girl has to have her own scent. It drives the boys wild."

"Beth! I don't want to drive boys wild!"

Just then Mom called up. "What's keeping you girls? Come on or the mall will close. Beth, Jenny, Susie, lets get going."

Beth and Susie hurried outside, but I hesitated. What if one of the neighbours saw me dressed up in girl's clothes? I poked my head out the door, looked up and down the street, and hurried down the walk as fast as I could in my jumper and heels.

"My goodness, Jenny," exclaimed Mom. "What on earth are you doing?"

"C'mon Mom. Lets get going!"

Beth and Susie had climbed in back, leaving the front seat for me.

"Could I switch places with Beth, please," I said softly.

"No. You are being a silly girl," Mom responded. "The best way to bring attention to yourself is behaving like you have something to hide. Just act like a girl and people will believe you're a girl."

"Well, that's easy for you to say, Mom. But how do I act like a like a girl when I don't know how a girl acts?"

"I know it's going to take time, Jenny, but you'll catch on. For starters, skirts and dresses are not made for running. You need to walk slowly and take small steps. Girls spend a lot of time on their appearance and they want to be seen when they go out. Now let's not waste any more time."

The car door was open and I started to climb in.

"Stop!" said Mom. "What do you think you're doing young lady?"

"Getting in the car like you said."

"I don't think so. Not like that. The proper way when you're wearing a skirt or dress is to turn with your back to the seat, sit down, then put your knees together and swivel around, so you don't flash your panties to the whole world. Now try it again, please."

I stepped back out, turned around and started to sit.

"Stop!" said Mom.

"Geez, what now?" I complained.

"Well, first of all, young ladies don't say, 'Geez.' Second, of all, you need to put your hands behind you and smooth your skirt, so it doesn't bunch up and get wrinkled when you sit. Now try it again."

I did as Mom directed and managed to get myself seated.

"Very good," said Mom.

She started the car and drove off. The mall was about twenty minutes from our house, so there was time for us to talk.

"Mom," said Beth. "If Jenny is going to be sharing my panties, then I will need some more."

"You're right, Beth, Jenny needs panties," replied Mom, "but considering Jenny's, umm, well, umm, 'difference', I think it would be better if you and she had your own."

"Well then, since I wear them every day, I should give Jenny some of my old panties and get new ones."

"I agree," said Mom. "It's Jenny's birthday, so she may pick out something pretty as a present from all of us. You can also pick out something pretty to replace the panties Jenny is wearing. Then I will buy you a packages of less expensive every day panties and you can give Jenny some of your old ones. How does that sound girls?"

"Great Mom," Beth said.

"Whatever you and Beth want to do is okay with me," I said.

"I'm glad that's settled, because we're here," announced Mom as she pulled into a parking space near the mall entrance. "Let's get going girls, we don't have much time to shop, the mall closes in about two hours."

TO BE CONTINUED

Sister, Sister, Sister - Part 2
By Missy Crystal

Twelve year old Johnny wants to play Barbies with his sisters, but Barbies are for girls. How can Johnny join the game? A sweet, sentimental story about a young boy's discovery of the girl he should have been with the help of his sisters and mother. This is a story I wrote a couple of years ago and I am posting it here for those who would like to know more about Dr. Jenny Mitchell. It is complete, for those who anguish over being left hanging, but too long for a single post.

I opened the car door and caught Mom watching me. I figured that she was waiting to see if I had learned my lesson. I guessed that the proper way for a girl to get out was the reverse of how I got in, so I put my knees together, swung my legs out and then stood up.

"Very good, Jenny. Just one more thing"

What's that Mom?" I asked.

"Girl's are always fussing with their clothes. After you stand up, you should straighten your jumper. Oh, another thing. Girls are always primping. You know what I mean, brushing their hair or putting on lipstick. We can't resist checking our appearance when we see a mirror or our reflection in a window."

"Thanks for the advice, Mom. I'll try to remember."

We reached the revolving glass door. Mom took Susie's hand and went through. Then I started to go through and Beth squeezed in with me. We kept bumping into each other as the door rotated and finally came stumbling out the other side. Beth thought it was really funny.

"Sis, please don't do anything to embarrass me or draw attention to us. This is hard enough for me as it is. I'd die if anyone knew it was me."

"I'm sorry," Beth replied. "I wasn't thinking. My girlfriends and I goof around like that all the time."

She took my hand and started walking towards Mom and Susie, who had stopped to wait for us. I hesitated.

"Now what's the matter?" she asked.

"You're holding my hand. People will stare."

"Jenny, really!" exclaimed Beth. "Girls hold hands or go arm-in-arm all the time. It's perfectly natural."

Mom and Susie had started walking again and we caught up with them at the entrance to the big department store. I had no idea where we were going, but Beth and Susie headed straight for a sign that said 'Girls and Juniors'. Since Beth was still holding my hand, I followed along.

"Alright girls," Mom said, looking at Beth and me. "You two go pick out your panties while I take Susie over to look at shoes. Have fun."

"C'mon Jenny. Let's start over there," said Beth, pointing to a rack of panties.

We walked over and she took down a pair. They were black nylon with beige lace covering the front. Beth showed me the tag.

"See, Jenny, they're designer. Aren't they beautiful? I'll bet there's a matching top around here someplace. Yup, here it is. See, the same beige lace on the front and the thin straps. They're called 'spaghetti straps'. Oh my gawd! Look at the price! Mom would have a stroke if we asked her to buy these."

She put the panties and top back and walked over to another rack.

"What about these?" she asked, pointing to a pink satiny looking pair. She took them off the rack and held them up to her waist. "What do you think? They're not designer, but they're pretty."

"I don't know, Beth," I said. "There are hundreds of different pairs. You could spend a whole day here looking at them. How do you know what to buy?"

"Well," she explained, "when you're a little girl, your mommy picks them out for you. Mostly cotton ones in pastel colors with cute little designs and some nylon ones for when you get dressed up. Then, as you grow up, you try different styles and decide what you like. See these here. They're regular briefs. The legs come down below your hips and the waist is above your hips. They're comfortable, but kind of old fashioned and most girls don't wear them unless they're having their period and need to wear a pad."

"Beth, will you stop with the period stuff. I'm not going to have a period and I don't need to know about it, okay?"

"I'm sorry, Jenny, I didn't mean to gross you out. But it's something we girls talk about."

"I'm flattered, I guess," I said apologetically.

"See these panties here," Beth went on, pointing to an aqua pair with lace trim around the legs and waistband similar to the ones I was wearing. "The leg openings come up to below your hips and they're called 'high cut.' Then there are these," she said, picking up a powder blue pair that looked smaller. "They sit on your hips, so they're called 'hip huggers'. And these," she said, picking up an even smaller pair, "are bikinis. They just about cover your, well, you know what, but they're very sexy," she said with a giggle.

Then Beth gave me a little push towards another rack. She held up a pair of lacy white panties.

"See," she said, as she pulled on the material. "They stretch, so they fit any figure. Even yours," she giggled. "And there's a matching crop top. I really want a set. If you get them too, we can be twins. What do you say?"

"Sounds good to me, but we'd better decide quickly. I see Mom and Susie heading this way. What color should we get? I like the black."

"The black is pretty," agreed Beth. "But it's not very practical. You can't wear black panties under light colored clothes, they show through. How about the beige, they're pretty too."

"Fine with me."

Beth took down two pairs of the lacy panties and two of the tops and walked over to meet Mom. I followed her. Mom took the panties and tops from Beth and looked them over.

"You and Jenny are getting matching sets. I can't wait to see you in them. They're really cute."

"Mom, that's not fair," Susie complained. "They're getting presents and I'm not."

Mom stopped to think and then she said, "I still have to pick up some packaged panties for Beth and pay for everything. Why don't you girls go across the way to the accessory store and pick out a pair of earrings for Susie as her present. I'll meet you there in a few minutes."

Susie grabbed my hand and started pulling me towards the exit.

"C'mon Jenny, lets hurry," she said excitedly. "You spent lots of time shopping with Beth, now it's my turn."

I couldn't believe it. My little sister wanted me to shop with her. Beth tagged along behind us. I looked around nervously to see if anyone was looking at me. Beth patted me on the back reassuringly.

"Relax, Sis," she said. "Mom is right. Nobody will recognize my pretty cousin Jenny as my nerdy brother Johnny."

"Thank you for saying I'm pretty; but remind me to tell Johnny that you called him a nerd when I see him."

Susie was too intent on getting to the accessory store to listen to our conversation, but Beth laughed.

"I am not so sure that under the circumstances Johnny wants to make his big sister mad at him," she said.

"Beth, you wouldn't. You promised. I trusted you."

She quickly apologized.

"I'm sorry, Jenny. It was a mean thing to say. I love my sisters and I would never, ever do anything to hurt them. Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me."

By then we had reached the store. It was called 'Earrings and Things'. We went inside. There was a whole wall of earrings, dozens of racks with dangling necklaces and bracelets, display cases full of rings and jewelry and another whole wall of hair stuff. Just like the department store, Beth and Susie knew exactly where to go.

"Over here, Jenny," Susie called to me.

We were so into looking at earrings that we didn't notice Mom come in. It was only when I heard her call my name that I turned around and saw her talking to a woman at the back of the store. Mom motioned for me to come. When I got to her, Mom pointed to a stool,

"Please sit down so Amy can measure you."

I had not idea what she was talking about, but I was in no position to argue. I looked over and saw Mom was watching me. I remembered what she said about how girls sit, so I reached behind me with both hands and smoothed my skirt. Then I slowly sat down and crossed my ankles, the way I remembered seeing Beth do it. Mom smiled and nodded at me.

"Look straight ahead and don't move," Amy told me.

I heard her tear open a package and then felt something wet and cold rubbing my earlobe. Then I felt something make a dot. Amy moved around behind me and did the same to my other ear. She went back and forth twice more.

"Okay, Michelle," she called to someone out of my sight. "We're ready."

I could see a young woman coming over to us.

"Here you go," she said to Amy, handing her one of the things she was carrying.

I could feel Amy and Michelle pressing something against my earlobes, but still had no idea what was going on.

"Ready?" Amy asked.

"Yes ," replied Michelle.

"One, two, three," called out Amy.

I heard clicks and felt a sting in my ear lobes. Mom had moved in front of me and had her hands on my shoulders. I jumped, but she held me down.

"Ouch," I said. "That hurt. What are you doing to me?"

"It's all over, sweetie," Amy said. "Your ears are pierced and your pretty new studs are in. We just need to put on the backs so they won't fall out. Just hold still for a minute. This won't hurt at all."

Mom was still standing in front of me. She had let go of my shoulders and was smiling.

"Now all my daughters have pretty pierced ears. Beth, Susie, come over her and see your sister's pierced ears.

I heard Beth squeal, "Jenny has pierced ears?"

She and Susie ran over and looked.

"Now you're just like us, Jenny," Susie said. "Do you want to wear my new earrings?"

"That's very sweet of you, Susie, to want to share with your sister, but not yet," said Mom. "She has to keep the studs in until the holes heal up."

"See, Jenny," Amy said, handing me a mirror. "Men don't appreciate how much pain we girls have to go through to look beautiful."

"I do," I said.

Mom and Beth started to laugh.

Amy had a puzzled look on her face. Luckily, she didn't get the joke. Then she said, "Our special piercing package comes with two pairs of earrings off the sale rack, so why don't you girls go help Jenny pick them out."

"That's a good idea," said Mom. "I'll pay and then we have one more stop. Hurry, I want to get there before the mall closes in a half hour. Susie, did you find some earrings for your present?"

"Yes, Mommy," said Susie. She handed her a pair of little hoops with a dangling heart.

We picked out a pair of small hoops, which Beth assured me would go with 'everything' and a pair of pearl studs for when I got 'dressed up.' Mom paid the salesgirl, we all said thank you, and walked outside. When we were a little ways from the store, I turned to Mom.

"Mom, it's not that I don't appreciate your getting my ears pierced, but what were you thinking? I have to go to school on Monday and when the guys get a look at my earrings, they will call me a sissy and probably beat the crap out of me!"

"Young ladies don't say 'crap,' Jenny."

Beth giggled, because of course she did.

"And don't worry," Mom reassured me. "You can take the studs out in the morning before you leave for school. The holes won't close up if you leave them out for a few hours. Your hair covers your ears and I can even put on a dab of make-up to cover the holes. Nobody will know."

I breathed a sigh of relief. Mom had Susie's hand and Beth took my arm. We kept walking until we reached a store called, 'Mr. Kenneth's Mall Salon'. Mom stopped and opened the door. We trooped in behind her.

She walked up to the woman at the desk and said politely, "I know it's late, but is it possible to get a trim for my daughter?"

I assumed she meant Susie or Beth.

The woman told Mom that she thought that all of the hairdressers had already closed up their stations, but to wait and she would see. After a few minutes, she returned with a man. I'm not much good at guessing the ages of adults, but he looked about Mom's age. He was dressed in a black long sleeved shirt, buttoned at the cuffs and neck, and black pants. His blonde hair was very short. He had a tiny mustache and a large diamond earring in one ear.

"Good evening, ladies. I am Mr. Kenneth. He looked at Mom. I understand that you want a trim for one of your daughters? I'm sorry, but we're getting ready to close. If you would like to make an appointment … ." Then he stopped and walked over to me. "Is this your daughter that needs a trim?" he asked.

"Yes," said Mom. "I'm afraid Jenny has gotten rather shaggy since her last haircut. I was hoping you could even it up a little."

Mr. Kenneth continued to study me. He put his hand on my chin and tilted my head up and down and from side to side. Then he walked around behind me. I was getting very nervous. Finally, he said to Mom, "Come with me."

We followed Mr. Kenneth into a room and he closed the door.

"This is our spa room. Everyone is gone except for Ellen, the receptionist, but I think that it is best if we keep this private," he said. "Jenny is a very lucky boy to have such an understanding mother and sisters," he remarked.

Mom was startled. "How did you know?" she asked him.

"Really Madam," Mr. Kenneth replied indignantly. "You can fool most people about a person's gender, but not a hairdresser. I spend all day looking at heads and I can tell a boy when I see one, no matter how pretty he looks." Then he sighed. "I wish my mother had let me dress up when I was young, but no matter. Jenny is obviously special and I will take very good care of," he paused dramatically, "her. Jenny, please sit in the chair."

He walked over to a cabinet and took out a white towel which he wrapped around my neck and put a plastic cape over me and fastened it in back. Then he picked up a bottle and began to spray water on my hair until it was dripping wet.

"Mom," I said nervously. "I'm not so sure this is such a good idea. I mean, you said I could take out the earrings and nobody would know; but if I go back to school with a girl's haircut, they really will call me a sissy and beat me up."

Mr. Kenneth spoke up.

"Don't worry. I have many mothers who bring their sons and daughters in for unisex cuts. They are very stylish, which the boys like, and easy to care for, which the girls and their mothers like. When you are en femme ... ." He paused when he saw my blank expression. "I'm sorry. I should have realized that you are new to this. En femme is French. It means when you are dressed as a girl. Anyway, you can add a headband, a barrette or a hair clip and make it look very feminine. Then when you are en drab, that means dressed in your boy's clothes, although its pretend French, you can brush it back off your face and look masculine."

"Thank you for making me feel better, Mr. Kenneth," I replied. "Whatever you think is best is fine with me," I said with a little smile.

Mr. Kenneth smiled back at me. He picked up a comb and started to fuss with my hair. Then he took a pair of scissors and began to snip here and there, measuring with the comb, lifting up little sections, holding them between his fingers and trimming them. Finally, he stepped back and turned to my mother.

"You see, Madam, I have shaped and trimmed her hair and layered it on the sides. It is more than I usually do for a unisex cut, but whoever cut her hair before should have been a butcher and not a barber. When her hair grows out, I can do more, but for now, to create a soft, feminine look, you should blow it out and use a styling brush. You do have a styling brush?"

He looked at Mom's hair and then over at Beth and Susie.

"Obviously not!"

I could see Mom frown and begin to say something, but he cut her off.

"You must come back in two weeks and Mr. Kenneth will make you all gorgeous."

He gave Mom a big smile.

Mom's expression changed to a smile and Beth and Susie were clapping their hands in delight at the thought of having a real salon styling. Mr. Kenneth picked up a hair dryer and turned to me.

"Watch what I do, so you can do it yourself."

As he moved the dryer over my head, he gently wrapped the hair around the brush, drew it out and let it slide off. He handed me the brush.

"You try it."

The most I had ever done with my hair was run a comb through it when Mom made me get dressed up. I took the brush and looked in the mirror as I tried to copy what Mr. Kenneth had done. He held the dryer for me and after a few attempts he nodded with approval.

"Yes, yes, very good. Keep it up. A girl's hair is her most important feature. Even the best cut will not look good if you do not take the time to style it. Here, try holding the dryer."

Mr. Kenneth kept observing me as I used the dryer and brush and finally he said, "There, that is enough for now."

I started to put the brush on the counter. He stopped me.

"Please, keep it as a present from me."

Mom looked at her watch.

"Oh, Mr. Kenneth, I am so sorry that we kept you after closing time."

She took out her wallet and handed him a credit card.

"What is this, Madam? There is no charge. It is my pleasure and it will be my pleasure to do her beautiful sisters too." Then he gave Mom a big grin. "Their mother is hopeless, I think, but we shall see if Mr. Kenneth can do the impossible."

It had been a long time since I saw Mom become emotional, but she threw her arms around Mr. Kenneth and gave him a big hug. Beth and Susie ran over and joined in. So did I. The man was obviously caught by surprise. When we untangled, he led us to the back door, which went directly to the parking lot. We waved goodbye and headed for our car. It was almost ten o'clock and we were all tired.

As we drove home, Mom said, "I have not had so much fun in years. Tomorrow is Sunday. What would you girls like to do?"

It had been an exciting first day for me as Jenny. After having my ears pierced and my hair styled at the mall, my concern about being recognized as a boy dressed up in his sister's clothes was gone. I followed Mom, Beth and Susie into the house. Let the neighbors get a good look!

"It's late girls. Please get ready for bed," Mom called to us.

I went up to my room, closed the door and started to get undressed. I slipped the jumper's straps off of my shoulders, but the skirt stayed up. I reached around and untied the belt. The jumper fell down around my feet and I stepped out of it. I remembered the fuss Beth made about my leaving clothes on the floor when I took off her party dress, so I went to my closet and got a hanger. I took off the top, being careful not to get makeup on it, and was pulling down my tights when I heard a knock on my door.

"Jenny, are you decent?" asked Beth.

"Well, if you consider being in my panties decent, yes," I replied.

The door opened and Beth came in. She had on yellow cotton panties with white trim and a matching top.

"Is my little sister getting modest?" she asked. "My seeing you in your panties didn't seem to bother you this morning when I was dressing you up."

"It doesn't bother me," I said. "I wasn't sure about you."

"Why?" she questioned me. "We're sisters, aren't we? We don't have anything to hide."

"Well, maybe one thing," I replied.

"Yes, that's true. Perhaps we should keep our panties on," she said with a grin. "I wanted to show you how to wash your tights and I have a present for you too."

"A present Beth, really? I already got a present at the mall. You don't have to give me anything."

"I know I don't have to," she said, "but I want to." She held out a box.

I took the box and opened it. Inside I saw something white and shiny with frilly lace. I picked it up. It was a gorgeous nightgown. The material was satiny smooth. It was sleeveless and had a v-neck and low back with a lace ruffle in front and a matching lace ruffle around the bottom. Underneath it was a matching long sleeved robe with three ribbon ties on the front and a lace ruffle at the cuffs. The robe was shorter than the nightgown and open in the front, so the ruffles on the nightgown peeked out.

"Beth, I love it!"

I was so happy that my sister would give me such a beautiful present that my voice quivered. She had never paid any attention to me when I was her brother.

"But it's much too special."

Beth had a big smile when she saw how excited I was.

"Aunt Nancy gave it to me for a special occasion and I can't think of any occasion more special than having a new sister. If you don't take it, you'll hurt my feelings."

She put her hands in front of her face and pretended to cry.

"Okay, okay." It didn't take much to convince me. "But if I can share your clothes, then you can share my nightgown. Deal?" I asked her.

"Deal," she agreed.

She was about to hug me and then we both realized that we were in our underwear and maybe that wasn't such a good idea, even if we were 'sisters'.

"Can I try it on now?" I said excitedly.

"Not yet, Sis. We need to get washed up. Come on, grab your tights."

She turned around and headed for the bathroom. I followed her. For some reason, it didn't seem strange for us to be in the bathroom together.

"You need to wash your tights and stockings after you wear them," Beth directed me. "First, fill the sink with warm water. Then add a little hand soap. Swish the tights around a few times. See here?"

She had turned the top of the tights inside out and was showing me something white inside.

"This is a cotton sanitary panel. You need to scrub it."

"Beth, really, enough with the period stuff."

"Jenny, this has nothing to do with periods," Beth scolded me. "Girls get infections if they don't keep themselves clean, well, you known, down there. If we are going to share my tights and panty hose, then you need to do this after you wear them."

"I'm sorry, Beth." I apologized. Then I added jokingly, "And I promise to keep myself clean, 'down there'."

"After you wash them, beth went on, "let the soapy water out and run warm water. Hold them under the faucet and gently squeeze until all the soap is out. Then hang them over the towel bar in the bathtub."

"Got it," I told her. "Now can I put on my nightgown?"

"Not yet, Jenny. A girl's hair may be her most important feature, but her skin is second. All the makeup in the world won't cover a facefull of zits. Fill the sink up with the hottest water you can stand. The heat opens up your pores. Use the cleansing soap and wash you face. Rinse it really good to get off all the soap. Then blot it dry with a towel."

I started to follow her directions, filling the sink and checking the temperature of the water with my fingers under the faucet.

"Wait a second." She reached into a drawer. "Here," she said, and handed me a headband.

"This will keep your hair back. Put it over your head and around your neck under your hair. Here, I'll show you. Okay, there. See. Now, pull the bottom of the band against the back of your head and slide the top of the band forward over your forehead to catch your bangs and pull them off your face."

I never realized that washing my face could be so complicated. After completing the routine and being admonished for rubbing and not blotting, as well as receiving a lecture about the various makeup removers, cleansers, moisturizers, and toners I would need to use when I got older, Beth finally gave me permission to return to my bedroom and put on my nightgown.

As I was heading down the hallway, I heard Beth call to me, "Jenny, don't forget to brush your hair before you go to bed. Some of the fashion magazines say 100 strokes, but I just do it for a few minutes. Goodnight, Sis. Sleep tight."

"Goodnight, Beth." Then, surprising myself with words that I had never used before, I added, "I love you."

I went into my room and closed the door. I picked up the beautiful nightgown from my bed, running my hand over the silky smooth nylon and brushing the lacy ruffle with my fingers. I found the bottom, slid my arms inside, lifted it over my head and let it drop down. I was amazed that anything could feel so wonderful. I wished that I had a full-length mirror in my room, like Beth and Susie had, so I could admire myself. I modeled the nightgown, walking, turning and posing. It was late and I was tired from a long exciting day, so I decided to wait until the morning to try on the robe. I pulled back the covers and got into bed. As I slid down, the sensation of my nylon panties gliding over my nightgown was ecstasy. I closed my eyes and dreamed pretty dreams.

"Beth, Susie, Jenny! Girls, wake up. Rise and shine. Breakfast is ready." I heard Mom calling from the bottom of the stairs.

I sat up. Was it a dream? Mom had called, 'Jenny.' I look down and saw the nightgown. No, it wasn't a dream. I threw back the covers and slid out of bed. I lifted up the bottom of the nightgown and saw I still had on the pink nylon panties Beth had dressed me in the day before.

"Jenny, what's keeping you? Hurry up. Your breakfast is getting cold."

I picked up the robe, slid my arms in and tied the three ribbons at the front.

"Coming, Mom."

I hurried downstairs and into the kitchen. Beth and Susie were already sitting at the table. Beth had on a big white cotton t-shirt with a picture of a megaphone on the front. Susie was wearing pastel pink cotton pajamas with light blue bunnies and lavender carrots with mint green tops. I had a silly thought whether light blue bunnies really ate lavender carrots.

Mom stopped what she was doing when she saw me come in.

"Jenny, that is a beautiful nightgown and robe. You look very pretty. Beth, is that the set that Aunt Nancy gave you for your birthday?"

"Yes, Mommy. I hope its okay. I though that Jenny should have something special to sleep in."

"It was very sweet of you to think of your sister, Beth. I can't believe how much I enjoy having three daughters." Mom paused and then asked, "And what would my three beautiful girls like to do today? We could go to a movie or to the park. Its up to… ."

"Oh, the park, please, the park," interrupted Susie. "I want the park. Jenny can push me on the swings and we can feed the swans in the pond."

"How about it, Beth and Jenny?" Mom asked.

"Fine with me," said Beth.

"Fine with me," I said.

"The park it is. Let's finish breakfast, clean up the kitchen and then you can get dressed. Beth and Susie, you'll have to help Jenny pick out her clothes. It will be a while before she can do it on her own. I'll make us a picnic lunch."

"Mom," said Beth. "You gave us a very nice day yesterday. Today is your day. We'll clean up the kitchen. You go get yourself ready. And no sweat suit either!"

"Well, I never," replied Mom, pretending to be shocked. "Aren't we little miss bossy this morning."

Mom smiled, took the last sip of her coffee and headed upstairs.

"Alright, sisters, lets get going," ordered Beth. "Susie, you clear the table and bring the dishes to the sink. I'll wash. Jenny, you wipe and put them away."

With the three of us working together, the kitchen was done in no time. The amazing thing was that as a boy I would have left the table as soon as I finished eating and gone to watch TV or play a video game, but as Jenny, I enjoyed helping my sisters with the housework.

"Come on, Susie and Jenny. Let's get dressed," Beth directed.

We went upstairs to her and Susie's room.

"What shall you wear today, Jenny?" Beth said, looking me over. "Susie and I will wear our jeans. Should I find a pair for you too?"

"No, thank you," I said. "I've been wearing pants all my life. I want girl's clothes. Besides, you're the one who said I needed practice being a girl."

Beth went into her closet and started looking through her clothes. "No, too dressy. No, no, no. You wore the jumper yesterday and a girl can't wear the same outfit twice in a row. No, no. Yes! My kilt. And here's the blouse I wear with it. Perfect."

"Susie, please get a pair of panties, a cammie and a pair of blue knee socks from my dresser."

She came back with a pair of plain white cotton panties and a short white cotton top with thin straps. Beth took them from her and handed them to me.

"Jenny, go in the bathroom and change into these. Then come back and we'll finish dressing you."

I went into the bathroom and closed the door. I untied the ribbons on my robe, slipped it off and then pulled my nightgown up over my head. I neatly folded them on top of the counter. Then I slipped off my pink nylon panties and stepped into the white cotton ones. They were not as nice as the nylon panties, but with their high cut legs and low waist they still made me feel like a girl. I pulled on the top. It was more like a bra, fitting snug over my chest and coming to the bottom of my ribs. I looked in the mirror and saw a pretty girl staring back, except for the bulge in her panties, which I fixed by tucking my wiener under. Then I realized I had to pee. I lifted up the seat and pulled down my panties. I stopped. Jenny should go like a girl. I put the seat back down, turned around and sat. When I finished, I took some toilet paper and wiped myself, so I wouldn't get any dribbles in my panties.

"Jenny, we're ready," Beth shouted.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming. Give a girl a break," I kidded her.

The bedroom door was open. When I stepped in I saw Beth and Susie both in jeans and sneakers with short white socks. Susie's socks had little pompoms at the back, I guessed to stop them from sliding down into her sneaker. Beth's jeans had a fancy stitched design in white on the back pockets and she was wearing a light blue short sleeve shirt with the top buttons undone to show a white tank top underneath. Susie had on a flower print pullover jersey.

"Here, Jenny, put on your socks."

I drew them up. It seemed strange to have socks that came up so high, but they felt nice.

"Now the blouse."

She handed me a plain white cotton short sleeve blouse with a round collar. I put my arms in and buttoned it up. I was getting better at doing buttons backwards, although it occurred to me that girls probably think that boy's clothes button backwards. I left the top button open. The kilt was blue plaid with a pleated skirt that had two buckles at the side. Beth took it off of the hanger, undid the buckles and opened the skirt up so it was one long piece of material. She handed it to me.

I held it, but had no idea how to put it on and just stood there. Beth realized from my puzzled expression that I was clueless and took it back.

"Sorry, Jenny, I keep forgetting you're new to this. Here, the skirt wraps around you."

She reached behind me and then took one end in each hand, pulling it against my waist in back. She wrapped the left side around and fastened it to a button on the inside of the waistband near my right hip. Then she brought the right side around in front, hooked it to the waistband near my left hip and buckled the two buckles that held the slit in the skirt closed. She stood back and admired her work.

"There, that's good," said Beth approvingly. "You can wear these penny loafers. They have a lower heel than the ones you wore yesterday, but they're better for walking in the park."

We took turns sitting in front of the makeup table's mirror doing our makeup and hair. Susie didn't wear makeup yet and her hair was long and straight, so she didn't require much attention. Beth did her lips and eyes and then started fussing with her hair, running her hand through it half a dozen times to collect it, twirling it around and putting it up in a high ponytail with an elastic, then taking it down and doing it again with a black scrunchy. When she was finally satisfied, I tried putting on my makeup. I picked up the pink lipstick I wore yesterday. Beth stopped me and suggested I use red, because there was red in the plaid of the skirt. That was the first I knew that a girl's makeup had to coordinate with her outfit. It took me a few tries and a lot of tissues before my efforts met with Beth's approval. Then I used the styling brush and blow dryer to fluff up my hair and frame my face, the way Mr. Kenneth had shown me, and combed out my bangs. When I finished, I asked Beth if I could wear her heart locket.

"Of course, sister dear. You can wear my gold bangle bracelet too. I'm happy to share the family jewels."

Then she realized that 'family jewels' meant something different for boys and started giggling. Susie looked at her with a puzzled expression and Beth got serious again.

"Let's get going. No, wait a second. Jenny, you need a pocket book".

She went into her closet and came out with a blue fabric one with a shoulder strap.

"Here, take the lipstick and your brush. I think there's a mirror in it already." She looked inside. "Yes, there is."

We started for the door and Beth stopped us again. She went back to her makeup table and got a bottle of perfume. She put a dab on each of my wrists, two more dabs behind each of my ears and one at the front of my throat. Susie wanted some too, so she put a little dab on her wrists.

"Rub your wrists together to work in the perfume. The heat will release the scent."

The perfume had a flowery, powdery smell. Very pretty. I noticed that Beth was not putting any on herself.

"Don't you want to drive the boy's crazy?" I kidded her, referring to what she told me yesterday about wearing perfume.

"Nope. They're all yours today," and she laughed.

I made a face at her.

Susie was already going downstairs and we followed her. Mom was in the kitchen putting things in a canvas tote bag. She was wearing white pants, a black knit top with a scoop neck and three-quarter sleeves and black sandals. She had on makeup and a black hair ribbon.

"Wow, Mom!" Beth exclaimed. "You look great."

"I'll say," I agreed.

"Yes, great," said Susie, not wanting to be left out of the conversation.

"Thank you girls. I'm glad you approve. I wouldn't want to embarrass my daughters in public," she kidded us. "Now, let's scoot."

Mom picked up the tote with our picnic lunch and we headed for the car. As usual, Beth and Susie got in back and I got in front. By now, managing my skirt was easy. The park was only a about a five minute drive. Mom parked the car and we all walked up to the picnic area. Mom picked out a table in the shade of a big tree. Of course, Susie couldn't wait and started running towards the swings. Mom had made it clear that girls did not run in skirts and dresses, so I walked slowly and Beth kept me company. As we got near the swings, I could see Susie talking to another little girl. When we got a little closer, I could see it was Julie Johnson, the daughter of the woman who Susie stayed with after school until Mom got home from work. If Julie was here, then her mother wouldn't be very far away. Mrs. Johnson had come to the house a few times to drop Susie off when Mom was running late and I wasn't enthusiastic about testing how convincing I was as Jenny with somebody who knew me as a boy. Before I could leave, Susie saw me and started calling to me.

"Jenny, Jenny, come push me. Please come push me."

"In a minute, Susie." I turned to Beth. "If Julie is here, so is Mrs. Johnson and I really don't want her to see me. You push Susie. I'm going to head back. I turned and started to leave.

"Jenny, Jenny," called out Susie. "Where are you going? You said you would push me. You said so!"

I looked around and didn't see any adults. I didn't want to disappoint Susie and decided to take a chance.

"Okay, Susie. Calm down. Here I come."

I walked around behind her and started to push here. She pumped her legs and went higher.

"Push me harder, Jenny. Harder. I want to go way high."

I was concentrating on Susie and didn't notice Mrs. Johnson arrive.

"Hi, Beth. Hi, Susie," she greeted them. "How are you? Is your Mom here too?"

"Hi, Mrs. Johnson," Beth replied. "We're all fine and yes, Mom is at the picnic area. We're going back to have lunch when Susie finishes."

Mrs. Johnson turned to look at me.

"And who's this?" she asked.

Beth said nonchalantly, "Oh, that's my cousin Jenny. She's visiting us for a few days."

"Oh, how nice. Hi Jenny, I'm Claire Johnson," she said as she walked over and held out her hand. "It's nice to meet you. Are you Nancy's daughter?"

I was trying to hide behind Susie, but it wasn't working. Mrs. Johnson was now next to me. There was nothing I could do. I held out my hand and said in a soft voice, "It's nice to meet you too. Yes, she's my mother."

"I didn't know Nancy had a daughter."

She stopped and looked at me closely. I smiled at her and brushed my hair back with my left hand to show off my pierced ear.

"I can see the family resemblance." She paused and turned to Beth. "Where's your brother?"

"Oh, he didn't want to spend the day with three girls, so he stayed home to do whatever boys do."

She shook her head as if to say 'boys are weird' and gave a little laugh.

Mrs. Johnson walked back around to where Beth was standing.

"Julie, it's time for us to go. Say goodbye to everyone. Susie, we'll see you tomorrow. Bye Beth. It was nice meeting you Jenny."

She took Julie's hand and they walked off towards the parking lot.

"Holy cow, Beth! I was sure she would recognize me. I just about peed in my panties. I can't believe I pulled it off. She did believe I was Jenny, didn't she. She wasn't just putting me on or anything. You think?"

"No, I don't think she recognized you," Beth said reassuringly. "From her expression and the way she spoke to you, I am sure she thought you were a girl. Why wouldn't she? You're dressed like a girl, you smell like a girl, you act like a girl and Susie and I treat you like a girl. Even Mom didn't recognize you at first and that was before you got your hair done and your ears pierced."

"I guess you're right. But what if you're not? What will I do?"

"I don't know, Jenny. It's something that could happen if you go out. You'll just have to ask Mom."

Susie wanted me to push her some more. I wasn't in the mood. I was too worried about Mrs. Johnson, but she had been patient and I didn't want to disappoint her. I went back behind the swings and gave her a push. After five minutes or so, Beth took over. Finally, Susie had enough and we headed back to the picnic area.

When we arrived, I went up to Mom. I had a worried look, which she immediately caught.

"Jenny, what's the matter?" she asked in a concerned tone. "What's bothering you?"

"Well, when we got to the swings Julie was there," Beth interrupted, "and then Mrs. Johnson came over and met Jenny and, well, Jenny is worried that Mrs. Johnson recognized her."

"Oh, did she?"

"She didn't seem to," Beth answered. "I introduced Jenny to her as my cousin and she asked whether she was Aunt Nancy's daughter. She did say she didn't know that Aunt Nancy had a daughter though and asked where Johnny was, so maybe she caught on."

Mom was silent for a minute.

"Claire did meet my sister when she came up to help me after your father left. I don't think they spent much time together. Nancy and I were very busy, what with a new baby, and Claire was just a neighbor then. That was seven years ago, so I doubt she remembers much and I really don't think she knows whether Nancy has a daughter or not. Anyway, Jenny, I wouldn't worry about it. Even if she did know who you are, and I doubt she does, she is a very nice person. I am sure she would just assume that it was a family matter and none of her business. And if she ever did say anything to me, I would tell her that you had been teasing your sisters and it was my idea to dress you up as a girl to teach you a lesson. Okay?"

"Thanks, Mom." I gave a sigh of relief. "That does make me feel better."

"I'm glad, Jenny. I really enjoy your being a girl and you seem to like it too. I wouldn't want anything to spoil it. Now girls, let's eat. You can have anything you like for lunch, as long as it is peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on white bread. There's a jar of peanut butter and grape jelly and a loaf of bread. What bread you don't eat you can feed to the swans after lunch. So what will it be?"

Mom laughed. It was the first time I can remember her enjoying herself. Jenny was definitely an improvement to our family. I decided that no matter what happened, she was going to stay. We all had made our sandwiches and were sitting down to eat when Beth popped up and started waving.

"Chrissy, Dee, Mary," she called out. "Hi. Over here."

I turned to Beth and said anxiously, "What in the world are you doing. Please, Sis, almost having one heart attack today is enough."

"Don't be silly, Jenny. These are my friends from school. If you're going to hang out with me, then you're going to have to meet the people I hang out with. You have to make up your mind. Yes or no. I'll send them away if you want me to, but then you can't expect me to spend all of my time with you. I have a life, you know."

I turned to Mom for support.

"Please, I've only been a girl for a day. Give me some time to get used to being Jenny. I'll meet Beth's friends, but not now. Please, Mom. I need more time to practice."

"I think you're doing just fine, Jenny. Mrs. Johnson knows you and if she didn't recognize you, then Beth's friends certainly won't. Just relax. Everything will be fine. Besides, it's too late. They're here."

I look up and saw the three girls approaching us. Beth walked around the picnic table to greet them.

"Hi, girls," she said enthusiastically.

"Hi," they each replied.

"Chrissy, Dee, Mary, you've met my Mother and Susie.

The three girls all said hi.

"And this is my sister Jenny."

I saw Mom raise an eyebrow and Beth's smile drop for an instant when she realized her mistake. She immediately corrected herself.

"Well, Jenny is actually my cousin, but we're just like sisters. We share everything. She's wearing my kilt and blouse and I borrowed her designer jeans.

Beth spun around to show off her jeans.

"Jenny, this is Chrissy," Beth said, introducing a tall thin blonde with shoulder length hair. "We're in homeroom together. This is Dee, Denise actually, but we have another Denise in our class, so she's Dee. She's in my homeroom too," she said, putting her arm around a short girl with dark hair in a ponytail. And this is Mary." She put her other arm around an Asian girl with short dark hair and bangs. Beth paused, then turned to Chrissy and asked her, "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing much," Chrissy replied. "We're going over to Cindy's house to hang out. Do you want to come?"

Beth was very social and didn't want to be left out.

"Can I, Mom? Please? Cindy lives just the other side of the park. Please!"

"Well, Beth, it's not very polite to run off and leave your cousin. You can go but you have to take Jenny with you."

"Really, Mom? It's okay for Jenny to come with us?"

"Mom!" I exclaimed. "I mean Aunt Carol. I don't think that it's a good idea. I have some unpacking to do when I get home. Beth can go with her friends, I don't mind."

"Jenny's around our house so much, Beth and Susie are like her sisters and I'm like her second mother," Mom said to cover for me. "Jenny, you need to get out more. You will be staying with us for a while and need to meet people. Now scoot along with Beth and her friends and have fun."

"Yeah, really Jenny," added Chrissy, "it'll be fun. We're just going to hang out, maybe listen to some music and talk about boys." The girls giggled. "My Mom is picking me up in a couple of hours. Beth's house is on the way and she can drop you and her off. It's no biggie. C'mon."

"Yeah, like, really," said Mary.

"Totally cool," said Dee. "You can tell us all about the boys at your school."

"Yes," said Beth trying to keep a straight face without much success. "I want to hear all about the boys!"

I gave Beth a dirty look. Then I looked at Mom with a pleading expression. She gave me a big smile back. Before I could say anything more, Beth grabbed my hand and started to pull me along as the girls left.

"Wait," called Mom.

