Farming was back breaking work. I was often up before the rooster crowed and kept in the field till the sun set and the moon had risen. The delta is flat, flat as a board and there is nothing in the way to block the sun, all the trees had long been cut down to make way for the farmers to plow. The strong rays of the Mississippian sun blistered me by day and the bone cutting wind froze me by night. 

Heat stroke was common among those who worked alongside me, the sun broke us down and the back breaking work made us hollow shells. I stave off heat stroke. I drank water by the gallon. The water tasted horrible, it tasted like mud. It made me sick, sick to my stomach, but yet I forced myself to drink it. As a result I sweated like a pig, by mid morning there would not be a dry stitch of clothing on me. The veteran field hands just stood there and shook their heads. None bothered to show me the ropes, it was sink or swim for me.

I learned things I never thought I'd learn, like how to read a map, to check cotton, to judge time by the position of the sun in the sky and mark time by the long shadows that are scarecrow like forms cast upon the parched earth. There were no bathrooms out in the field, you took care of your business out in the open. If you had to take a leak, you took a leak behind the shed  or out in the open with your back turned. If you need to poop, you dug a hole in the ground, you then squatted down and did what needed to be done. You cleaned up with anything you found, that was the first lesson I learned in the field, always carry some kind of paper.

Lunch was rough. Normally it was some kind of lunch meat you carried with you, normally it was wrapped in white butcher paper. My lunch was normally a few slices of thick bologna wrapped in white butcher paper, a sweet cake, some salted crackers and a bottle of warm water. Breakfast, if I was lucky enough to get it, was a bowl of soggy cornflakes. The hours were long, sometimes twelve, sometimes fourteen.

And at the end of the day, I was normally so tired I could barely eat. But I forced myself to eat. After a fortnight I'd gone from being a little overweight to being skin and bones. Then something happened, maybe it was a miracle or maybe it was a twist of fate. Either way it was something that opened a door that I quickly rushed through.

Rain, that happens. Rain, bucket loads of it. A sudden tropical depression had swung in from the Gulf of Mexico, had traveled up the mouth of the Mississippi River and was now dropping several inches of rain on the Delta. The rain brought coolness. And a halt to work around the farm. 

But the rain brought another problem, I had nothing to do. I had no way to access the internet, and none  of the books my aunt and uncle had laying around the house suited my taste. I could have caught up on my sleep, but at this point in time I'd been wedded to a sleeping cycle that ran about six, maybe seven if I was lucky. My aunt had her painting in her art studio to keep her busy and my uncle had the outdoors channel in his man-cave to keep him entertained. I had nothing, so to keep cabin fever at bay I decided to steal away to the old library that was located across from my room.

Maybe library is too grand of a word. It was more like a reading room than a true library, it was more like a collection of books than anything. The dusty selves of the study were lined with encyclopedia books and dictionaries. With a few tattered paperbacks scattered about. Not the best reading marital but  then again beggars can't be choosers. 

Sighing I closed the door and was about to start reading when my aunt popped in.

“Hey Caspar.” She said, smiling a little. “I was wondering if you could do a small favor.” she asked as she peered toward me.

“I need a live model for a painting. But before I decide on you, I want you to take out your ponytail.” She said smiling “Please,”

I blinked and took a deep breath, reached up and removed the hairband from my hair. A second later my dark, raven hair started to spill down. It had been around eighteen or so months since I last had a proper haircut so my hair was a bit saggy, but it reached down to my shoulders.

“Oh Goddess.” My aunt said blushing.

“What..” I said blinking.

“Just that your too pretty to be a boy and second your perfect for my live model.” She said blushing. “Now I'm painting this picture called 'Girl in a white dress, holding a basket of flowers' and well I have the background finished, but I just need a live model. I'll pay you of course, how does eighty dollars sound?”

I blinked and blinked again. 

“And when I sell the picture I'll get you ten percent of the total. Normally my paintings sell for around ten thousand dollars, so say a thousand dollars?” She said, shrugging her shoulders.

I blinked a day's pay on top of a possible bonus that could go wrong.

“Good! Because like I said, you're just too pretty to have been a boy, it's like crying shame you had not been born a girl. Anyway, follow me.” Aunt Cat said, smiling as she walked out of the room. “Oh and Casper don't go digging around these books, you never know what you're going to find. And don't go playing Tarzan in the family tree. You might think some of those branches are rotten.”

With that being said I followed my Aunt out of the study. I followed her down the long hallway. A hallway that was lined with portraits of men in woolen three piece suits, ladies in high collar dresses, men in uniform. Till at last I reached a room that took my breath away, the room was my Aunt's bedroom, simply enough wooden flooring like the rest of the house, a king size bed in the middle. Two sets of dresser drawers a few feet from the front of the bed. And in a small corner of the room a simple white Vanity table.

“Close the door sweetheart.” Aunt Cat said smiling. As she walked into the room. 

I gently pushed the door closed and followed my aunt into the room. Once we were in the center of the room. My aunt turned around and smiled as she eyed me, her eyes traveled from the top of my head to the bottom of my toes. A mischievous grin crossed her face as she peered at.

“Here.” She said grinning. “If you're going to be my live model, you need to look the part. I mean you're already naturally feminine as is.” She added. “Heck, most of your life you've been mistaken for a girl, am I right?”

I blinked and felt my cheeks flush red with embarrassment, I had indeed often been mistaken for a girl when I was younger, most people thought I was just a rough and tumble tomboy growing up. Looking back at that moment I came to understand I'd never been like the other boys growing up. I'd never took part in the rough and tumble games they played, instead I stayed inside and spent my time playing video games, even then my choice of video games were different from my peers, most of my peers played games that centered on warfare and shooting mindless waves of zombies up.

Most of the games I played were life simulation games that included titles of such famous games as Animal Crossing, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Stardew Valley, and my all time favorite Pokemon. Even at sixteen I was still pretty big into Pokemon. I'd started getting into Pokemon when a cousin had gifted me a booster pack of trading cards on my twelve birthday. I'd been hooked ever since. Beside playing the games, I also collected the cards, and I attended local Pokemon League events.. where I was something of a make-shift gym leader.

“Casper?” My Aunt Cat said as she peered toward me. “You okay? Cause you got that thousand yard stare going on right now.” 

“Yes I'm fine.” I said, shaking my head from one side to another. 

“Okay anyway.” She said, shifting her eyes toward the dresser drawer. “Like I was saying, if you're going to model for me, you need to look the part. So.” she pulled hard upon one of the brass knobs a moment later the drawer came out and a moment later she started to dig. A few seconds later she fished out a silken pair of panties and a bra. She tossed them toward me.

“Go ahead and try those on.” She said taking a deep breath. “And let see,” She then walked over to her closet, pulled the closet open and started to push the dresses to the side. After a moment of digging around she pulled down a simple white dress. The dress had puffy short sleeves and a sweetheart neckline. 

“Here.” She said tossing the dress toward me. “Okay go ahead and put those on and come back here. I need to fix your hair, thinking about adding an Alice band to your hair, a white Alice band.. and that it. No make-up this time.” Aunt Cat said with a smile.

I blinked and blinked again.

“Well. Don't just stand there looking like a toadstool on a log, go ahead and change.” Aunt Cat said as she took me by the shoulders and guided me out of the room. “The guest bathroom just down the hallway, go ahead and change.” And with that she pushed me out of the room. The wooden door closed behind me, leaving me standing there with a white dress, a pair of panties and a bra. 

Now to be honest, I was lost for words. And so my body went on autopilot and before I knew it I was walking down the hallway and a few seconds later I was walking into the guest bathroom. Without giving it much thought I closed the old wooden door behind me. Once the door was closed, I kicked off my sneakers, removed the old, tattered leather belt from my jeans, and at last I removed the old flannel shirt and tossed it to the side. At last, I removed the white under shirt and plaid boxers. I gathered those clothes up and shoved them to the side.

“What have I gotten myself into now..” I said as I peered toward the bundle of clothes that my aunt had  shoved into my hand. “What have I gotten myself into now..” I said, sighing.

I sighed because things were going way too fast, I mean I'd entertained thoughts of being a girl before. Mom always wanted a second daughter, and my older sister had always wanted a little sister to play with. And both seemed a tad bit disappointed that I'd been born a boy instead of a girl. Dad though had been overjoyed at long last, somebody to carry on the family name, somebody to take over the law practice when he retired, somebody to further his plans when he was dead and gone.

But I guess those dreams would dashed now. I mean I guess they had already been torn asunder, I'd never been the son my dad wanted. My dad loved to hunt, fish, ride horses through the jungle like woodlands of the delta. He hunted all manner of animals and had a study full of stuffed creatures that he had taken down with his big long rifle. My dad was tall, with a barrel chest, a strong jawline and stiff upper back. He was a man's man, who smoked, drank and gambled, a man who laughed with the sinner and cried with the saints all on the same Sunday.

Me on the other hand had taken after my mother, I was small, had dark raven hair instead of his sandy blonde. My hands were soft, and I preferred the company of books  to people. I'd often seek the advice from long dead poets and writers than from the manly men my father kept company with.

“Oh hell.” I said, sighing. “What have I gotten myself into.”

End Chapter Two

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

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

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

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

I blushed as I listened to my aunt ramble on.

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

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

I blinked and blinked again.