I breathed a sigh of relief. She was just kidding and now I was saved.

"Jenny, here," she said handing me my pocket book. "You almost forgot this."

"Oh, dear, how absent-minded of me," I said, giving Mom the eye. "I can't imagine what I would do without it. Thank you so much," I paused, "Aunty Carol."

The girls had stopped when they heard Mom call and now they started off again.

"I'll get you for this," I muttered to Beth as we hurried to catch up with them.

TO BE CONTINUED

Sister, Sister, Sister - Part 3
By Missy Crystal

Twelve year old Johnny wants to play Barbies with his sisters, but Barbies are for girls. How can Johnny join the game? A sweet, sentimental story about a young boy's discovery of the girl he should have been with the help of his sisters and mother. This is a story I wrote a couple of years ago and I am posting it here for those who would like to know more about Dr. Jenny Mitchell. It is complete, for those who anguish over being left hanging, but too long for a single post.

As I tagged along with Beth and her friends, I was glad that Beth ignored her brother when her friends came over, so they never saw me as a boy. That was an improvement over running into Mrs. Johnson earlier. Cindy's house was about five minutes from the park. As we walked along, the girls chatted about school and clothes and dates. I knew Beth didn't have a boy friend and I don't think she ever went out on a real date. The way Chrissy and Dee talked, they seemed to have more experience. Then the conversation turned to me.

"Jenny, do you have a boyfriend?" Chrissy inquired.

I was sure Beth was fascinated to hear the answer to that question.

"No, boys are really nasty," I said, repeating what Susie once said about some boys who were teasing her at recess. "I don't like them." That should put an end to the conversation, I thought.

"Well, Jenny, I think that will change very soon," Chrissy said very seriously. Once your hormones start working, you'll see. Won't she Beth?"

Beth looked at me.

"Definitely, Chrissy. It's just a matter of time before she starts to like boys."

I rolled my eyes and gave her another dirty look. Then I began to think about what she said. I know she was kidding me, but as Jenny, would I like boys?

Beth must have noticed that I became quiet. She moved close to me and whispered, "I'm sorry, Jenny. I was afraid if I didn't go along with the girls they would suspect something was wrong. Don't take it seriously. They're just pretending anyway. I know their moms don't let them date. Talking about boys is just a natural part of what girls do when they get together."

"Thanks, Beth," I said, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze, "but that's something I never really thought about before. If Jenny's a girl, shouldn't she like boys?"

"I don't know, Jenny," Beth said with a smile, "but if you start dating boys before I do, I'll really be pissed," and she deliberately gave me a bump with her hip.

The conversation ended with our arrival at Cindy's house. Chrissy rang the bell and a girl with blonde hair done into up in a French braid answered the door. She was wearing a pretty pink and white dress. The long skirt was flared and the top had a round neck and sort sleeves. There was lace trim on the top and a white sash around the waist. She was facing me so I couldn't see the back, but I guessed the sash was tied in a bow. Under her dress, she had on white lace tights and on her feet, pink patent leather shoes with a strap around her ankle and low heels. It was a really pretty outfit.

"Hey," Cindy greeted the girls.

"Hey," the girls greeted Cindy.

"This is my cousin Jenny," Beth said as she pushed me forward.

"Hi, Jenny," said Cindy, "it's nice to meet you."

"Hi Cindy," I said quietly. "It's nice to meet you too. I really like your dress."

"Thank you, Jenny," she said politely and turned to the other girls.

"Good timing. We just got back from my fitting for my cousin's wedding. This is my bridesmaid's dress," Cindy twirled around. "Isn't it delicious?" She picked up the skirt with her hands and swung it as she danced with a pretend partner: "There is this boy. His name is David. He is so, so handsome. He asks me to dance!"

She continued to hold onto her skirt and move to imaginary music. Finally, Cindy came back to earth.

"Lets go upstairs. Mommy," she called out, "my friends are here. We're going up to my room. Okay?"

I heard her mother reply from somewhere in the back of the house, "Okay, honey. Have fun girls. There's milk and cookies in the kitchen if you get hungry."

Cindy turned and we followed her upstairs. She picked up the skirt with her hands to raise it as she started up. I made a mental note about how to manage a long skirt when going up stairs. We got to the top and followed her to the end of the hallway. She opened a door and we all went in. I couldn't believe me eyes. Beth and Susie shared a room and it was crowded with two beds and two dressers. Cindy had a room to herself. There was plush aqua carpet on the floor and wallpaper with an aqua, pink and lavender flower design. The windows had drapes with matching material and the bed had a matching comforter and coordinating pillows. There was a double dresser with a big mirror, another full length mirror on a door, which I assumed was the closet, a desk and a large bookcase. All of the furniture was shiny white wood and the bed had a pink ruffled canopy. On the bed was a zoo of about a dozen stuffed animals and there was a doll collection lined up on the top shelf of the bookcase. Beth was standing next to me. I nudged her.

"Yeah," she whispered. "Wouldn't you kill for a room like this?"

"I'd kill for a room like yours," I kidded her, referring to my boy's room.

Our conversation was interrupted by music. I looked over to where it was coming from and saw Cindy and Mary next to a fancy stereo. Chrissy, and Dee were sitting on the bed. Beth went over to join them and I found a chair far enough away from the other girls that I did not have to get in their conversation.

"Jenny, be a dear and unzip me."

I looked up and saw Cindy standing in front of me. She turned around and I reached up, took the zipper and slowly pulled it down the back of her dress. I got about half way down and stopped.

"All the way, please, Jenny."

I continued to unzip the dress until the zipper stopped at the waist. I noticed that the top was still fastened around Cindy's shoulders. The only experience I had with a party dress was yesterday, when Beth dressed me up in hers to play Barbies, but that dress had buttons up the back. As I stood there, Cindy reached behind her neck and unhooked it. The top separated and she leaned forward as the dress slid off her shoulders and down her arms. She wiggled out of the waist and the dress dropped to the floor with a rustle of petticoats. Cindy was standing right in front of me and I couldn't help but see that she was wearing a white lace bra and white lace tights.

I glanced over at Beth and could she that she was trying not to laugh, because none of the other girls would understand what was so funny about me getting an eyeful as Cindy changed. In fact, the other girls weren't paying any attention to Cindy. They were having a conversation, as if they got dressed and undressed in front of each other all the time, which I guessed they probably did. The funny thing was that seeing Cindy undressed wasn't as interesting to me as seeing what she was wearing under her dress. I sat back down as Cindy peeled off her lace tights and stood in front of me in a pair of white nylon panties. I glanced over to the bed and saw Beth looking at me with a silly grin on her face. Cindy went over to the door with the mirror and opened it. I was right, it was a closet. She reached in and took out a pair of jeans, like the other girls had on. She held the jeans out, stepped into them and pulled them on. They were tight fitting and she had to struggle to get them up over her hips. Then she walked back towards me and stopped in front of her bureau. She opened up the second drawer and took out a pair of black cotton socks. She was facing me as she leaned forward to put on her socks and I had a close up look at her bra. It had thin straps and lace that covered the rounded white nylon cups. I couldn't tell if they were padded. Before I realized what was happening, Cindy reached behind her back and unhooked the bra, which slid down her arms answering my question. They were definitely her own. I immediately looked away and caught Beth covering her mouth with her hands to stop herself from giggling. Cindy opened the top drawer of the bureau and took out a stretchy top, which she pulled over her head. She used her hands to adjust each breast. Finally, she went back to the closet and took out a black short sleeve top, which she pulled over her head and tucked into her jeans.

"Jenny," Cindy said to me, "would you be a dear and hang up the dress for me, please? There's a hanger in the closet with a plastic bag on it."

'Be a dear' seemed to be one of her favorite expressions I thought to myself, but it didn't matter, because I was happy to get a close look at her dress. I walked over and picked it up. The stiff petticoats held the skirt out as I lifted it and I ran my hand over the lace on the top. From that point, I was at a loss. Luckily, Beth saw that I was in trouble and came over to help. She pretended to examine the dress and whispered to me, "There's a tiny hook which attaches to an eye at the neck. Then zip it up and tie the sash in a bow. There are loops inside the shoulders. They go over the hooks on the hanger, so that the dress won't slide off. Put the hanger through the arms and slide the bag over the dress." She went back and sat down on the bed. I followed her directions and handed the dress to Cindy.

"Oh, thank you Jenny, that's great," she complimented me.

I looked at Beth and winked. She winked back. We listened to music and the girls gossiped for about half an hour. I had never seen Beth with her girlfriends before. I was surprised how much they touched each other without seeming to give it any thought; doing each other's hair, sharing makeup, putting their hand on an arm or shoulder as they chatted. I thought to myself that Jenny needed to be friendlier, so I got up and went over to join the conversation. Dee had her pocket book open and was showing Beth something. I sat down on the bed beside Beth. She looked at me and then back to Dee.

"See," said Dee, showing Beth a small pearl colored container. "My mother got it for me. It holds three." She slid the top off and handed one of the little white ovals inside to Beth.

"That's really cool," Beth replied while examining the object. "I'll have to get my mother to get one for me. Here, Jenny."

I took it from Beth. She gave me a funny look. I had no idea what it was.

"Do you use tampons?" Dee asked me.

Holy cow, I thought. We're back to the period thing. Is Beth going to clue me in, so I don't give myself away?

Luckily, Cindy's mom called up the stairs.

"Girls, Chrissy's mother is here to give you a ride home. Hurry up down."

Beth took the tampon from me and handed it back to Dee. The ride home only took a few minutes. I said goodbye to Beth's friends and got out of the car. Beth followed me. We walked around to the kitchen door and went in. Mom was in the kitchen getting supper started.

"Hi, girls," she greeted us. "Did you have fun?"

"Well," said Beth, "Jenny got quite an education," and she stared to laugh.

Mom looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

"What on earth does that mean?" she inquired.

"Oh, just that Cindy put on quite a show for Jenny changing out of her dress."

Mom looked at me.

"You're the one that told me to go," I reminded her.

"Yes," Mom told me, "and I still think it was a good idea. Jenny, you're going to have to get used to being around girls as a girl. Was there a problem?"

"No, Mom, it was fine. I just wasn't expecting to become one of the girls so quickly."

"Good," said Mom, "I'm very proud of my daughters." She came over and gave us both a hug. "Now, scoot along and get washed up. Dinner's almost ready."

After dinner, we cleaned up the kitchen. When we finished, Mom announced, "I'm going to take Susie upstairs and give her a bath."

"Can Jenny give me a bath?" Susie asked Mom.

"No, Susie, I'm afraid not," Mom replied. "Jenny may be your sister, but she's still a boy and boys don't give girl's baths."

"But if I had to go to the bathroom at the mall, Jenny would go with me to the girl's room, wouldn't she?" Susie argued.

"Well, luckily that wasn't something that we needed to deal with last night; but yes, Jenny would use the ladies' room. However, you're old enough to go to the bathroom by yourself. She doesn't see you with your panties down."

"What if I wore my bathing suit?" Susie persisted.

"Hmmm," Mom thought for a minute. "Okay, I'll tell you what. You keep on your panties and undershirt. Jenny can wash you up and do your hair. Then I'll finish. Now, off with you. I'll start your bath. Jenny, come with me."

I followed Mom into the bathroom. She closed the drain, turned on the faucets and started to fill the tub. A few minutes later, Susie came in. She had on cute little white cotton panties with tiny red hearts and a white cotton tank top undershirt. She got right into the tub.

"Can Jenny and I play a little bit before she washes me up, Mom? Please."

"Okay," Mom said. "But just five minutes, because it's past your bedtime."

Susie had a Little Mermaid doll with a glittery green fish tail that pulled up over her legs and a pair of seashells for a bra.

"This is Ariel. Ariel, this is my sister Jenny," Susie said, formally introducing us.

"Hi Ariel," I said. "What pretty red hair you have."

Susie had some other bath toys and we made up a game with Ariel escaping from Ursula, the evil sea witch, and marrying the handsome Prince Eric. The fact that we didn't have any of the other characters didn't seem to bother Susie.

"Okay, you two," Mom called to us, time to put the toys away and get washed up."

"Please, just a few more minutes. Jenny and I are having fun," Susie pleaded.

"No, Susie. Mom wants you to get washed up. Let's get started."

Was that me talking, the boy who always whined for a few more minutes? I had only been Jenny for two days and already she was having a good influence on me. I found a washcloth and began to scrub Susie's arms and legs. When I got to her feet, she started to giggle and splash around.

"Please be careful, Susie, you'll get my blouse wet."

My blouse? I was even starting to talk like a girl! Just then, Mom came in.

"Oh, thank you Jenny. That's great. Make sure you get her neck and behind her ears. I'll hold her hair back for you."

Susie had shoulder length blond hair that she wore straight with bangs. I wished my hair looked like that. Mom pulled it back into a ponytail, twisted it around a couple of times and held it on top of her head. Maybe, someday I would be able to have a ponytail too.

"Watch closely, Jenny. Run the water until its warm, then have Susie lean back under the faucet. Soak her hair good and use a small amount of the shampoo. Not too much, just enough to work up a good lather. It's a special shampoo that won't sting her eyes. After you've worked in the soap, have her lean back under the faucet." Mom supported the back of Susie's head with her head as she leaned her back. Rinse all of the soap out of her hair and sit her up." Mom put her other hand on Susie's head to prevent her from banging it on the faucet as she sat up. "Here," she said, handing me a spray bottle. This is a conditioner and detangler. It prevents snarls and makes her hair easier to comb out." Mom handed me a fine tooth comb. "Use it to work the conditioner and detangler though her hair. Yes, that's good. Make sure you get all of her hair."

"Wow," Mom, I commented, "it sure takes a lot of work to wash a girl's hair."

"Yes," Jenny, "it does, but you'll get used to it. Men think that women are born pretty. They don't realize how much time and trouble it takes us to create that illusion and we don't spoil it by letting them in on the secret." Mom paused and looked at me lovingly. "Except for a few special ones." She reached out and I snuggled up to her. She gave me a big hug and released me. "Time to do your homework," she reminded me. You have school tomorrow."

I was heading out the bathroom door and stopped suddenly.

"What's wrong?" Mom asked.

"School," I replied. "I forgot all about it. Everything happened so fast over the last couple of days. Please, Mom, can I go to school as Jenny? Please!"

"Jenny, lets go outside."

We stepped out of the bathroom and Mom closed the door.

"Weren't you the one who was afraid of having pierced ears and a girl's hairdo, because the boys would call you a sissy and beat you up? What makes you think that it will be different if you go to school dressed in girl's clothes?"

"Well," I reasoned, "everyone who saw me today treated me like a girl, so, well, so I thought that maybe the kids at school would too."

"Jenny, dear," mother said softly, "your sisters and I treated you like a girl, because we're your family. Everyone else treated you like a girl, because they didn't know you were a boy. The kids at school will know. So will your teachers and the principal. I'm sorry," she said apologetically, "but, even if your wishful thinking was true, it's not possible. The school would never allow it. You would be sent home and I would get in trouble for letting things go as far as I have. I should have thought of this before. It was selfish of me to encourage you to be Jenny and it would be best if you went back to being a boy."

"No, Mom! No! No! No! It wasn't selfish. I like being Jenny. Beth and Susie like me as Jenny. You like me as Jenny too. I know you do. Why can't I be Jenny all the time?"

"Because, honey, you're too young to make that decision and I don't have the right to make it for you. Jenny will just have to wait until you are older."

I calmed down a little.

"Look, Mom. I can go to school as Johnny. If that's what I have to do, I'll do it. It's only six hours. Then when I come home, I have the rest of the day and all night to be Jenny. And weekends, holidays and vacations too. That's a lot better than going back to the way things were. I may have to go to school as a boy, but a girl lives here. Sister, sister, sister. That's just how it is. Okay, Mom?"

I looked up at her. She had tears in her eyes. Through her sniffling I heard her say, "Yes. If you're really sure you want to do this, its okay. You know I love you. I love you as a boy. I love you as a girl. I just want you to be happy and if being Jenny makes you happy, then it makes me happy too."

"I love you too, Mom. And I'm very happy to be your daughter," I added.

Mom's serious face turned into a big smile. "Now run along. I have to finish Susie's bath. Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed. "I forgot all about her. She must be waterlogged by now."

She turned and went quickly into the bathroom. I started off down the hallway and stopped outside Beth and Susie's room. The door was closed. I knocked.

"Come in," Beth answered my knock. She looked up and saw my sad face. "What's wrong, Jenny?" she asked.

"School," I told her."

"What's wrong with school? I like school. Don't you like school?"

"Not as Johnny I don't," I told her.

"Oh, I forgot about that. What are you going to do?"

"Nothing," I told her. "Mom says there's nothing I can do until I'm older. In the meantime, you'll have to put up with Johnny."

I was kidding, but Beth took me seriously.

"Maybe Jenny will be a good influence on him. Who knows? Maybe he'll even grow up to be like her." She winked at me. "We'll just have to wait and see. Anyway, tonight you're Jenny. So go put on your pretty nightie and grab you books. Mom will be coming to get Susie ready for bed. We can go down to the kitchen and study together."

I headed back to my room and started to get undressed. I unbuttoned my blouse and slipped out of it. Then I unbuckled the two straps on my kilt, undid the fastener and button and the skirt turned back into one long piece of material. My tights came off next, and then my top. I left my panties on and pulled my nightgown over my head. My arms went into my robe, which I tied in front with the two ribbons. I was now ready for bed, except for the nightly face washing and hair brushing that Beth had me do. I picked up my backpack and went downstairs to the kitchen. Beth was already sitting at the kitchen table. She had one leg tucked under her. It looked really uncomfortable, but if that's how girls sit, then that's how I'll sit, I thought to myself. I stood next to the chair and bent my left leg under me as I sat.

Beth looked up.

"Copy cat," she said with a smile.

"Yes," I agreed. "I want to be just like my big sister," and I smiled back at her. "However, I think this will take some getting used to." I took my leg out from under me and sat down again.

Beth got serious.

"What do you have for homework?" she questioned me.

"I'm not sure. I'll have to check my assignment book."

Up to now, I had never paid much attention to doing my homework and my grades showed it. Usually, I'd copy off one of the kids in my class during homeroom or knock off something in study hall.

"Well, miss," Beth said impatiently as I rummaged though the books and papers.

"Keep you pantyhose on, will you. I'm looking," I told her.

"Jenny!" Beth exclaimed. "Watch what you say, please."

I stopped.

"Oh, Beth. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it. Really. It's just, well, it's just that some of Johnny's habits are hard to break. Please forgive me."

"Of course, Jenny. I just wanted you to realize that was not very ladylike. Girls don't talk to each other like that."

"Thank you, Beth, for being so nice. I know I have a lot to learn. I really do want Jenny to be a lady."

"No problem, Sis. Now, have you found your assignment book?"

I kept looking.

"Yes, here it is." I pulled it out from the bottom of the backpack.

I turned to last Friday: Math — worksheet. Science — worksheet. English — write a poem. Social Studies — map review.

"Wow. That's a lot of homework. I'll never get it done," I complained.

"Of course you will, Jenny. You just need to be organized and concentrate. If you put as much time into doing your homework as Johnny did watching TV and playing video games, you'll do fine. Now, let's start with the math. Where's the worksheet?"

I went back through my backpack and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. Beth gave me an exasperated look.

"The first thing you need to learn is that boys are slobs and girls are neat. You have to take care of your things and that means your school work too."

"Okay, Beth. I'll be more careful. It's not too bad, anyway." I ran my hands over it a couple of times. "There."

She gave me another look.

"C'mon, Beth. I'm trying. You've had twelve years to learn how to be a girl and I've had two days. Actually, I think I'm doing pretty good."

"Actually, I think you're doing pretty good too and I'm really happy you chose to be my sister."

She reached over and patted my arm. Touching is definitely a girl thing I thought.

"Why don't you try a couple of the problems? I'll check them when you're done. She went back to her reading."

I looked at the math sheet. Now I wished I paid attention in class. I had no idea how to do the problems. I pretended to work on the first one, writing down the problem and then making up numbers, erasing them and putting down different ones. Beth looked over at me and frowned.

"You don't know how to do it, do you?"

I looked down.

"No. I'm sorry. Usually I just copy somebody's paper when I get to school. Mr. Merrill doesn't care."

"You have Mr. Merrill for math? I had him too. He's a good teacher. I'm sure he would care if he thought you did. Okay, let me show you how to do the first problem. Pay attention Jenny."

Beth was a good teacher. She was patient and she showed me how to do the problem step by step. Then she had me do it again while she watched. It took me a while, but I finally got the right answer.

"Good girl, Jenny. I knew you could to it. Now try the next problem."

Beth went back to her own work while I tried to follow her instruction. After about five minutes I actually had an answer.

"Is this right?" I showed her my work.

She studied it.

"Yes, Jenny. That's excellent. Now do the next one."

It took a while, but I finished the worksheet. Beth checked it over. There were one or two mistakes. She wouldn't tell me the right answers. She just made me do them over. Maybe it was spending time with Beth or maybe it was my understanding the problems, probably both; but for the first time that I could remember I actually enjoyed doing homework. After math, Beth helped me with the rest of my assignments. We were still at the kitchen table when Mom came in. She looked at Beth and then at me. I could see she was really happy.

"Susie's in bed. She wanted you to read her a story, Jenny, but I told her you were busy. She's quite taken with you and I can see why. The change is amazing. I only hope that you've made the right decision."

"I'm quite taken with my little sister, too," I told her. "And my big sister," I added, taking the opportunity to pat Beth's arm.

She smiled at me.

"And I'm quite taken with being Jenny. Whatever happens, Mom, it was definitely the right decision."

"I hope so," Mom said with a serious look. "Having three daughters makes it much easier. We'll just have to wait and see how things work out. I really hope they do, Jenny, for all our sakes." Then her smile was back. "It's getting late girls."

She turned and headed for the stairs.

"You better finish up or you won't be able to get up for school tomorrow."

"Yes, Mom," Beth said. "Goodnight, I love you."

"Yes, Mom," I said. "Goodnight, I love you," I repeated.

It was late when we finished our homework. We went upstairs and shared the bathroom. Even though it had been a long day and I was tired, Beth insisted that I do my complete skin care and hair routine. Finally, everything was done to her satisfaction. I said goodnight to her and slipped into bed. There was hardly any time to enjoy my silky nightgown before my eyes closed and I was fast asleep.

I was having a wonderful dream. We were at the mall and Mr. Kenneth was putting my long, blonde hair into a French braid. I heard him calling my name.

"Jenny! Jenny! Hurry up. You need to leave or you and Susie will miss the bus."

I sat up. I wasn't at the mall. I was in my bedroom and it wasn't Mr. Kenneth's voice, it was Mom's. I looked over at my alarm clock: 7:30. Oh no, that couldn't be right. Then I realized that I was so involved with getting Jenny ready for bed that I forgot to set my alarm.

"Okay, Mom. One minute. I'm coming."

I jumped out of bed, pulled my nightgown over my head and tossed it on the bed. Girls may be neat, but Johnny was in a hurry. I went over to my bureau and took out a pair of underpants and a t-shirt. I changed out of my girl's underwear. My briefs and t-shirt felt funny after wearing panties and cammies all weekend. So did not tucking my wiener under. I pulled on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, ran my fingers through my hair and stepped into a pair of sneakers. Quite a difference from what it takes Jenny to make herself presentable I thought as I headed for the stairs. Girls in dresses and heels may not run, but boys who are late for the school bus sure do. When I reached the kitchen, Mom and Susie were waiting. They both looked surprised when they saw me en drab, as Mr. Kenneth called it. There wasn't any time for conversation.

"Lets, go, Sis," I said to Susie as I grabbed my backpack and slung it over my shoulder. "See you later Mom," I said as I took Susie's hand and rushed out the door.

We walked quickly to the corner. As we arrived, I saw the bus about a block away. Susie pulled on my hand.

"What happened to Jenny," she asked me with a sad face. "I want her to take me to school."

"Shhhh, Susie," I whispered to her. "Jenny can't go to school. She's a very special girl who lives in our house and loves her little sister very much, but you can't talk about her to anyone or you'll spoil everything. I would get thrown out of school and Mom would get in trouble. Okay? Can you do that for me?"

"Yes, Jenny. I mean Johnny. I won't say anything. But Jenny will still be my sister won't she?"

"Yes Susie," I assured her. "No matter what happens, Jenny will always be your sister." I put my arm down and gave her a little hug.

The bus pulled up and we got on. Susie went to the back to sit with her friends and I slid into an open seat next to Kevin, one of the kids in my class who I hung out with.

"Hey, Johnny. What's up?" he greeted me.

"Not much," I answered him, "went away for the weekend."

That was true, sort of.

"You?"

"Usual," he said with a shrug.

Then he turned to me.

"Wow! You've got an earring. Cool."

"What?" I put my hands up and felt my ears.

Uh oh. I was in such a rush this morning I forgot to take out my earrings.

"Umm, yeah. All the big athletes and movie stars have them. My cousin got his ear pierced," well that was true too, sort of, "so Mom said I could get mine done. I have to wear this stud for a while, then I'm going to get a skull or something."

I reminded myself not to turn my head so he could see I had both ears pierced.

"The earring is cool," Kevin went on, "but I would lose the nail polish."

"What?"

I looked down at the back of my hand. I couldn't believe it. I forgot to take off the pink nail polish Beth and Susie put on me when we did makeovers.

"I'm going to kill that little sister of mine," I said pretending to be angry. "She talked me into playing beauty parlor and gave me a manicure. I'm going to go see the nurse as soon as we get to school. Maybe she's got something to get this off."

Luckily, the bus arrived at school a minute later, so there wasn't any more time for conversation with Kevin.

"Gotta run," I told him, jumping up from my seat and pushing my way through the line of kids waiting to get off before he could get a good look at me.

As soon as I got off, I quickly took out my earrings and put them in my pocket. Then I rushed up the stairs and headed down the corridor to the nurse's office. I opened the door, looked around to see if there was anyone else waiting, and then closed the door and took a seat. Mrs. McGowan came out in her white uniform. She knew Mom.

"Hi, Johnny. What's the matter? Don't you feel well?"

"Umm, no Mrs. McGowan. I feel okay. I just have a small problem."

"Oh," she said curiously. "What kind of problem? Not something about sex education I hope. I can't help you with that. You have to speak with Mr. Nyles, the boy's phys. ed. teacher."

"No, Mrs. McGowan," I assured her, "it doesn't have anything to do with sex education. It has to do with letting my little sister play beauty parlor and give me a manicure."

I held out my hands and showed her my fingernails.

"Do you have anything to take this stuff off? It's really embarrassing."

"Well, I don't get much call for nail polish remover," she teased me, "but maybe alcohol will take it off."

She took a little package out of a cabinet, tore off the top and took out a square.

"Give me your left hand," she directed me.

I held it out. She took the square and pressed it on top of the nail of my little finger. She held it for a few seconds. Then she rubbed it back and forth and took it off.

"Hmm," she said, holding up the square and then looking at my nail. "That acrylic polish is made to stay on. Maybe Mrs. Green has something stronger in the science lab. Do you want me to give her a call?"

I hesitated. This wasn't something I wanted the whole school to know about. Mrs. McGowan must have sensed my concern.

"You don't have to worry, Johnny. I'll explain the situation to her. I'm sure she'll keep it confidential."

"Whatever," I replied with a shrug of my shoulders. "I don't have much choice."

Mrs. McGowan picked up the phone and dialed.

"Hello, Paula, this is Sally. Yes, fine thanks. How about you? Good. Listen, I have a student here with a little problem and I was hoping you could help. No, no. It's not a medical problem. She lowered her voice. He's wearing nail polish." There was a pause. "Yes, I said 'he.' Pink. Really. It's not a joke. He let his little sister give him a manicure and forgot to take it off. Do you have anything to remove it? Yes? Okay, I'll send him right down."

"Johnny, do you know where Mrs. Green's room is?"

"Yes."

"Alright then, she's expecting you. You'd better hurry. It's almost time for the first bell."

I picked up my backpack and headed down the stairs. Mrs. Green's room was in the basement at the other end of the building. I went as fast as I could without drawing attention to myself. I got to her room and opened the door. As the science teacher she did not have a homeroom.

"Ah," she exclaimed, "the young man with the problem. Come in."

I walked over to her. She was young, pretty and seemed very friendly.

"Come into the supply room," she directed.

I followed her through a door behind her desk. She pointed to a chair and I sat down.

"This should work. It's acetone, the same ingredient that's in nail polish remover."

She unscrewed the top of a dark brown bottle, wet a little ball of cotton and held it on the nail of my little finger, just like Mrs. McGowan had done. After a few seconds she rubbed it around and then removed it. There was pink on the cotton and I could see that most of the polish was off my nail.

"Whew," I said with relief.

She turned the cotton ball and rubbed the nail some more, then turned it and rubbed it again until no more pink came off. Then she dropped the cotton ball into a glass jar and did the next nail with another cotton ball. She did one more nail and then handed me a clean cotton ball.

"You got yourself into this. You get yourself out of it." She smiled. "You better hurry though, my first period class will be here soon. Please put the used cotton balls in the jar and cover it and make sure you wash you hands when you're done." She pointed to a small sink. "Oh, and next time, tell your little sister to use clear polish."

She laughed and left, closing the door.

I worked as quickly as I could. Once I got all of my nails clean, I checked them closely and saw that there was still some color near the bottom, so I had to go back over them. I heard the bell ring. Finally, no more pink came off on the cotton ball. I made sure that the top was on the jar, screwed the cap back on the bottle and washed my hands with lots of soap and water to get rid of the smell. I dried my hands on the paper towels that were above the sink and then slowly opened the door to the classroom. I could see that the kids were coming in and taking their seats. Luckily, I didn't see anybody I knew. I slipped out of the door and Mrs. Green turned around.

"Everything okay?" she asked me.

"Yes. Thank you very much Mrs. Green. You're a lifesaver."

"Glad to help."

She looked towards her class and then back to me.

"Maybe if I give up teaching I can open a nail salon," she whispered.

I rolled my eyes.

"Maybe," I said, "but don't count on me as a repeat customer."

She laughed.

"I wrote a note for your first period class. I said that you were working on a 'special assignment' for me."

She handed me the note.

I left and hurried to my math class. When I got there, the class had already started. I tried to slip quietly into my seat, but Mr. Merrill saw me. He came over.

"Do you have a note?" he asked skeptically.

"Yes, Mr. Merrill," and I handed him the note.

Johnny didn't exactly have a good reputation. Since he didn't catch me the first time, he gave me a second chance to get myself in trouble.

"Do you have your homework?"

"Yes, Mr. Merrill."

To his obvious surprise, I opened up my backpack and took out the homework sheet I had done with Beth last night.

"Here it is," and I handed it to him.

He took it from me and looked it over. Three's a charm he must have thought, sure to catch me this time.

"Did you do this all by yourself?"

"Yes, I did all of the problems by myself, but my sister Beth went over them with me and checked my work," I told him honestly.

Mr. Merrill's attitude changed.

"Beth's your sister? My, my. She was one of my best students. Please tell her that I said hello." He started to walk away and then turned back towards me. "And keep up the good work," he added.

Being prepared made a big difference. Usually, math class put me to sleep, but actually I was able to follow Mr. Merrill's lesson and before I realized it, the bell rang for second period. It was the same for each of my other classes. The teachers were surprised that I had my homework to hand in and even more surprised when they saw it was right. The lessons made sense and I even raised my hand a few times and answered some questions. The other kids must have thought I was possessed or something, because up to now I was practically invisible when it came time for class participation. Before I knew it, the last period bell was ringing and it was time to go home. I gathered up my books, carefully placed the worksheet that was just handed out in my binder pocket to avoid another lecture from Beth about neatness and headed for the bus. When I got outside, I ran into Kevin.

"Hey, Johnny, some of the gang is going over to the park. You coming?"

"No, Kevin, sorry," I replied. "I'd really like to, but my Mom has been on my case about my grades and I'm grounded. I have to go right home or else."

"Bummer." Then he looked at me closely. "What happened to your earring?" he asked. "Did it fall out?"

"No," I told him. "I took it out. Too many kids were cracking jokes. I didn't need the hassle. It's not a big deal, probably a bad idea to start with. Well, gotta run. If I miss the bus, I'm dead meat."

I got on the bus and found an empty seat. Ten minutes later, I was in the house. As usual, Mom was at work, Beth was still at cheerleading practice and Susie was at Mrs. Johnson's. I dropped my backpack in the kitchen and got myself a glass of milk and a cookie. As I sipped the milk and nibbled on the cookie, I thought about how just a couple of days ago I would have grabbed a handful and taken a slug out of the carton instead. When I finished, I rinsed the glass, dried it and put it back in the cabinet. Then I headed upstairs to transform myself into Jenny on my own for the first time.

I went into my room and took off the jeans and sweatshirt I had thrown on this morning when I was rushing to get ready for school. I had to pee, so I went into the bathroom and sat down. Might as well get into the mood, I thought. I took off my t-shirt and underpants and went to my bureau. There were a few pairs of Beth's old underpants that she had given to me: two pairs of plain white cotton, a pair of yellow cotton with white edging and the pair of pink nylon panties that Beth had put on me when she put me in her party dress. I really wanted to wear the silky nylon panties again, but Beth had said those were for when I got dressed up. Then I remembered that Beth and I had each bought a pair of stretchy white lace panties and a matching top at the mall. I looked around in the drawer until I found them. I put on the panties and tucked my wiener under where it belonged. They were hip huggers with high cut legs. I loved the way they felt, clinging to my hips and butt. The top was also clingy and would have showed off my figure, if I had one. With my underwear on, I went to explore Beth's wardrobe.

The first thing I saw when I walked in was my reflection in the full length mirror on the closet door. I moved closer and turned sideways, then around so that my back was to the mirror, trying to see my butt. When I finished admiring myself, I went to Beth's dresser. It had four drawers. I opened the top one. It was filled with a rainbow of panties and bras. Beth knew that we were sharing clothes, except for panties, so I didn't think that she would mind my looking through her things, but I wanted to make sure I left everything neat. I opened the next drawer and it had all sorts of socks, stockings and tights. The next drawer had tops. The bottom drawer had bathing suits and shorts. I really wanted to try one of the bikinis on, just for fun, but there was no hurry and I was anxious to pick out an outfit.

I walked over to the closet and opened the door. One side had Susie's clothes. They were too little girlish and too small for me. I started to look through Beth's clothes. There were lots of jeans and pants. That was what she usually wore to school and around the house. Next were skirts, then blouses, then sweaters and finally dresses. Her shoes were arranged in a line on the floor by heel height and then boots. I couldn't believe that her closet was organized like a department store. Girls certainly are neat I remarked to myself. This was my first time dressing myself as Jenny and I wanted something simple, so I decided on a skirt and blouse. There were lots of different styles, lengths and materials to choose from. I tried on a few just for fun. Boy's clothes don't button and zip in back, so I struggled for a while until I figured out that I could fasten them in front and then turn them around.

The last skirt I took out was blue denim. It had a little flare and came a couple of inches above my knees when I held it up to my waist in the mirror. I took it off the hanger clips and found that it opened up like the kilt I wore yesterday, except there weren't any buckles and there was only one button and a string on each side. I wrapped it around me, but when I buttoned it, one of the strings was covered. I took the skirt off and examined it. I saw that there was a small buttonhole at the waist to put the string through. I put it on again, wrapped the right side over the left and poked the string through the buttonhole. Now I could tie the skirt in front. I remembered that yesterday Beth had worn a blue cotton blouse with her jeans and left the neck open, so you could see her top underneath. I found the blouse, slipped it on and left the top buttons undone so my lace cammie showed. I still needed something for my legs. I went back to Beth's bureau and looked through her stocking drawer. I liked feeling my lace panties against my skirt and picked out a pair of knee socks instead of tights. I started to sit down on the bed to pull them on and then remembered I needed to smooth my skirt first, so I stood up and ran my hands over my butt and behind my legs. Once I had the socks on, I went to the closet and found the loafers with the heel that Beth picked out for me when I wore her jumper. I slipped into them, completing my outfit. I stood in front of the mirror, turning and making dramatic gestures the way I had seen models do on TV.

As I studied my reflection, it seemed like something was missing. Then I realized I was not wearing my earrings. I went back to my room and found them in the pocket of my jeans. I returned to Beth's room and sat at her makeup table. This was the first time that I had taken my earrings out and I struggled to line the posts up with the holes and then to get the backs over them. Finally, they were in. Putting on my lipstick was next. There were a few tubes to choose from. Yesterday Beth had suggested red lipstick to coordinate with my kilt. I wore pink with the jean jumper and thought that would probably go with a jean skirt too. It only took me a couple of tries to get a nice even pink color on my lips and I was very proud of my progress. I spent the next fifteen minutes brushing out my hair. I remembered what Mr. Kenneth had said about making the style more feminine with accessories, so I looked through the drawer and found a couple of gold barrettes that I clipped on. A little bit of perfume and Beth's gold heart locket and gold bangle bracelet completed my outfit.

I went back and studied myself in the mirror. During lunch at school I had been eyeing the girls. One of them caught me and must have thought I was interested in her, because she winked back at me. I wondered what she would think if she knew I was checking out what she was wearing and not her. I definitely looked as good as any of those girls. Maybe even better, I kidded myself. Nobody would recognize me as a boy. My admiration of myself was interrupted by the telephone. I hurried to Mom's bedroom and picked it up.

"Hello."

The voice on the other end of the line said, "Hello."

It was Mom.

"Hi Mom," I answered her.

"Jenny, is that you?" she asked.

"Yes, it's me," I replied. "Who were you expecting? Johnny doesn't live here any more," I told her half seriously.

"Listen, honey," Mom went on. I have a chance to work an extra shift. I used to come right home, because I was worried about you, I mean Johnny, getting into trouble if I left him alone, but I don't need to keep an eye on Jenny."

"Thanks, Mom, for trusting me. I'm sorry I made things difficult for you," I apologized.

"Oh, it's not your fault, sweetie," Mom continued. "Boys just get into mischief, especially when they don't have a father around. That's one of the reasons I'm so happy that you decided to be Jenny. Anyway, the reason why I'm calling is to ask if you and Beth can pick up Susie at Mrs. Johnson's. I probably won't be home until after midnight, so you and Beth will have to make dinner. It would probably be too much for Beth to do by herself, but with your help I'm sure it will be okay."

"Mom, are you sure about me going to Mrs. Johnson's? Remember, I ran into her at the park and I'm not sure whether she recognized me. Maybe Beth should go by herself."

"It's up to you, Jenny, but I had a nice chat with Mrs. Johnson when I dropped Susie off this morning on my way to work. I was curious to hear what she would say about you. She mentioned meeting you and asked how long you would be staying with us. I told her I wasn't sure; that my sister was relocating and we decided it would be easier if you came here until they were settled. She complimented you on how pretty you looked and said that she hoped to see you again. It seems to me that she is convinced you're a girl. Either way, tell Beth I called and asked her to pick up Susie when she gets home because I'll be late and that you and she need to feed yourselves and Susie. There's a frozen pizza in the freezer. She knows how to heat it in the oven. Okay?"

"Okay, Mom. I'll tell Beth and I'll give visiting Mrs. Johnson some thought. Goodnight. I love you."

"I love you too, Jenny. Goodnight."

TO BE CONTINUED

Sister, Sister, Sister - Part 4
By Missy Crystal

Twelve year old Johnny wants to play Barbies with his sisters, but Barbies are for girls. How can Johnny join the game? A sweet, sentimental story about a young boy's discovery of the girl he should have been with the help of his sisters and mother. This is a story I wrote a couple of years ago and I am posting it here for those who would like to know more about Dr. Jenny Mitchell. It is complete, for those who anguish over being left hanging, but too long for a single post.

After I hung up from Mom, I started thinking. She was convinced that Mrs. Johnson didn't know that Jenny was a boy, but I wasn't so sure. There wasn't a lot of time for her to check me out when she saw me in the park. Did she really want to meet Jenny again, like she said, or did she want another look at me to be sure it was Johnny in girl's clothes? I didn't see any reason to take a chance. On the other hand, I liked going out as Jenny. I decided to wait and talk to Beth when she got home. She was really good at figuring things out. I wasn't sure when she'd get home from cheerleading practice, so I went down to the kitchen and started doing my homework. I tried folding my left leg under me and sitting the way Beth did. I managed it for a few minutes, but it was uncomfortable. There are some things that girls do that I guess I will never be able to do I thought. I had just finished my math and was reading my English book when I heard the door open and Beth came in.

"Hi Sis," Beth said and then did a double take. "Wow! Stand up and turn around." She paused as I modeled for her. "You look really cute."

"Thanks," I replied, "I had a very good teacher."

I smiled at her and tried to curtsey. I put my hands on the side of my skirt and started to bend down. It was more like a bow and Beth giggled.

"Well, there are still a few things I can show you."

She flared out her short cheerleader's skirt and slid her right leg back while bending her left knee.

"See, you dip down and keep you upper body straight. Girls don't bend over in skirts. Want to try it again?"

I followed Beth's example, although I was a little unsteady.

"Much better," she said approvingly. "A little more practice and you'll be a perfect lady."

"Thank you your highness," I kidded her as I tried again. As I straightened up, I told her, "seriously though, I have something I need to talk to you about."

"Okay, little sister, what's up?" she asked curiously.

"Well, Mom called. She said she was going to work another shift. Actually, she made me feel really good, because she said that she would have come home to make sure Johnny didn't get into any trouble, but she trusted Jenny and ..."

"Well, Mom's right about that," Beth interrupted. "Seeing you dressed up by yourself when I came in was surprising, but seeing you doing your homework by yourself was shocking."

"Thanks for agreeing with Mom," I said with mock anger, because I realized now that I really was a pain as a boy, "but, getting back to what I was saying, Mom will be working late, so she wanted me and you to go get Susie at Mrs. Johnson's and to make dinner. She said there's pizza in the freezer. That's the problem.

"Making frozen pizza?"

"No, the problem is my going to Mrs. Johnson's with you. Mom talked to her and she thinks that she doesn't know who I really am, but I don't think it's worth taking the chance."

"I need to change out of my cheerleader outfit. Come upstairs with me and we can talk about it."

I followed Beth upstairs to her room. I had never really looked at her cheerleader outfit before. She had on a maroon sleeveless jumper with a short pleated skirt with white between the pleats, a white long sleeved turtleneck, tan tights with white sneaker socks over them and sneakers. I was behind her on the stairs, so I could see maroon panties under her short skirt.

As soon as we got in her room, Beth stopped and said, "Unzip me please."

I hesitated.

"Are you sure?" I asked her.

"Well, let's see. I dress you up, right?"

"Right," I replied.

"And we wear our panties and bras when we get washed up, right?"

"Right," I repeated.

"And we're sisters, aren't we?"

"Yes," I agreed.

"Then what's the problem?"

"No problem. It's just that, well, it seemed like helping you to get undressed is, well, just different than your dressing me or my seeing you undressed. I don't know. It's just, well, I love being your sister and I wouldn't want to do anything to mess it up."

Beth turned around and put her arms around me.

"Nothing is going to mess things up between me and my sister Jenny. Ever!" She emphasized her assurance by hugging me. "If I ask you to do something, it's because I want you to do it. And right now I want you to unzip me. You didn't seem to mind when you did if for Cindy," she reminded me playfully, letting go of me and turning around.

I reached up and pulled the zipper down. Beth bent forward and wiggled her shoulders. The jumper slid down her arms and dropped to the floor. She stepped out of it. Next off were her sneakers and socks. After that, she crossed her arms, took hold of the bottom of her turtleneck and pulled it over her head. Then she hooked her thumbs in the waistband of her panties and started to take them off.

"Beth!" I exclaimed.

She stopped.

"What?" she said startled. Then she realized. "Oh," and she giggled. "These are cheerleader's panties. They're like bloomers."

She saw I had a puzzled look.

"Bloomers were baggy underpants girls wore in the olden days for modesty. I have on tights and my regular panties underneath." She continued to take them off, then her tights. When she finished, she was in a white sports bra and white cotton panties.

"Now then, let's talk about you," she said as she opened the closet door and took out a pair of jeans. "If you're worried about Mrs. Johnson recognizing you, why not just stay home?"

"That's what I thought too, but I like going out as Jenny. Mom said that Mrs. Johnson was really nice and even if she did know I was a boy she wouldn't say anything. If she did, Mom would just tell her I was being punished. Then again, she might have believed that story when she saw me the first time, but she'd have to wonder why I was still dressed up as a girl today. What would Mom say to that? Johnny liked wearing his sister's clothes so much that he just wanted to keep being a girl?"

Beth stepped into her jeans, pulled them up, buttoned the waist and zipped up the fly. She opened her bureau, took out a short sleeved top, slipped it over her head and tucked it in. She put her hands up and fluffed her hair. Then she turned and looked at herself in the mirror. She went back to her bureau and got out a pair of white sox. She turned to me.

"Yes, if you want my opinion, that's just what Mom should say. I think that you have to be who you are. If you're Jenny, then you're a girl and people will have to deal with you as a girl. If they have a problem, it's their problem, not yours."

I thought about what Beth had said for a while. I am Jenny. Why should I worry about Mrs. Johnson? Beth was balancing on one foot putting on her sock. I ran over and threw my arms around her. She lost her balance and we toppled over onto the bed.

"I love you, Sis," I said emotionally. "I can't imagine having a more wonderful sister. I hope Jenny grows up just like you."

Beth was rarely at a loss for words, but my show of affection took her by surprise. Either that, or I knocked the wind out of her. Either way, after we got untangled, she bent over and kissed me on the cheek.

"I love you too, Sis," she said, "but I don't want you to grow up like me. You're a very special girl. You should grow up like you. Now, if you will be a little less appreciative," she said with a grin, "I will finish getting dressed and we can go get Susie."

Beth went over to her make-up table and looked in the mirror. She touched up her lipstick.

"Come here, Sis," she said, waiving her hand holding the lipstick.

She looked me over from side to side and then she applied lipstick to my lips.

"Pucker and blot," she instructed me.

I put my lips together to spread the lipstick evenly and then used a tissue. Beth looked approvingly. She took a brush and began to fuss with my hair. When she was satisfied, she walked over to the closet and took out a pocket book.

"Here," she said, handing the pocket book to me, "let's get going."

I took the pocket book and followed her downstairs to the front door. Beth opened it and we stepped out. Beth took my arm. It was still light out as we headed down the sidewalk. Mrs. Johnson lived two blocks away. We walked slowly. If Beth had any concerns about being seen with me, she didn't show them. I was very happy and gave her arm a little tug. She looked at me and gave me a tug back. We just kept walking arm in arm, two sisters out for a stroll.

About half way to Mrs. Johnson's, a car went by and slowed down. Then it pulled over and stopped. Two boys got out.

"Hey Beth," one of them said.

"Hi Billy, hi Carl," she said back.

"Where you going?" the other boy asked, "and who's your friend?" he asked, giving me a long look.

"Not that it's any of your business," she said coldly, "but we're on our way to get my little sister Susie. And this is my cousin Jenny. She's staying with my family for a while."

"Hi Jenny," both boys said together.

"Hi," I replied shyly.

The woman driving the car honked to get the boy's attention.

"Gotta go," one of the boys said. Then he turned to Beth. "Are you going to the school dance Friday night?" he asked.

"I'm not sure yet," Beth told him. "It depends. We might be doing a family thing with my cousin. I have to check with my mother."

"Well," the boy said, "bring her along. We'll show her a real good time."

He winked at us and then got back in the car and closed the door. The other boy got in and the car drove off.

"I'm sorry, Jenny," Beth apologized, "those boys are really fresh."

"No problem, Sis. In fact, it was fun. They certainly thought I was a girl."

"True," Beth agreed, "a really cute one from the way Billy was eyeing you."

"Sis, please, you're making me blush."

Beth took my arm.

"Actually," she said as we started walking again, "would you like to go to the dance with me on Friday?"

"I don't think so," I told her. "Hanging out with your girlfriends was one thing, but I'm not ready for a crowd and especially not boys, if those two were any example."

"Unfortunately, they are," Beth said with a sigh. "You're probably right. I keep forgetting that you're my little," she emphasized 'little', "sister."

We reached Mrs. Johnson's house. Beth looked at me.

"Ready?" she asked.

I adjusted my skirt and fluffed my hair.

"Do I look okay?" I asked Beth.

"You look fine, Jenny."

"Then I'm as ready as I'll ever be," I told her.

Beth reached over and rang the bell. After about a minute, Mrs. Johnson opened the door.

"Beth," she paused, studying me, "and Jenny. How nice, come in."

She stepped back to let us in, closed the door behind us and then turned to look at me.

"Jenny, I'm very happy to see you again."

She took my arm.

"Beth, why don't you go upstairs and get Susie ready. I want to talk with Jenny a bit."

Beth looked at me. I nodded for her to go ahead. She went up the stairs leaving me alone with Mrs. Johnson. She continued to hold my arm. I wasn't sure if she was just being friendly or she wanted to make sure I didn't get away.

"Let's sit in the living room, Jenny."

She gently led me by the hand to a chair. I reached behind me, smoothed my skirt and sat down. I crossed my legs at the ankle and put my purse in my lap with my hands on it. Mrs. Johnson sat in a chair a few feet across from me.

"Well," she said after we got settled, "how are things going so far?"

I couldn't tell from her question whether she was just making conversation or she was asking me whether I liked being a girl. I decided to be honest.

"I'm very happy."

"Yes, I can see that," she replied pleasantly. "Everything seems to be working out well for you and you're family. You're happy, your sisters seem happy and from talking with your mother, she's happy too.

My face went blank. My family, my sisters, my mother! She knew! Mrs. Johnson read my expression.

"Its okay, Jenny. Really. I've known since we met in the park. I'm a psychologist. My job is to observe people. Even though you were wearing girl's clothes, I could tell from the way you acted that you weren't born a girl. You could probably fool most people, but not me. And seeing you with Beth and Susie, it wasn't hard to figure out who you were."

She gave me a reassuring look.

"At first, I decided it was none of my business, but yesterday I noticed a change in your mother when she stopped by to pick up Susie. She used to complain to me about what a problem you were, Johnny I mean."

She paused and smiled at me, then went on.

"But that changed. She was happy and relaxed. I can't say that I understand it. I don't work with transgendered people."

She saw that I didn't understand.

"I'm sorry, I should have realized you didn't know all the words yet. "'Transgendered,' she explained, "means someone who is born one gender, but identifies with the opposite gender, although most don't come out as young as you."

"What do you mean, 'come out'?" I asked her.

"'Come out' means two things. It means to tell people how you feel about yourself and it also means to go out in public dressed as a girl, at least if you're a boy. It's the opposite of keeping how you feel a secret or dressing up when nobody's around." She paused. "Did you ever do that? Get dressed up in your sister's clothes. Is that how this got started?"

"No, it all started when I was pestering my sisters to let me play Barbies with them last weekend," I explained. "Beth wanted to get rid of me, so she told me that only girls played Barbies and if I wanted to play I had to wear a dress. I'm sure she didn't think I would do it and I don't know why I did. Maybe it was because I was stubborn or maybe I felt deep down that I was a girl, but I let her dress me up and, well, it just felt right."

"I see." She paused. "People's minds are very complicated or I wouldn't have a job." She smiled. "Usually we do things for more than one reason, so it was probably a little of both."

Just then we heard Susie, Beth and Julie coming down the stairs.

Mrs. Johnson stood up and looked at me and said in a serious voice, "Listen Jenny, I want to be your friend. If there's anything that you don't want to talk to you mother about or that your mother can't help you with, please come talk to me. Will you do that?"

I walked over and put my arms around her. She put her arms around me and we hugged each other.

"I'll take that as a yes," she said softly.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Beth looking at us with a worried expression. I nodded my head slightly to let her know everything was okay. I saw her face relax into a smile.

"All right, you kids, time to get going. Jenny, I am very glad you came to visit and hope to see more of you."

She turned to Beth who was holding Susie's hand.

"It was nice to see you too and Susie, I'll see you tomorrow."

She walked us to the front door and opened it. When we reached the end of the walk Beth stopped.

"Well, don't keep me in suspense," she said excitedly, "what happened?"

"I was right," I told her. "Mrs. Johnson did recognize me at the park."

"Oh!" Beth exclaimed.

"But Mom was right too," I continued. "She said Mrs. Johnson was nice. In fact she knows all about being transgendered. That means a boy who is really a girl, like me" I said, very pleased with myself to finally know something that Beth didn't, "and she wants to help me."

"That's wonderful," Beth said.

"And you were right too, Sis. You said I should be me and not worry what people think. It worked out fine."

Beth stopped walking and turned to me with a serious look on her face.

"Jenny, I'm happy that Mom was right about Mrs. Johnson, but I also know how the kids at my school talk about queers. And when you went to the mall as Jenny, you told Mom that if the boys at your school recognized you, they would beat you up. Maybe my advice wasn't that good after all. I'm not sure that the world is ready for Jenny or Jenny is ready for the world. Please be careful. I don't want to see you get hurt."

"I agree, Sis. Not everyone is like Mrs. Johnson. I remember how worried I was when I went to school yesterday with my earrings in and nail polish on.

Beth gave me a puzzled look.

"It's a long story. I'll tell you later, but I promise to be careful."

Just then Susie tugged on my arm.

"Jenny, what are you and Beth talking about? Come on, let's go home."

I knelt down and told her, "Susie, Mrs. Johnson knows that I'm a boy."

She became defensive.

"I didn't tell her, Jenny, really. You told me that I couldn't say anything and I didn't. I really, really, didn't."

I put my hand on her arm reassuringly.

"Calm down, Sis. I know you didn't. Mrs. Johnson recognized me when she saw me at the park. I'm very proud of you."

She looked relieved. We started walking again.

"And, I have a surprise for you." I paused dramatically.

"What, Jenny, what? Please tell me. What's the surprise?"

"Well, Mom is working late tonight, so it will just be us three sisters."

"Oh, that's great!" she said enthusiastically. "We can have cookies and ice cream and play games."

"Hold on, Susie," I cautioned her, "this isn't a party. Mom trusts us to be grown up and take care of ourselves while she works."

"Yes. You wouldn't want her to be disappointed when she gets home, would you?" Beth added. "Besides, we all have school tomorrow."

"Okay," Susie conceded.

We reached our house and went in. Beth, always Miss Efficiency, started giving us directions.

"I'll bake the pizza and make a salad. Jenny and Susie, you set the table."

She went to the freezer and took out the pizza.

"Jenny, come here for a second," Beth said as I was putting out the placemats. "Susie can finish that. Do you know how to use the oven?"

"No," I admitted.

"Well, you need to learn your way around a kitchen if you want to be a good wife."

She thought that was hilarious and started giggling. I didn't think it was very funny and gave her a dirty look.

"I'm sorry, Jenny. I was just joking," she said apologetically.

"Seriously, though. This is the oven. She pointed to a door in the front of the stove."

"Well, duh, Sis. I know what an oven is."

"Oh really? Then turn it on and set it for 375 degrees," she challenged me.

I looked at her.

"Listen, if I knew that I was a girl, I would have hung out with Mom in the kitchen like you did and make cookies and stuff, but this came as a surprise to all of us. Now show me how it works."

Beth went into her teaching tone of voice.

"You turn this knob here," she pointed, "until the little red dot on the stove is over the 375. That's it. Then you just wait until little red light next to the knob goes out, which means it's ready.

"Wow, I'll have to practice to get it down," I kidded her.

Beth got the dinner ready and after we ate we cleaned up the kitchen. As I was putting the dishes away, I thought to myself how much I enjoyed being close to my sisters and how much I would have missed as their brother. I shrugged my shoulders.

Beth saw me and asked, "What was that for?"

"Nothing," I told her. "I was just thinking how different things might have been and how happy I am to be Susie's and your sister."

Beth put down her dishtowel. She put her arms around me and gave me a hug.

"Me too," she said affectionately.

Susie had been listening and came over to make it a group hug.

"Me three."

We all started giggling.

After dinner, Susie asked me if I would give her a bath and play with her. I had a lot of homework to do, so I told her I would get the bath ready, but that she would have to play and wash up by herself. She pouted, but went off to get undressed. I went upstairs and started the bath the way Mom had shown me. I turned on the water let the tub fill up. As I was bending over to check the water temperature, I heard the door open. I turned around and Susie was standing there without any clothes on.

"Susie!" I said hurriedly, "please wrap a towel around you."

Susie looked at me innocently.

"Why Jenny, what's the matter? Aren't you my sister?"

I turned my head away, so I wasn't looking at her.

"Yes, Susie, but don't you remember? Mom said that even though I'm your sister, I'm still a boy and boys don't see girls without their clothes on."

Susie replied with perfect seven year old's logic.

"That's silly. You're not a boy. You're a girl. If you were a boy you couldn't be my sister could you?"

"I don't know the answer to that question, Susie. All I know is that Mom said I shouldn't do it and I don't want to do anything that would make her mad at me. Do you?"

"No," she agreed, "I don't want to get you in trouble."

"Okay then. Your bath's ready."

I turned off the faucet and checked the temperature of the water again.

"Hop in. You can play for a bit and then you need to wash up. I'll send Beth up to get you out."

I went back downstairs. Beth was at the kitchen table doing her homework.

"Susie's in the tub," I told her. "Will you go up and get her out in about fifteen minutes, please?"

"No problem, Jenny," Beth said.

The rest of the night went very quickly. While Beth got Susie to bed, I finished my homework and stated to get ready for bed. I went in my room and stripped down to my panties and top. On the way to the bathroom, I passed Beth coming from putting Susie to sleep.

"Night, Sis," I said affectionately.

"Night, Jenny," she said and blew me a kiss.

After doing my nightly beauty routine, I went back to my room and slipped into my nightgown. I set my alarm clock for 7:00, to be sure that I had plenty of time to take out my earrings and make sure all of my makeup was off. Then I turned out the light, got into bed and snuggled down, enjoying the silky smooth feeling of my nylon nightgown sliding against the sheets. I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

My alarm rang. As a boy, I could jump out of bed and get ready for school in five minutes, but I couldn't bring myself to change into my plain white cotton briefs and t-shirt. If I couldn't go to school as a girl, then at least I could I feel as feminine as possible. I pulled my nightgown over my head and stood there in my panties and cammie. After all, who would know? I stepped into a pair of jeans and slipped on a flannel shirt. The cammie had a low scoop neck, so it didn't show. A pair of white athletic socks and sneakers completed my outfit. Johnny on the outside, Jenny on the inside I thought and couldn't help a girlish giggle as I headed downstairs.

I ran into Susie in the hallway.

"What's so funny, Jenny?" she asked.

"Oh, nothing, really," I said with a big smile.

Then I realized she had called me 'Jenny' and gave her a stern look.

"Susie, I know it's hard, but please, please, please little sister, please be careful about calling me 'Jenny' when I'm dressed as a boy."

"I'm sorry, Johnny" she said with a sad look. "I'll really try."

"I know you will, Sis, and I love you very much."

I bent down and gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Eww, gross!" she exclaimed, wiping the kiss off with the back of her hand. "I don't like boys kissing me."

She paused and then gave me a silly look. We both laughed. Mom was waiting for us in the kitchen.

"Beth told me all about you going to Mrs. Johnson's with her. I didn't think she recognized you in the park, but I am glad that everything worked out alright."

"Me too, Mom," I agreed. "We had a really nice conversation. She knows about boys who are 'transgendered', that means who feel like girls," I added to show off my new vocabulary. "I wonder if she could do something so that I could go to school as Jenny?"

"Well, honey," Mom said thoughtfully. "I'm sure she could help you with your feelings, but I think you're too young to make that decision. I will talk to Claire and see what she has to say. Okay?"

"Okay, Mom," I replied.

Mom was watching me as I cut my pancakes into small pieces and used my napkin to wipe my mouth after each bite.

"Johnny better eat like a boy and get going," she said with a wink, "or he's going to be late."

I loaded the last three pieces on my fork with the syrup dripping, shoved them in my mouth, turned to Mom and said, "mmpff." She laughed. Then I wiped my sticky lips, got up, grabbed my backpack and headed out the door with Susie following me. We walked to the corner and waited for the bus. As I stood there, I looked at the girls and thought to myself how we all had on our pretty undies. I wondered which ones were wearing bras and imagined what it would be like to have real breasts and need to wear one. My daydream ended when the bus pulled up. I waited to make sure that Susie got on and then followed her.

The ride to school was boring. I sat with some of the guys I used to hang out with, before I made up the excuse that my mother had grounded me for bad grades, so I could go right home and be Jenny. I got to my homeroom and started to look through my homework. Then it hit me. I had gym first period! What was I thinking this morning? I couldn't get undressed in the locker room. Everyone would see that I was wearing girl's underwear. I would have to drop out of school. The bell was about to ring and I needed an excuse to get out of gym. I had a sick feeling in my stomach and that gave me an idea. I headed up the stairs to the school nurse's office. Mrs. McGowan was always nice to me. I would tell her I had a stomachache and couldn't go to gym. I opened the door to her office. She was sitting at her desk and looked up.

"Johnny, hello," she said with a smile. "What brings you back so soon? Not another problem with your nails I hope?"

"No, Mrs. McGowan. I have a bad stomachache," I said with a pained look on my face. "I would have tried to see if it went away by itself, but I have gym first period and didn't think it was a good idea for me to be exercising. It really hurts," I added, holding my stomach for dramatic effect.

"Oh, dear," she said sympathetically, "let's go in back and check you out."

We walked into the examining room, where there were cabinets with medical supplies and an examining table.

"Hop up," she directed.

She took a thermometer out of a glass jar and wiped it with a piece of gauze, then put it in my mouth. Then she took my wrist and held it while looking at her watch. After a couple of minutes she let go of my wrist and took out the thermometer.

"Hmm," she said, holding the thermometer up to the light. "No temp and your pulse is normal."

She put her hand on my forehead and pulled up my eyelid with her thumb.

"Eyes are okay. Pull up your shirt and lay down."

"Huh," I said, taken by surprise. "You want me to get undressed?"

"Don't be silly," she said sternly. "You don't need to get undressed. Just lift up your shirt so I can check your stomach. Come on now, I haven't got all day."

I had no choice. I held my shirt with both hands and pulled it half way up my chest. I hoped that the cammie was short enough not to show as I lay back.

Mrs. McGowan began to press on my stomach with her hands. She started up under my ribs and moved down, going from side to side.

"Does this hurt," she would ask each time.

I said, "No," until she was right over my stomach and then, "Yes, that hurts a lot."

She continued until she was just above my waist.

"Please unfasten the top of your pants," she said.

I hesitated, hoping she would change her mind.

"Johnny, please unfasten your pants," she repeated.

I had no choice. I reached down and undid the top button of my jeans.

"Good. Now, just relax," she told me. "I'm almost done."

She slid the top of her hand under the waist of my jeans and continued to press. I was watching her face, to see if there was a reaction, but I couldn't see any. She appeared to be concentrating on the examination.

"Does this hurt?" she asked me.

"Just a little bit," I lied.

She finished her examination and said, "Okay, Johnny. I am going to go into the office and call you mother while you get dressed."

She left the examining room and closed the door.

I quickly tucked my shirt in and buttoned my pants. Then I opened the door and went into the office. Mrs. McGowan was on the telephone.

"I will give him an excuse for gym this time," I heard her say. She stopped when she saw me come in. "He's here now. I'll talk to you later, Carol. Bye."

Mrs. McGowan took a note pad and wrote on it.

"Take this to the office and give it to the secretary so you won't get detention for skipping gym. I think you will be able to go to the rest of your classes without any problem." She gave me a funny look, "don't you?"

I wasn't sure whether she knew or even suspected what was really going on, but my experience had been that it was better to be honest, so I said politely, "yes, Mrs. McGowan. I'm feeling better already."

I dropped the note off at the office and went to my next class. The rest of the day went by quickly, now that I was into doing my homework and enjoying school. At lunch I watched the girls and fantasized about what it would be like to be able to go to school as Jenny. Most of the girls wore fitted jeans and cute little tops. A few had on short skirts with blouses or sweaters. I thought to myself, if Jenny ever comes to school, she definitely will be a girly girl. Maybe Mrs. Johnson could help me get my wish. I hoped that Mom spoke with her.

As usual when I got home from school, Mom was at work, Beth was at cheerleading practice and Susie was at Mrs. Johnson's, so I had the house to myself. I was hungry, but couldn't wait to change into Jenny. I left my backpack in the kitchen and went upstairs to Beth's room to pick out an outfit.

I had worn a skirt and blouse yesterday and decided to try something dressier. I started looking through her closet and found a really pretty dress. It was pastel blue — Beth always liked blue — with a straight knee length skirt, a jewel neckline and three-quarter sleeves with white lace trim around the collar, cuffs and hem. I held it up and looked in the mirror. Definitely me, I thought with a smile. I took the dress off the hanger and laid it on Beth's bed. I went to her bureau and looked through her stocking drawer. Up to now I had worn tights or knee socks and I wanted to try pantyhose. I found a pair of sheer white ones that I thought would look good with the dress. Finally, I needed shoes. I looked through Beth's collection and found a pair of white high-heel pumps. I had never worn heels before and thought it would be fun to try. I quickly stripped down to the panties and cammie that had made such a problem for me this morning.

I picked up the pantyhose and started to roll up one of the legs, the way Beth had shown me with the tights. They stockings were smooth and silky and I couldn't wait to see how they felt on me. Then I felt a snag and saw a thread had caught and was sticking up. Beth had warned me that pantyhose were more delicate than tights and I had to be careful not to run them. Darn! Stupid rough boy's hands I thought to myself. I put the pantyhose down and went over to Beth's dressing table. She had all sorts of lotions that she was always rubbing on herself to make her skin soft and smooth. I found a bottle that said 'extra moisturizing lotion' and squirted some into my hand. I rubbed it in and then remembered watching Beth do her feet and legs, so I squirted some more and did them too. It felt really nice and creamy.

As I was looking at my feet, I noticed that the nails were long. Beth and Susie gave me a manicure as part of the makeover they did when they first dressed me up as Jenny and I had kept my fingernails shaped, so I could polish them. I rummaged through the table until I found Beth's nail clippers and an emery board and gave myself a pedicure. I had watched Beth twist her leg around so her foot was in her lap pointing up, but for the life of me I couldn't duplicate that exercise; just one more annoying reminder to me that I was not a girl. I ended up bending over and working on my toes, trimming the nails and smoothing them. When I was finished, I looked longingly at the nail polish. It would make me feel really girlish to have polished toenails, but I remembered I had another period of gym this week.

When I was satisfied that my hands, feet and legs were ready, I went back and started to put on the pantyhose. This time it went smoothly and, when I had one leg bunched up, I pointed my foot and pulled the sheer material over my toes and up over my knee. Then I did the same with the other leg. I stood up and continued to gently pull and smooth the stockings until the panty was at my crotch and then tugged on the waistband until it was above my waist. I went back and smoothed the legs and panty. The stockings felt light and cool on my skin. It was such a wonderful sensation; I wondered why girls didn't wear stockings all the time. I guessed that it was because they were easy to run and a nuisance to pull up and down when you had to go to the bathroom. As far as I was concerned, it would be worth it to feel so pretty and feminine.

I spent a lot of time admiring myself in the wall mirror. I turned and posed, ran my hands over my legs and enjoyed my first experience wearing pantyhose. Finally, I turned to the bed and picked up the dress. It zipped up the back. I pulled the zipper down to the waist and stepped into it. Then I pulled up the top, put my arms in and slipped it over my shoulders. The dress was a silky material and I could feel it sliding over my pantyhose as I moved. When I had it on, I reached around and found the zipper. I started to pull it up and got to the middle of my back, but my arms wouldn't reach any higher. I struggled to grab the zipper by reaching back over my shoulder and figured out that if I bunched up the material with my fingers, it would move the zipper higher and I could grab it. I finally managed to get the zipper all the way up. It took me a few minutes more of struggling to fasten the hook at the neck, but at last I was in my dress.

I wanted to model it, but I thought that it would be more fun if I did my hair and makeup first, so I could see my full transformation into Jenny. Then I remembered Beth telling me that girls usually did their hair and makeup before they put on their dress, so they wouldn't anything on it. Rats! Well, it was too late now. I went to the linen closet and got a big white towel to drape over my shoulders and sat down at Beth's dressing table. I used the blow dryer and styling brush to make my hair full and fluffy. When I was satisfied, I found a pale blue hair ribbon and slipped it on. I remembered watching Beth tweeze her eyebrows, so they were smooth. I found her tweezers and moved closer to the mirror to see if there were any stray hairs that I could remove. I found one and grabbed it with the tweezers. Ouch! That really hurt. I found a few more and pulled them out too. Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Being beautiful really was painful. I didn't want to do too much or someone would notice. Finally, some red lipstick. I was getting really good at putting on lipstick. I puckered my lips to get a smooth, even coating and admired myself in the mirror. I noticed a tiny jar of lip-gloss and decided to put that on too. Wow! I really liked the way I looked.

Beth always said that accessories make the outfit. She would spend hours at the mall looking for just the right belt for a new skirt or earrings to go with a blouse, even though she had lots already. I thought she was nuts until now. When you put a lot of time and effort into your appearance you want everything to be perfect. I found a silver chain with a pearl on it in her jewelry box and fastened it around my neck. The pearl hung against my skin just above the neckline of my dress. I remembered that Beth had me buy a pair of pearl earrings when we were shopping at the mall and found them. I still wasn't good at getting the posts through the holes, but eventually managed to put them through and get the backs on. I started to walk back to get my shoes and then decided on some perfume as the finishing touch. I picked a powdery lilac scent that I always liked when Beth wore it.

Last, but definitely not least, I thought, high heels. I smoothed my dress under me and sat on the edge of the bed. I slipped on one of the pumps. It slid easily over the nylon stockings. I crossed my leg and the stockings felt wonderful as they glided over each other. I slipped on the other pump. I stood up and had trouble balancing on the spike heels. I took a couple of small steps, using the dresser for support. The shoes I had worn with my other outfits had heels, but they were not this high or this narrow. I practiced walking, keeping my back straight and looking ahead. I turned to see myself in the mirror and almost fell over, but what I saw made it all worth it. Looking back at me was a pretty girl. I smiled and the pretty girl smiled back. The high heels raised the hem of my dress higher and I loved the way the arch of my foot made my legs look longer. Whatever it took to learn to walk in heels, it was worth it.

I looked at the clock. I had spent more than an hour getting dressed. Whoever said time flies when you're having fun was right. Mom and Susie would be home soon and I decided I better get downstairs and start on my homework. I got to the top of the stairs and considered whether I should take off my shoes before I tried to go down. A girl has to learn sometime, I though to myself, and cautiously inched my way down, holding onto the railing. It took a while, but I made it to the bottom and tottered into the kitchen. I was sitting at the table, working on my math when I heard the back door open and Susie rushed in.

"Jenny!" she squealed when she saw me. "Wow! You look beautiful."

I stood up and turned around for her, forgetting that I had on the high heels and had to grab the back of the chair for support, making Susie giggle.

"Well," I said with a big smile, "we'll just have see how you do wearing heels for the first time, won't we little Miss Giggles."

"Oh, yes, yes!" Susie replied gleefully, "I can't wait. Can I try your heels on now? Can I Jenny? Please?"

Before I could answer, Mom came in. She looked at me and did a double take.

"Jenny, my goodness! I love your dress and you've done such a nice job with your hair and makeup. I wish we had someplace to go, so I could show off my glamorous daughter. Turn around, Honey, let me see."

This time I remembered I had on heels and was much more careful how I moved. I slowly walked in a circle holding my arms away from my body with my hands out and fingers spread, the way I had seen models walk on TV.

"Mom, she has on high heels," Susie pointed out. "I want to wear high heels too. Can I Mom? Can I?"

"Of course you can, Susie," Mom agreed, "but not right now. The next time you have a party I'll see if I can find some heels for you, but they really don't make heels this high in your size. You'll need to grow a little more."

Susie pouted.

"You can try mine on if you want, Sis," I offered to cheer her up.

"No, Jenny. It's okay. You wear them. They're too big for me anyway. I guess I can wait a little bit."

Suddenly she was her happy self again and turned to Mom.

"Can Jenny play with me Mom?"

"Well, its almost dinner time," Mom told her, "and I have something I need to talk to Jenny about, so why don't you go upstairs and wash up."

After Susie left the kitchen, Mom turned to me.

"I had a nice chat with Mrs. McGowan today," she said matter-of-factly."

"Yes, I know. I was there when she called you about my stomachache."

"No, after that," Mom said.

"Oh," I said, as if I was clueless, about what?"

"She wanted to know why you came to school wearing your sister's underwear?"

My heart sank. I looked up at Mom. She didn't look mad or upset.

"Oh," I said nervously. "What did you tell her?"

"I told her that it wasn't your sister's underwear, it was yours."

"Oh," I said again, afraid of what was going to come next. "What did she say?"

"She said that it explained why you had pierced ears and came to school wearing nail polish."

I forgot all about my ears. She must have seen them when I lay down and my hair fell back.

"Is that all," I asked hopefully.

"No."

My heart sank again.

"Am I in trouble? Am I going to get thrown out of school? Did I get you in trouble?"

"No, no and no," Mom said reassuringly.

"Really?" I couldn't believe it.

"Really!" Mom emphasized.

"Then what did Mrs. McGowan have to say?"

Mom paused and then she said with a smile, "Mrs. McGowan said that in the future you should be more careful about what you wear to school on gym days, because she can't give you medical excuses for non-medical reasons."

I was so relieved I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so instead I just hugged Mom and put my head against her chest. She put her arms around me and hugged me back. We stayed together for a long time, a mother comforting her daughter. Then she relaxed and let go of me.

"It's okay, Jenny. I'm not mad and luckily Sally McGowan is a good friend and an understanding person. She is willing to let me deal with this. But why on earth did you take a chance and go to school in your girl's underwear?"

"I know it was dumb, Mom," I answered. "But, well, it's just that I didn't want to give up being Jenny completely and I thought that nobody would know if I kept my panties and cammie on under my boy's clothes. I forgot that I had to get undressed for gym until I got to school. Then it was too late. I thought that if I pretended to have a stomachache, Mrs. McGowan would excuse me from gym. I never imagined that she would give me an examination and when she did, I tried my best not to let her see anything. Actually, I thought I got away with it." I looked down. "I guess not. I won't do it again," I added. "Promise."

"This is exactly what I was afraid of, Jenny. I love having a third daughter and Beth and Susie love having you as their sister, but I think it was a mistake for me to encourage you. It's just too complicated for someone your age."

I thought for a bit and then tried my best to explain my feelings.

"Mom, it is difficult, but it's not a mistake. I don't know how it happened that I was born a boy, but I should have been a girl. I know that now. I can pretend to be Johnny, but Jenny is who I am. I can't change how I feel about myself and nothing you can do can change things back to the way they were. I may have problems being Jenny, but I definitely will be miserable not being Jenny."

Mom didn't say anything. She just opened her arms and I moved back in for another mother and daughter hug. I thought I heard her sniffle, and then she was back to normal.

"Jenny, dear, please set the table. I am going upstairs to change out of my uniform and then we will have dinner. Beth called me at the hospital and said she would be staying at Cindy's house after practice to work on a cheerleader fund raising project and that she will eat there."

Mom stared to go upstairs and then she stopped and turned around.

"Oh, my!" she exclaimed. "With all the goings on I completely forgot. I have a surprise."

"A Surprise, Mom? What is it?" I asked excitedly.

"Well, you'll just have to wait until Beth gets home so I can tell you all at the same time. She would be upset if she wasn't here when I told you."

As soon as we finished dinner, Mom sent Susie off to her room to get ready for bed. I helped Mom clean up the kitchen and then she went upstairs to check on Susie and left me to finish my homework. I was working on an English essay when Beth came in.

She took one look at me and ordered, "Jenny, stand up. Turn around and let me look at you."

Why did everyone want me to do ballet routines in high heels I wondered, as a tried my best to keep my balance.

"I hate you," Beth said angrily.

I was startled.

"Beth, I'm sorry. I, I, I thought it was okay for me to borrow your clothes. I, I, I didn't mean to make you mad. I will take your dress off immediately."

I turned around and stumbled towards the stairs.

"Stop, Jenny," Beth called after me. "Come back here. Please. I'm not mad at you. I was teasing."

I stopped and looked back at her. She was smiling at me. I walked back slowly.

"I don't hate you because you're wearing my dress. We're sisters and whatever I have is yours. I hate you because you look better in it than I do. The stockings, the shoes and the jewelry you picked out, even your makeup and hair, they're all perfect. I was born a girl and you're better at it than me." She pretended to pout. "That's why I hate you. I'm jealous of my beautiful little sister."

"Stop it Beth. You're making me blush. There isn't anything I would rather have than a compliment from you, but I know it isn't true. I wish that I had a figure like yours, then I really would be beautiful; but I never will." I sighed.

Beth got serious. "Listen, Jenny. I may look sexy when I fill out, but you have a natural beauty. You'll see. It won't be long before the phone starts ringing with boys asking you for a date. You're going to be a real heartbreaker. I can tell."

I stared at her in surprise.

"Beth, what in the world are you talking about? I'm not dating boys. Are you nuts?"

"Maybe, maybe not," she replied. "You say that now, but a girl doesn't get dressed up for herself. She gets dressed up to look better than the other girls so the boys will notice her."

"Even if that were so Beth, I'm around boys all the time. I don't find any of them attractive. I see the girls all whispering and giggling when some good looking guy goes by, at least they must think he's good looking, but I wouldn't want him to ask me out."

Beth paused, then said with her usual logic, "Of course not. Johnny is a boy and he's not gay, so why would he be romantically interested in another boy. But Jenny is a girl and it's only natural for her to want to have a boyfriend."

As usual, Beth did have a point. I wasn't sure how it worked, but I definitely did feel differently about things as Jenny.

"Well," I joked, "maybe I will break hearts one day. But if you don't give me a lesson in how to walk in high heels, I will more likely break my neck."

The change of subject must have caught Beth off guard. There was a few seconds of silence and then she started laughing so hard I thought she'd wet herself. When she finally stopped, she walked over and took my hand.

"Of course, little sister, that's what big sisters are for. Here let me put on the pumps and I'll show you. It's easy once you know the secret."

I sat down on the chair and took off my shoes. Beth sat down on the other chair and pulled off her sneakers and sox. Then she slipped on the heels. She stood up and walked confidently to the stairs, did a graceful turn and walked back. I watched as her hips and behind swayed and made a note to try to copy her walk.

"The trick is to keep your weight forward on the front of your foot, where the shoe is widest." She walked back to the stairs and slowly went up a step." She turned around and started down. "Coming down, you put the front of your foot down first and then your heel. It takes a little practice to be able to walk in heels, but you'll get used to it and before long you won't even think about it. You'll just do it automatically."

I looked at Beth appreciatively.

"Thanks, Sis. Then I remembered that Mom had a surprise for us. "Oh, silly, me, I completely forgot. Mom said she has a surprise for us and wanted to wait for you to get home before she told us."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Beth asked impatiently. "Let's get Susie and go see Mom."

I padded up the stairs in my bare feet while Beth went up like an Olympic athlete in her heels. We got to the top and went to Susie's room. Mom was sitting on her bed reading her a story. Beth and I hurried in and plopped down on the bed next to her.

"Okay, we're here. Tell us. What is the big surprise?"

TO BE CONTINUED

Sister, Sister, Sister - Part 5
By Missy Crystal

Twelve year old Johnny wants to play Barbies with his sisters, but Barbies are for girls. How can Johnny join the game? A sweet, sentimental story about a young boy's discovery of the girl he should have been with the help of his sisters and mother. This is a story I wrote a couple of years ago and I am posting it here for those who would like to know more about Dr. Jenny Mitchell. It is complete, for those who anguish over being left hanging, but too long for a single post.

"Well," Mom said with a dramatic pause, keeping us in suspense. "Jenny's real birthday is next week. Remember Mr. Kenneth said for us to come back and he would do our hair?"