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

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

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

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

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

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

My aunt just peered at me.

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

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

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

I blinked and blinked again.

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

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

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

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

My Aunt Cat blinked and blinked again.

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

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

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

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

I blinked.

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

I blinked and blinked again.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I returned a few moments later holding the old, leather Bible. It was the family Bible, the one that recorded all the births and deaths in the family. According to family lore, the Bible had been in the family for well over a hundred years. My Aunt Cat who was in the kitchen, pointed with fingers toward my uncle's office. I nodded my head and started to make my way to the office. The door was locked so I gently knocked. A few seconds later, I heard a crossed voice from behind the door call out.

“Enter.” It seemed my uncle was in one of his moods. So taking a deep breath I pushed gently upon the door. The door creaked open. Swallowing my pride I pushed the door all the way open and there sitting in an old leather chair was my uncle. His eyes seemed blazing and his fingernails seemed to be digging into the arm of the old leather chair.

“Close the door, Casper.” He commanded as he stood up and started to walk toward me, each step seemed cold and measured. As the door closed behind me, I felt like I'd just entered into the domain of a savage beast, one that intended to tear me from limp to limp. My uncle paused a few feet from me and then looked me straight in the eye, he said.

“Do you know the Bible Casper?” He said as if trying to control some uncontrollable rage.

I blinked and for a moment I wondered if that was a trick question. Did I know the Bible? Well enough I suppose. I've heard it read aloud enough, I've listened to hundreds of sermons from at least a dozen different priests before. So I suppose I knew the Bible well enough. I did after all attend a super elite, private Episcopal School that was one of the oldest in the states.

“Then read aloud to me the following verses.” He said reaching into his skirt pocket. A few moments later he fished out an old wooden pipe. He placed the tip of the pipe in his mouth, stuffed it full with loose leaf tobacco and then striking a match set the stuff ablaze. He puffed a few times, sending up rings of grayish black smoke.

“First Corinthians chapter eleven verse fourteen.” He said as he turned away from me.

It took me a few moments of searching before I found the first. I swallowed hard and then in a shaking tone of voice I started to read aloud. My voice seemed on the edge of breaking.

“Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, its a shame unto him?”

My uncle nodded his head.

“Good now read this, Deuteronomy chapter twenty two verse five.” He said, taking a deep breath.

I took a deep breath and flipped through the old pages till I came to the section. Then releasing the breath I steeled myself for what I was about to read.

“A woman shall not wear a man's garment, nor shall a man put on a woman's cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord your God.” I said taking a deep breath again.

“Repeat that for me.” He said, sighing.

I took a deep breath. And a few seconds later I started to read aloud again.

“A woman shall not wear a man's garment, nor shall a man put on a woman's cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord your God.”

“Again.” He said in a calm manner.

“A woman shall not wear a man's garment, nor shall a man put on a woman's cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord your God.”

“Simple homespun wisdom. Now First Corinthians again. Chapter Eleven verse three through fifteen.” He said, smirking a little.

I closed my eyes, I wish the man would go ahead and kick me out, this was torture. I felt like some hidden part of me was being bashed with a heaven stone. I was trembling from the top of my head down to the tip of my toes. I used to adore the church, I used to love going to church. But I felt these words and chapters had been selected, cherry picked to cut at me. It took me a bit longer to find this section than it did the others.

“Its a long one, so take your time.” He said walking toward his chair. “Read it nice and slow, I want the words to sink in.

“But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is god. Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head, but every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same if her head were shaven. For if a wife will not cover her head, then she should cut her hair short. But since it's disgraceful for a wife to cut her hair or shave her head, let her cover her head. For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man. For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. That is why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman; for woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman. And all things are from God. Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a wife to pray to God with her head uncovered? Doesn't nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair it's a disgrace for him, but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering.” I read aloud and that long passage nearly took all the breath out of my lungs.

“Good, now have you understood everything I've read so far.” He said puffing on his pipe.

I blinked and paused.

“Let me spell it out to you. I do not approve of the direction the current presiding bishop of my beloved Episcopal Church is trying to steer us in. I believe in every word written in that book you hold in your hands. And in all my years of reading the bible, it does not say in one signal passage that a man can not become a woman or a woman can not  become a man because they desire to do so. I try not to judge, but seeing you in a dress and standing before you, my own nephew is something I can not approve of.”

I nodded my head.

“I have half the mind to send you away right now. But, I am a fair man. Maybe there is a lesson in this, a lesson God wants me to teach you.” He said leaning back in his chair. His eyes seemed hyper focused on me. I could feel the venom rolling off his tongue. I could feel his seething anger starting to boil deep inside his cruel heart.