"Yes, Mom, yes, we remember!" Beth volunteered on our behalf.

All of us were bouncing up and down with anticipation. Even Mom sounded excited.

"I spoke to Mr. Kenneth. For Jenny's birthday, you are getting your hair done this Saturday!"

"All of us," Susie asked, "me too?"

"Yes, Sweetie, all three of you," Mom told her.

"You too?" Beth asked.

"Hmmm," Mom said thoughtfully, "if I remember correctly, he said I was hopeless."

We all laughed.

"Now then, Susie needs to get to bed and you girls have homework to do. So scoot."

Beth went to her closet to change. I walked over and asked her to unzip my dress, rather than struggle the way I had putting it on. She unfastened the hook at the neck and then zipped it down to my waist. I slipped it off and stood there in my pantyhose and bra. Beth had taken off her top and skirt and she was in her panties and bra. It seemed like the most natural thing in the world for her to be helping me get undressed and for me to be standing in front of my mother and sisters in girl's underwear. I walked over to the closet and hung up the dress. Then I went back to my room. I sat on the edge of my bed and carefully peeled off my pantyhose. I slipped my nightgown on and went down to the kitchen to do my homework. Beth was already at the table. She looked up and smiled. I smiled back at her.

"Need any help, Sis?" she asked.

"No thanks, Beth," I replied. "Now that I am paying attention in class and keeping up with the assignments, it's really easy."

"My sister the brain," Beth joked.

"No," I kidded back, "it's just that girls are smarter than boys."

We both started giggling so loud that Mom called down to find out what the racket was about.

"Nothing Mom," Beth and I called up to her.

"Just a girl thing," Beth added.

And we both broke up again.

The next morning I made doubly sure that Johnny went to school and Jenny stayed home. I hated putting on my boy's plain white cotton briefs and t-shirt, but I was determined not to make any more mistakes that could get Mom or me in trouble. Even worse, that might force me to stop being Jenny. I looked at my nails to make sure that there was no trace of polish, studied my face in the mirror to be sure that all of my makeup was off, and pulled back my hair to double check that my earrings were out.

As usual, Mom was in the kitchen getting breakfast ready. She looked up when she heard me pull the chair out.

"My goodness," she exclaimed. "You're the early bird this morning. Susie's not down yet. Is something wrong, Jenny?"

"No, Mom," I assured her. "I learned my lesson yesterday when Mrs. McGowan found me out. If I have to go to school as Johnny, so I can be Jenny the rest of the time, that's just what I'll do. No more mess ups."

Mom beamed at me.

"That's my girl!"

I just about melted. The touching mother-daughter moment was interrupted by Susie bounding in.

"Hi, Mommy, hi," she paused, "Johnny," she said very pleased with herself, because she remembered that I was her brother when I was dressed as a boy.

"Hi my little sister who I adore no matter what," I told her.

She gave me a big smile and walked over.

"I don't usually kiss boys," she said with a serious face. "In fact, I don't ever kiss boys. No matter what," she mimicked. Then she came over and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

I was overcome by her simple expression of acceptance of me as a girl. I reached out and gave her a hug. She snuggled up to me for a second, then in typical little girl fashion her mood changed and she squirmed out of my arms.

We finished our breakfast and headed for the bus. The trip to school was the same as always. The boys I used to hang out with after school had given up on me, so I found an empty seat and kept to myself. I thought about what happened yesterday, when I forgot I had gym and wore my girl's underwear, and decided that I should thank Mrs. McGowan for helping me. As soon as the bus stopped, I headed upstairs to her office. When I got to the door, I paused. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea. I turned to leave. No, I thought, being honest about my feelings had worked so far. I turned around and opened the door. Mrs. McGown was sitting at her desk. Usually she gave me a big hello, since she and Mom were both nurses and knew each other, but today she just looked at me without showing any emotion.

"Hi, Mrs. McGowan," I said politely.

"Johnny, I am surprised to see you here. Didn't your mother tell you I spoke to her about you?"

"Yes, she did Mrs. McGowan," I said quietly, looking down. Then I got my courage up and looked at her. "I just wanted to say thank you and tell you that you don't have to worry about me. There won't be any more problems."

She stood up.

"Johnny, part of my job as the school nurse is to report abuse; not just physical abuse, emotional problems too."

She must have seen my face drop.

"Oh no, Mrs. McGowan, please," I blurted out. "Please, don't do anything. I learned my lesson. It won't happen again, really. I promise."

I was close to tears.

"Calm down, Johnny," she said as she came around her desk to stand next to me. "Here."

She handed me a box of tissues. I took one out and wiped my eyes. She must have realized how upset I was, because her voice became much gentler.

"My job isn't to judge you or your mother. Only to make sure that whatever is going on isn't harmful to you. I wanted to check with your teachers to see how it was affecting your schoolwork."

She must have seen my eyes widen.

"No, Johnny," she said reassuringly, "this is a confidential matter that I would not disclose until I was sure it was necessary. I just told them that you had a stomachache the other day and I wanted to be sure you weren't under any unusual stress from your classes. I expected that there would be some negative effect of your confusion about your gender, but to my surprise it was just the opposite. Every one of your teachers had nothing but good things to say about you. You were more attentive, better behaved, doing your homework and getting good grades. In fact, a couple of your teachers said that they wished that whatever happened to you happened to the rest of the boys in their class."

For the first time in our conversation, I saw the beginning of a smile. Then she got serious again.

"I am not sure I am doing the right thing, but I respect your mother. If she feels that this is best for you, I will not interfere. However, you need to understand that if there is even the slightest indication that this is causing a problem for you or for any other student, it will have to be reported to the juvenile authorities. Are you perfectly clear about what I said, Johnny?"

I looked straight at her.

"Yes, Mrs. McGowan, perfectly clear. I honestly wish things weren't they way they are. I wish that I had been born a girl instead of a boy. I was never happy as a boy. I am very happy as Jenny. That's my girl's name. I was a bratty boy and caused trouble for me and for my family. Now things are great. I love my sisters and they love Jenny."

For the first time, I saw a look of sympathy on Mrs. McGowan's face.

"Johnny," she emphasized that she was talking to me as a boy, "I have known your mother since nursing school and over the years she has confided in me how hard it was raising the three of you after your father left. That is another reason why I don't want to create any more problems for her than she already has, if I can help it. I would expect that your sisters like you better as a girl and that playing dress up with you is fun, but there's more to being a girl than makeup and pretty clothes. The longer you pretend to be something you're not and can never be, the harder it will be for you and your family when you reach puberty. You know what puberty is?"

"Yes, Mrs. McGowan. I know. You mean when I'm old enough to be interested in boys or at least when girls start dating."

"Yes, Johnny, that's part of it, but there's more to becoming a woman than dating. Even real girls have difficulty dealing with the physical and emotional changes that take place."

"I'm not interested in boys right now," I told her honestly. "I don't know about the rest of it, but I do know that I am not pretending to be a girl. I am a girl. I just have the wrong body."

Mrs. McGowan looked me in the eye. "You are an exceptional young" she paused, choosing her word carefully, person. I honestly hope that for your sake and your family's sake this works out. My heart wants to believe it will, but my head tells me it won't. Either way, Johnny, be very, very careful. My professional responsibilities outweigh my feelings or my friendship."

"I understand and I will Mrs. McGowan, I will, and thank you," I said as I turned and went out.

The rest of the school day was uneventful. I went to class and spent my lunch period as usual, secretly watching the girls, imagining what it would be like to come to school as Jenny. When school got out I rushed home to change. I dropped my backpack in the kitchen and went upstairs to Beth and Susie's room. I opened the closet and looked through Beth's wardrobe. She had lots of pants and jeans that were definitely made for girls, but I still liked to look and feel feminine in skirts and dresses. I chose the black denim jumper that Beth put on me the first time she got me dressed to go out, a red cotton short-sleeved pullover with a crew neck, red nylon tights and black penny loafers with chunky two-inch heels. I put my outfit on Beth's bed and went into my room to get my undies. I couldn't wait to get out of my plain boy's clothes and into my lace trimmed pink panties and a matching cammie. I paraded back into Beth's room and posed in front of the mirror.

"Hi, Jenny," I greeted my image. She smiled back at me.

After I got dressed, I went over to Beth's makeup table and started to do my face. By now I was good at putting on my lipstick. I really didn't need it, since I wasn't going anywhere, but I wanted to practice. Once I was satisfied with my look, I picked out a thin silver chain with a silver cheerleader megaphone charm. It was Beth's favorite, but I knew she wouldn't mind me wearing it at home. Nobody would mistake me for a cheerleader around here. Finally, I blew out my hair to make it full and pulled it forward to frame my face. A red headband made the unisex cut look more girlish. I checked myself out in the mirror, did a final primp and was ready, ready to start my homework. I let out a sigh. Someday, I thought, cheering myself up, someday, Jenny will do all the things that real girls do.

I went downstairs and started got out my assignment book. I was concentrating on a math problem when I heard the door open and looked up.

"Hi, Jenny," Mom said. She looked approvingly at me, "pretty as always."

"Hi, Mom," I replied with a smile, thank you." Then I noticed that she was alone. "Where's Susie?" I asked her.

"Oh, Mrs. Johnson invited her to go out for a burger with Kelly. Beth is cheering at a game and then she's going out with some of the girls, so she wont' be home until late either." She gave me a loving look. "It's just you and me Jenny. Actually, I'm very happy to be able to have time alone with you. So much has happened and we really haven't had a chance to talk."

"That sound's great, Mom," I agreed.

"If you don't mind, sweetie, it's been a really long day. I am dying to get in a hot tub and soak. Then we can have dinner and spend the rest of the evening together."

"No problem, Mom. Go ahead and relax." I went over and gave her a hug and she hugged me back.

"I love, you Jenny," she said affectionately.

"I love you, too, Mom," I replied with equal emotion.

That was the best part about being a girl. You didn't have to hide your feelings.

Mom went upstairs and I could hear the bath water running. I finished up the math problem I was working on and decided to surprise Mom by making dinner. I wasn't exactly a wiz in the kitchen, but I had been watching Beth and had a basic idea of how to cook without setting me or the house on fire. I decided to make macaroni and cheese. It came in a package with all the ingredients and it didn't seem too difficult. I found the box and read the directions. Boil water in a saucepan. I could do that. Put in the macaroni. I could do that. Stir for six minutes, drain, put it back, add the packet of cheese and stir. Easy. While the water was boiling, I set the table. Mom liked a glass of wine with dinner, so I found a wine glass. I poured a glass of milk for myself. Then I decided that we couldn't have just the mac and cheese. We needed a salad. I had watched Beth chop up lettuce and some other vegetables. I got everything I needed out of the fridge and carefully prepared two bowls. I took out a bottle of salad dressing and but it on the table.

"Jenny," Mom called, "I'm almost ready. Finish up what you're doing and I'll be down to start supper in a few minutes."

"Okay, Mom, don't rush."

I went back to the stove and checked the macaroni. It was coated with the melted cheese. I stirred it a few times and spooned it onto the plates as I heard Mom coming downstairs.

She had on her big white terry robe and white terry scuffs. A towel was wrapped around her head. She had a powdery flower smell from the bath beads she used. When she saw the table she stopped short.

"Jenny," she said with astonishment. "This is so sweet. How did you ever learn to be so domestic?"

"I don't know, Mom," I answered. "From watching Beth, I guess. I mean, I really didn't do anything special. Just set the table and made something from a mix."

"Well, someday you will make some lucky man a great wife." Then she turned red and put her hand up to her mouth. "Oh, Jenny, I'm so sorry, sweetie. I didn't mean to, I, I, I'm so sorry, I," she stammered.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Really, Mom, its okay. Don't worry about it. I've heard you say that to Beth a hundred times. I like it when you talk to me the way you do to her. It makes me feel like a real girl."

Mom calmed down. "Come here, honey." She held out her arms. I went up to her and we snuggled. "Jenny, as far as I'm concerned," she said caringly, "you are a real girl and anyone who says you're not is going to have to deal with me!"

"Wow, Mom, that's really cool," I kidded her. "So on Monday I can go to school as Jenny and you'll tell them they're wrong about my being a boy?"

Mom got her sense of humor back.

"You bet, it's girl's gym and Home Ec for you young lady.

"We don't have Home Ec in middle school, Mom," I reminded her, "but gym sounds like fun, although the shower situation might make it a little difficult to convince people I'm a girl."

We both laughed as we released each other.

After dinner we did the dishes. Then Mom asked me if I'd like to take a nice bubble bath. Susie liked to play in the tub, but Beth always took showers, because it was easier for her to wash her hair, and I always did what she did.

"Sure, Mom," a bubble bath sounds like fun.

"Okay, Sweetie. I'll run the water and get it ready. You go get undressed. Beth has a bathrobe hanging on the back of her closet door. Put it on and come into my bathroom.

I followed Mom upstairs and went into Beth's room. I stripped down to my panties and bra and stopped. I wasn't sure whether I should get completely undressed and decided to put the robe on over them. Beth had a pair of silly bunny slippers that someone gave her as a birthday present and I put them on just for fun. Then I headed down the hall to Mom's room. When I went in, I could hear the water running and could see her in the bathroom, bending over the tub. As I got closer, I could see a mound of frothy bubbles and there was that wonderful powdery flower smell. She must have heard me scuffle in and turned around.

"It's all ready for you, Honey." She looked down at my bunny feet. "Hop in," she laughed.

I untied the bathrobe and slipped it off. I stopped, not sure whether to take off my underwear or not. Mom must have realized why I was hesitating and smiled at me.

"It's up to you, Jenny," she said. "I'm a nurse and I'm you're mother. You won't embarrass me."

I took my bra and panties off and climbed into the tub. The water was hot and the fragrance surrounded me as I slipped under the bubbles. Mom brought over a huge sponge.

"This is a loofah. It is really good for you skin. Makes it nice a pink. Do you want me to do your back?

"Yes, please. I would like that, Mom."

I sat up and Mom dipped the loofah into the water and then began to rub it over my back. It was delicious.

"Lift up your arm," she directed.

I picked up one arm and she ran the loofah over it, down one side and up the other. Then she did my other arm. She stopped.

"Here," she said, handing me the loofah. "I think it would be best if you did the rest of you."

She gave me a smile and walked out, closing the door behind her. I continued scrubbing myself, until my skin was really soft and smooth. Then I just lay back and enjoyed the hot, steamy bath. I felt so pretty and feminine. I imagined getting ready for a big party, putting on a gorgeous lacey pink dress with a full skirt and swishing petticoats, like Cinderella going to the ball. The dress would show off my beautiful bare shoulders, arms and back. My hair would be long and done up. Everyone would stare at the beautiful girl as I gracefully walked down the stairs in my high heels. My daydream was interrupted by Mom's voice.

"Jenny, it's been almost a half hour. You should get out before you wrinkle up like a prune."

I looked down at my fingers and she was right. Too much of a good thing, I guess. I stood up and stepped out onto the bath mat. I took a big fluffy towel and began to blot myself dry.

"Honey, can I come in?" Mom called from the bedroom.

"Sure, Mom."

I wrapped the towel around me as the door opened.

"Now," she said, "before you dry off, you should put on baby oil. It seals the moisture into your skin."

She went to the shelf and took down a bottle of baby oil. The towel was around my waist and I was holding it.

"Here, Sweetie. Let me show you how girls wrap towels around them so they stay on."

She wrapped the towel around my chest, above my breasts, at least what would have been my breasts, if I was going to have them, twisted the ends at the top and rolled it over. The towel stayed on like a skirt. Then she picked up the baby oil again and began to rub it on. She finished my upper body and handed the bottle to me.

"Here, you do you legs."

It was such a wonderful experience. Feeling soft and smelling pretty, sharing beauty secrets with my mom. I couldn't imagine it being any other way. I finished and then went back to my room to put on my panties and a nightgown.

"Would you like some hot cocoa to finish off the evening?" Mom asked.

"Mmm, sure," I said dreamily.

"Your sisters should be home soon. How about if I get everything started and we wait for them?"

"Good idea, Mom. We can have a little party and plan our day at the salon with Mr. Kenneth."

"Oh, my, Jenny. I completely forgot about tomorrow. You're right."

"Do you want me to do your nails while we're waiting?" Mom asked. "After all the birthday girl has to look good for her big day."

"Yes, please, Mom," I replied.

"Give me a minute to get the cocoa started, then I'll be up. Why don't you see if Beth has a color you like and bring it into my room."

After my near disaster going to school with nail polish, I had been very careful about not using it during the week. I looked longingly at Beth's collection of colors each afternoon when I turned into Jenny, but I learned my lesson. Someday, I thought. Someday, I will be the one who sits on her bed with cotton between her toes polishing her toenails. I knew exactly which color I wanted. It was a dark pink and she had matching lipstick. I took the bottle and shook it as I walked to Mom's room. I sat down on her bed and waited for her to come up.

"Okay, let's get started," Mom said as she sat on the bed next to me. "Give me your hand."

I held my hand out and she took it in her left hand, holding it gently while she smoothed and shaped the nails with an emery board. Then she took a bottle and started to paint my thumbnail.

"Mom? What are you doing? I thought I was going to wear Beth's polish. Why are you putting on clear?"

"Be patient, daughter!" Mom pretended to scold me. "If you put a coat of clear on first, it makes it easier to get the color off later."

Mom finished one hand and stared on the other while I wiggled my fingers in the air. I was surprised how good a manicure Mom gave me, considering that being a nurse and not going out much, she rarely wore nail polish herself. Mom had just finished and was about to start on my toes when I heard the kitchen door open. I guessed it was Beth, because Mrs. Johnson would have come to the front door to drop of Susie. A short time later, I heard Beth calling.

"Mom, Jenny, Susie. Where is everybody?"

"Up here, Beth dear," Mom responded. "Susie's still at Mrs. Johnson's. She took her and Kelly to a movie and out for dinner. It's just Jenny and me. I'm doing her nails. We're in my room, she added. C'mon up."

I heard Beth on the stairs and then walking down the hallway.

"Well, now!" she exclaimed, standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips, pretending to be miffed. "I don't recall anyone inviting Beth to the family beauty parlor."

She came over and sat next to me.

"Watch it," I warned her playfully, "You'll smudge my polish."

I held my hands out to show her my nails.

"You better watch it, Sis, or you'll give yourself away," she replied.

"Beth, whatever are you talking about? How would showing you my nail polish give me away?"

"Jenny, my dear sister, girls show their nails by holding their hands out, palms down with their fingers spread. Like this," she demonstrated, putting her hands out with a limp wrist and wiggling her fingers. "Boys do this." She curled her fingers into a loose fist.

"Wow, Beth, thanks. I never knew that. I'll try to be more careful."

"I don't know why that is," she added with a puzzled expression, looking over at Mom. Girls just don't make fists for some reason. If you ever see a cat fight, we pull each other's hair, slap and scratch, but never punch."

Just then the doorbell rang.

"It must be Mrs. Johnson bringing Susie home. Will you go down, since your dressed Beth?"

"Of course, Mom."

She went downstairs and I heard the door open.

"Hi, Mrs. Johnson. Thanks for taking Susie."

"Oh, it was no prob," Mrs. Johnson started to say, before Susie interrupted her.

"Is Jenny here, Beth?" Susie asked excitedly. "Is she upstairs? Bye, Mrs. Johnson, thanks," she called out as I heard her running up the stairs.

"My goodness, Beth. Susie certainly is taken with Jenny. How is he," she paused, "she," she corrected herself, "doing?"

"She," Beth emphasized, "is doing really great, Mrs. Johnson. Thank you for asking. Goodnight and thanks again."

The door closed.

"Jenny, where are you?" Susie called, as she reached the top of the stairs.

"In Mom's room, Susie," I replied.

She burst through the door and jumped into my lap. Beth came in a minute later.

"Well, girls. Are you ready for your big day?" Mom asked.

"Definitely, Mom," Beth said confidently. "I borrowed a bunch of hair styling magazines from Cindy. We can go through them and find some styles we like. Let's go ladies," she said as she herded us out the door.

We were all giggles as we headed off to fantasize about glamorous hairdos. Beth went to her school bag and pulled out a pile of magazines. Cindy's mother is a hairdresser. I told her about our going to the salon and she brought these to school for me."

"Beth," I asked nervously, "I hope that we didn't mean me?"

"Of course it did, silly. My friends all know that my cousin Jenny is staying with us. We made up that story that time when you went with me to hang out with my girlfriends. Remember? Don't be such a worry wart. Here you two, start looking through these and see if you can find a style you like."

She handed a magazine to me and another to Susie.

Susie began to turn the pages, but I put mine down.

"Jenny, why the long face?" Beth asked. "Tomorrow is going to be so fun. Our first real visit to a beauty salon instead of the hair cuts are us place we usually go to. Aren't you excited?"

"No, not really," I told her. You and Susie have beautiful long hair. Look at this." I put my hands up and tousled my hair. "I have to be able to look like a boy all week, so no fancy do's for me."

"Oh dear, Jenny," Beth said sympathetically, "you're right. It's your birthday present and we're the ones getting our hair styled. That's not right at all. I'm going to tell Mom that we've decided not to go. We can have a party here or something instead. Is that okay, Susie?"

Susie had been studying her magazine and gave Beth a puzzled look.

"Beth, can't we go, please. I really want to go, please. Please. Pretty please?"

"Yes Beth," I agreed. "You have to go. I have the two most wonderful sisters in the world and I wouldn't want anything to spoil your day. Seeing you two look beautiful is all the present I need."

Beth looked at me with tears in her eyes.

"Oh my God, Jenny. That is the nicest, kindest, sweetest thing anyone could ever say." She came over and threw her arms around me. "I love you. I don't know how we will work this out, but we will and you will be my sister forever and always dear Jenny."

Not to be left out, Susie came over and put her arms around me.

"I love you too, Jenny. Sooooo much."

The touching sister, sister, sister moment was interrupted by Mom's voice.

"It's time for Susie to get to bed girls."

"Please Mom, just a few more minutes," Beth called back to her.

"Okay," but it's going to be your fault if she falls asleep in Mr. Kenneth's chair and gets her ear cut off," Mom joked.

We all giggled.

Not to be outdone, Beth called back, "Anyway, you're a nurse. You can just sew it back on." Mom laughed. Then going back to the magazines Beth told us, "okay girls, let's pick out some styles. Jenny you can help find one for me."

I secretly envied Beth and Susie as they played with their long hair. Twisting and twirling it, trying to duplicate the different looks in the magazine. After a while Susie began to get sleepy, so Beth tucked her in bed and I found a story to read to her. She fell asleep before I had finished the first page. We went downstairs quietly.

"Do you want to watch some TV, Jenny?" Beth asked me.

"Sure, maybe we can watch one of those fashion shows you like."

All of a sudden Beth exclaimed, "Oh my God, Jenny! I just remembered. Our outfits. What are we going to wear?"

I looked at her and naively asked, "Aren't we going to wear what we usually wear to the mall?"

"Jenny, really! We're not just going to the mall. We are going to Mr. Kenneth's salon. We have to look our best. Oh my God, I don't have anything to wear."

"C'mon, Beth," I reassured her. You have some really nice clothes. I'm sure you can find something. Calm down."

Beth took a deep breath. "Thanks, Sis. I don't agree, but I guess I don't have a choice either. Susie's fast asleep, so I think we can look through my wardrobe if we're quiet. Let's go see."

We went back to Beth's room and turned on the closet light. As far as I could see, Beth had enough clothes to start her own boutique. I guess I still had a few things to learn about being a girl.

"Okay, Jenny. First thing, skirt or pants? Let's see." She started to go through what was on the hangers. "No, no, no, definitely no, maybe." She pulled out a red leather skirt and handed it to me. "No, no, no and no, maybe." She pulled out a pair of designer jeans and handed them to me. "Eww, how did that get in here? It went out of style last year. No, no, no, no and no." She sighed, "That's it."

I looked at the skirt and the jeans.

"We'll, I'm no fashion expert for sure, but you have a great figure and these jeans really fit you. I remember when Mom bought them for you at that fancy store when it opened at the mall. She nearly had a heart attack when she saw the price."

Beth took them and held them up. She looked in the mirror. "Yes, Jenny, I think you're right. Definitely the jeans. Now I need a top."

She started through the selection process again, pulling out a red and a black jersey and a blue sweater. She held them up to her chest and looked in the mirror.

"The black one," I told her. "It looks very sophisticated."

"Where on earth would you learn about looking 'sophisticated'?" she questioned me?

"I don't know. Probably from your fashion magazines that you leave in the bathroom for reading material."

"Okay, that's it," Beth teased me. "You look better in my clothes than I do and you know more about fashion than I do. I am resigning as the resident beauty queen in this family and turning the title over to you." She paused, "Annoying, but you're right. Now I need shoes and underwear."

She picked out a pair of black shoe boots with a square toe and two inch heels.

"These should dress the outfit up."

She went over to her dresser and took out a black bra and black nylon stretch lace panties.

"See, Jenny. When you wear tight pants you want a smooth pair of panties so you won't have a vpl. Now then, we need to find you an outfit."

"What's a vpl Beth?"

"Oh, a visible panty line. You don't won't boys to see the outline of your panties through your pants or a tight skirt."

"Since I don't have a nice round butt like yours, I doubt I will have to worry about that. But thanks for the fashion tip."

Beth blushed. "I'll thank you not to be staring at my butt, missy."

"Well, with you parading around in your skimpy panties it's kind of hard to miss," I observed.

"Touché," Beth conceded, "or maybe I should say tushy."

We both had to put our hands over our mouths so our laughing wouldn't wake Susie. We calmed down.

"Seriously, Sis, let's find you an outfit." Beth paused to think. "How about that red leather mini skirt. With a white silk blouse and black stockings you'd be a knockout."

"Thank you very much, but the last thing I want to be is a knockout. With the luck I've been having, half my class will be at the mall. 'Hey, wait a minute, who's that hot little number. She looks familiar. Isn't that? No, it can't be. Yes, look, it is. Hi, Johnny.'"

"We've been though this, Sis. You even fooled Mom. Nobody is going to recognize you, but you're right. Pretty yes, a knockout no. So let's see what else we can find. Hey, how about this. I used to love this skirt. Frankly, it's a little young for me now, bit it would look great on you."

Beth handed me a pink and charcoal gray plaid pleated wool skirt. I held it up to my waist. It came about two inches above my knees.

"Oh, Beth. I love it."

"Good, now, let me see. I used to have a pink angora sweater I wore with it. Hmmm. Yes, here it is."

The sweater was long sleeved with a round neckline. It felt incredibly soft and feminine.

"And charcoal gray wool tights. They should be in my dresser. Ahhh. Mom never gets rid of anything." She handed me the tights. "And my chunky heeled black loafers. There. Ooops, and some pretty undies."

"I can wear my own undies, Beth. But thanks for the offer."

"Jenny, this is your special day and I want you to have some special lingerie to wear. Please take them."

She went to her dresser and took out a pair of pink nylon panties with a white lace waistband and white lace trim around the leg openings and a matching stretch nylon pull over top with lace trim on the cups and thin straps.

I politely accepted them.

"They're beautiful, Beth. Thank you."

I said goodnight to Beth and gave her a hug. She hugged me back. I went to the bathroom to do my nightly beauty routine. I smiled to my image in the mirror and she smiled back. Even if I couldn't get a real hairstyle, it was still going to be a wonderful day for Jenny. I went back to my room and felt the smooth nylon of my nightgown slide against my panties as I snuggled down under my covers. Goodnight Jenny, sleep tight and have pretty dreams I said to myself.

TO BE CONTINUED

Sister, Sister, Sister - Part 6
By Missy Crystal

Twelve year old Johnny wants to play Barbies with his sisters, but Barbies are for girls. How can Johnny join the game? A sweet, sentimental story about a young boy's discovery of the girl he should have been with the help of his sisters and mother. This is a story I wrote a couple of years ago and I am posting it here for those who would like to know more about Dr. Jenny Mitchell. It is complete, for those who anguish over being left hanging, but too long for a single post.

Saturday morning everyone was up bright and early. Our appointment wasn't until 11 o'clock, but three girls and one bathroom took some coordinating. Finally, Beth, Susie and I were ready. We went downstairs to wait for Mom.

"Hurry up, Mom," Beth called to her impatiently, "we don't want to be late."

"Calm down," Mom yelled back. "It only takes fifteen minutes to get to the mall and we have an hour. We won't be late."

The ten minutes it took before we heard her coming down the stairs seemed like an hour. When she came into the kitchen, I saw Beth's startled expression. Mom had on a pair of black slacks and a powder blue three quarter sleeve sweater with a cowl neck. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail with a black scrunchy.

Mom looked at Beth, then at me and Susie.

"What?" she asked her. "It's your day. I'm just the chauffeur. You're all in such a hurry. Let's get going."

Beth shrugged her shoulders. She knew better than to argue with Mom. We went outside and got into the car. Mom drove to the mall and found a parking space. We got out and went in the main entrance. Mr. Kenneth's salon was in the middle of the mall. I looked nervously about. Luckily, I didn't recognize anyone and we got to the salon unnoticed as far as I could tell. Mom opened the door and we went into the waiting area. Mom went up and told the receptionist that we had an appointment with Mr. Kenneth. She looked at us and smiled.

"Which one is the birthday girl?" she asked curiously.

I hesitated and Beth spoke up.

"My sister Jenny is."

She put her arm around my shoulder.

"It's Jenny's birthday," Susie chimed in, "but we're all getting our hair done. Isn't that right, Mommy?"

"Yes, Susie, dear," Mom confirmed.

"Please follow me girls," the receptionist said.

Beth, Susie and I trooped along behind her down the corridor, past lots of chairs with stylists working on customers and into Mr. Kenneth's private spa, where he had done my hair the first time we came. Mr. Kenneth was dressed in his usual black long sleeved shirt, buttoned at the cuffs and neck, and black pants. I was too shy to notice much about him before, but now I saw he was not much taller than Beth and very thin. He wore small diamond studs in both his ears. He caught me looking at him and smiled. I smiled back.

"Where is your mother?" he inquired.

We all looked behind us to find that Mom was not there.

Mr. Kenneth went to the phone.

"Yes, please bring her to me. No, no, tell her Mr. Kenneth requires her to be here."

A few minutes later there was a knock on the door and in came Mom looking very sheepish.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Kenneth. I mean, I didn't know you wanted me. I thought it was just the girls."

"Really, Madam," Mr. Kenneth scolded her. "Is this not a family birthday for Jenny and are you not a part of this family?" Before Mom could answer, he went on, "then what is Madam doing outside when her family is inside? Sit, sit, sit, all of you sit," he said authoritatively.

We all found chairs.

"Now then, who's first?

Beth spoke up.

"It's Jenny's birthday, so she should be first."

"Ahh, the beautiful Beth."

Beth beamed at the compliment and the fact he remembered her name.

"Mr. Kenneth thinks not, however. Today we shall save Jenny for last. I think that it is you who Mr. Kenneth shall do first. Stand up."

Mr. Kenneth may have been small, but he had a commanding presence. Beth just about jumped out of her seat.

"Come over to the chair."

Mr. Kenneth placed a plastic cloak over her and then tilted the chair back so that her head was in the sink. He ran the water, testing it with his hand until he was satisfied with the temperature. He squeezed some shampoo from a bottle and the scent of apricots filled the room. He spent about five minutes lathering her hair and then another five minutes rinsing it clean. When he was satisfied, he helped her to sit up and adjusted the back of the chair. He kept the chair facing away from the mirror on the wall behind the sink.

"Umm, Mr. Kenneth," Beth murmured, "umm, I was looking in some hairstyling magazines a friend gave me and I thought, well, umm, I thought that maybe you... ."

"A magazine!" Mr. Kenneth interrupted her. "A magazine! Mr. Kenneth is to use a hairstyle from a magazine? Mr. Kenneth makes hairstyles for magazines. Perhaps Beth will take her magazine to the barbershop. I am sure that whoever cuts her hair will find it quite instructive."

"Oh, oh, oh, no, Mr. Kenneth, I'm sorry, I didn't, I never, I, I, I want you to do my hair. I just thought, I mean, I didn't think, I mean... ."

I had never seen Beth so flustered. Apparently Mr. Kenneth was not as insulted as he seemed. Having firmly established who was in charge, his demeanor softened.

"Miss Beth is sure she wishes to place herself in Mr. Kenneth's hands?"

Beth was a fast study.

"Oh, yes, yes, please, Mr. Kenneth. Please do my hair. Whatever you like. I will love it, I am sure."

"Very well then."

Mr. Kenneth began to circle around Beth. He took his hand and tilted her head forward, then backward, then side to side. He put his hand on her chin and angled her face. With his comb, he measured the sides and back. He stood back. He moved forward. It must have been at least five minutes before he took out his scissors and made the first snip. I saw Beth wince. Mr. Kenneth was so intent that he just went on cutting. Since he was between us and Beth towards the end, it was hard to see exactly what he was doing. Finally, he was satisfied and took out the blower and a styling brush. When he was finished, he turned Beth to face the mirror.

There was no doubt in my mind that Mr. Kenneth was a genius. It wasn't that he just did a good job cutting her hair. Somehow he knew her. Beth was simple and athletic. The style he used was perfect. The front was long and the sides were layered and angled up, tapering towards the back. It was stylish and manageable. It took a few seconds for Beth to take it all in. Then she let out a stream of 'Oh my Gods' that I am surprised didn't result in the receptionist calling 911.

"Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God. Mom. Oh my God."

Beth went on with about a dozen more 'Oh My Gods', with a few 'moms' thrown in. Finally, she got some of her composure back.

"I love it. Mr. Kenneth. I love it."

Then she slipped back into another string of 'Oh my God's' as she studied herself in the mirror.

"I take it that Miss Beth is not disappointed," Mr. Kenneth said with false modesty.

Beth's response was to throw her arms around Mr. Kenneth. Since they were about the same size and Beth was a pretty solid girl, it took all of Mr. Kenneth's effort to keep from collapsing in a pile on the floor. After a minute of putting up with her expression of gratitude, he gently pried himself loose. By now Beth had calmed down and she walked over to Mom to let her see her new hairstyle close up. Mom nodded approvingly at Mr. Kenneth, who, of course, accepted it routinely.

"Next I believe it is sweet Miss Susie."

I think she liked being called miss, but not the sweet part. Then again, she did look sweet. She had picked out her favorite pink corduroy jumper, a white cotton blouse with a round collar, white tights and pink and white saddle shoes. Mr. Kenneth put a booster seat in the chair and helped Susie up. He then went through the same wash and rinse routine, except that as he was toweling her hair, he stopped, made some tisk, tisk, tisk sounds and turned to Mom.

"Madam, please refrain from using a bowl to cut your daughter's hair."

Mom pretended to study the top of her shoes.

Mr. Kenneth turned back to Susie and began to snip. Like Beth, it was hard to see what he was doing until he had blown her hair out. Like before, Mr. Kenneth was a genius in picking a style that suited Susie. This time he had rounded her bangs so that they framed her face and continued rounding the sides and back. It was girlish, but not babyish.

Susie was less emotional than Beth, but it was obvious that she was thrilled with her hairstyle. She ran over to Mom to show it to her, and then paraded over to Beth and me with her hand on her hip, like she was a model. I looked over and caught Mr. Kenneth with the beginning of a smile, before he returned to his professional look.

"And now," Mr. Kenneth announced, "it is my delightful Jenny's turn."

I stood up and went over to the chair. Mr. Kenneth removed the booster seat, put the plastic cape over me and I sat down. The water was hot and I was surprised at how strong Mr. Kenneth's hands were as he massaged my head to work up a lather. After he finished the routine, he sat me up and studied me.

"It's okay, Mr. Kenneth," I assured him. "I understand that there is not much you can do with a unisex cut. I have to go back to school as a boy. But thank you for trying."

Mr. Kenneth stood back and looked down his nose at me.

"Mr. Kenneth can do nothing? You think so? Wait and see my dear Jenny what Mr. Kenneth can do."

Mr. Kenneth proceeded to trim my hair. It had gotten a little longer since my last cut. When he was finished he turned me to the mirror. The sides were layered, the front, when my hair was pulled forward, had a suggestion of bangs and the back was evened up. Altogether, a little more feminine, but still not a girl's style. Mr. Kenneth must have read my face.

"Was my delightful Jenny right? Could Mr. Kenneth do nothing? Then again, perhaps he can do something after all."

He walked over to a cabinet, opened the door and took out a round box with a red ribbon on top. He brought it back and put it in my lap.

"Happy birthday, my pretty Jenny."

"Oh, Mr. Kenneth. Really, you shouldn't have. You don't need to give me a present. You have already done more than enough for me and my family."

"Of course Mr. Kenneth does not need to give you a present. Mr. Kenneth wants to give you a present. Would you insult him by refusing his gift? He would be heartbroken."

Mr. Kenneth pretended to be sad, dabbing his eyes with a piece of tissue.

It did not take much encouragement for me to change my mind. I untied the ribbon and took the top off the box. Inside I saw hair. I stuck my hand in to take whatever it was out.

"No, no, Jenny, gently. Let me."

Mr. Kenneth reached in and carefully pulled out the most beautiful wig I had ever seen. Well actually it was the only wig I had ever seen. It was shoulder length, honey blonde with soft waves and ringlets on the sides. I heard Mom and my sisters gasp as Mr. Kenneth held it up.

"Let me show you how to wear it. First, you must pull your own hair back. Like this."

He took a brush, stroked my hair into his hand and used an elastic to gather it behind my head. Then he picked up the wig, adjusted a draw string inside it and placed it on my head. The feeling of having long hair falling over my shoulders was ecstasy. Mr. Kenneth fussed with a comb and brush until every curl was in place. Finally, he took some bobby pins and used them to attach the wig to my own hair. I looked in the mirror. A beautiful young girl looked back at me. I stood up and slowly walked over to my family. I could feel the hair flowing around my face as I walked, swinging my hips slightly and feeling the pleated skirt swish against my legs. I could not have felt prettier or more feminine. Beth and Susie rushed over to see the wig close up. They couldn't stop gushing about how beautiful I looked.

Mom walked over to Mr. Kenneth. I have never seen her become emotional, but her eyes were moist. She bent forward and kissed him on the cheek.

"Mr. Kenneth," she said softly. "I love my daughters very much and I love you for being so kind to them. I am very grateful and can never repay your generosity."

She sniffled and wiped her nose with a tissue.

"Madam is most gracious. But we are not finished. What is a birthday without a party? If the lovely young ladies would go to the ice cream parlor and ask for Bruce, I have arranged for a small celebration. Now hurry along. I have much to do with your mother."

We all looked at him in shock.

"With me?" Mom questioned Mr. Kenneth. "No, you have done too much already. I couldn't."

"Madam, Mr. Kenneth does what Mr. Kenneth does and right now Mr. Kenneth is doing you. It is a challenge I have looked forward to for quite some time. Go ahead and don't rush back girls. The impossible takes Mr. Kenneth longer."

As we went through the waiting area, the receptionist gave us a confused look. I just smiled and scooted out the door. The ice cream parlor was at the end of the mall. Beth took my arm and I held Susie's hand. The wig gave me new confidence and Beth noticed the change.

"My goodness, Jenny, chin up, big smile, aren't we the sassy one today." She giggled and tugged at my arm, pulling me next to her and whispering in my ear. "Better be careful or all the boys will want a date with the new blonde in town."

She playfully bumped into me with her hip and I bumped her back. We both broke out in giggles. Susie wanted to know what was so funny and I told her that Beth was boy crazy.

"Ewww," was Susie's reply.

I nodded my agreement and she giggled. That got us all giggling so much that we had to stop. By coincidence, we were standing in front of a fancy lingerie shop. The pretty panties and bras in the window caught Beth's eye.

"Oh, Jenny. Aren't those really sexy," she bubbled, pointing to a skimpy pair of red panties with black lace trim and a matching bra. "C'mon."

Before I could say no, she was through the open doorway. Since we were still arm in arm, I stumbled in with her. Since I was holding Susie's hand, she was dragged in after me.

"Beth," I said under my breath, "can't you do this when I'm not with you? What if someone starts asking me questions, like what size I am? What do I tell them? 'Doh, I don't know. I just wear my big sister's hand me downs?' Please, let's go."

"Calm down, Jenny. That's not the way it works. They expect you to try on different sizes, because different styles fit you differently. You pick out what you want and take it into the dressing room. See."

She pointed to a woman going towards the back of the store with a collection of bras.

"You always try on bras before you buy them to make sure they fit and are comfortable, unless it's a style you've worn before. Of course, you have to try panties on over your own panties for hygiene."

I made a face.

"Thank you very much for the lingerie lesson, but I think I'll leave the panty and bra buying to you and Mom. I've got too little on top and too much elsewhere to be trying them on in the store."

For some reason, Beth thought that was hysterical. She started laughing.

"Too little, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, too much, ha, ha, ha, ha, oh, Jenny, ha, ha, you're too, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, funny, I can't stop, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.

I tugged on her arm.

"Beth, please, control yourself. Everyone in the store is staring out us. Beth, really! Please, stop. You're making a scene."

Beth quieted down, but it was too late. A salesgirl came over to us.

"Hello, girls. Having fun?" She was young and very pretty. "Is there something special I can help you with? This is the women's section, you know. We have some really nice juniors lingerie over there." She pointed to another area of the store. "Come along."

I was afraid I would draw even more attention to myself if I hesitated, so I meekly followed. Beth gave me a funny look, shrugged her shoulders and came too.

"Jenny, I thought you said you weren't interested in buying bras and panties," she whispered to me.

"Shhh," I whispered back. "I'm not. But I don't want her to know that. You're the one that got me into this. Now let's just tell her we have to meet our mother and leave. I'm about to wet my panties I'm so nervous and then I really will need to buy new ones."

Beth started laughing again. I gave her a dirty look.

"Stop it, I'm not kidding," I warned her, although there was no possibility of making good on my threat.

When we arrived at the display racks, the saleswoman picked out a white bra and showed it to me.

"This is one of our most popular styles. See. It has removable pads in the cups. It gives you a cute figure and then, when your own develop, you can take them out or keep them in to increase your cup size. Would you like to try it on? The dressing rooms are over there. It also comes in beige, pink and black. Here," she handed it too me.

Wow, I thought to myself. She thinks I'm a girl and that I'm going to have real breasts! Then I looked over at Beth. She was obviously enjoying herself. I gave her another dirty look and she finally came to my rescue.

"Thank, you miss, but our mother is waiting for us and we really need to get going. My sister and I will come back another time. Won't we Jenny?"

"Yes, definitely" I said with pretend enthusiasm. Then tugging on her arm I added emphatically, "But right now we really must meet mother. She will be very upset if we keep her waiting."

We started to leave and the salesgirl called after us, "My name is Debbie. I work on the weekends. Please ask for me."

We continued on to the ice cream parlor. Of course, hanging around outside was a group of boys from Beth's school.

"Hey, Beth," one of them said.

What's up," said another.

"Who's your friend?" asked a third.

"Hi, Billy. Hi, Ed. Hi, Doug," Beth casually replied, "Oh, this is my cousin. She's staying with us for a while."

"Cool," the first boy said.

"Yeah, cool," the other two echoed.

The first boy looked at me and asked, "What's your name?"

I smiled and said, "Jenny. What's yours?"

He smiled back. "I'm Billy," and then he boldly added, "do you want to go out sometime?"

I looked over at Beth. From her expression, it was obvious she was waiting to see what I would say to being asked on my first date.

I said shyly, "Oh, thank you so much, but my mother doesn't let me date when I am visiting." I fluttered my eyelashes and fussed with my hair, the way I had seen Beth do when she was talking to boys. I turned to Beth. "Let's go, please."

"See you in school guys," Beth called to them as we headed into the shop.

"Bye Beth. Bye Jenny," they called after us.

"Wow," Beth remarked, "that was a great." Then she kidded me, "are you sure you aren't a girl and you've just been pretending to be my brother all these years?"

"I can show you the proof," I kidded her back.

Not to be outdone, she challenged me, "okay, Miss smarty panties, go ahead."

Not to be outdone either, I reached down and started to flip up my skirt.

"Eeek!" Beth exclaimed. "Jenny, where is your modesty. Flashing your panties in public. Really!" She laughed. "Okay, I give up. You win, Sis." She put her arm around me and gave me a hug." She paused. "You weren't really serious were you?"

"I guess you'll never know," I teased her.

Susie finally lost her patience. "Beth, Jenny," she demanded, "stop fooling around and let's get to our party."

Beth went up to the cashier.

"May we see Bruce, please," she said politely.

The casher turned to one of the waitresses and asked her to get Bruce. She went into the kitchen and a few minutes later a man in a white jacket came out.

The cashier told him, "these girls asked for you."

I'm awful with ages. I would guess Bruce was in his twenties. He was tall and thin, with short silver blonde hair.

"Hi," he greeted us, which one of you is Jenny?"

I moved forward.

"Me."

"And this must be Beth," he said.

She smiled and nodded.

"And this young lady must be Susie."

She just stood shyly behind Beth.

"Everything is ready. Please follow me."

He started towards the back of the shop.

The ice cream parlor at the mall was a popular place for kids' birthdays and we had all been in the party room before. It had a long table with benches and a fancy throne chair for the birthday boy or girl at the end. We didn't expect much of a party with only the three of us, so we were very surprised when we walked in. It was all decorated with balloons and streamers. Bruce saw our expressions.

"Mr. Kenneth goes all out," he confirmed. "Jenny, you get the seat of honor. Susie, you sit there and Beth, here. I'll be right back to get the party started, but for now why don't you get in the mood and put on your party hats."

I looked down and there was a gold plastic tiara. I picked it up and put it gently on my head. It had little combs on the bottom that held it in place. Beth and Susie had silver ones. They both put theirs on. There were also party pipes. Susie picked hers up and blew it out with a razzing noise.

"Come on you two," Susie challenged us.

We humored her and blew ours. Then we got silly and started having a party pipe duel with a chorus of razzes as the paper curls extended. The thin paper didn't last long, which didn't matter, because by then Bruce was back. Two waitresses followed him. The lights dimmed and he moved a menu that had been hiding the cake. They started singing happy birthday. Beth and Susie joined in.

"Happy birthday, dear Jenny," they sang, "happy birthday, to youuuuuu." Everyone clapped.

"Now," Bruce encouraged me, "make a wish and blow out the candles."

I closed my eyes and silently recited the lines from Pinocchio: "Star light, star bright, I wish I may, wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight. I wish to be a real girl."

Candles probably weren't as powerful as stars for granting wishes, but it worked for him and he was a made of wood, so I had a head start I figured. Then I opened my eyes and blew out all the candles.

Beth looked at me.

"I know your wish, Jenny," she said sympathetically.

"Shhh," I held my finger to my lips, "if you say it, then it won't come true."

She blew me a kiss.

"For luck, my dear sister."

Susie didn't understand, but she decided it was a nice thing to do and blew me a kiss too.

Bruce cut the cake. He went out and came back a few minutes later with three hot fudge sundaes. I realized that it had been a long time since breakfast and started to dig in. Then I looked over and saw Beth daintily spooning small portions. I unloaded my spoon and did the same. Of course Susie had not learned the refinements of being a lady yet and was happily eating her ice cream and cake without concern for her appearance.

After about fifteen minutes, Bruce returned. He was holding three small blue boxes with gold ribbons. I guessed they were some sort of party favor the shop gave out. He looked at the tags on the boxes and handed them out. We each undid the ribbon. Beth was the first to open hers.

"Oh my God," Beth exclaimed.

You could always tell how excited or surprised she was by the number of them in a row. It was six. Not quite a record, compared to her earlier outburst in Mr. Kenneth's salon, but there was obviously something very wonderful in the box. I opened mine.

"Holy cow!" I exclaimed.

Inside mine was a gold necklace with a heart shaped gold charm with 'Jenny' engraved in script. I wasn't much of an authority on jewelry, but I guessed that if it came from Mr. Kenneth it was real gold. Beth held hers up. It was a gold bracelet with a heart shaped gold charm engraved with 'Beth'. Susie opened hers and it was the same as Beth's, except for the name.

"Eeek!" she squealed with delight. "Look, Jenny. My very own bracelet, with my name on it. Please put it on me."

She handed it to me. I undid the clasp and put it around her wrist. Mr. Kenneth must have been a very good judge of girls' sizes, because it fit her perfectly. Beth also had put hers on and was holding her wrist up to admire it.

"Jenny, let me put your necklace on you," she offered.

I handed it to her and bent down. When I straightened up, the charm was hanging just below my collar.

"Here, Jenny."

Beth had taken her compact out of her pocket book and was holding the mirror so I could see. It was gorgeous. My first very own piece of jewelry. Maybe my wish was coming true and I imagined I was slowly changing into a real girl. My daydream was interrupted by Beth.

"Oh, Bruce, thank you so much for the wonderful party. It was the nicest birthday ever, really."

She went over to him, stood on her tip toes and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Yes," I agreed. "Thank you so much for everything."

I went over, stood on my tiptoes and gave him a kiss on the cheek too. It would have felt funny for Johnny to kiss a man, but it felt right for Jenny. Beth gave me a nod of approval.

"We really should get back to the salon and thank Mr. Kenneth," Beth told us. "Susie, Jenny, let's go. Thanks again, Bruce."

We waved goodbye as we headed towards the door. Luckily, the boys had left by then. We hurried through the mall and rushed into the waiting area, past the receptionist and up to Mr. Kenneth's private room. We opened the door and went in. Mr. Kenneth was facing us. He was holding a small brush and working on the makeup of the woman in the chair. She had her back to us and Mr. Kenneth was between her and the mirror, so all I could see was her shoulders and the back of her head. She had on a white tank top and beautiful auburn hair in a soft wave which covered the top of her neck. Beth stopped short.

"Oh, my. I'm sorry Mr. Kenneth. I just thought, I mean, we expected, I mean, you know, that Mom would still be here? We were having such a nice time at the party we weren't watching the time. Did she leave?"

Mr. Kenneth's answer was puzzling.

"Mr. Kenneth is a magician, of course, better than those on stage."

We had no idea what he was talking about. He waved his hands in the air.

"Mr. Kenneth changes a mouse into a movie star."

He slowly turned the chair around. It took me a minute to realize that the woman was Mom. She must have been wearing the tank top under her sweater.

For as long as I can remember, Mom had not paid attention to her looks. She rarely wore makeup, except for lipstick, and she usually had her hair in a pony tail or clipped up for work. I couldn't even remember what color it was. Brownish, I guessed. When she did get it cut, it was at the same place that trimmed ours. Mr. Kenneth was right. Mr. Kenneth was a magician. Mom was beautiful. I looked at Beth. Her jaw had dropped and she was speechless.

Susie broke the silence.

"Mommy, is that really you?"

"Yes, sweetheart, it's really me." It was definitely Mom's voice. "Kenneth has managed to turn the ugly duckling into a swan."

"Ah, no. Carol is too kind. Even a great artist can do no better than the materials he has to work with."

Mom blushed.

Carol? Kenneth? And a compliment from the man who was never modest about himself. This was all too weird. Beth must have been thinking the same thing. We shrugged our shoulders at each other. Then Susie ran over to show Mom her bracelet.

"See, its gold and it has my name on it. Isn't it pretty. Beth got one too. And Jenny got a necklace."

Mom walked over to us and admired our new jewelry.

"Oh, Kenneth, really, you will spoil the girls. You have been too kind. I don't know what to say."

"Carol will say that she will return in two weeks, so that she and her daughters do not look like ragamuffins. Carol will also say that I will take her shopping for new clothes at my friends' boutiques. The mother of three beautiful girls must herself dress fashionably."

Of course, we beamed at being called beautiful. Mom looked embarrassed that Mr. Kenneth did not like her clothes.

"If Carol will be so kind as to leave her address and telephone number, I will call for her tomorrow morning at 10."

He handed Mom a piece of paper and a pen. Mom was obviously flustered. I am sure she had not expected a date with Mr. Kenneth.

"Kenneth, really, I couldn't. You have done too much for us already. Perhaps I can go with the girls and buy a few things. I'm sure you must have better things to do, than take me shopping."

"Ah, well then, Carol knows my schedule," Mr. Kenneth said with mock sarcasm. "How convenient. In fact, I have already planned to spend tomorrow with you. Now," he said with an obviously pretend sadness, "will you be so cruel as to take away the pleasure of completing my work of art. Would Galatea break Pygmalion's heart?"

I hadn't a clue as to what Mr. Kenneth was talking about, although I was pretty sure that whatever it was, he would get over it if Mom said no. I looked at Beth. She was clueless too.

To my astonishment, Mom actually flirted with him.

"Oh, Kenneth, you do go on so. But, it would be my pleasure to accompany you, if it would make your heart smile, the way you have made ours smile today."

Okay, this was really, really too weird. Mom carrying on with our hairdresser? Then again, I thought to myself, Mr. Kenneth is a treasure. We could do worse. Mom went over to one of the chairs and picked up her sweater. She started to put it on, but stopped when Mr. Kenneth gave her a disapproving look.

"Swans do not wear duck's feathers," he told her.

Mom put the sweater over her shoulders. Mr. Kenneth nodded.

"Let's go girls," she directed us.

"Bye, Mr. Kenneth," Susie said.

"Bye, Mr. Kenneth," Beth said. "And thank you," she added sincerely.

"Bye, Mr. Kenneth," I said. "This was the best birthday ever. Thank you so, so much."

"Jenny, wait!" Mr. Kenneth called as I was just going out the door. "You forgot your wig case." He walked over and handed me the round box. "There's a stand and special brush in there, so that you can do your hair." Then he bent down and said softly, so only I could hear, "I am looking forward to the day that I can style your own hair."

I whispered back to him, that was my birthday wish, but I'm not supposed to tell anyone or it won't come true."

Then I kissed him on the cheek. I don't know what it was, but Jenny was really getting into the kissing thing.

I caught up with my family and we went to Mom's car. Susie was sitting dreamily and Beth and I talked girl talk about what kinds of clothes Mom should buy for her new wardrobe. Of course, Beth wanted her in miniskirts and stretchy tops. I couldn't picture Mom looking sexy. We were dying to ask Mom what went on with her and Mr. Kenneth, but we agreed that it was none of our business. When we got home, Mom asked us what we wanted to do. Beth was excited about seeing her friends and showing off her new hairstyle. She was sure they would all die with envy. Susie asked Mom if she could go over to Mrs. Johnson's and show off her new bracelet. That left just me. I offered to walk Susie over to Mrs. Johnson's. Actually, she was one of the few people who I could show off my wig to and I also wanted to talk to her.

TO BE CONTINUED

Sister, Sister, Sister - Part 7
By Missy Crystal

Twelve year old Johnny wants to play Barbies with his sisters, but Barbies are for girls. How can Johnny join the game? A sweet, sentimental story about a young boy's discovery of the girl he should have been with the help of his sisters and mother. This is a story I wrote a couple of years ago and I am posting it here for those who would like to know more about Dr. Jenny Mitchell. It is complete, for those who anguish over being left hanging, but too long for

After we got home, Beth made a couple of phone calls and asked Mom if she would drive her to Cindy's house. Mom offered to drop Susie and me off at Mrs. Johnson's, but I knew Beth was anxious to get going and her friend's house was in the opposite direction. It was only a few blocks and I told Mom that we would walk. Susie and I left and, when we reached the sidewalk, she took my hand. It made me feel really special. It wasn't until we arrived at Mrs. Johnson's front door that it struck me she might not be home on a Saturday afternoon. I rang the doorbell and waited. A few minutes later she opened the door. It took her a moment to recognize who it was with the long blond hair.

"Jenny, you look lovely." Then she noticed Susie. "And Susie, so do you. I love your new hairstyles. Please come in."

As soon as we were in, Susie gushed, "Oh, Mrs. Johnson, we had the best day ever. Mommy took us to Mr. Kenneth's salon to have our hair done and we had a party and we got beautiful presents. See."

She held up her wrist to show off her bracelet.

"It's real gold and it has my name on it. And Jenny got a pretty wig and a real gold necklace with her name on it too."

Mrs. Johnson was impressed.

"My, my Susie, this certainly was an exciting day. And that is quite a beautiful bracelet." She called upstairs, "Julie, Susie's here and she has something for you to see."

A minute later Julie came bounding down the stairs. She stopped short when she saw us.

"Wow!" she exclaimed. "Your cousin looks great. Susie, you look really cute."

I don't think Susie was happy with 'really cute.' She was probably hoping for her friend to die with jealousy. Julie wasn't about to give her the satisfaction, although her next question gave her away.

"Mom, can I get my hair styled?"

Mrs. Johnson gave her the usual mother's response, "we'll see dear."

Susie held up her wrist. If her new hairstyle didn't work, the bracelet was bound to do the job.

"I got a new bracelet too. It's real gold and it's got my name on it. See, 'Susie'. Mr. Kenneth our hairdresser gave it to me when he did my hair at his salon.”

"Nice," Julie, replied. "Can I wear it?"

Susie’s face lit up with satisfaction.

"Well, I don’t know, it is very special and it does have my name on it," she said coyly.

"I have a gold locket with my initials on it," Julie bargained. "It has a gold chain too. I’ll let you wear it, if I can wear your bracelet. Please?"

The please did it.

"Okay, but just for a little while," Susie agreed conditionally.

Julie and Susie went upstairs to swap jewelry, leaving me with Mrs. Johnson. She came closer and looked at my wig.

"That is a beautiful hairpiece, Jenny, very natural."

"Thank you," Mrs. Johnson, I said politely. "I love wearing it and I’m going to hate myself when I have to go back to being Johnny."

To my surprise, Mrs. Johnson frowned.

"Jenny, you’ve said something that is troublesome. I’d like to talk to you about it."

"I didn’t mean to make you upset," I said apologetically.

Mrs. Johnson's smile returned.

"For someone whose profession is talking to people, I'm afraid I didn’t express myself very well. It’s not what you said that's troublesome. It's how it can make things difficult for you later on. Please come sit with me and we can discuss it. Okay?"

"Sure, Mrs. Johnson," I agreed.

We went into the living room. She pointed to the sofa and I sat down. She sat in an arm chair across from me with a coffee table separating us. She adjusted her skirt and crossed her legs, placing her hands in her lap.

"Do you remember what you just said, Jenny?"

"I think so,” I answered her. “I said I love my wig."

She shook her head.

"You did say that, but there was more. Do you remember?"

I thought back. Mrs. Johnson had complimented me about my wig. I thanked her and said what I just said. Was there more? Nothing came to me. I shook my head.

"I’m sorry, but I just can't remember anything else. Susie was right. Today was the best day of my life and that's all I can think about," I explained.

"I understand," Mrs. Johnson said reassuringly. "We can start from there. I'm going to ask you some questions. Please relax, Jenny. There’s no right or wrong answer, just say whatever comes into your mind. Okay?"

"Sure. No problem."

"Why was this the best day of your life?"

That's easy," I answered quickly. "It's because I got to spend it as Jenny and to feel like a real girl. I didn’t tell you this part, but, on our way to the party, Beth dragged me into one of the fancy women's stores and the salesgirl actually showed me a bra and asked if I wanted to try it on." I laughed. "She even thought I was going to have," I hesitated, "well, breasts."

"That's okay, Jenny. You don't have to be embarrassed talking to me. It is very important for you to be honest and you have my promise that everything we say is confidential."

"I trust you, Mrs. Johnson," I assured her. "I know you are trying to help me and I know that I need to tell you the truth."

Mrs. Johnson nodded.

“"Good. Now then," she continued, "tell me, who's Johnny?”

I gave her a puzzled look.

"You know who he is, Mrs. Johnson. He’s me when I’m a boy," I answered.

"I see. Is Johnny here now?"

I shook my head.

"No, I'm a girl, so Jenny's here."

"If Jenny is here, then where is Johnny? Is he in your room at home?"

Now I was really confused.

"Johnny's not anywhere," I tried to explain. "He’s just who I am when I go to school as a boy."

"What happens to him the rest of the time?"

"He becomes Jenny."

"How does he become Jenny?"

"He changes, I mean I change clothes."

"How does changing your clothes make you a different person?"

I tried to answer the question, but I couldn’t.

"I don’t know," I said with tears in my eyes. "I don't know Mrs. Johnson. I just want Johnny to go away. I don’t like him. I don't want to be him. Please, Mrs. Johnson, please. You have to help me. That's why I came over today. I wanted to ask you to do something, so that I can be Jenny all the time," I sobbed.

Mrs. Johnson came over and sat beside me. She put her arms around me gently and I rested my head on her shoulder as my tears continued to flow. When I finally calmed down, she got up and brought me some tissues. Then she sat down in her chair.

"Jenny, I want to help you. That is what I am trying to do now and you have made progress. The fact that you can talk to me about your feelings is an excellent beginning. You need to understand something and we are almost there. It is always better if a person finds their own solution with my guidance. Do you feel up to trying?"

I wiped my eyes and blew my nose.

"Okay."

"Would you like some more tissues?"

"No, thank you. Well," I reconsidered, "maybe, just in case."

Mrs. Johnson got up and brought over a box of tissues. She put it on the coffee table. Then she went back to her chair.

"Let's try it a little differently. The clothes you are wearing, are those yours?"

"No, they're Beth's. She shares her clothes with me, except for our panties. Mom thought we should have our own, so Beth gave me some of her old ones," I explained.

Mrs. Johnson nodded.

"What if Beth wanted to borrow some of your clothes? Would you let her?"

I gave Mrs. Johnson another puzzled look.

"Sure, if she wanted to, but why would she? Her clothes are much nicer than mine."

"Well, one reason might be that boy's clothes are usually looser fitting and more comfortable than girl's clothes," she suggested. "Beth doesn't get dressed up when she's at home, does she?"

"No, you're right. She usually wears jeans and a pullover top. But they're still girl's clothes," I insisted.

Mrs. Johnson smiled.

"For the sake of our discussion, let's pretend that she did borrow your clothes. If she wore them, would that make her a boy?"

"Of course not!" I responded emphatically.

"Why not?" Mrs. Johnson asked me.

"Why not what? I don't understand the question."

"If you are a girl when you wear Beth's clothes, then why isn't she a boy when she wears your clothes?"

"Because," I tried to explain, "because she was born a girl. That's who she is. I, well, I should have been born a girl too, Mrs. Johnson, it's not fair. I am a girl and when I wear girl's clothes that makes me feel like one." I started to cry again.

Mrs. Johnson got up and handed me the box of tissues. She sat down next to me and held me again.

"We're almost there, Jenny," she comforted me.

After a while, I got myself together. Mrs. Johnson went back to her chair.

"This is what I do as a psychologist. I try to talk my clients through their problems. Usually it takes months, sometimes even years. We don't have that kind of time, Jenny, so I am going to explain what this was all about. Are you ready?"

I nodded.

"You said that Beth would still be a girl if she wore boy's clothes, because that is who she is, right?"

"Yes," I answered with a sniffle.

"And you also said that you are a girl when you wear girl's clothes, because that is who you are, right?

"Right."

"If Beth is a girl, even when she wears boy's clothes, because that is who she is, then why aren't you a girl, even when you wear boy's clothes, because that is who you are?"

I looked blankly at Mrs. Johnson. I didn't have an answer.

She smiled.

"Jenny, you are the same person in boy's clothes as you are in girl's clothes. Remember when I asked you where Johnny was if Jenny was here. Do you know the answer to that question now?"

"I think so. He's here too," I said hesitatingly.

"Yes, Jenny, he's here too. You are not two different people who come and go by the way you are dressed. You are one whole person. It is very important for you to always remember that. Our names, our clothes and how we act are all clues we give to other people to help them recognize our gender, but they don't make us who we are."

Mrs. Johnson sat next to me and took my hands.

"Do you remember now what it was you said that I found troublesome?"

I thought about our conversation, but nothing came to mind.

"No, I'm really sorry," I apologized.

"That's okay, Jenny. I will tell you. What you said was that you were going to hate yourself when you had to go back to being Johnny. Do you see why that concerned me?"

"You mean about my not wanting to go back to being Johnny?"

"That's part of what you said, but think some more about how you said it, please."

I went over the words in my mind. Then it struck me.

"I said that I was going to hate being Johnny!"

Mrs. Johnson nodded.

"Yes. Now do you see?"

"I think so. It's because, if I hate being Johnny, I hate myself. Is that right?"

"Yes, Jenny. That's right. The worst thing a person can do is to hate himself. Or herself," she added. "You don't really hate yourself, do you?"

I shook my head.

"No, I like myself. I am very happy with who I am. I just wish everyone else felt the same way."

Mrs. Johnson squeezed my hands.

"Good. Now, one thing I like to do is have someone I've worked with tell me in their own words what we've accomplished. It gives me confidence that they really do understand. Would you try, please, Jenny?"

"Well," I hesitated, trying to say it just right, "even though I'm a girl, I don't have to not be a boy."

It took Mrs. Johnson a minute to sort out the sentence. Then she nodded her approval.

"Yes. A girl isn't any less of a girl because she does things boys do." She looked at me sympathetically. "Jenny, I do believe you will get your wish; but it's not magic. It doesn't happen overnight like in the storybooks. You have to be patient."

I laughed and Mrs. Johnson gave me a curious look.

"What's so funny?" she asked me.

"Well, when we were at my birthday party at the mall, they brought in a cake and I made a wish when I blew out the candles. I guess I can tell you, without spoiling it." I laughed again. "I made the opposite wish from Pinocchio. He wanted to be a real boy and I wanted the Blue Fairy to turn me into a real girl."

"Sorry, Jenny," Mrs. Johnson said with a grin, "the Blue Fairy doesn't deal with transgendered people, but I do know someone who could help your wish come true."

"Really, Mrs. Johnson, who?" I asked excitedly.

"Her name is Freda Goldfarb. She's a psychiatrist I met at a conference. She specializes in Gender Identity Disorder. That's a fancy medical term for people who are transgendered. You'd be surprised, Jenny. There are more people like you than you would think. I spoke with her and she would like to see you. I will call your mother and give her the information.

"Wow, Mrs. Johnson, thank you," I said.

I reached up and gave her a hug. She hugged me back. Boy's sure don't know what their missing by not being able to show their feelings, I confirmed to myself. After we finished our tender moment, Mrs. Johnson looked at her watch.

"Oh my, it's getting late and I wanted to get to the grocery store. Jenny, would you do me a big favor and keep an eye on the girls while I run out. I won't be gone more than an hour."

Mrs. Johnson's request took me by surprise.

"Are you sure, Mrs. Johnson? I don't know the first thing about being a babysitter."

"Just let your maternal instinct guide you," Mrs. Johnson said with a grin.

"What's that?" I asked her?

"Oh," she explained, "that's what helps mother animals to care for their young."

"Well," I kidded her back, "if you're right, it's going to be a while before I have one of those."

That pretty much cracked her up.

"Seriously, Jenny. Susie and Julie can take care of themselves, but children shouldn't be left alone in the house, in case there's an emergency. I'll pay you five dollars. That's the going rate for babysitters."

"What's your going rate for counseling?" I asked.

"Eighty-five dollars an hour, why?"

"Because I have to work off what I owe you. Besides, I'd love to spend some time with the girls. You do your shopping. We'll be fine until you get back," I assured her.

"Jenny, that's very sweet, but you don't owe me anything. I don't charge my friends for helping them."

"Neither do I," I replied.

"I better give you a quick tour before I go. Follow me."

I had only been in the hall and the living room. She showed me the kitchen, opened the refrigerator and some cabinets and told me to help myself to milk and cookies, if I got hungry. There was a family room off of the kitchen, with a TV. It had the same setup as the one at our house. Then we went upstairs to Julie's room. The door was open. It was done in pastel colors, with aqua carpet and white furniture. Along one wall was a low bookcase with dolls and games. Susie and Julie were in the middle of the room, doing something with string.

"Julie, Susie, I'm going to go shopping for a bit," Mrs. Johnson announced to the girls. "Jenny is going to stay with you. I won't be gone long."

She tuned and left. Susie immediately got up and came over to me. She took my hand and led me back to where she and Julie were playing.

"We're doing cat's cradle," Julie explained, "but were having trouble with this one. She pointed to a book on the floor next to her with a diagram. Can you help us?"

"I don't know," I admitted. "I've never done this before, but let me take a look. Three heads are better than two.

The girls laughed.

I went over and sat down next to Julie, crossing my legs and adjusting my skirt. I picked up the book and compared what it showed to what Julie was holding.

"That looks right, so far. I think that Susie has to take these two strings here," I pointed to one upper and one lower, "and bring them over these two."

Susie reached in, put the strings on her fingers and held them while Julie withdrew her fingers, then she moved her hands apart to tighten them up.

"Neat. Thanks Jenny. Let's see, next I think we do the same thing again."

She reached in and moved the strings under and around. A few more exchanges and finished the design.

"There." Julie ended up with the string and showed it off to me. "Thanks so much, Jenny."

"No problem, Julie. You girls are really whizzes at this. Do you think you could teach me?"

"You don't know how to play cat's cradle, Jenny?" Julie asked skeptically.

"Nope," I said, shaking my head. "I only have a brother, so I didn't get to play girl's games."

I made a silly face at Susie and she broke into giggles. Julie turned to see what was so funny, then turned back to me and shrugged.

"It's really easy, Jenny. We can do the basic one first. Here."

Julie took the long loop of string they had been using and put it over my middle three fingers of each hand.

"Spread your fingers and then make an inside loop with these fingers," she instructed me.

It took a bit of practice, but after a while I could get thorough the first six stages. I was really pleased with my accomplishment and I was even happier with the chance to spend time with these two sweet girls. In fact, the time went by so quickly that we were still playing when I looked up and saw Mrs. Johnson standing in the doorway.

"I see you managed quite nicely, Jenny," she said approvingly.

"Actually, Mrs. Johnson, it was Julie and Susie who took care of me," I told her. "They taught me how to play cat's cradle. I probably had more fun then they did."

"Uh, Uh," Julie defended me. "Jenny helped us do a hard one. I like her Mommy, can she be my babysitter for real?"

"That's up to her, Julie. I like her too and next time I'm going out, I will see if she is available. Is that okay, Jenny?"

Mrs. Johnson looked at me and smiled.

"More than okay, Mrs. Johnson," I replied. "I'm always available when I'm not in school," which of course she knew was true and why.

Just then the telephone rang. Mrs. Johnson answered it.

"Hello. Oh, hi Carol. Yes, the girls are still here. I had to run out and Jenny babysat for a bit. No, not at all. In fact, Julie is quite taken with her. She wants her to be her babysitter from now on. Oh, before I forget, I need to give you some information. I don't have it here. I'll give you a call later. Uh, huh, right. Jenny and Susie should be leaving soon. Okay. Talk to you later. Bye."

"Jenny, I'm glad we had a chance to chat. Susie, I'll see you next week after school."

Mrs. Johnson walked us to the door. We left and Susie took my hand. I looked down and saw that she wasn't wearing her bracelet. We went back, rang the bell and got it. Then we headed home. Susie looked up at me and squeezed my hand, her way of saying thank you for watching out for her. I squeezed back to let her know that was what big sisters were for. When Susie and I got home, Mom was in the kitchen putting away groceries.

“Hi girls,” she greeted us. “I stopped at the market on the way home.” Putting down a box of cereal, she turned to us. “Beth is going to get a burger and see a movie with her friends. That sounds like fun. We’re all dressed up and we have a free night. Would you like to do that too? I think there’s a new Disney movie out.”

A Disney movie wouldn’t have been my first choice, but I knew Susie would like it and, besides, anything I could do to spend time as Jenny, especially going out as Jenny, was fine with me.

“Sounds great,” I answered.

“Yes, me too,” Susie quickly agreed.

“Good,” Mom told us. “Let me finish putting away the groceries and then I’ll check the paper for the time. We can stop to eat on the way.”

“C’mon, Jenny, let’s play for a bit,” Susie said.

“No, Sis, we need to help Mom, chores, first then play.”

Was that me, the boy who never did anything around the house, saying that? Wow. Jenny certainly was a good influence on me. No, that wasn’t it. Mrs. Johnson had said I wasn’t two different people and she was right. I couldn’t be an influence on myself. I must have known what I should do, but just ignored it. I was better able to be me as a girl. No, that wasn’t right either. I’m still the same me. I guess I just learned more about myself.

“Earth to Jenny,” Mom called. “I appreciate your offer to help, but if you want to get done, then you have to get started,” she chided me.

“Sorry, Mom. I was thinking about something. "Susie, if you put away the milk and stuff that needs to go in the refrigerator," I suggested, "I'll hand Mom the stuff to put in the cabinets. We should be done in no time. Okay?"

"Sure, Jenny," Susie agreed as she began to take things out of the grocery bags.

"Mrs. Johnson said you stayed with Susie and Julie while she went out," Mom said, taking a can of soup from me and placing it on the shelf. "How was it?"

"Fine. Susie and Julie are great kids." I turned to look at Susie and smiled. She smiled back at me. "I wish I had discovered how much fun it was to play with girls before," I said wistfully.

"Better late then never," Mom comforted me, putting down a box of raisins and holding out her arms.

We hugged gently for a few seconds.

"Okay," Susie interrupted. "I'm done. Can we play now?"

"Go ahead, Jenny. I can finish up," Mom said, "we have plenty of time."

Susie headed upstairs. I followed after her. We went into her room. There was a toy box next to her bed. She opened it and began taking out her Barbies. I thought back to how all this got started, me being a girl, because Susie didn't want to play Barbies with a boy. Mom was right. Better late than never. I tuned my attention to the game. Susie decided that Barbie and her best friend Stacy were going to go to a dance and needed to get dressed up. Except for one of Beth's dresses, everything I had worn up to now was casual, so picking out Barbie's formal wardrobe was educational, as well as fun. Susie decided on a silky red strapless gown with a long full skirt. I wondered if I would ever be able to wear something like that, without having anything on top to hold it up. Of course, Barbie needed fancy sparkly pantyhose and gold high heeled shoes to finish off the outfit. Susie fussed with the doll's hair, until she was satisfied with the look, then she handed her to me while she got Stacy dressed. Since Barbie was going to be the queen of the dance, Stacy couldn't look as good as her. Apparently, even little girls understood the importance of being better dressed than the competition. At least that wasn't something I would have to worry about, I thought to myself. Stacy ended up in a straight black knee length dress with a white band around the top and thin black straps. It was cut low in back. White pantyhose and black high heels completed her outfit. Susie had a good sense of fashion. I complimented her on how pretty Barbie and Stacy looked. She nodded her acceptance. Once everything was ready, Susie turned on the radio and Barbie and Stacy moved to the music. The fact that there weren't any boys attending the dance didn't make any difference. We continued to play until Mom called. I helped Susie put the Barbies away, then we checked ourselves in the mirror, made a few adjustments to our hair, I put on some lipstick and we headed downstairs.

Mom was waiting in the kitchen. We started out the door. She stopped.

"Jenny, where's you pocket book?"

I went back and picked it up from the kitchen table where I had put it down to help Mom with the groceries. We went out to the car and I opened the back door. Susie scooted in. I started to close the door.

"Sit with me, Jenny. Please," she asked.

"Go ahead," Mom told me, "I don't mind being the chauffeur."

I slid in next to Susie. By now I was very comfortable managing my skirt. We buckled up and Mom headed out of the driveway. It took about fifteen minutes to get to the restaurant. Mom parked the car and we went in. It was Saturday night, so it was crowded and we had to wait for a table. Mom looked at her watch. We sat on the bench in the waiting area. I crossed my legs, adjusted my skirt and put my pocket book in my lap with my hands on it. I glanced around. There were a number of other families waiting for tables. They were involved with their own conversations and nobody was paying any attention to me. After a while, Susie came over and wanted to sit in my lap. She was really too big for that, but how could I refuse, even if it would draw some attention to us. I looked at Mom. She smiled and nodded. I moved my pocket book and Susie slid on. I put my arms around her waist and she leaned back against me. I glanced around again. An older woman with gray hair sitting across from us smiled at the display of sisterly affection as my eyes caught hers. After a few more minutes, the hostess called our name. Susie hopped off and took my hand as we walked up to be seated.

The waitress handed Mom and me a menu. She gave Susie a placemat with a kid's menu on it. We came here a lot and Susie always got the junior burger basket. It came with fries and a soda. Mom ordered her favorite, a Cobb salad and iced tea. I couldn't decide. We had cake and ice cream sundaes earlier, so I wasn't too hungry. I asked the waitress if it would be okay if I ordered a kid's burger basket too.

"Sure sweetie," she said with a smile. "Us girls gotta watch our figures."

She laughed and headed off to another table.

Mom looked over at me and winked. I winked back. A few minutes later the waitress came back with our drinks, which we sipped while waiting for our meals. Fifteen minutes went by and Mom looked at her watch again. Five minutes later, the food arrived. By then, I had finished my soda and the waitress brought me a refill. We ate quickly, Mom paid and we headed out to the car. The theater was only five minutes away and we made it with about ten minutes to spare.

Mom bought the tickets while I waited with Susie in the lobby. She came back and we headed in. The movie had been out for a while, so it wasn't crowded. Mom found three seats and just as we were about to sit down, I turned to her.

"I have a problem," I whispered.

Mom looked at me.

"What's the matter, Honey?"

"I guess I shouldn't have had two glasses of soda. I have to go to the bathroom," I said with embarrassment.

"Oh," Mom said. "I should have thought of that. We all should have stopped in the ladies' room. There's still time."

I put my hand on Mom's arm.

"Are you sure it's okay for me to use the ladies room?"

"Well, you'd make quite a commotion in the men's room, I'm sure. I suppose I could get you a cup, like we do in the hospital," she said jokingly. "Seriously, I don't have a lot of experience with the men's roombut from what I know the ladies' room is different. It's much more social. We go together to fix our hair, freshen up our makeup and talk girl talk. If we do need to go to the bathroom, we have to get undressed and, well, sometimes we have to do, you know, other personal things, so we respect each other's privacy when we're using the toilets. Really, Jenny, you won't see anything embarrassing and nobody is going to embarrass you. Susie, Jenny and I are going to make a quick stop in the ladies' room. You come too."

Mom was in the end seat, so she got out and we followed her. We went out of the theater, down the corridor and past the familiar sign with a man to the one with a woman. Mom pushed the door open and we went in. She was right. There was nothing to be concerned about. A few women were standing in front of the mirrors above the sinks, combing and brushing their hair, putting on makeup and checking their appearance. There was a pleasant scent of perfume. Mom went over to the stalls and found an open one.

"Susie, you go first," she directed. "Jenny, you'll have to wait a minute, honey."

Susie went in and closed the door. A minute later the door on the stall next to hers opened and a teenage girl came out. I started to go in. Mom came over and whispered in my ear.

"Make sure you put the seat down when you're finished," she pretended to warn me.

I shook my head and gave her a silly look. She laughed.

I went in and closed the door. I had been sitting down to go since I started wearing girl's clothes, so I was used to pulling down my tights and panties and holding up my skirt. I peed and used some toilet paper to dry myself off, to keep my panties clean. When I came out, Susie was waiting. I guessed Mom had gone in after Susie.

"Let's wash up," I said to her, going over to the sink.

"I already did. Really, Jenny, I'm not a baby you know."

"I'm sorry Sis," I apologized. "I know. It's just that all this is new to me. Please be patient. Okay?"

"Okay," she agreed.

By the time I finished washing and drying my hands, Mom came out. She used the sink, checked herself out in the mirror, put on lipstick and headed out. We followed her back to the theater. Our seats were still empty and the previews had started. We sat down and waited for the show. Mom reached over and took my hand. I reached over and took Susie's hand. After a while, the main attraction started. To my surprise, it was really entertaining.

When the show was over, we went back to the car and drove home. It had been a long day and, with all of the excitement, Susie was beginning to get sleepy. When we got in the house, Mom took her up to get ready for bed. I went to my room to change into my nightgown. I slipped my fingers under the front of the headband and eased the wig off of my head. Holding the wig gently, I opened the box with the wig stand, placed the wig on it and put the cover back on. I used my brush and comb to fluff up my hair and style it as feminine as possible. When I was satisfied with the look, I stripped down to my panties and cammie, leaving the sweater and skirt on the bed to hang up in Beth's closet later. I picked up my tights and headed for the bathroom. Susie was just leaving. She smiled at me and I smiled back. I washed up first, brushed my teeth and then ran some warm water in the sink to rinse out the tights. When they were done, I hung them on the towel bar in the bathtub to dry.

Back in my room, I took out my nightgown. I held the smooth, silky fabric in my hand and started to slip it over my head. I decided to try an experiment. I put the nightgown on my bed and went over to my bureau. I opened the bottom drawer and took out a pair of my pajamas. They were dark blue cotton. The pants had an elastic waist with a fly and the pullover top had a v-neck and long sleeves. There was light blue piping around the neck opening and cuffs. I put them on. I didn't have a full length mirror in my room, so I stood on the bed to see myself on the small mirror over the bureau. I had to scrunch down to see the top half of me, which looked girlish with my hair and my cammie peeking out from the neck opening. When I stood up, it could be anybody in pants. I ran my hand over the material. Mrs. Johnson was right. What I wore didn't change how I felt about myself. I was a girl in boy's pajamas. I smiled at my face in the mirror and Jenny smiled back.

I picked up the skirt and sweater and headed for Beth's room. I thought that Susie would be asleep, but she sat up when I walked into the room."

"Jenny?" she asked.

I went over to her.

"Yes Susie, go to sleep."

She looked at my pajamas.

"Aren't you Johnny when you're dressed like a boy?"

"Not when I'm at home. I had a long talk with Julie's Mom while you two were playing and she helped me to understand that Jenny is who I am, no matter what I wear. I put on my boy's pajamas just to see if I felt different, but I don't. I'll always be Jenny. It's just that sometimes I have to pretend not to be. So, when I'm outside and dressed like a boy, I'm Johnny. Got it?"

"Uh, huh," Susie said sleepily. "Jenny inside, Johnny outside. Read me a story, please, Jenny."

"It's too late, Susie, but I'll stay here with you, until you fall asleep. Okay?"

"'Kay. Night Jenny."

It only took a few minutes before Susie was back in dreamland. I got up, went to the closet, hung up the skirt and sweater and left quietly. I saw that Mom's light was on. It was past ten o'clock and Beth's curfew was 11:00, so I guessed Mom was waiting up for her. I walked down the hall and I went in.

Mom was reading. She looked up from her book when I came in.

"Hi, Jenny." She gave me curious look. "Nice pajamas. I think Johnny has a pair just like them," she kidded me.

"He still does, Mom. Mrs. Johnson and I had a nice talk. Johnny and Jenny are the same person. It's not what I wear, it's how I feel about myself. I wanted to see if that was true, if I would still be a girl when I'm dressed like a boy."

"And are you?" Mom asked.

"Yes," I said with relief. "I don't feel any different about myself in boy's pajamas, although, to tell you the truth, I like my nightgown better."

"You know, Mrs. Johnson called right after the first time you told her about Jenny."

"No, Mom, she never mentioned it. What did she say?"

"She wanted to know how I felt about you being a girl."

"What did you tell her?"

"I told her that it was you decision, that you seemed to be dealing with it, that your sisters and I loved you and that we would support you, if that was what you wanted."

"Wow. What did Mrs. Johnson say?"

"She wondered if you were serious. She said that as the only boy in the family, it wouldn't surprise her if you felt left out and were just looking for attention. If that was the case, she believed that encouraging you could do much more harm than good."

"Oh. Is that what you think too, Mom?" I asked with concern.

To my relief, Mom shook her head.

"No, not now" she reassured me, "but I did when I first saw you in Beth's party dress. That was why I took you to the mall as Jenny, got your ears pierced and had your hair done. I thought that having you believe I was going to turn you into a girl would have the opposite effect. The holes in your ears would close up, if you didn't keep the studs in, and your haircut was just a trim, so you could go back to being a boy. To my surprise, you didn't change your mind. You were happier, better behaved and your willingness to be a boy part of the time, so that you could be a girl the rest of the time, convinced me that you were sincere. I told that to Mrs. Johnson."

"What did she say to that?"

"She was very sympathetic. She said that, as your mother, I was in a better position than she was to know what was best for you, but you had made a very difficult choice and would need counseling, if you wanted to go through with it. I asked her if she would help. She said that she wasn't comfortable working with you professionally, because this wasn't her area of practice and also her relationship with our family would make it difficult for her to be objective, but she would do what she could as a friend."

Mom got out of bed and walked over to her bureau.

"Come here, sweetie. I want to show you something."

I went over to her. She opened the top drawer. I could see that it had bras and panties, just like Beth's top drawer.

"I like being feminine. See here." She held up a lacey white bra. "And these." She put down the bra and picked up a pair of white nylon panties with matching lace. "I wear a plain white nurse's uniform when I work. So do all the other nurses. We look pretty much the same, but underneath we all, well, most of us, I suppose there must be a few who don't, wear pretty lingerie. What I'm trying to say, Jenny, is that dressing like a girl doesn’t make you one, but it makes you feel good about being one. I'm not a psychologist, but I do know you don't have to prove anything to yourself or anyone else about who you are. Now, go take those pajamas off and put on your nightgown, young lady. Scoot!"

Mom's encouragement was all I need. I scooted. Back in my room, I took off my pajamas, folded them and put them away, then slipped on my nightgown. It was much nicer being feminine.

I went back to Mom's room. She had turned on the television.

"Beth should be home soon. Do you want to watch TV with me?"

I nodded and climbed up on the bed. Mom moved over to make room for me. I wasn't really interested in the news program she was watching, but it was a nice mother-daughter moment to share. It was so comfortable that I must have dozed off, because all of a sudden I heard Beth's voice. I opened my eyes and she was standing in the doorway.

"Hi, Mom, hi, Jenny, did you have a nice night? What did you do?"

"The same as you," Mom told her. "We went out to a restaurant and saw a movie."

"Cool." Changing the subject, Beth asked Mom, "Are you ready for your big date?"

"Beth," Mom protested, "I am not going on a date. Kenneth is taking me shopping to buy some new clothes. He probably feels sorry for you girls to be seen in public with me."

"Well, let me see. I believe he said 'movie star,' 'swan' and something about a couple of people I didn't get, but it sounded romantic. You said something about making his heart smile." Beth raised her eyebrows. "Not that I'm an authority, but it sounds like a date to me."

Mom shook her head. "You've been reading too many teen magazines. Okay, so I flirted with him a little. He did something very nice for our family and I was being appreciative. What he said, that's just his way of talking. He doesn't mean anything by it. Besides," Mom said softly, "I doubt he's interested in women."

Beth shrugged.

"Maybe, but appearances can be deceiving."

She looked over to me. Mom followed her gaze and cracked up.

"Anyway," Beth continued, "it can't do any harm for you to look good when you go out with him. Have you thought about what you're going to wear?"

"No, not really," Mom replied. "I guess what I had on today, my black pants and a top, maybe a blouse, because he didn't like my sweater."

Beth rolled her eyes.

"Really, Mother, you can't wear the same outfit. Don't you have a cute skirt and a sexy top?"

"No and no. If I did, then I wouldn't need to go shopping in the first place. I'm sure Kenneth will get over his disappointment."

"Jenny, come with me," Beth directed. "We need to survey Mom's closet. Where's that stupid fairy godmother with the magic wand when you need her. I mean, Cinderella is going to the ball in her old clothes," Beth joked.

"How about if I scare up some mice? They did a good job of putting together a dress for Cinderella in the movie," I continued with the theme.

Not to be outdone, Beth went on, "Yes, my dear sister. Having once been a boy, you can be in charge of rodent collection."

Mom was laughing so hard she had tears in her eyes.

Beth opened Mom's closet and began to do an inventory. When she finished, she turned to Mom and asked if she had bought anything new in the last five years.

Mom gave Beth a stern look.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm afraid that being a single mother and providing for my family has seriously interfered with my wardrobe."

Beth knew she had gone too far.

"I'm sorry, Mom," she quickly apologized. "I just wanted you to look nice. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

Mom smiled.

"I know you meant well, Honey. When I was your age, clothes were important to me too." She shrugged. "Unfortunately, when you get older, you realize that there are more important things in life than being fashionable." Mom's face brightened, "but perhaps Kenneth can fix that."

Beth's smile returned.

"If anybody can, he can," she said confidently. "You know, you're right about wearing the pants. They'll do fine. Do you have a neutral blouse, something a little dressy?"

Mom went through her closet and found an ivory colored silk blouse with a pointed collar and long sleeves.

"How about this?"

Beth and I both nodded our approval.

"Well, then it's settled. I assume you will trust me to pick out my own underwear," Mom kidded us. "I don't believe Kenneth will accompany me into the dressing room." She paused and stared at Beth. "At least not on our first date."

It was Beth's turn to crack up.

When she finally got control of herself, we each gave Mom a hug and said goodnight. Beth went back to her room to get ready for bed. I did my nightly routine, well, most of it, because it was late. I got into my bed and snuggled down, feeling the smooth nylon nightgown slid against the sheets. It was good to be me.

TO BE CONTINUED

Sister, Sister, Sister - Part 8
By Missy Crystal

Twelve year old Johnny wants to play Barbies with his sisters, but Barbies are for girls. How can Johnny join the game? A sweet, sentimental story about a young boy's discovery of the girl he should have been with the help of his sisters and mother. This is a story I wrote a couple of years ago and I am posting it here for those who would like to know more about Dr. Jenny Mitchell. It is complete, for those who anguish over being left hanging, but too long for a single post.

I woke up to Mom's voice.

"Beth, Susie, Jenny, girls, wake up sleepy heads. It's nine o'clock."

I sat up, pulled back the covers, swung my legs around and stood up. It was warm enough that I didn't need to put on the matching robe to my nightgown. I headed to the bathroom and ran into Beth and Susie with the same idea.

"Morning," I said sleepily.

"Hi, Sis," Beth replied with a yawn.

"Hi, Jenny," Susie said rubbing her eyes.

"Listen, you two can share the bathroom. I'll go downstairs. It's nothing urgent."

"Thanks," Sis," Beth said appreciatively.

I headed back down the hall, down the stairs and into the bathroom at the end of the hallway. I reached under my nightgown and pulled down my panties, then lifted up the hem of the nightgown to my waist and sat down. When I finished, I washed up and headed for the kitchen. Mom was putting out bowls of cereal.

"Good morning, Mom," I greeted her.

"Good morning, Jenny," she replied.

I noticed that she was still in her nightgown.

"How come you're not dressed?" I asked her. "Won't Mr. Kenneth be here at ten?"

"Yes, but I wanted to make sure you girls have a good breakfast. Besides," Mom said, lowering her voice and turning to watch for Beth coming downstairs, "Kenneth is so much better at doing hair and makeup. I doubt he would be impressed, no matter how long I spent on it. Just like you told me last night about your talk with Clair Johnson, he'll have to accept me for who I am, not what I look like."

She shrugged.

"In that case," I said sincerely, "he is getting the best there is."

"Jenny, that is such a sweet thing to say. Thank you, dear."

Mom held out her arms and I moved in for a hug.

"Well, is this a private snuggle or can anyone get in on it?" Beth interrupted playfully.

"You're in luck. We just have room for two more," Mom told her, holding out an arm.

Beth and Susie moved in and we had a group hug.

Once we released, Beth looked at Mom. After the reprimand she got last night when she criticized Mom's clothes, she was very cautious about what she said.

"Umm, Mom," Beth asked half seriously, "don't you think being in your nightgown might give Mr. Kenneth the wrong impression when he comes to pick you up?"

"No, quite the opposite," Mom teased her. "I do believe nightgowns are all the rage for entertaining."

She twirled around, dancing with an imaginary partner.

Mom was usually serious, so it was nice to see her being silly for a change. Beth laughed and threw up her hands in pretend exasperation. Mom finished putting out the rest of our breakfast and we sat down to eat.

"Don't worry," Mom reassured Beth, "I'm going up to get dressed."

She headed towards the stairs, stopped and turned around.

"I almost forgot. I spoke to Mrs. Johnson this morning. She is going to take Julie to the park and you girls are invited to go with them. She will pick you up at eleven o'clock. She said she would bring lunch for everyone." Mom looked towards me. "And, Jenny, she gave me the information. I'll call tomorrow from work."

After Mom had left, Beth asked me what Mom meant. We had no secrets. I explained about Mrs. Johnson recommending that I see a doctor who specialized in girls like me.

"You mean a real doctor? Like there's something wrong with you?" Beth asked with concern.

"Mrs. Johnson said that Dr. Goldfarb is a psychiatrist. I guess that's a real doctor, but it's not because there's anything wrong with me. I'm hoping that she can help me go to school as Jenny. Mrs. Johnson says I need to work with her before that can happen, so the sooner I get started the sooner I can stop going to school as a boy."

"Wow, that would be great," Beth agreed. "I sure hope she can help you." She paused. "Then again, if you start going to school as Jenny, I'm going to run out of clothes. We will have to do some serious shopping!" Beth exclaimed. Her face lit up. "Maybe we can get Mr. Kenneth to take us."

I shook my head.

"C'mon Beth, Mom deserves to have him to herself."

Beth nodded.

"You're right Sis, I got carried away."

Beth looked at me and shook her head.

"What?"

"I always hate it when you're better at being a girl then me."

"Shouldn't we be getting ready?" Susie asked innocently.

"Oh, my God!" Beth exclaimed. "I made fun of Mom for being in her nightgown and here we're not dressed. Hurry, we can't greet Mr. Kenneth like this. Oh, my God! We don't have much time. Let's get going."

Beth jumped up from the table and rushed upstairs with Susie and me close behind her. We all went into her bedroom.

"We're going to the park and it's a nice day. I'll wear my jeans and a cute top. Susie, you're wearing jeans too, aren't you, and Jenny, how about my denim wrap skirt?"

"Yes, I want to wear jeans," Susie agreed.

"I want to wear jeans too," I told Beth.

"Really, Jenny, I thought you only wanted to wear skirts and dresses?"

"I did, but that was because you told me I needed to wear them to be a girl. Well, it turns out you were wrong. I can wear whatever I want."

Beth thought for a minute.

"I wasn't wrong," she claimed.

"Were too," I argued.

"Was, not," she insisted. "Remember, you complained that Susie and I weren't dressed up and I told you that we didn't have to, since we were girls?"

"Yes, I remember."

"Well, that's the point. For a boy to be a girl, he has to dress like one, but, you're a girl, so you can wear whatever you want."

"I should know better than to argue with you, Beth. You're right, as usual," I conceded.

"Well, whatever you decided, you better do it quickly. We don't have much time to get ready."

Beth opened her closet and began to look through her wardrobe.

"How about these?" she asked, handing me a pair of pink pants. The material was soft and stretchy. "They're not jeans exactly, but they're pretty. I let Mom talk me into them. They're a little too girly for me, but they'd look cute on you with a white top."

I held them up to my waist and looked in the mirror. They were low cut and had a narrow leg. I noticed that they also zipped in back, so they were different than boy's pants.

"Yes, I like them," I told Beth.

"I thought you would. Now we need a top. We have a few choices here. We can go with a white blouse. This one would work."

Beth held up a white cotton sleeveless blouse with a round collar.

"Then again, you could wear a pullover top. Wait a sec."

She went into the closet and came back with a white polyester pullover jersey. It had a round scooped neck and short sleeves. Finally, she went to her dresser.

"Last choice, a layered look."

She took out a white cotton tee shirt and then a cropped cotton eyelet top with wide straps and lace trim.

"Jenny, please decide quick. I need to get myself dressed too."

Beth pointed to the clock on her nightstand. I looked over. It was 9:38.

"Umm, umm, I like the layered look. Okay?"

"Yes, Sis, good choice," Beth agreed. "That's what I would have picked. Grab them and go get dressed. Then come back and I'll help you with your hair and makeup. Hurry."

Beth turned and began to strip, crossing her arms and lifting up the bottom of the long t-shirt she wore as a nightgown, exposing her panties.

"Eeek," I squealed in pretend shock.

As I hurried out of the room, I heard Beth and Susie giggling at my reaction. I headed down the hall and into my room. I quickly slipped out of my nightgown and took off my panties and cammie. I picked out a pair of pink cotton panties from my bureau and started to put them on. Then I remembered what Beth had said about a VPL, showing a panty line under tight fitting clothes. I stepped out of the panties and exchanged them for the stretchy lace ones that Mom bought the first day she took me to the mall as Jenny. They fit smoothly, once I tucked my wiener under. It wasn't the most comfortable arrangement, but by now I was used to it. Then I squirmed into the pants, pulling them up to my hips and then reaching around to zip them up. Next was the t-shirt, which I slipped over my head and the tank top finished off the outfit. Looking down, I wished that I had a figure to fill out the top and make me look more feminine. I remembered the teen bra with the padded cups that the salesgirl showed me yesterday and made a mental note to ask Mom if I could get one, the next time we went to the mall. As I started back to Beth and Susie's room, I realized I didn't have anything on my feet.

Beth saw me coming in and gave me a nod of approval. I shook my head and pointed down. She followed my finger and headed for her closet. She rummaged around and came out with a pair of white sneakers.

"Here, Sis, these should work. Get a pair of the low socks out of my second drawer. Then start on your hair and makeup. We only have about five more minutes before we need to go downstairs to answer the door."

I followed Beth's orders. I had gotten pretty good at doing my hair and the little makeup I used, so I finished quickly. Beth rushed over and started on her own appearance. She glanced at the clock.

"Two minutes. I won't make it. Jenny and Susie, you go ahead. Look out the window and call up when Mr. Kenneth gets here. But don't let him see you looking. We don't want him to think we're too anxious or anything. Okay? I'll come down as soon as you call. Don't open the door until I get there."

"Okay, General Beth," I kidded her, using my boy's experience of playing soldier, "the troops are headed for the front. We will hold our position until the reinforcements arrive."

Susie had no clue what I was talking about and gave me a strange look.

"Never mind," Sis, I was just being silly. "Let's go."

Then it struck me that Mom should be the one who opens the door when Mr. Kenneth gets here. I stopped and turned around.

"Beth, what about Mom? Mr. Kenneth is coming to see her, so shouldn't she answer the door?"

"Jenny," Beth said looking at me in the mirror while putting her hair in a pony tail and sliding a black scrunchy over it, "a girl always makes her date wait for her, then she slowly comes downstairs to show herself off. Don't you know anything?" she said with a laugh.

"Actually, I'm kind of new at this, if you hadn't noticed," I kidded her back.

She chuckled.

"Okay, point made," she acknowledged with a grin, "now get going. Please!"

I hurried downstairs. Susie was waiting near the door, peeking through the curtains. I joined her. After a couple of minutes I saw a silver Mercedes pull up. I looked at the clock. It was 9:58. Leave it to Mr. Kenneth to be precisely on time.

"Beth, Mom," I called upstairs, "Mr. Kenneth is here. He's just getting out of his car."

"Wait for him to ring the bell, then count to ten, Jenny," Beth directed me. "You don't want him to think we're too anxious."

I shrugged to myself. It was going to take a while for me to get the hang of the games girls played with their dates, not that I expected to try it anytime soon. I waited. The door bell rang. I looked at Susie and held up one finger, then two, counting to ten. At nine, Beth came rushing down the stairs and skidded to stop, making a final primp.

"Ten," I announced, opening the door.

"Hi, Mr. Kenneth," I greeted him warmly. "It's very nice to see you again. Please come in."

"It is nice to see you too, Jenny," he returned my greeting, then politely turned to address Beth and Susie. "Hello Beth. Hello Susie. It is quite nice to see you also."

"Hello, Mr. Kenneth, welcome to our home," Beth replied.

Susie was shy and stood behind me.

"Mom, will be right down," I assured him.

"Ah, yes. Well, good things are worth waiting for," he said diplomatically.

I noticed that Mr. Kenneth was not wearing his black outfit. Instead, he had on tan pants with a pleated front, dark green shoes that looked like alligator, a matching belt and a dark green shirt, probably silk, pen at the neck to show a gold chain. Mr. Kenneth caught me looking him over and smiled. I quickly looked away, embarrassed at being caught, although I'm sure he really didn't mind. If there was on thing Mr. Kenneth was not, it was modest.

It was awkward just standing there and Beth, who usually you couldn't shut up, was not helping any. Mr. Kenneth broke the silence.

"Mr. Kenneth has brought something for you."

He was holding a small bag, which I hadn't noticed. Reaching in, he took out a little gold box tied with gold string. He handed it to Susie. I saw the excitement in her face as she took it, probably thinking that she was getting more jewelry, although I doubted Mr. Kenneth would be that generous for a house present.

"A little sweet for you."

I recognized the box as one from the expensive handmade candy store at the mall. Mr. Kenneth reached into the bag and took out another small box and handed it to me, then did the same for Beth.

"Thank you, Mr. Kenneth," I said.

"Thank you, Mr. Kenneth," Beth repeated.

"Thanks, Mr. Kenneth," Susie joined in.

Before Mr. Kenneth could respond, we heard Mom coming down stairs and turned to her. She was wearing the black pants and ivory silk blouse we had decided on last night. Black sandals with a low heel completed her outfit. Her hair was loose and she had put on lipstick and done her eyes. Maybe not up to Mr. Kenneth's standards, but she looked really pretty to me.

"Ahh, Carol, you look charming," Mr. Kenneth complimented her.

Mr. Kenneth was a master at saying the right thing. If had called her beautiful or gorgeous, Mom would have known he didn't mean it. Instead, she beamed.

"Really, Kenneth," she said flirtatiously" you do go on so. I'm afraid you'll have to make do with the duckling."

Mr. Kenneth frowned.

"Carol is quite wrong. Fine feathers do not necessarily make fine birds. It is not the outer beauty that is important, it is the inner character that shines through."

He turned to us.

"I create beautiful women, because that is what they want and pay for, but beauty for beauty's sake is boring. You need only read the magazines to see how men and women tire of their glamorous partners. You mother has a wonderful quality, she cares about others, as a nurse and as a parent, and I can see that it has been passed on to you by the love and support you give to Jenny. Mr. Kenneth knows true beauty when he sees it."

If it had been just flattery, Mom would have dismissed it with some clever remark, but his sincerity had her at a loss for words. She just stood there for a moment, her face flushed. Then she regained her composure and quickly redirected the conversation.

Noticing the little gold boxes, she remarked, "Why Kenneth, more gifts for the girls? Really, you'll spoil them."

Mr. Kenneth rose to the challenge.

"Of course the girls will be spoiled. Lovely young ladies must be spoiled. Otherwise, when their many admires shower them with gifts they will not be properly unimpressed with material things."

Mom knew better than to verbally duel with Mr. Kenneth.

"Kenneth, you are terrible," she said in jest.

Again, rising to the challenge, Mr. Kenneth answered with his usual lack of modesty.

"No, quite the contrary, I am exceptional."

That brought a unanimous nod from his three biggest fans.

Mom realized it was time to quit and said so.

"I give up. Thank you for your generosity and kindness to me and my daughters. You are indeed an exceptional man."

That brought another unanimous nod from the three sisters.

Mr. Kenneth took the compliment in stride.

"If you are ready, Carol, then I am at your disposal."

"Just let me get my pocketbook, it's in the kitchen. It will only take a moment."

Mom turned and left.

While we were waiting for her to return, I asked Mr. Kenneth about my wig.

"Excuse me, Mr. Kenneth, I was wondering. Is there a way to make my wig more casual? I'd love to be able to wear it today. I'd feel much better about not being recognized when I go out. I mean, I know I look like a girl, but I still look like a boy too, if that makes any sense.

"It makes perfect sense, Jenny," Mr. Kenneth agreed. "Unfortunately, a wig has a mind of its own. It must be disciplined by washing and setting in order to make it obedient. However, if it is a different look you want, then that magic Mr. Kenneth can perform."

Mom came back with her pocketbook before I could finish the conversation.

"Carol, with your permission, Jenny would like me to help her with her hair. It should not take long."

"Of course, Kenneth, Jenny comes first," Mom said supportively. "Whatever shopping we can get in will be fine."

"Ah, but no, Carol. This is your day. There is no compromise. No, no, I will not allow it," he insisted gallantly, "only a small delay. We shall do it all!" He turned and opened the door. "I will retrieve my bag of tricks. In the meantime, Miss Beth, would you be kind enough to bring a straight chair and Miss Susie, please find a large towel, so I can get started as soon as I return."

I watched as Mr. Kenneth went out to his car and opened the trunk. His 'bag of tricks' turned out to be a silver metal suitcase large enough for our entire family to pack for a week vacation. By the time he returned, Beth and Susie had completed their tasks.

Mr. Kenneth walked into the living room, which was directly off of the hall, and surveyed it.

"This will do. May I?" he asked Mom politely.

"Please, Kenneth," Mom replied, "you are welcome to our home and to use whatever we have. There is no need to ask."

"Carol is most kind," Mr. Kenneth said appreciatively.

He immediately got down to business.

"Miss Beth, if you would place the chair over there," he directed, pointing towards the window. Now, turn it slightly so the light will come over Jenny's shoulder. A little more to the left, perfect."

Mr. Kenneth looked over to me and pointed to the chair.

I walked over and sat down.

"Miss Susie, the towel please."

Susie handed him a large bath towel, which he draped over my chest and shoulders. He went to his bag and undid the clasps. Instead of opening like a regular suitcase, only the top half separated and three trays on each side popped up. He took out a large binder clip and used it to hold the towel together. He then took out a comb with a long, thin pointed handle and a mirror, which he handed to me.

"Miss Beth and Miss Susie, please assist me."

Both girls came over. He took some hair clips out of the case and gave them to Beth to hold. Susie got a handful of hair elastics. Mr. Kenneth stood behind me. I watched in the mirror as he used the handle of the comb to separate my hair into three sections, one high on the back of my head and two lower on each side, taking clips from Beth to hold them in place. Once they were done, he used the hair elastics Susie handed him to turn each into a small ponytail. Going back to his case, he produced a long spool with various colors of ribbon wound on it. At this point, I wouldn't have been surprised if he had a rabbit in there too. He handed the spool to Beth. In the mirror, I could see Susie pouting, because she had nothing to do. He took out a pair of scissors, measured off about a foot of pink and white ribbons and cut them. He handed Susie the scissors to hold, which made her happy, both because she was included and because he trusted her with the dangerous instrument. Mr. Kenneth deftly tied the ribbon around the center ponytail and then fashioned a bow. He took the scissors back from Susie, cut more ribbon and did the same for each of the other ponytails. Returning the ribbon and scissors to his case, he took each of the ends of the ribbon from the bows and made them into curly cues between the tail of the comb and his thumb, just the way I had seen Mom do with the ribbon on fancy gift wrapping. Finally, he found two clips, pink of course - I was sure I could see a rabbit moving around in the bottom of the case and that he would pull it out as the finale to his magic show - and used them to pull back the hair on each side of my face. He took out another mirror and held it behind me, so I could see what he had done in my mirror.

"Jenny is satisfied with Mr. Kenneth's impromptu hairstyling?" he asked, knowing full well that he had worked a miracle on short notice.

I stared at myself in my mirror, moving it from side to side. Mr. Kenneth had changed the look to be completely feminine.

"It's incredible, Mr. Kenneth," I said excitedly. I cannot thank you enough."

I handed him the mirror and started to get up.

"And where is Jenny going? Mr. Kenneth is not done. Sit."

I gave him a puzzled look and sat back down.

"Jenny must learn that she does not leave the stylist's chair until the cape is removed," he said with a smile.

I looked over to Beth. She shrugged, not having any more experience with being in a real hair salon then I did. Mr. Kenneth returned to his case and took out a box. He opened it and emptied out a bunch of pencils.

"Beth, Susie, please come over here," Mr. Kenneth requested, motioning for them to stand next to him. "Carol, please, you too. Now then, I am going to give to you Mr. Kenneth's beauty secrets. Listen well, there will be a test later," he teased.

Then again, I had never known Mr. Kenneth to have a sense of humor.

"When one does makeup professionally, he is a 'makeup artist,' no?"

We all said 'yes'.

"No," he disagreed, shaking his head for emphasis. "Art is for museums and hanging on the wall. Applying makeup is a science. Too little, too much or the wrong kind is worse than none at all. For the day, it should not look as though you are wearing makeup. Only for the most formal occasions should you create a dramatic effect with bold colors and glitter. Most important, young women," he looked from Beth, to Susie to me, "have natural beauty. They should not hide it under a coat of paint. I know that it is exciting to experiment and that the magazines encourage it, but they sell cosmetics, not beauty. Now, watch closely, please."

He took out about six of the pencils and studied my face, finally picking out a medium brown one.

"Jenny's eyebrows are uneven. For a boy, that is natural. For a girl, that is unattractive. For now, she has no choice, so we will fool nature."

I could feel the pencil moving in an arc as Mr. Kenneth lightly drew from the inside to the outside of my eyebrows. He went over each eyebrow three times. I could see Beth, Susie and Mom smiling, but, without the mirror, I had no idea what he had done. He put the pencil down, went back into the case and took out a small box. When he opened the lid, I could see some makeup and a tiny brush with the bristles on one side. I hope he didn't disturb the rabbit, I kidded myself.

"A woman's eyes are her most expressive feature and draw the most attention," he told his three fascinated listeners, "but Jenny wants to look more feminine without drawing attention. The way to do that is to use a natural shade of mascara and apply it lightly. This is sable, a dark brown."

He went over the surface of the makeup with the little brush and applied it to my eyelashes.

"The cosmetic companies want to sell you liquid mascara with a built in applicator. They want you to think it is better, but it is only more convenient and making it easy to use means they can sell more. The old fashioned brush and caked tint are much better for even color and separation."

Mr. Kenneth put the brush back in the box, closed the lid and put it down next to the pencil he had used on my eyebrows. Going back to his case, he took out a large bushy brush and round box.

"You see," Mr. Kenneth lectured his audience, using the tip of the handle as a pointer, "Jenny's cheekbones are low. A very small amount of blush applied to them and brought back towards her eyes will give them more prominence." He looked over to Susie and Beth. "You have you mother's high cheekbones," he complimented them. Continuing with his instruction, he told us, "I like the loose blush better. It is easier to control and apply."

He took the lid off the box, dipped the tip of the brush in the powder, held the brush up and gently blew on it, until he was satisfied with how much was on it. I felt the brush gently going over my face.

"Now then," he announced, "the final touch, Jenny's lips."

He put the brush and the blush with the other makeup he had used and took out another pencil. This one was a dark pinkish-red. I had never seen anyone use a pencil to put on lipstick before, but I was sure Mr. Kenneth knew what he was going. Hopefully, the rabbit knew what Mr. Kenneth was doing too and would be a good sport. It was a silly thought, but I just couldn't get the idea of Mr. Kenneth the magician with his pet rabbit out of my head. I regained my concentration to hear Mr. Kenneth explaining what the pencil was for.

"There is no such thing as a perfect mouth," he explained. "The proper shape depends on your face. Jenny's lips are too thin and so we draw them fuller and rounder and fill it in with color."

I could feel Mr. Kenneth lightly tracing around my lips with the pencil.

"This is most important," he emphasized. "Lipstick is a stick which smears color over your lips. It is impossible to control and there is no way to apply it evenly. What you buy in the drugstore or even in the department store is no bargain. It goes on too thick and it comes off too quickly."

He held up a little black pot.

"This is professional lip color. It goes on with a brush. It is much more expensive, but you use much less, it lasts much longer and it makes you look much better. Again, the color is a natural shade, to highlight without being obvious. Reds and exotic colors are for movie stars and circus clowns," he warned us.

Mr. Kenneth removed the cover from the pot, took a small flat brush out of a clear plastic sleeve and began to paint my lips. When he finished, he held my chin with his left hand and turned it for Beth and Susie to see. He replaced the cover, put the brush back in the sleeve, picked up the other makeup he had put aside picked it up.

"This is for you and your sisters to practice with."

I could see Mom frowning out of the corner of my eye.

"Kenneth, please, no," Mom insisted. "You cannot give the girls expensive makeup. I'm sorry, but I am putting my foot down."

"Ah, but, Carol," he said patiently, "before one puts one's foot down, one should know what one is putting one's foot down on."

From the puzzled look on Mom's face, she had no idea what he was talking about.

"I send all of my clients to Charles for their makeup and brushes. He has the best quality and fair prices. I receive nothing in return. It would not be honest. Instead, Charles provides me with complimentary products. They are a small part of what the sales representatives give him to promote their company's cosmetics and accessories. What I have given the girls are samples and cannot be sold."

Mom shook her head and smiled in quiet acceptance. To the delight of all three sisters, Mr. Kenneth handed me the assortment of makeup and brushes. He then took the mirror and held it up for me to see his magic. I couldn't believe me eyes. It was a girl's face. No one could mistake me for a boy! I looked over to Beth and then to Mom. They were smiling at the amazing transformation.

"I am sorry that I cannot do the rest of the family," Mr. Kenneth said apologetically, looking at his watch, "but your mother and I must leave now, if we are to get everything done. The next time you come to my salon, I will do your makeup," he told Beth and Susie.

Beth told Mr. Kenneth that she understood. Susie knew she couldn't' really wear makeup anyway, so she was quite happy knowing that she would get a chance to put it on when we went for our next appointment. Mr. Kenneth closed up his case. I was sure the rabbit was relieved.

"Miss Beth, if you would be kind enough to return the chair to its proper place and Miss Susie, if you would please put the towel in the laundry," Mr. Kenneth directed, "then your mother and I shall be off."

By the time Beth and Susie returned, Mr. Kenneth was standing at the door.

"Goodbye, girls," Mom said happily, taking Mr. Kenneth's offered arm. "Have fun. I'll see you later."

Mr. Kenneth opened the door and they walked to the car. He put down his case and opened the door for Mom. He was a real gentleman. Then he returned the case to the trunk, got behind the wheel and drove off. Mom waved to us from the window and the three of us waved back. Beth looked at her watch.

"We have fifteen minutes before Mrs. Johnson comes to pick us up. How about if we walk over and save her the trip?"

Susie and I both said yes.

"Jenny, do you want a pocketbook?" Beth asked me. "I've got this collapsible brush that fits in my pocket," she took it out and showed me how the handle folded up and the bristles popped out when you pushed in the back, "and just my lipstick."

"Well, my hairs done up with ribbons, Mr. Kenneth said this lipstick is supposed to last and I couldn't paint it on without some practice anyway, so I guess I don't need a pocketbook either."

"Okay, then ladies, lets get going."

Beth offered me her arm, just the way Mr. Kenneth had done with Mom. I put my arm through and Susie took my other hand. We headed down the street.

"At least one of us is a gentleman," Beth kidded me.

It didn't take long for us to get to Mrs. Johnson's house. When we arrived, we saw that she had the trunk of her car open and she was putting in the food. Julie was helping her.

"Hello, Mrs. Johnson," Beth greeted her.

"Hi, Mrs. Johnson," I echoed.

Susie hurried over to Kelley and whispered in her ear. Then they both looked at me and giggled. Mrs. Johnson had her back to us and turned around to see what the girls found so amusing. She caught on immediately.

"My goodness, Jenny, aren't we glamorous today," she complimented me. "I love the way you did your hair and your makeup is lovely, dear."

"Thank you, Mrs. Johnson," I replied politely. "I wish I could take credit for it, but it's all Mr. Kenneth's work. Actually," I explained, "I only asked him if he could do something with my wig, so I could wear it today. This is the result."

I put my hand on my hip and slowly turned around, then struck a pose with my other hand behind my head, the way I had seen models do on TV. Mrs. Johnson joined the girls in their amusement.

"My sister, the fashion model," Beth chimed in.

Mrs. Johnson turned to her.

"You look very nice too, Beth, and you too Susie," she said diplomatically. "Obviously, glamour runs in your family."

"Momny," Julie complained, "Jenny's wearing makeup and Susie says that she's going to get to wear makeup too. I want to wear makeup, Mommy. Please," she pleaded.

Mrs. Johnson turned to Beth and me and gave us a questioning look.

"Oh," Beth explained, "Mr. Kenneth only had time to do Jenny before he had to leave with Mom, so he told us that the next time we came to his salon, he would do us. He left us some samples to try. Just for fun," she emphasized. Beth turned to Julie. "Susie's not going to wear makeup for real. Not 'till she's older."

Beth looked at Susie and raised an eyebrow. Susie got the message.

"No, not for real," Susie agreed.

Julie wasn't convinced or at least she wasn't going to give up the opportunity to wear makeup so easily.

"Please, Mommy, Jenny's wearing lipstick and eye stuff," she argued.

I looked at Mrs. Johnson and shrugged. I'm sure she understood the reason why I had on makeup, but, as far as Julie knew, I was a girl and Mrs. Johnson wouldn't betray my trust. She shrugged back.

"Julie, Mr. Kenneth explained to us that at our age girls don't need makeup to look pretty. In fact, he was trying to show my sisters and me how to look natural. Beth and I don't usually wear makeup, except maybe lipstick," I assured her.

Beth nodded her agreement.

"Okay, no makeup," Julie conceded, "but I can wear lipstick."

She was definitely going to be a lawyer when she grew up. Mrs. Johnson sighed and made a motherly compromise.

"I'll tell you what Julie, when we come back from the park, we can go to the drugstore and get you some lip balm. It will make you lips look moist and shiny, okay?"

Realizing that a small victory was better than no victory, Julie gave in.

Mrs. Johnson returned to packing the car and then directed us to get in. Beth got in front and Susie, Julie and I got in back. Mrs. Johnson backed out of the driveway and headed for the park, which was only a short ride. When we arrived, we helped her carry the lunch over to the picnic tables. Once everything was set up, Julie and Susie headed for the playground. Mrs. Johnson took out a book and found a comfortable place to sit. There really wasn't much for Beth and me to do, other than to enjoy the beautiful day and keep an eye on the girls. As we walked towards where they were playing, Beth wondered what Mom and Mr. Kenneth were doing right now.

"You're the one who went through Mom's closet the other day to find something for her to wear on her date," we looked at each other and giggled, because Mom had insisted it wasn't a date, "and you're the shopper in the family, so your guess is better than mine."

"Well," she thought out loud, "if it was me, I would go to a fancy boutique and buy some really stylish outfits. Then to a designer shoe store and get some heels to go with them. I think it's too early for Mom to be taking Mr. Kenneth to buy jewelry," she laughed.

"Beth, you're terrible. You know that's not the way it is with them. Mr. Kenneth is just a nice guy. I don't think it is a date."

"Maybe, Jenny, but you have a lot to learn about men."

She paused when she realized who she was talking too. Then we both started laughing.

"I have a lot to learn about women too," I half joked. "For one thing, I don't understand the games you play. I mean, not like Barbies, but how you act. A boy would just say whatever is on his mind. Like, when you got me mad, I would just yell back at you. Whenever I made you mad, sorry about that Sis, you would pout and I had to figure it out for myself. Why is that?"

Beth stopped and turned to me.

"Jenny, I'm no expert. Mrs. Johnson probably is the one to ask about how girls think, but, as a girl, I know that I am very sensitive about my feelings. If someone does something to make me mad, I want them to realize what they did and to apologize. As far as I can see, boys are always getting themselves into trouble and saying, 'I'm sorry,' to get out of it, but they don't really mean it. This would probably seem very silly to a boy, but when one of my girlfriends and I have a fight, we hug each other and even cry when we make up. That's how girls are."

I reached out and gave Beth a hug.

"That's how I am too," I said with a pretend sniffle.

Beth pulled back and gave me a playful swat on the behind.

"We're not all sugar and spice, you know," she laughed.

Then she ran off towards the playground with me chasing after her. When we got there, Susie and Kellie were fooling around on the climbing structure. Beth and I sat on a bench. After a couple of minutes of silence, she turned to me.

"Jenny," she asked in a serious voice, "are you really sure about being a girl? I mean, I love having you as my sister and all, but you're going to see that doctor and at some point you want to be Jenny full time. That's a big decision. I was born a girl and I'm happy I am one, but boys have it a lot easier."

"Maybe they do, Beth, but, well, I don't know. It's hard to explain. It's not that I don't want to be a boy. I'm not a boy. I mean remember that movie we saw about the sisters who found a magic coin and they swapped places? The older feminine sister became the younger tomboy and the younger sister had to start being all girly girl."

Beth laughed.

"Yeah. The younger sister in the older sister's body had to drive them to school and then she started flirting with guys. She even kissed her sister's boyfriend. It was really funny." She paused and gave me a puzzled look. "I don't get it, what does that movie have to do with you?"

"Not me, you. In the movie, the sisters swapped places girl to girl, but what if you found the coin and ended up in my body. You said that boys have it a lot easier than girls. Would you want stay a boy?"

Beth didn't hesitate.

"Of course not. I'm not a boy. I'm a girl. Why would I want to be something I'm not?"

Her face dropped when she realized what she said.

"Oh, Jenny, I'm so, so sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

"That's okay, Beth, really. You made my point."

"Huh?" was all she could manage.

"I don't want to be something I'm not either. I'm a girl in a boy's body, just they way you would be if you used the magic coin. Except that there's no way for me to swap back to my girl's body. I just have to do the best I can with what I've got. So, you see, there's no choice for me to make. I'm afraid you're stuck with a sister."

Beth started laughing.

"Beth, I'm serious."

"Oh no," she managed to get out. "It's not that. Remember about the little sister in the big sister's body trying to drive a car and swerving all over the road? Well, I had this thought of me in a boy's body." She lost control and couldn't stop laughing. After a while she calmed down. "I, well, I pictured myself," she blushed, "trying to use, you know, boy's equipment to pee for the first time and, like," she broke into laughter again, "getting it all over the place."

I rolled my eyes.

"Only you could think of something like that."

By the time Beth got herself together, the girls had moved over to the swings. As we followed them, I remembered the last time we were at the park and ran into some of Beth's friends. Beth wanted to go with them and, as part of Mom's attempt at embarrassing me out of being a girl, she sent me along. Actually, it worked out okay, but trying to fit in with real girls wasn't something with which I was comfortable, even after Mr. Kenneth's makeover. I looked and luckily there was nobody around.

After a while, the girls had enough. It was about lunchtime anyway, so we headed back. Mrs. Johnson must have seen us coming, because she had everything laid out. There were half a dozen tuna sandwiches with the crusts cut off, pink lemonade and home baked chocolate chip cookies for desert, soft and chewy, my favorite. I was hungry and thought about Beth's observation, that boys had it easier. At least when it came to eating, that was true. A boy could stuff a sandwich in his mouth and gulp down a drink, but I controlled myself and took dainty little bites, sipping the lemonade and carefully using my napkin. Mr. Kenneth had said the lipstick would last, but there was no sense in putting it to the test. When we finished, Mrs. Johnson handed us a baggie with the crusts in it to feed to the ducks. After helping her to clean up, we headed over to the pond.

Beth gave Susie and Julie each a handful of the bread. They started throwing it into the water and the ducks greedily gobbled it up. I saw that there was one duckling that wasn't having much luck. Whenever she, I really didn't know if it was a girl, but I imagined it was, tried to get to a floating piece of bread, a bigger duck would paddle over and scare her away. I took a small piece of the bread, rolled it into a ball and pitched it as close to the duckling as I could. This time she got to it first.

I was so intent on feeding the duckling, that I didn't see a group of boys coming towards us. I looked up and it was the gang I used to hang out with. I moved over to Beth and whispered to her that I knew them. She took a quick look.

"Maybe you should head back to Mrs. Johnson. I'm fine here with the girls. There's no sense asking for trouble," she cautioned me.

"No," I told her. "I'm not asking for trouble, but I'm not hiding from it either. I can't run away ever time I see someone who might recognize me."

The boys were almost here.

"Are you sure, Jenny?"

"No, but it's too late anyway. I'm sure they've seen us. I'd rather know now than spend the rest of the day worrying and be surprised when I get to school."

Beth nodded her agreement.

One of the boys in the group, Kevin, was the one who I used to sit with on the bus. The day after we played Barbies and Beth dressed me up, he noticed that I was wearing nail polish and had an earring, so he was the one most likely to spot me, if anyone did. I noticed Beth moving so that she was between them and me. The boys stopped a short distance away.

"Hi girls," the leader of the group, remarked with a silly grin. "I'm George, this is Bob, he's Danny and that's Kevin. What's up?"

Why was it boys always acted dopey around girls, I wondered. Well, at least that was a good sign.

"Hi," Beth said coldly. "Nothings up. My We're feeding the ducks. What's it look like we're doing?" she challenged them. She turned to Susie and Julie, "come on, it's time to go."

The girls got the message and started off. Beth and I quickly followed them. I glanced back, to see the boy's reaction, but they had already started walking. Knowing them, they wouldn't have missed an opportunity to make fun of me, if they had caught on, so probably I was safe. There was no way to tell for sure until I got to school. Even then, I thought to myself, they wouldn't have any proof. I'd be back in boy mode and it would be my word against theirs. I breathed a sigh of relief.

When we got back to the picnic area, Mrs. Johnson had everything ready to go. Julie couldn't wait to report our little adventure to her mother.

"Mom, there were some boys at the pond and they talked to Jenny and Beth," she exclaimed excitedly.

Mrs. Johnson gave me a questioning look and turned to Beth.

"Friends of yours?" she asked, careful not to give Julie any idea that I might be familiar with kids from around here.

"Not me," Beth replied. "They looked like they might have been around my brother's age," she added, keeping up the pretense.

"Oh, did they mention that they know him?" she asked, giving me a concerned look.

"No, Mrs. Johnson," I told her. "They just came over, tried to talk to us and we left. I'm pretty sure they didn't have any idea who we were. At least they didn't act like they did."

Mrs. Johnson nodded and let the subject drop. We helped her carry everything back to the car and headed home. It was still early. Mom probably wouldn't be home until late afternoon. Mrs. Johnson must have been thinking the same thing.

"Do you girls want to come over for a while?" She asked us.

I looked at Beth. She shook her head. I had a lot of studying to do to make up for all the time I wasted during most of the school year. Then I had an idea.

"Thanks, Mrs. Johnson, but we'd just as soon get home. Beth and I both have things to do. How about if Julie comes to our house instead? She and Susie can play. We can keep and eye on them and that way you can have some free time for yourself."

"Why thank you, Jenny," Mrs. Johnson said gratefully, "that's very thoughtful of you. Unless Julie wants to go home, I'll take you up on your offer. Julie?"

"Fine with me, Mommy," Julie agreed. "Maybe Jenny will have some time to play with us. Will you Jenny?"

"I'll try, Julie," I offered, "But I have a lot of studying I need to do. You and Susie will have to find something to do for most of the time. You might have to settle for Beth."

Beth turned around and stuck her tongue out at me. I gave her a big smile back.

"Okay," Julie conceded.

By the time we finished the conversation, Mrs. Johnson was pulling into our driveway. We got out. Mrs. Johnson waved and drove off.

"Susie and Julie," Beth said, taking charge as usual, "why don't you girls go in the den and watch some TV or a video while Jenny and I get organized. One of us will be there in a little while to spend some time with you. Okay?"

"Okay," both girls said.

Susie took Julie's hand and led her out. Beth turned to me.

"I'll hang out with the girls, if you like, but it's obvious which one of us is their favorite," she said with a laugh.

"Having me as her sister is new to Susie and Julie likes me, because I was really into her game when I babysat the other day, since I'd never played girl's games growing up," I said defensively.

"That's okay, Sis," Beth assured me. "My feelings aren't hurt at all. I had a lot of time to be with Susie. I mean, we've shared a room since she was in a crib. I'm happy to see how she's taken to you."

"Thanks, Beth. She's a sweetheart. I just wish I had realized it sooner." I shook my head. "I wasted so much time not paying any attention to her, because she was a girl. I could kick myself."

Beth put her arm around me.

"Don't feel bad, Jenny. To be honest, I took having a little sister for granted too, before you came along. It's you who's made me realize how really special both my sisters are. That was worth waiting for."

I put my arm around her and we held each other.

"With Mom out," said Beth, releasing me, "I can call my friends without her nagging me about tying up the phone. Why don't you get your homework? I'll check on the girls. I'm sure they'll be fine for an hour. I should be done by then and I'll do something with them. Julie wanted to try wearing makeup, so we can do makeovers with the samples Mr. Kenneth gave us. That should kill another hour or so. Will that be enough time for you to get some studying done?"

"Perfect plan," I complimented her. I had done as little as possible to get by BJ, 'before Jenny'. Now I was paying the price. "We only have a few weeks before our end of the year exams. If I don't catch up on all the work I missed, I can forget about getting into the advanced courses next year. A couple of hours should give me a good start. Thanks, Sis."

"My pleasure," Beth said, as she went off.

I went upstairs, got my backpack and brought it down to the kitchen. I took out a notebook and pencil. Math was the subject that needed the most effort. Mr. Merrill, my math teacher, had given me the back assignments and I was working my way through them from the beginning of the year, but it was slow going teaching myself. I opened the math book and copied down a problem. In the background, I could hear Beth talking to one of her friends with an occasional giggle. Gossiping was another girl skill I was going to have to work on.

My concentration was interrupted by Susie. I looked over at the clock on the stove and it had been almost an hour. Through the doorway, I could see Beth and Julie waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs.

"Jenny, we're going to do makeovers. Don't you want to do it with us?" she asked me.

"I do, Sis, but," I caught myself.

As far as Julie knew, I was Susie's cousin. I glanced over to see if Julie showed any reaction, but she did not seem to have noticed. Then again, I've heard girls sometimes refer to each other as 'sisters,' even though they're not related.

"I wish I could," Susie," I quickly corrected myself, "but I have a lot of homework to do, being in a new school and all." I made a slight motion of my head towards Julie, so she would understand, and winked at her. "Another time, okay?"

"Okay, Jenny," Susie agreed and winked back.

The girls continued upstairs to Beth and Susie's room to play with the makeup and I got back to work. I swapped my math book for my science book and started outlining the chapters I had skipped over. Taking notes as I read was a trick that Beth had taught me. It helped to organize the information and made it much easier to review. I was going over the chapter questions when the phone rang. It was probably one of Beth's friends calling her back. I waited for her to pick it up. After a couple more rings, I figured that either she didn't hear it or she was in the middle of something, so I answered it.

"Hello," I said, expecting to hear a girl's voice on the other end.

"Oh, hi Jenny."

It was Mom.

TO BE CONTINUED

Sister, Sister, Sister - Part 9
By Missy Crystal

Twelve year old Johnny wants to play Barbies with his sisters, but Barbies are for girls. How can Johnny join the game? A sweet, sentimental story about a young boy's discovery of the girl he should have been with the help of his sisters and mother. This is a story I wrote a couple of years ago and I am posting it here for those who would like to know more about Dr. Jenny Mitchell. It is complete, for those who anguish over being left hanging, but too long for a single post.

"Hi, Mom," I said cheerily, "how are you and Mr. Kenneth doing?"

"Great," Mom replied. "We didn't stop for lunch and, well, I was wondering if it would be okay if I didn't get home until later. Kenneth wants to go out for dinner. I know it's a school night, but do you think you could manage?"

That was a switch, mom asking me for permission to stay out.

"Of course," I assured her. "Beth and I are doing fine on our own. We had a nice time at the park and Julie is here now. Please Mom, you never get to go out, so have fun. Don't worry about us," I told her confidently.

"I don't know," Mom hesitated.

"Mom, I know Beth and Susie would be very upset if they thought you came home just to take care of us. Really, we're big girls. Umm, well, most of us are," I said with a laugh.

Mom got the joke as to whether I meant that Susie wasn't big yet or I wasn't a girl yet and laughed back.

"Okay, Jenny," she conceded, "I really would like to have dinner with Kenneth. He wants to go to an Italian restaurant. He knows the chef. In fact, as far as I can tell, he knows everybody. He is really amazing," Mom glowed. "Tell Beth and Susie that I love them. Oh dear. I don't know what you'll do about supper," Mom added, changing over to a more practical train of thought. "Maybe you can order pizza. Oh, no," she went on, talking to herself, "I didn't leave you any money. I'm being silly. I should come home."

It was time for me to put my foot down.

"No, Mom. We will be okay. In fact, it will be fun for the three of us to be on our own. We're not going to starve to death. I promise. Worst comes to worst, we'll have cereal and toast or something. Don't worry about it. Just enjoy yourself."

It didn't take a lot of persuading to convince Mom not to come home.

"Okay, Jenny dear. That's very sweet. Thank you." Then going back to mother mode she asked, "are you sure you'll be alright?"

"Yes, Mom, we'll be perfectly fine. The number for the police, fire department, ambulance and poison control center are on the refrigerator. We're prepared for any emergency. Even Beth's cooking," I kidded her. "Seriously, Beth babysits and Mrs. Johnson trusted me to stay with Julie while she went out, so don't worry. We're very responsible."

"I know, Jenny. Being a mother is very stressful. You'll see." Then she caught herself. There was a pause.

"We'll be fine," I repeated, ignoring her slip. "You're wasting your time on the phone. Go do what Mr. Kenneth has planned. Goodbye!"

"Bye and thanks. See you tonight." She hung up the phone.

I figured it was time for me to give Beth a break and I had to tell her about Mom not coming home until late, so I put my books away and headed upstairs. I peeked into her room and saw that Susie and Julie were sitting at the makeup table with Beth working on their eyes. She had one of her fashion magazines open. I guessed that they were trying to copy the look of one of the models. She looked up when she saw me come in.

"Hi, Jenny, we're almost done. What do you think?"

Susie and Julie turned around. What I thought was that Mr. Kenneth had wasted his time explaining how girls should look natural. Beth gave me a stern look, which I took to mean, 'if you laugh, I will kill you.'

Not wanting to see if she would make good on her threat, I said with a straight face, "who are these movie stars and what have you done with Susie and Julie?"

The girls giggled and Beth smiled and shook her head.

"It's us, Jenny," Susie revealed.

"Oh my goodness, I never would have recognized you."

That was true, sort of.

"Alright, girls," Beth broke in. "I have some things I need to do. Jenny will take over. Jenny, would you put all the makeup and brushes away, please."

"Sure, Beth, but I have something I need to tell you. Mom, umm, your Mom called." I looked at Julie, but she was admiring herself in the mirror and didn't seem to be paying attention to our conversation. "She said," I continued with relief, "that she didn't have time for lunch, so Mr. Kenneth asked her out to dinner. Italian. She is going to be late, so we're on our own."

"Not a date, hmm," Beth said suspiciously. "Maybe Mom didn't think so, but I bet Mr. Kenneth had it all planned. Men are really sneaky when they're romancing a woman."

"And you are an authority on men, because why?" I said defensively on Mr. Kenneth's behalf. "It must be all those boys lined up outside our front door wanting to ask you out."

Beth glared at me.

"I have plenty of boys who want to date me, thank you very much. I just happen to have high standards. Seriously, Jenny, I want a boy to respect me, not just take me out because I'm arm candy."

"Arm candy, Sis?" I winced at the slip and checked out Julie. She was still absorbed with her appearance. "I don't understand."

"Arm candy means a pretty girl who guys show off to their friends. I'm not interested in being decoration."

"I suppose it's a compliment that a guy thinks you're pretty enough to be arm candy," I reasoned.

"Not, really, Jenny, at least not as far as I'm concerned. I like being pretty, but there's more to me than that. How would you feel about someone who didn't care anything about you, except for your looks? You, more than anyone, should know that it's not your appearance that counts."

I nodded.

"Getting back to the subject, Sis …"

Beth put her finger to her lips and turned to see if Julie was listening. I looked too. She wasn't. Beth nodded for me to go on.

"It doesn't mean that Mr. Kenneth had this planned. I was the one who made them late by asking him to help with my hair and it's a good thing he did, considering who we ran into in the park. I suppose there's no way to know for sure, but I think he deserves the benefit of the doubt. Besides, it really doesn't matter, so long as Mom …" Beth gave me a look. Darn, I really stunk at talking in front of people who weren't family, "… is having a good time and, from the sound of her voice on the telephone, she is."

"Agreed," Beth said with a nod of her head.

Jenny and Julie had been patiently waiting for Beth and me to finish our conversation. I turned to them.

"Lets get the makeup put away and then we can play. What would you like to do?"

"Jenny," Beth said, as she was leaving, "come down to the kitchen after you finish with the girls and we can plan dinner."

"Yes, mam," I replied.

I turned to the girls.

"What would you like to do now?"

"We could play dress-up," Julie suggested. "Maybe find some glamorous outfits to wear with our makeup. That would be fun."

I wasn't in the mood to supervise the girls rummaging through Beth's closet and I was sure Miss Organization wouldn't be happy about them messing up her clothes. Then there was the problem of Julie having to get undressed. Mrs. Johnson had been very sympathetic, but I wasn't sure how she'd feel about me seeing Julie in her underwear. I could find some excuse to go out when she was changing, but that was a nuisance.

"That does sound like fun, Julie," I agreed, "but you might get makeup on Beth's good clothes. I don't think she would like that," which was an understatement, considering the lecture on neatness I got from her when I left one of her dresses on the floor.

"I suppose," Julie conceded. "What do you want to do, Jenny?"

I thought for a minute.

"I really like playing Barbies, Julie. Susie has lots of great outfits for her and we always have fun when she and I play. It would be ever better with you," I said encouragingly. "Right, Susie?"

"Super," she agreed enthusiastically. "We can have like a really big party with Barbie and Stacy. Who do you want to be, Jenny?"

"Why don't you and Julie pick out your dolls and I'll be Ken," I suggested diplomatically.

Julie was the guest, so Susie let her have Barbie. I really didn't mind playing Ken. Just spending time with the girls was fun.

As usual, the girls made up an elaborate fantasy. Barbie and Stacy both had a date with me, that is, Ken, and they were each trying to look better than the other to win his heart, obviously preparation for real life. The two girls fussed over their outfits until they were satisfied. Susie dressed Stacy in a floor length glittery blue halter dress with black stockings and black high heels. Julie put Barbie into a white strapless knee length sheath with silver stockings and gold shoes. Not to my taste, but then Ken was a two timer, so maybe he was into trashy, I chuckled to myself. Finally we were ready, except for Ken. He was still in his beach outfit from the last fantasy. The girls found a pair of tan slacks, a shirt and shoes for him, but no sox. I suggested that he could go without them, but the girls insisted that their escort be properly dressed. Finally, they offered me a pair of Barbie's black stockings. The fact that their dream date was wearing girl's clothes didn't seem to bother them a bit, but then this was just pretend, I reasoned. That got me to wondering how Julie would react if she knew the truth about me. I shrugged mentally. It was not a question to which I was anxious to find out the answer.

My thoughts were interrupted by Susie.

"Jenny, Jenny, we're ready."

"Oh, sorry girls, I was daydreaming, sort of."

Julie began by having Barbie invite Ken to the movies, taking advantage of her Barbie car, a pink two-seater convertible which no boy could resist. Susie took the alternative route to a boy's heart, asking him to come over for a barbeque on her pink Barbie grill. We even had a selection of doll-sized fake food with all of the accessories for serving. I decided to play hard to get.

"What movie are we going to see, Barbie?"

Julie was not prepared for so practical a response.

"Huh," she stalled, "its, umm, its, umm, it's a movie. I don't know. We're just going to go on a date to the movies. It will be fun. We can have soda and popcorn and candy."

"Will it be one of those movies with kissing and stuff?" I asked her. "I don't like movies with kissing and stuff."

Julie pouted.

"No, it will be a nice movie. You'll like it. We'll have lots of fun," she insisted.

"Oh, well maybe, Stacy asked me over for a barbeque. I have to talk to her and then I'll let you know."

Turning to Susie, I said, "hi, Stacy, what are you making?"

"Hamburgers and hotdogs," she said, pretending to be cooking. We have soda too and ice cream for desert."

I didn't remember seeing any pretend ice cream, but I supposed that a little exaggeration didn't hurt when you were competing for a date.

"I like pizza better," I teased her, "but ice cream sounds good. What flavor. I like chocolate. Can we have chocolate sundaes? I really like chocolate sundaes."

Susie glared at me and Julie joined in.

"Jenny, really, you just don't know anything about how to be a boy," Julie scolded me. "Boys have to be nice to girls, because they want us to be their girlfriends."

Susie giggled and I gave her a look. Julie glanced at her, to see what was so funny. Susie just shrugged and fussed with Stacy's dress.

"I'm sorry, Julie," I apologized. "I was goofing around. Let's keep playing and I'll be a good boy."

That got a giggle from both of them, although for different reasons.

"Let's see," I said, going back to being Ken, "I want to go to the movies in your cool car, Barbie, but I'm hungry, so I'm going to stop by Stacy's and get a burger first. She's got ice cream too, chocolate, my favorite. How about if you pick me up when I'm done?"

The fantasy continued with Barbie and Stacy both inviting Ken to dance, although the girls' idea of dancing was for each of them to put on a performance, part ballet and part gymnastics, while he watched appreciatively. I was so involved that I lost track of time, until I heard the doorbell ring. I looked over to the clock on Beth's night stand and it was almost five. Mom wouldn't have had dinner yet and she had a key, so it must be Mrs. Johnson calling for Julie, I reasoned.

"Girls, that's probably Julie's Mom, here to get her. Please clean up the Barbie stuff and come down when you're done. I'll go down and say hello."

"Okay, Jenny," Julie said.

"Uh huh," Susie agreed.

By the time I got downstairs, Beth had already answered the door and Mrs. Johnson was standing in the hall.

"Hello, Jenny," she greeted me.

"Hi, Mrs. Johnson," I responded.

"How were the girls?" she asked.

"They were fine. We were playing Barbies and they will be down as soon as they finish putting them away."

Mrs. Johnson smiled.

"Barbies does seem to be your game," she observed with a wink.

The three of us laughed at her reference to how I discovered Jenny.

"You mother isn't home yet?" she inquired.

"No, Mrs. Johnson," Beth told her.

"I'm afraid that I made them late by asking Mr. Kenneth to help me with me hair, so they didn't stop for lunch," I added. "Mom called a while ago and said that he was going to take her out for dinner."

Mrs. Johnson smiled.

"I'm glad your mother is enjoying herself. I can't remember the last time that she went out on a date."

Beth and I looked at each other.

"According to Mom," we said in unison, "it's not a date."

Then we looked at each other and laughed at the coincidence.

"Mmm, well, whatever. Do you girls want to come home with me? I'm not sure what I can throw together for dinner, but I'm sure we can find something. We could order Chinese. Julie loves spareribs and egg rolls. How about you girls?"

"Honestly, Mrs. Johnson" Beth said politely, "we don't get to spend much time by ourselves. I think it would be fun if we puttered around the kitchen together."

Just then we heard the girls coming downstairs. Mrs. Johnson looked up and did a double take when she saw Julie. I had forgotten the exotic makeup job Beth had done on her and Susie. Beth caught Mrs. Johnson's expression and took responsibility.

"I hope you don't mind Mrs. Johnson. We decided to try some of the samples Mr. Kenneth left and, well, we got a little carried away," she said apologetically.

Mrs. Johnson smiled. She walked over to Julie, took her chin in her right hand and examined her face, turning it from side to side and tilting it up and down.

"Very professional. I wish I could learn to put on makeup like that. Maybe when Julie gets a little older she'll give her mother a lesson," she teased.

"Mom," Julie whined in embarrassment at the attention.

"I was going to take you to the drugstore to get some lip balm, but it seems that would be like carrying coals to Newcastle."

We all looked puzzled.

"Oh, that's just an old expression," Mrs. Johnson explained. "Way back when, before electricity, people used coal for cooking and heating. Newcastle was a town in England that had lots of coal mines, so bringing coal there would be adding to what there was already too much of. Get it?"

Beth and I smiled. Susie and Julie just shrugged.

"The point I was making," Mrs. Johnson continued, "is that we seem to be well beyond glossy lips. On the other hand," she took hold of Julie's chin again, "if this makeup is from Mr. Kenneth, it's probably professional grade and I'll need industrial strength cleansers and a blowtorch to get it off."

"Julie gave her mother a worried look."

"Just kidding, about the blowtorch, Honey, but we still need a trip to the drugstore. I don't have anything strong enough to remove what you're wearing." She turned to us. "How about Susie and Jenny, do you have makeup remover? I can pick some up and drop it off on my way back."

"No, thank you," Beth answered. "I'm pretty sure we have some around somewhere. If not, I'll give you a call and send my sisters," she paused, no better than me at being clever, "my sister and Jenny," she corrected herself, "over, if that's okay."

"Yes, of course," Mrs. Johnson said agreeably.

"Alright, Julie, we're off to the drugstore. Say goodbye."

"Bye Susie, bye Jenny, bye Beth. Thanks. It was fun," she said with a wave. "Mom, can we still get lipstick," she asked.

I could see Mrs. Johnson shaking her head, probably more out of disbelief at her daughter's persistence than a refusal, as she took Julie by the hand to the car, opened the passenger's door, buckled her in, then went around to the driver's side, got in and drove off.

"Lets go, ladies," Beth announced. Susie and I followed her to the kitchen.

"How about pizza?" Susie asked optimistically.

Beth checked the freezer.

"Nope, sorry Sis, the cupboard's bare," she joked.

"How about mac and cheese?" I suggested. "I made it once before. It's easy. All you have to do is boil water."

"Really, Jenny?"

"Geez, Beth, give me a break," I complained. "I may not know how to cook like you, but I can boil water."

"Okay, Sis, that sounds good," Beth agreed. "Do your thing while I make a salad. Susie, I'll get down the dishes and you can set the table."

I got a box of mac and cheese mix out of the cabinet and read the label, just to be sure. If I did it wrong after bragging about knowing how to do it, Beth would never let me live it down. I found a pot with a lid, turned on the burner, then filled the pot half way with water and put it on the stove.

I looked over to Beth and saw that she was watching me with a disapproving look. I didn't see how I could have messed up before I even started cooking.

"What?"

"Jenny," she said in her serious, your about to get a lecture voice, "that is not the safe way to boil water. If there were little children around, they could be seriously hurt."

"Beth," I said with exasperation, "what in the world are you talking about? What danger and what little children? I mean, its just water and there aren't any little children here."

"No," she agreed, "there aren't now, but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't practice for when there will be. I'm sorry, Sis, but I am telling you this for your own good. When I started high school, they had a babysitting course for girls, well I guess a boy could have taken it, but it was all girls, anyway, it was to certify us. After we passed the course, the guidance office put our names on an approved list that they gave out to parents. Most of the course dealt with safety. For one thing, Jenny, you turned on the burner and left it while you filled the pot. A young child is very curious about fire. They could reach up and try to touch the flame or the hot burner or, even worse, they could get too close and set their hair or their clothes on fire. You should always put the pot on the stove to cover the burner before you turn it on. Also, you left the handle of the pot sticking out. A child could grab the handle and pull a pot full of scalding water or soup or whatever down on them. Jenny, they showed us pictures of children who had been burned. They were awful. I had nightmares for a week, but it also made me realize how terribly hurt a child could be in just seconds, if you're careless. They told us that one little girl in the pictures had over twenty surgeries to treat her scars. Jenny, I would die if that ever happened because of me."

I looked appreciatively at Beth.

"Wow, thank you, Sis, really. I never would have thought about it, but you are right. I suppose the good news is that the way things are going, Jenny is not likely to be a menace to little children anytime soon."

"Maybe," Beth said with a laugh, "but it doesn't have to be other people's children. One of these days you will have your own."

"Beth, you may be an expert on babysitting, but you need a refresher course in biology. I am not going to have children," I corrected her.

"Really?" she said with her usually smug, that's what you think attitude. "Do you know my friend Ginny, the Asian girl?"

"Yes."

"Well, she's adopted. Her parents couldn't have children. So is her little sister Kim. Just because you can't have a baby, doesn't mean that you can't have children."

My eyes went wide. I had never thought of the possibility. Being a girl was one thing, but being a mother?

"Even if you don't have children," Beth continued, "I certainly will. When they visit their Aunt Jenny, I would appreciate your returning them to me in the same condition in which you got them."

Their Aunt Jenny! Beth's simple expression of love, support and confidence brought tears to me eyes.

"Jenny, really," Beth broke the mood, "there are easier ways to put salt in the water."

She moved to the stove, turned the handle so it was not sticking out and then came over and gave me a hug.

Having dinner with my sisters was fun. Beth told us about her cheerleading and Susie said that she wanted to be a cheerleader too. Beth offered to teach her some cheers. I kidded Beth by insisting that I wanted to be included in the lesson, but only if I could wear her cute outfit. Beth agreed, provided I let her take pictures of my debut. I told her that I didn't think Jenny was ready for a modeling career. We all laughed. After dinner, the team of sisters made a quick job of cleaning up the kitchen.

"Susie," said 'Miss I'm-in-charge', although I now realized that she deserved the job, "we need to get that makeup off, it's not good for your delicate skin, and you need to take a bath after playing in the park. Let's go up to Mom's bathroom and see if I can find some makeup remover. Jenny, you should come too and I'll show you how to do it."

We all trooped upstairs and Beth rummaged around in Mom's medicine cabinet and vanity.

"Aha!" she exclaimed, "cold cream." Holding up the blue jar, she said to me, "I have no idea why they call it 'cold cream.' It is a cream," she unscrewed the top and showed me something white and smooth inside. "I guess you put it on right from the jar, so it feels cold. Whatever," she shrugged.

Beth took some of the cream on her fingers and began to rub it over Susie's face, until she had a white mask.

"You don't use it on your eyes," she explained. "There is a special eye makeup remover." She showed me a small bottle of clear oil. "Jenny, get me the bag of cotton balls under the vanity, please, and give me one."

I followed her directions and found a plastic bag full of big, puffy cotton balls. I took one out and handed it to her. She unscrewed the top of the eye makeup bottle and moistened the cotton ball, then held it against Susie's right eye. After a minute, she began to rub and I could see the color coming off on the cotton ball. She took another cotton ball and repeated the process on Susie's other eye. When the eye makeup was off, she took some tissues and began to wipe off the cream using circular motions. Finally, she brought Susie over to the sink and had her rinse off her face with hot water. Beth gave Susie a final inspection and nodded her approval.

"I have a neat idea, Susie," Beth said enthusiastically. "I need to shower and wash my hair too. How about if we both hop in Mom's shower?"

"Sure," agreed Susie, adding, "can we all take a shower together?"

Beth and I looked at each other and smiled.

"No, Susie," I explained patiently. "When it comes to showers in this family, you two are company and three's a crowd when it's me. Besides, I still need to take my makeup off and one of us should listen for the phone, in case Mom needs to reach us. You two go ahead. I'll take the makeup remover into our bathroom and grab a shower after you're done. Leave me some hot water, please."

I picked up what I needed and left, closing the door behind me. When I got to our bathroom, I followed the routine Beth had shown me, starting with the cream mask, then my eyes and finishing by washing my face. I did it twice, just to make doubly sure that there was no trace of the makeup left when I went to school tomorrow. I listened for the phone, but it didn't ring. By the time I was finished, I heard Beth and Susie coming down the hall.

"Okay, you two. I'm hopping in the shower. Nothing from Mom so far," I told them.

"Okay, Jenny," replied Beth. I'm going to get Susie into her PJ's and then start on my homework. I'll see you downstairs."

"Will you play with me after your shower, Jenny? Please. Pretty please. We can do whatever you want," Susie bargained.

"Sorry, Sis," but I still have a lot of homework to do and, besides, I played with you all afternoon."

"Uh, uh. You played with me and Julie. That's not the same as playing just with me," she argued.

"Nice try, but, tell you what. When it's time for bed, I'll read you a story. Deal?"

"I guess," Susie conceded.

About a half hour later, a clean and much less feminine Jenny headed for the kitchen. I didn't even bother with a nightgown, just my old pajamas. When I entered, Beth looked surprised.

"What?" I kidded her. "Haven't you ever seen a girl in pajamas before?"

As usual, Beth got in the last word. "Yes, but as I recall her pajamas buttoned the opposite way and didn't have a fly. Have you been raiding your brother's wardrobe again? Shame on you. What will Mom say when she finds out her daughter wants to dress like a boy?"

"Oh, no, Beth," I went along with the joke, "please don't tell Mom on me. I'll be a good girl, I promise. From now on I'll only wear your clothes."

That got her.

"Hmm, on second thought, you do look pretty cute in boy's clothes. Maybe I was too hasty."

We both laughed as I sat down next to her and took out my homework. I lost track of time until Beth interrupted by telling me she was going upstairs to get Susie ready for bed.

"Let me know when you're done and I'll come up and make good on my promise to read her a bedtime story."

About ten minutes later, Beth came down and I went up. After I finished reading to Susie and got her tucked in, I went back down to the kitchen. At about 9:00, we heard a car pull up. I started to get up, but Beth grabbed my arm."

"Hold on, Sis. Let Mom have some privacy."

I rolled my eyes and made a face.

"C'mon Beth, Mom and Mr. Kenneth are not smooching on the porch."

Beth smiled.

"Maybe not, but how would you like it if you came home from a date and Mom was standing at the door waiting for you?"

"You're asking the wrong girl that question," I answered her.

She broke out laughing. A few minuets later, the front door opened and Mom came in carrying an armload of bags. She put them down as Beth and I rushed over to hug her.

"Well, don't keep us in suspense. Tell us every little detail. Where did you go? What did you do? What did you buy?" Beth said excitedly.

Mom smiled.

"Patience girls. I'm used to being on my feet all day, but this was exhausting. Kenneth is tireless. He took me to about half a dozen boutiques and the owners and staff fell all over themselves to help us. Honestly, I felt more like royalty than a mother on a shopping spree. Then he took me to this Italian restaurant. I mean a real Italian restaurant and he spoke to the chef and waiter in Italian. We had the most delicious meal and a bottle of wine. Mom sighed."

Beth and I looked at each other with raised eyebrows.

"Anyway," Mom went on, "I have to get up early for work. I don't know what possessed me to stay out so late on a Sunday night. Oh, my, I have been babbling about my day and haven't asked you about yours."

Beth started to tell her, but Mom interrupted her.

"Actually, if curiosity won't kill the kittens, I really need to take a bath. Beth, would you be a dear and run one for me with some bath salts. They're in the bottle next to the tub. I want to relax and then we can chat. And Jenny, would you help me take the bags up to my room please. Can you girls wait?"

"Sure, Mom," Beth assured her, "that's fine. We had a nice day too and we'll tell you all about it when you're ready."

We all headed upstairs. I put the packages on the bed, along with the ones Mom brought up, while Beth went into the bathroom to fill the tub. I could hear the water running and, after a couple of minutes, the flowery aroma of the bath salts drifted into the room. Beth came out and we left Mom to get undressed.

Since we had nothing better to do while we waited, we went back to the kitchen and continued doing our homework. About a half hour later, Mom appeared in the doorway in her bathrobe, with her hair up.

"How about a nice cup of cocoa?" she asked.

"Sure," we both replied.

Mom put some milk into a sauce pan and put it on the stove. I noticed that she did just as Beth had instructed, turning the burner on after the pan covered it and turning the pot's handle sideways, so it was over the stove.

"Well done," I complimented Mom.

She gave me a puzzled look.

"We made mac and cheese for dinner and Beth gave me a lesson in kitchen safety," I explained.

"Oh, how nice, I'm glad you girls are so helpful to each other. It really is a comfort to know that I can leave you on your own. Thank you for giving me such a lovely day."

By then, the milk was heated and she added it to two cups into which she had spooned cocoa from a container. She brought the steaming drinks over to the kitchen table and sat down. As we sipped, Mom picked up where she left off.

"Now, I want to hear everything that you girls did today."

I nodded at Beth to begin. She went over our going to the park with Mrs. Johnson and Julie, including our running into my old gang, Julie spending the afternoon with us, the makeovers and our dinner.

Mom focused on the park incident.

"You don't think there will be a problem with those boys, do you Jenny?"

"I doubt it. They didn't seem to catch on." I shrugged. "Why should they. They never met Susie and Beth before, so they didn't know that they're my sisters, and, with Mr. Kenneth's help, I don't think I looked much like the guy they used to hang out with. Anyway, they can't prove it. Even if they did try to make trouble, it's their word against mine. You'd back me up, Mom, wouldn't you? You'd say I was home all day, right?"

Mom paused.

"No, I wouldn't. It's wrong to lie. You know that and, whatever the consequences, you can't start your life as Jenny based on dishonesty. We always knew that there was a chance you'd be recognized. It was bound to happen sooner or later. We will just have to deal with it. Do you understand?" Mom asked hopefully.

"Yes, Mom, I do. You're right. I shouldn't hide behind you. Whatever happens, I will deal with it."

Mom shook her head.

"No, honey, we will deal with it," she corrected me, emphasizing the 'we'.

"Yes," insisted Beth, "we will deal with it," emphasizing the 'we'.

"Now then," Mom said, changing the subject before things got too emotional, "would you like to hear about my day?"

Beth and I nodded enthusiastically.

"Well, we started out going to this cute little uptown boutique. They had the most beautiful clothes. I must have spent an hour trying on things. If I wasn't on a budget, I would have bought out the store. As it was, we picked out a lovely skirt and blouse. Then we went to more boutiques. By the time we were finished, I had two more skirts, two tops and a dress. Then we shopped for shoes and, Kenneth insisted on a new pocket book. Everything coordinates, so I can mix and match to make a wardrobe. I never paid much attention to putting outfits together. I just saw something I liked and bought it. Kenneth has such a good eye for colors and styles. I would never have been able to do it without him, especially because all of his friends insisted on giving us big discounts, so I just about doubled my budget."

"Beth and I listened in fascination to Mom's account of her day."

"Go on, Mom," encouraged Beth, "what about the night?"

"Well," Mom continued, "like I told Jenny on the phone, we didn't stop for lunch, so when we finished shopping, Kenneth asked me if I would like to have dinner with him. We went to this charming Italian restaurant and had the most delicious meal. I really didn't want to drink, but the owner sent over a complimentary bottle of wine. It would have been rude to refuse and I couldn't let Kenneth drink alone, so I joined him," Mom said with a giggle, which is something I had never heard her do before. "Then after dinner, he brought me home. He was a perfect gentleman," she assured us. "End of story."

"Can we see what you bought, Mom, please?" asked Beth.

"Sure, honey, lets go upstairs and take the items out of the bags. I should hang them up anyway, before they get wrinkled."

We went through all the clothes. We complimented Mom on her selection and Beth wanted Mom to model, but she was too tired. We helped her hang the new clothes in her closet. It was late and we all had to get up early, so we said goodnight. As we were leaving, Beth remembered that Mom said she bought a dress, but we hadn't seen it.

"Oh, the dress. It needed some tailoring, so the boutique is having it done. Kenneth said he would pick it up for next weekend."

Mom put her hand to her mouth.

"Oh my, I almost forgot, Kenneth invited me to the ballet next Saturday night. He has season tickets. The man never ceases to surprise me."

Beth and I looked at each other. He never ceased to surprise us either.

"Mom," Beth complained. "Really. You forgot to tell us that you have another date with Mr. Kenneth?"

"Yes, dear, sorry," Mom said with a smile, but this time not denying that it was a date. "I forgot that I had to tell my children all about my social life. I will try not to be so thoughtless in the future. I assume that you will share the details of your's with me as well," Mom teased.

"Every detail," I quickly agreed, before Beth could answer.

That got a laugh from both of them.

"I'm sorry, Mom," Beth apologized. Then, demonstrating her obsession with clothes, she added, "do you have an LBD?"

"LBD?" I questioned her. "Is that like a VPL?"

Mom and Beth both laughed.

"No, LBD is girl talk for a little black dress. It's a basic item for any woman's wardrobe. You can dress it up with accessories and jewelry for fancy affairs or keep it simple for less formal occasions," Beth, the fashion expert, explained.

"That's what's being tailored," Mom disclosed with a smile, "and, so that you don't lose any sleep worrying about it, there are black silk pumps to match," she added, looking at Beth. "The high heels they had killed my feet and they didn't have my size in a mid heel, so they're on order. The owner said he will give them to Kenneth for me."

Beth and I went over and kissed Mom goodnight. She kissed us back and we left. Beth and I said goodnight to each other and went to our rooms. I snuggled down under my covers, thinking of the wonderful day filled with makeup lessons, playing girls' games and spending time with my sisters, hoping to dream of dressing up in my own LBD, as I drifted off to sleep.

The alarm clock woke me up at the usual time. I got up, took off my pajamas, folded them and put them away in the bottom drawer of my dresser, then replaced my panties with white cotton briefs. A dark blue cotton t-shirt, white athletic socks, a pair of jeans and sneakers completed my transformation. I took out my earrings, went to the bathroom to wash up and brush my teeth, carefully studying my face in the mirror. Satisfied that no trace of Jenny remained, I went back to my room, grabbed my backpack and headed downstairs. Mom was in the kitchen. There were bowls of cereal on the table with glasses of orange juice. I could smell cinnamon bread toasting.

"Morning Mom," I greeted her cheerily. "Did you sleep well?"

"Between the shopping and the wine, I slept like a baby, thank you for asking," she answered, "how about you?"

"Fine thanks," I replied.

"Go ahead and get started, honey," she told me, "Susie will be down soon, I'm sure."

In fact, no sooner had Mom spoken her name, then Susie bounced in and plopped herself down in her chair.

"Good morning Mommy, hi Jen, oops, Johnny," she corrected herself.

Mom and I both said good morning back. Keeping an eye on the clock, I finished my breakfast and brought my dishes over to the sink. Susie had finished too, so I went back and got hers. We got our backpacks and I held her hand as walked to the bus stop. When we got there, Susie let go and went off to join Julie. I stood around, trying to check out how the older girls were dressed without being noticed. A quick survey showed that there was nothing of interest, jeans and tops, except for a girl in red skort with a white pullover collared shirt. The skirt and shorts combination was cute and practical. I wondered if Beth had anything like that. I didn't remember seeing one.

The bus pulled up and I waited to make sure Susie got on. I climbed in and looked around. Kevin was sitting towards the back. There was an open seat next to him. The last thing I wanted was to give him another chance to get a good look at me, so I found a seat up front. The bus stopped at Susie's school first. I watched her out of the window, to make sure she got in, and then took out my history book and reviewed the chapter. As we were pulling up to my school, I put the book away and quickly got off to avoid Kevin. On my way into the building, I looked around nervously, to see if anyone was staring at me. So far so good. I got to my homeroom and sat down at my desk. The bell rang and Miss Kaufman began to take attendance. During the daily announcements, she was interrupted by the intercom buzzer. She went over and picked up the phone. She hung up and went back to the announcements. The bell rang and we headed out to our first period class. As I was passing her desk, she stopped me.

"Johnny, that was the Office. Principal Tanner wants to see you."

She gave me a disapproving look, probably thinking that I must have gone back to my old ways and was in trouble. The principal didn't pull you out of class, unless it was something pretty serious.

I started for the Office, which was at the other end of the school. As I walked, I had a sick feeling in my stomach. It had to be those boys. Maybe it took them a while to figure out why I looked so familiar. They probably started a rumor after they got to school and it got back to Mrs. McGowan. She warned me that she would have to report me, if there was a problem. As I continued walking, I tried to come up with an explanation that would keep me out of trouble. I told Mom I wouldn't lie, so I couldn't deny that they had seen me dressed as a girl. I couldn't even pretend that it was a prank, because Mrs. McGowan knew the truth. Honesty had worked in the past, but that was with people who were sympathetic. I doubted Mr. Tanner would understand, no matter what I told him. He would send me home. Worse, he would call my mother. Oh no! Had he already called her? Was she on her way here? How could I be so stupid? Why didn't I listen to Beth when she told me to leave, before the boys got there? This wasn't about just me. Now Mom was involved. Who knows what they will do to her over this. Even worse, what will happen to my sisters when word gets out about me? Beth is popular, so she can just tell people her brother is a nut case, although, knowing her, she will stick up for me and take the consequences. Susie will be the one who gets the worst of it. Kids her age can be really cruel. They will tease her. I'll bet even Julie won't be her friend, once she finds out that the girl she liked so much is her best friend's brother. By the time I got to the Office, I was almost hysterical. Instead of Jenny making everything better, she had ruined our lives.

I paused with my hand on the door. I should run away and save my family the embarrassment. I turned and started to leave. I got about half way down the corridor and stopped. Think Jenny, Johnny, whoever, I said to myself. Where are you going? What are you going to do? All you have is lunch money. How far are you going to get with that and what about Mom? You can't leave her to face this all by herself. It's your problem and you have to deal with it. I turned around and went back. The secretary looked up when she heard the door open. I tried to read her expression. If she knew about me, she wasn't letting on. This wasn't the first time I had been to the Principal's office and I knew the routine. I took one of the seats and waited. I was so nervous, I couldn't sit still.

"Mr. Tanner is on a conference call with the Superintendent and the Chairman of the School Board, so he will probably be a few more minutes," the secretary said. Do you need to use the restroom?" she asked, misinterpreting the reason for my fidgeting.

"No, thank you," I told her, trying to hold back the tears at the thought of what I was sure was a discussion about what to do with me.

I was so intent on watching for Mom to walk in, that I didn't notice Mr. Tanner come out of his office.

"Johnny, please come in," I heard him say.

I jumped up and headed for his office, looking over my shoulder to see if Mom would arrive at the last minute. Mr. Tanner stood holding the door and closed it behind me. I looked at him and he pointed to one of the two chairs in front of his desk. I sat down and took a deep breath. He slowly walked around the desk and sat down facing me.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting," he apologized. "There are many difficult issues an administrator has to deal with and many different people who need to be consulted, before we can make a decision. Let me get right to the point, Johnny."

I couldn't stand it any longer.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Tanner," I blurted out. "I didn't mean for it to happen this way. Honestly. Mrs. McGowan doesn't understand. Please, don't make me leave school," I pleaded, "please don't."

"Go on," he directed me.

I paused. He didn't sound upset or angry. How much does he know, I wondered?

"Didn't Mrs. McGowan talk to you about me?"

"What was she supposed to tell me?" he asked.

Oh, Oh. What if she didn't talk to him? What if he heard it from someone else? Maybe one of the boys' parents called or maybe one of the teachers reported the rumor. I had to think quickly.

"Umm, umm, I, well, I had a stomach ache the other day and needed to be excused from gym. She said she was worried about me being under too much stress. I think I was late and ate my breakfast too fast. I haven't had any more," I covered up.

Mr. Tanner shook his head.

"No Johnny, this isn't about your having a stomach ache, although I could understand why you would be under stress."

I sighed. He does know.

"Mr. Tanner, I've tried. I've really, really tried. I know I'm different and I'm sorry if I've caused you and the school a problem. I didn't want it that way. It just happened," I confessed.

To my surprise, Mr. Tanner looked at me sympathetically.

"I have to say, Johnny, in all the years I've been a school administrator, this type of situation has never come up. I wish my decision could be different, but I can't make exceptions. It wouldn't be fair to the other students."

"I understand, Mr. Tanner," I agreed. "You have to do what is right. Is my Mom coming?"

"No, I don't think she needs to be involved. I shouldn't even be telling you this, but I thought that you deserved to know."

"Thank you, Mr. Tanner," I said dejectedly, "I appreciate your being so considerate."

"Your welcome, Johnny, but it's not the end of the world, you know."

"It isn't?"

I perked up.

"No, of course not," he reassured me. "You'll have plenty of opportunity next year."

"Next year?" I questioned him.

Mr. Tanner looked puzzled.

"Johnny, maybe I should explain my decision, so that you will understand the consequences."

I sat quietly, waiting to hear the bad news.

"One of your teachers asked me if he could give you an 'A' for the year, based on the remarkable improvement you have shown in the last quarter."

My eyes went wide. This was about my grades, not about Jenny, and I almost gave myself away.

"I guess I'm not much of a secret keeper, since you only have one male teacher," Mr. Tanner went on. "He said that he was sure you would do well on the final and that you deserved a better grade than your average for the year would allow. I spoke with your other teachers and they were equally enthusiastic. Honestly, I must say that, thinking back on some of the discipline problems you've had in the past, I too am very pleased with the change in your behavior. However, after careful consideration, giving a student a final grade based on his doing well in only the last quarter's work would give the wrong message. I hope you understand."

Understand! I was so grateful that, if Jenny was here, she would have hugged him. I was resigned to being kicked out of school and my family being laughed out of town. Instead, he was apologizing for not being able to give me a grade I didn't deserve after goofing off for most of the year.

"I do understand, Mr. Tanner," I said with relief.

Mr. Tanner got up and came around his desk. I stood up. He put his hand on my shoulder.

"Johnny, there are very few times in an educator's career when he or she can feel that they have made a difference. For myself and all of your teachers, I want to thank you for giving us that opportunity. Please keep up the good work. You have a promising future ahead of you."

"Thank you, Mr. Tanner. I will try my best. I hope I won't let you down," I said cautiously.

"I'm sure you won't," he encouraged me.

He walked to the door and held it open for me to leave.

As I was passing by the secretary's desk, she called my name. I stopped. What now, I wondered?

"Here," she said, holding out two small pieces of paper. "It's between classes, so you'll need a hall pass and a late slip."

I took them and left quickly. Walking down the empty corridor to my second period English class, I thought about how differently things had gone than what I expected and how I almost blew it. What would Mr. Tanner have thought if his star student admitted he dressed as a girl? Even worse, what had I almost done to my family? I would have never forgiven myself. My concerns ended when I entered the classroom. Miss Gray was going over the essay questions on our final exam. I put the late slip on her desk, sat down and took out my notebook. After what I went through in the morning, the rest of the day was no fun and I was relieved when it was over.

On the bus ride home, I came to a decision. There was no way I could go through another day like this one. Even if I could manage to deal with it somehow, the likelihood of hurting my mother and sisters was too great. Now that I thought of it, just fooling Julie was risky. One too many mistakes and she would know who I was really. It would put an end to her friendship with Susie and leave my little sister with no place to go after school, which would make it hard for Mom to work. For my family's sake, I had to give up being Jenny.

TO BE CONTINUED

Sister, Sister, Sister - Part 10
By Missy Crystal

Twelve year old Johnny wants to play Barbies with his sisters, but Barbies are for girls. How can Johnny join the game? A sweet, sentimental story about a young boy's discovery of the girl he should have been with the help of his sisters and mother. This is a story I wrote a couple of years ago and I am posting it here for those who would like to know more about Dr. Jenny Mitchell. It is complete, for those who anguish over being left hanging, but too long for a single post.

I was the first one home, as usual. Mom would get Susie at Mrs. Johnson's on her way home and Beth was probably at a friend's house, since cheerleading practice was over. I started to go upstairs to change, but then stopped. Why bother, I thought. I was too upset to eat at school, so decided to have a snack. I found a package of chocolate chip cookies, put two on a plate, poured myself a glass of milk, took a napkin and sat down at the kitchen table. I opened my backpack and started on my homework. I was pretty sure I had covered myself with Mr. Tanner, but, now that I knew he had his eye on me, I didn't want to let my grades slip and give him a reason to talk to Mrs. McGowan. I picked up a cookie and took a nibble, a small sip of milk and wiped my mouth with the napkin. Then I realized I was eating like a girl. No way. Jenny was gone. I shoved the rest of the cookie into my mouth, took a swig of milk to wash it down and wiped my mouth on the back of my hand. I couldn't get myself to enjoy eating that way, so I put the other cookie back in the bag and poured out the rest of milk. I was concentrating on my homework when I heard Mom=s car pull into the driveway. A minute later, Susie came in.

"Hi, Jenny," she stopped short. "Oh, Johnny," she corrected herself. "What happened to Jenny?"

I didn't feel like explaining, so I made up an excuse.

"Hi, Susie."

I looked down, pretending to be surprised at still wearing my boy's clothes.

"Oh, I guess I got so involved in doing my homework that I completely forgot to change. Silly me," I said, shaking my head."

"You are silly, Jenny," Susie agreed, using my girl=s name.

Just then, Mom walked in. She stopped when she saw me.

"Jenny, is something the matter?" she asked, using her mother's intuition.

"Susie, dear, please go upstairs. I need to talk to Jenny for a few minutes."

Susie left and Mom walked over to me.

"Now then, Honey, what's this all about?" She got a worried look and put her hand to her mouth. "It's not those boys at the park, is it? They didn't, you aren't, oh my!" she exclaimed, fearing the worst.

"No, Mom," I reassured her, shaking my head for emphasis. "Nothing bad happened. Well no, something bad almost happened. Mom, I don't want to be Jenny anymore," I blurted out, tears beginning to trickle down my face. "It's not fair to you or my sisters."

Mom came over and put her arm around me.

"There, there, Jenny, if nothing bad happened, then why the tears? Please talk to me. I=m sure we can find a solution."

"There is no solution, Mom," I told her, as the tears continued to flow. "I can't, I won't get you and my sisters in trouble, because of me. I love you all too much. There's no more Jenny. She's gone."

I put my head against her shoulder and cried. Mom just held me, letting me get it out of my system. Finally, I pulled myself together.

"Now then, young lady, you know that your sisters and I love you very much too. I want to know what happened that was so terrible that you have to give up Jenny because of us."

I had calmed down a little bit and began to tell Mom the story. My being called to the office, almost giving myself away and then finding out that it wasn't what I was worried about at all.

"Mom, I was really afraid that they had called you and when it got out, you would be in trouble and Beth and Susie would be teased. Even Julie, Mom. I'm sure she'd hate me for fooling her and hate Susie too. How would you work, if Susie and Julie weren't friends anymore? Then again, if I got kicked out of school, I could watch her after school. We could have a lifetime of Barbies. That would be the perfect end to Jenny," I said miserably, "stuck in Barbie land forever."

"Jenny," Mom said calmly, "we've always known that there was a risk. Thinking back, we were lucky that Sally McGowan was willing to give you," she paused, "and me," she added, "the benefit of the doubt. I think you're over reacting," she went on, "to what happened at school. I can take care of myself and so can your sisters, even little Susie. We are strong, Jenny, and having you as their sister and as my daughter makes us even stronger. This is what being a family is all about, Honey, and you should not make decisions that affect our family without giving us the chance to be involved."

I shook my head.

"You don't understand, Mom. It's not about you or Beth or Susie. It's about me. I couldn't live with myself, if every time I looked in the mirror I saw a girl who was so thoughtless that she let her family suffer because of her. I do know that Beth is strong, too strong. If someone made fun of her brother who wears dresses, she'd deck them without even thinking about it. She'd be suspended from school and thrown off the cheerleading squad. I know Susie is strong too. She would stick up for me. Maybe Julie is like her Mom and would understand, but the other kids wouldn't. Being strong doesn't stop them from teasing her. I won't take that chance. I wish it could be different, but it can't. Jenny has to go," I said sadly, "and nothing you or my sisters can say will change my mind."

Mom thought for a moment.

"Maybe nothing we say can change your mind, but what about Dr. Goldfarb?"

"What? I don't understand. What does Dr. Goldfarb have to do with this?"

"Well," Mom explained, "you wanted me to make an appointment with her, so I called her office this morning and in all the excitement I didn't have a chance to tell you about it. We have an appointment for eight o'clock Friday morning. Claire Johnson had spoken to her and she was interested in seeing you. So much so, that she arranged for us to come in before her regular patients. I wanted to surprise you with the good news, but you beat me to it with your news."

"Thanks, Mom. I really appreciate your making the appointment, but it's a waste of time. Please cancel it."

"Jenny," Mom said sternly, "the doctor has made a special effort to see you and I have already made arrangements to change my shift, so I can take you. It would seem to me that, before you make any decision that is going to change your life and ours, you at least take advantage of the opportunity to speak with someone who can give you good advice. You owe it to yourself and to us." Her tone softened. "Please dear, don't do anything hastily that you might regret later on. Nothing is going to change between now and Friday. Let's at least hear what the doctor has to say. Then you can decide and I will respect your decision, because it was made logically, not emotionally."

"Okay, Mom," I conceded. "I guess you=re right. I'll keep the appointment."

"Good," Mom said with a sigh of relief. "Now then, since Jenny hasn't moved out yet, will you please do us all a favor and get into your proper clothes."

I didn't need much encouragement. I gave Mom a hug and headed upstairs to change. I went into my room and traded my white boy's briefs for a pair of pink cotton panties and my t-shirt for a matching pink cammie. I slipped on my robe and went into Beth's and Susie's room to find something pretty. I might as well make the most of my last few days as Jenny, I told myself. Susie was sitting propped up on her pillow, reading a book. She looked up when I came in and smiled at me. I smiled back at her.

"Hi, Jenny," she exclaimed happily. "Will you read to me now?"

"Sure, Sis, just let me get dressed."

I went over to the closet and started to look through Beth's wardrobe. Nothing caught my eye. Then I remembered the girl at the bus stop who was wearing a skort. If I only had a few more days to wear girl's clothes, it would be nice to try something new.

"Susie, do you know what a skort is?" I asked her.

Of course, Jenny," she laughed, "every girl knows that. Why?"

"Well, I saw a girl wearing one today and it looked like fun. I was wondering if Beth had one."

"Yes, we both do, but you won't find it. There's not enough room for all of our clothes in the closet, so Mom keeps our summer things packed away. I'm not sure where, they're probably in her closet. You'd have to ask her. Do you want me to run down, 'cause I'm dressed."

"Thanks, Sis, but I can do it."

I started to head for the door and then turned around.

"Do you remember what Beth wears with her skort, I mean the shoes and top? Are those packed away too?"

"I'm not sure. I usually wear a tank top. I guess she'd wear the same thing with hers or maybe a cute t-shirt. They look nice with a skort too. I mean it's just a fancy pair of shorts, so anything that goes with shorts would be okay, I guess."

"Thanks for the fashion lesson," I said appreciatively. "I'll be right back and after I get dressed I'll read to you, okay?"

"Okay, Jenny. Hurry back. It's almost dinner time."

I went to the kitchen. Mom saw me come in and nodded her approval.

"That's my girl," she encouraged me.

I shrugged.

"Mom, I saw a girl wearing a skort today. Susie says Beth has one packed away with her summer things. Could you find it for me without too much trouble? I mean, it's not that important. There are lots of other things. It=s just, well, I don't know, I … ."

"Not a problem at all, Honey," Mom interrupted me. Beth's and Susie's summer clothes are in a storage box in my closet. Their closet needs to be changed over, now that it's getting warmer, so this is as good a time as any. Come on. We can go do it together. Supper can wait a bit."

I followed Mom upstairs to her room. She opened the closet and pulled out a large cardboard box. She took off the lid and began to unpack the clothes, putting them on the bed. The top layer was Susie's clothes. Her t-shirts, tank tops, shorts, little skirts, short-sleeved blouses, sun dresses and bathing suits came out. Next came a similar assortment of Beth's clothes. Going through the skirts, Mom picked one up and handed it to me.

"I think this is what you were looking for."

It was a really pretty pastel pink, aqua and pale yellow plaid. She lifted up the skirt flap, so I could see the shorts underneath.

"I'm not sure about a top."

She looked through the pile of clothes and found a pink sleeveless cotton top with a scoop neck.

"How about this?" she asked, holding it next to the skort."

"Perfect," I agreed.

I started to leave.

"Hang on Honey, give me a hand taking the clothes into your sisters' room, please," Mom asked me, gathering up a pile and putting it into my arms.

She picked up the rest and we headed out. When we got to the girls' room, she deposited her load on Beth's bed and I put mine down next to it.

"Oh, cool, our summer stuff," Susie said, looking up from her book when we came in. "Did you find a skort and top, Jenny?"

I nodded.

I took the outfit back to my room, slipped out of my robe and pulled on the top. You could see the cammie peeking out of the low neck opening, so I got undressed, took the cammie off and put the top back on. The top was light material and, without anything underneath it, I could see tiny little bumps over my nipples. I sighed. That was about as good as it was ever going to get. Then again, it didn't matter any more. I stepped into it, zipped it up and fastened it around my waist. Looking down, I realized that I didn't have anything on my feet. I headed back to Susie's room. Mom was taking the winter clothes out of the closet, folding them and putting the summer clothes in their place.

"Mom, what should I wear on my feet?" I wondered.

She thought for a minute.

"Either sandals or ankle socks with flats, the shoes are still in my closet. I forgot about them. Be a dear and bring in the box."

I went back to Mom's room and found another cardboard box in her closet. I picked it up and carried it into Beth=s and Susie's room. Mom pointed to a place on the floor at the foot of Beth's bed, near the closet. I put the box down and started to take out the shoes. When I got to a pair of pink sandals, Mom stopped me.

"That's one pair you can wear. See if you can find the flats, they're white."

I rummaged through what was left in the box and found what looked like a pair of white slippers. I took them out and showed them to Mom.

"Yes, Jenny, those are the ones."

She picked up the sandals in one hand and the flats in the other.

"Take your pick," she offered.

I thought for a moment. The sandals would be nice and cool for going out in the summertime, but the shoes and socks were better for the house. I pointed to the shoes and Mom handed them to me.A

"Take a pair of the pink cotton ankle socks from Beth's dresser," she recommended, "they will look cute with the outfit."

I went over, opened the drawer and looked though Beth's collection, until I found a pair. I took them out, sat down on Beth=s bed, pulled them on and then slipped on the shoes. I stood up and looked in the mirror on the closet door. I hadn't done anything with my hair or makeup, so I looked like a tomboy. I thanked Mom, told Susie I would be right back and went to my room. Restyling my hair, putting in my little gold hoop earrings, a heart locket Beth let me borrow and a pink headband made the difference. When I went back into my sisters' room, Susie looked at me and smiled. Mom turned from reorganizing the closet and nodded her approval. I went over and snuggled up with Susie. She handed me the book she was reading. Mom looked over and smiled. I gave her a weak smile back, but my mind was made up.

Mom finished putting the clothes in the closet and went back downstairs. About twenty minutes later, I heard Beth come in. She came upstairs and into the room.

"Hi Susie, hi Jenny," she greeted us.

Then she saw what I was wearing.

"Oh, wow, Mom finally got out our summer stuff, about time. Gee, Jenny, you look really cute in my skort," she complimented me.

My legs were stretched out on the bed and the skort was shorts length.

"Wow, Jenny, you have really nice legs," Beth observed.

"Thanks," I said politely, "but when did you start staring at girls' legs? I though I was the one who was confused about being a boy," I teased her.

Beth gave me one of her patronizing looks.

"Sis, you still have a lot to learn. Girls may do it more subtly than boys, but we are always checking out the competition. I mean, if you're an athlete and you want to win the race, you have to know what you're up against," she said with a grin.

The lesson in being girly was interrupted by Mom calling us for dinner.

"You guys go ahead," Beth told us, "I'm going to change and be right down."

Susie and I got up and I put the book on the night stand. Beth started to get undressed and was in her panties and bra by the time I was at the door.

"Pretty hot," she called to me, striking a pose.

I nodded and she giggled. It was going to be hard giving up being Jenny, I thought to myself.

The rest of the night went as usual. Mom put Susie to bed while Beth and I did our homework. Then we went upstairs and got ready for bed. I debated whether to wear my boy's pajamas or my nightgown. Why tease myself I thought. Then I changed my mind. I had a lifetime of pajamas to look forward to. Why rush things? I went though my nightly beauty routine. Another waste of time, I thought, but that too would be over soon enough. Finally, I slipped under the covers and, after tossing and turning for a while, the exhaustion from the day's events came over me and I fell asleep.

On Thursday night, Mom reminded me that we were going to see Dr. Goldfarb in the morning, as if I could have forgotten what was going to be the worst day of my life.

"Yes, Mom," I confirmed, "I remember."

"What are you going to wear?" she asked.

I guessed what she really meant was whether I was going dressed as a girl or a boy. I hadn't really thought about it. I might as well go as a boy. Then again, I reasoned, Mom seemed optimistic that Dr. Goldfarb would be able to change my mind. I doubted it, but maybe, just maybe, somehow I was wrong. Maybe, just maybe, there was a way I could continue to be Jenny. If there was any possibility, then shouldn't Dr. Goldfarb see me as a girl? How would she take me seriously, if I showed up as a boy? I couldn't make up my mind.

"I don't know Mom, what do you think?" I asked her.

"It's up to you," Mom replied, "but you might want to think about whether you're going to school after the appointment. We have to be at the hospital at eight, which means we need to leave by six-thirty, to be on the safe side, in case there's traffic. To be honest, honey, I was so happy to get the appointment, knowing how busy doctors usually are, that I completely forgot to ask about the details. I'm sure that the session isn't more than an hour. We should be home by about ten o=clock. I can drop you off at school or you can come home and change or you can take the day off, whichever you want."

"Well, that settles it. I don't want to miss my classes when we're reviewing, so staying home is not an option. Luckily, I have gym first period on Friday and a study hall right after, so I can still make it to my English class, if I don=t stop at home to change. That means I go as Johnny. Besides, if we have to be out of here by six thirty, it will take him a lot less time to get ready than Jenny," I said, half seriously.

Mom nodded and then added, "speaking of leaving early, Susie is going to do a sleepover at Julie's. That will help."

That night I tossed and turned, waiting for the alarm clock to ring. When it went off, I got up, dressed quickly, washed up and hurried down to breakfast. Mom was already dressed and in the kitchen, having a cup of coffee. She had put out breakfast for me. I tried to eat, but I was too nervous and left most of it. Mom must have understood, because she didn't say anything as she cleared the table.

The ride to the doctor's office was very quiet. Neither of us had anything to say that would make a difference. Mom turned on the radio and we listened to music. She picked a station which she knew I liked, although it wasn't her favorite, I=m sure. There wasn't much traffic and we pulled into the parking lot of the hospital with about forty-five minutes to kill. Mom parked and we went in. The coffee shop was open and Mom asked if I wanted anything. I shook my head. She went over to the information desk and asked for directions. The woman pointed towards the elevators at the other side of the lobby and made some hand motions to show her which way to turn when we got off. I looked at the clock on the lobby wall and it was seven thirty. Mom suggested that we go up. I followed her over to the elevators. We got in and she pushed the button for the fifth floor. The elevator stopped and when the doors opened a nurse came in pushing a patient in a wheelchair. They got off on the next floor. Finally, the fifth floor light came on and the doors opened. We got off. Mom paused, then turned right, went to the end of the corridor, turned left, through a set of doors down a corridor and through another set of doors with a sign 'Department of Psychiatry and Psychopharmacology.' I wasn't sure what the second word meant, but I knew it had to do with drugs. Maybe this was not such a good idea after all, I worried. Mom must have sensed my nervousness and took my hand.

"Mom," I said fearfully, as we continued down the corridor "Dr. Goldfarb isn't going to do anything to me, is she? I mean, we're just going to talk about my being a girl, right? She won=t put me in the hospital or make me take any medicine or anything, will she?"

Mom shook her head.

"Absolutely not, don't worry, Honey." She turned to look at the sign. "Oh, that. It's just the way they organize the hospital departments. Don't forget," she explained, "psychiatry deals with many different types of problems. Some people need medication to help them with anxiety or depression. That's why they=re usually together. Dr. Goldfarb specializes in people like you, Jenny. That is not something which is treated with drugs. Everything will be fine or I wouldn't have brought you here."

I was surprised that Mom used my girl's name, even though I was dressed as a boy.

"Mom, do you think you should call me Jenny when I'm dressed like a boy? What if someone hears you?"

"First of all, Honey, nobody knows us here and, besides, there is nobody around. Don't be such a worry wart."

We stopped in front of a wood door with the name 'Freda Goldfarb, M.D., Ph.D.'

"Impressive," Mom commented. "She is a doctor doctor," she joked.

Mom tried the handle, but the door was locked. We stood outside waiting.

"What time is it?" I asked.

"About a quarter to eight," Mom said, looking at her watch.

About five minutes went by and I heard the sound of the doors opening. Looking down the corridor, I could see a person, but I couldn't make out whether it was a man or a woman. Whoever it was wasn't wearing white, so I guessed it wasn't a doctor or nurse. As the person got closer, I could see it was an older woman. She had dark hair mixed with grey, done up in a bun and held in place with a clip. Her face was round and pleasant. She was dressed in a navy blue straight skirt that came to below her knees, a white blouse with a round collar, buttoned at the neck and a matching navy blue jacket. Navy blue shoes with a low heel and a navy blue pocket book with a shoulder strap completed her outfit. I guessed that it must be the doctor=s secretary coming to open the office.

When the woman reached us, she extended her hand and said, "Hello, I'm Freda Goldfarb. You must be Johnny and his mother. Please come in."

She reached into her bag, took out a set of keys and opened the office door. When she turned on the lights, I could see a secretary's desk and file cabinets to the left and four chairs against the wall with a coffee table in front of them to the right. Dr. Goldfarb went to the file cabinet, opened the top drawer and took out a clipboard. She attached some papers and handed them to my mother.

"You know the routine," she said with a smile, handing Mom a pen. "While you're filling out the forms, I'll get ready."

Dr. Goldfarb used her keys to open another door at the far side of the reception area and went in. She closed the door behind her. Mom sat down in one of the chairs and began writing. I sat next to her. I thought maybe there would be a fashion magazine, but there were only news magazines. I picked one up and flipped the pages, but didn't pay attention. After a while, Dr. Goldfarb came out and asked Mom if she was finished. Mom said yes and handed her the clipboard. Dr. Goldfarb looked at it quickly, nodded and invited us into her office. I was expecting to see a couch, like in the movies, but it looked just like a regular office. There was a dark wood desk with a black leather chair behind it. In front of the desk there were two wooden side chairs. Four upholstered armchairs chairs were arranged around a round coffee table off to one side. There was a bookcase filled to overflowing against the other wall. Over the bookcase were lots of diplomas and on the wall behind the four chairs was a large picture of a garden with flowers and a fountain. Behind Dr. Goldfarb's desk was a big window with a nice city view looking towards the river. Dr. Goldfarb motioned for us to be seated in the upholstered chairs. She sat down in the one facing me, with mom to her right and began to look over the forms.

Turning to Mom, Dr. Goldfarb asked her, "how old was Johnny when your husband left?"

"Six," Mom replied.

Dr. Goldfarb made a note.

"Did he abuse you or the children?"

Mom hesitated.

Dr. Goldfarb waited for a minute and then said patiently, "I understand that this interview may be uncomfortable for you, especially in front of Johnny, but, as a nurse, you know that a complete and accurate history is necessary in order for me to make a diagnosis. When you deal with injuries and diseases, it is what has happened to the patient physically. When you deal with mental health, it is what has happened to him psychologically. As to Johnny, you also know how important it is for a patient to trust his doctor. That purpose is not served by excluding him from our interview."

That doctor had a very sincere manner and I could see Mom relax.

She shook her head and explained, "No, Dr. Goldfarb. In a way, I wish he was. I could have dealt with that. He was indifferent."

Dr. Goldfarb made another note.

"Did he spend any time with Johnny?"

"No," she told her, "he didn't want the responsibility of a family and finally he walked out on us. I filed for divorce and haven't seen him or spoken to him since. Not a letter, a telephone call or a card on his children's birthday, nothing. He was supposed to pay child support, which he did for a couple of years. Then that stopped," Mom said angrily. "It's been a struggle, but we are fine on our own. We don't need him or his money."

I was watching Dr. Goldfarb's face. If she thought anything of Mom's emotional response, she didn't show it. She made some more notes on her pad. When she finished writing she looked up at Mom.

"Thank, you," she said sympathetically.

Dr. Goldfarb continued to interview Mom about our family. She asked about her how my sisters got along with each other and how I got along with them. Mom told her about the change in my behavior that had taken place, after I began being a girl. She wanted to know about school. Mom bragged that I was doing well, now that I had settled down. She gave Beth credit for helping me. Finally, Dr. Goldfarb asked Mom how she felt about me. Mom looked over at me, smiled, and said that she wanted whatever was best for me and my being a girl seemed to make me happy or she wouldn't have encouraged it. To my surprise, I saw Dr. Goldfarb raise an eyebrow.

"You encouraged your son's cross-dressing?" she challenged Mom.

Mom didn't hesitate.

"No, Dr. Goldfarb, I encouraged my son to be himself, whether it was as a boy or a girl. He made the choice."

"So, if he wanted to eat a gallon of ice cream, you would let him make that choice too?"

"No," Mom said defensively, "I would not allow him to do something I knew was not good for him."

"How do you know being a girl is good for him?"

"I don't know if it is good for him or not," Mom conceded. "I do know that he is happy."

"Eating a gallon of ice cream would probably make him happy too, but it would not be good for him," Dr. Goldfarb argued.

I could see that Mom was getting upset at the thought that she might have been wrong. I had to speak up.

"No, Dr. Goldfarb," I interrupted. "I am old enough to know not to eat a gallon of ice cream and I am old enough to make my own decision about being a girl. Mom may have gone along with it, because she loves me, but I am the one responsible."

Dr. Goldfarb looked at her watch.

"It's eight thirty. This is a good time for me to talk to Johnny alone."

Dr. Goldfarb turned to Mom.

"My secretary Brenda should be in by now. Would you go out and do the insurance paperwork, please. It will only be about fifteen minutes. I schedule one hour appointments, but I only have forty five minute sessions, so that one patient leaves before the next arrives, to protect their privacy."

Mom got up and started to the door. She stopped and turned.

"Thank you for seeing us," she said to Dr. Goldfarb.

"You're quite welcome. I will see you in the reception area, when we're done."

Dr. Goldfarb waited until the door closed, then got up and moved to the chair Mom had been sitting in, closer to me. We each turned slightly, so that we were looking at each other.

"What is it that you would like me to do for you?" she asked.

"There's nothing you can do for me," I answered honestly.

"If there's nothing I can do for you, then why are you here?"

"I'm not going to be Jenny anymore. That's the girl's name I use," I explained. "Mom had already made the appointment and she wanted me to meet with you before I stopped."

"Your mother spoke with me on Monday morning, which means that whatever it was that has changed your mind must have happened after that. Would you like to tell me about it?"

I explained about going to the park as Jenny, running into my old gang, thinking that they might have recognized me, being nervous and upset when the principal called me to his office and nearly giving myself away. Dr. Goldfarb added some notes to her pad. I told her how guilty I felt, when I thought that I had gotten my family into trouble. I couldn't live with myself, if that happened, I told her.

She looked at my sympathetically.

"Johnny, I can't tell you what to do, that's up to you, with the guidance of your mother. I can give you some information that might help you to make your decision. My male patients fall into two groups. Those who want to live as women and those who don't."

She saw that I was puzzled.

"Those who do, work with me to prepare themselves for transitioning, starting on hormones to create a more feminine appearance and eventually having reconstructive surgery to give them female anatomy."

Dr. Goldfarb saw the startled expression on my face.

"There's more to being transgendered than just your name and looking pretty, Johnny. Of course, not everyone goes though the complete process. Some stop with just hormones, some don't even go that far. However, no responsible doctor will prescribe hormones and no respectable surgeon will perform a sex change, until a psychiatrist has certified that their patient is a proper candidate. That's why these patients are seeing me and it takes many years of counseling, before they are ready. It's not a decision you have to think about for a very long time," she said reassuringly. "The ones who don't," Dr. Goldfarb continued, "can't, because of social or economic pressure. Family, friends and employers, most of the world, in fact, disapprove of being transgendered. These patients come to me to help them deal with the woman inside them that they can't express. The point I am making, Johnny, is that, if you are transgendered, then you can hide it from others, but not from yourself.

"Do they ever get to be women, Dr. Goldfarb?"

"Yes, most of them do eventually, but it can take many years before they're ready to risk coming out. Fortunately for you, you weren't outed, that means found out, but you can't count on being lucky forever and you are right about the consequences. It is very hard for an adult, even when they are prepared for ridicule and rejection, and, at your age, it would have been even harder on you and those you love."

Dr. Goldfarb looked at her watch.

"Time's up, I'm afraid."

She looked at me.

"If you are coming back, what name would you like me to call you?"

"Jenny, please."

"Well, Jenny, it was nice to meet you."

Dr. Goldfarb got up. I got up. I couldn't help myself. I walked over, put my arms around her and gave her a hug. To my surprise, she held me. After a minute, we released each other. She walked to the door and opened it. Mom got up when she saw me come out.

"We are running late," Dr. Goldfarb told her. "You need to go along. Please call Brenda next week and make another appointment for Jenny."

I saw Mom grin when she heard Dr. Goldfarb call me Jenny and ask her to schedule another appointment.

"Yes, Dr. Goldfarb, thank you so much."

Dr. Goldfarb turned and went back into her office. We hurried out. There was no conversation as we walked to the elevator and through the lobby to the car. Mom found the ticket, paid the attendant and we drove out of the parking lot.

"Well, don't keep me in suspense," Mom said to me in the privacy of our car.

"The problem wasn't with my being Jenny," I explained. "It was with my not being able to deal with being found out. The solution is to wait until I am ready. I don't have to stop being a girl. From what Dr. Goldfarb explained, I couldn't if I wanted to. I just have to stop going out as one for now."

"Well, I'll certainly enjoy having Jenny around the house," Mom said cheerfully, "and so will your sisters." She thought for a moment, "and maybe there is a way for you to enjoy going out."

I shook my head.

"Sorry, been there, done that, too risky, no thank you."

Mom laughed.

"How about," Mom continued, "if we went someplace where nobody knows us? School will be out in a few weeks. We could take a trip. Maybe visit your Aunt Nancy, just a mother and her three beautiful daughters on vacation. We've never gone away as a family before. It would be fun."

"Mom, please don't take this personally, but are you nuts? I can see it now. Hi Aunt Nancy, hi Uncle Carl, hi Greg, hi Patty, maybe hold out the hem of my dress and do a little curtsey. Of all the places to go where I would be recognized as a boy, Aunt Nancy's would be on the top of the list."

"She already knows Dear," Mom said matter-of-factly.

"What! Mom, you couldn't, you didn't, how could you, why would you. Oh my God, I can't believe that you told her. Mom, what were you thinking? I'll never be able to see them now and they're the only relatives that we have."

"Calm down, honey. Do you have any secrets from your sisters?" Mom asked me.

"No," I answered.

"Well neither do I. Aunt Nancy loves you and, if I support you, then so does she."

"What about Uncle Carl, Greg and Patty. Do they know?"

"No. It was between us and I am sure Nancy wouldn't say anything to them without asking me first."

I let out a sigh of relief.

"Okay, I guess, but that still doesn't mean that the rest of her family will accept me as Jenny when they find out."

"There's more to the story. Family secrets get shared both ways," Mom said with a smile. "Greg is gay. He came out about a year ago."

"No way! Greg is gay? Impossible. He played sports. He was like a man's man."

"Apparently so," Mom joked.

We both laughed.

"When he graduated, he went to culinary school. He met Gary there. They fell in love and they're living together in the city and trying to get together enough money to open their own restaurant."

"I can see Uncle Carl now, first Greg, now me. He will think our side of the family is really demented."

"Except that Greg is his son from his first marriage. He isn't related to our side of the family. I would say you even things up," Mom kidded me.

"What about Cousin Patty? First her brother and now me, she doesn't have any secrets, does she?"

"Not that I know of, but she's a sweetheart. She has accepted Greg and Gary and I am sure she will accept you too. So, what do you say?"

"Sounds good, but I think I should run it by Dr. Goldfarb, when I see her next time."

"Agreed," said Mom.

We were silent for a few minutes and then I turned to Mom.

"You know, I'd really like to fill out my clothes a little better. When we were at the mall, Beth dragged me into a lingerie shop and, before I could get her out of there, a salesgirl come over and showed us some teen bras that gave you a figure. I wonder Mom, do you think I could get one?"

"Sure, Honey," Mom said with a sniffle.

"Mom, what's wrong now?"

"Oh, it's just that buying your daughter her first bra is a special day for a mother. It means your little girl is becoming a woman."

I shook my head.

"Mom, even with a bra, it will be a while before Jenny becomes a woman."

THE BEGINNING