“I want you to now live for the remaining of the time you have here, which should be about two and a half weeks, that is seventeen days as a woman. I don't want to see you in the field, I want to see you bent over a hot stove, I want this house spotless. When I come in at night, I expect a hot meal to be ready for me. Do I make myself clear?” He arched a eyebrow.

“Yes sir.” He said.

“Good, and if at any time you want to stop being a woman, just come to me and tell me. I'll take you down to this old fashion barber shop and we'll get you a proper haircut. Heck I'll even take you down to the Green Door and get you a shot of pussy, maybe that would make you feel like a man.” He muttered.

“Uncle.. I don't think I really want to be a woman.. I was just asked to model.”

“Proverbs Twenty three verse fourteen.” He muttered

I swallowed hard.

“Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.” I read aloud.

“Proverbs thirteen verse twenty four.

“He that spareth the rod hateth his son: But he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.” I read aloud. My uncle just nodded his head.

“Smart off to me again, and I promise you, I will take the rod to your bare bottom. You will respect me, do I make myself clear.” He whispered as clutched the pipe in his mouth.

“But uncle..”

“This is my final warning.” He said, taking a deep breath. “Your final verbal warning for the next seventeen days.” He added in a menacing tone of voice.

“My apologies uncle.” I said, taking a deep breath.

“Go help your aunt cook supper.” He muttered. “And I'll pay you for your labor around the house, same wave, eight dollars a hour. I'm a man of my word. But I mean it, I want those floorboards to shine and you'll no longer have Sundays off. On Sunday you will do the washing after church, just like your aunt does.”

I nodded my head.

“Now, get out of my sight. I need to brood and talk with the Lord. I need his guidance to help me get through this coming struggle. The Devil has sent a flower child from the city to sow the seeds of doubt in my cotton field. And I need the advice of the almighty to make this right.”

I nodded my head and left the study. As I closed the door behind me, I felt a sudden overpowering sorrow overcome me, I wrapped my arms around myself and I crumbled to the floor. Once my bottom touched the floor, I drew my legs close to my chest and wrapped my arms around them. I then placed my head down upon my legs. Those were just words he had spoken, but forcing me to read them had shook my soul, and damn near broke me in half.

I started to think then, what should I do? Call the police? The Landing had a small police force, a mostly volunteer police force made up of retired army veterans. It was not really a police force in the true sense of the word. They had no uniforms, and their headquarters was a smoke-filled barn in the middle of a cotton-field called “Mac's”. I'd seen it once or twice coming and going from the field to the house. The building was nothing more than an old, wooden shed with a rusted tin roof and a rusted metal door. The only purpose this make-shift police force served was to keep the field hands from getting out of hand.

There was a jail in town though. Just by the railroad tracks, there was this simple wooden brick building with a tin roof. A large metal door with a padlock on it was the only door. People that the make-shift police force deemed a threat were tossed into the building until somebody with a more official title could come from neighboring Yazoo City to pick them up for further holding, or if the crime was really serious then the person being held there would either 'Vanish' into the night or be forced to board a train and told never to show themselves in town again.

“I guess.” I said, taking a deep breath.

“I need to learn how to be a woman.” I said blushing. That seemed the only way I would escape unharmed. The more I thought about that idea the more it made sense to me, I'd just have to learn to be a proper Southern Belle. Otherwise I'll stick out like a sore thumb. And if I stuck out like a sore thumb, then I ran a chance of being discovered. And if I was discovered, all hell would come falling down on my head.

And so I took the first, shaking steps down the road of Womanhood.

Dinner that night was tenderized venison steaks, that had been hand battered and fried in a heavy iron skillet till golden brown. My Aunt cooked a good many of them, the sides included home-made mashed potatoes made from scratch brown gravy, collard greens seasoned with bits of bacon and of course the staple at many southern tables. Cornbread. The beverage of choice of course was sweet tea for me, my aunt had a glass of red wine and my uncle Sidney had a brown bottle of Yuengling, this was really his third bottle of the evening.

Anyway, once the table had been set, my uncle who was still mad as a hornet took a deep breath and bowed his head. And in a commanding tone of voice, a voice that made my blood turn cold, he looked up and looked my aunt and I in the eye and in a low tone of voice he said.

“Let us pray, and thank God for this bounty he has put before us.” He muttered as he took a deep breath and a few seconds later he started to pray.

“Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.”

“Amen.” I was repeatedly followed by my aunt.

“In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” He added after a short pause.

“Amen.”

Then my uncle opened his eyes and focused them on me.

“Your aunt tells me you wish to be called 'Hailey' . I do not understand that desire. But I will honor it. You are still my guest and you are still my kin. You are family, and family does not turn on family.” He said, taking a deep breath.

I nodded my head.

“The Sharbrough Family has striven to maintain order in this area of the Mississippi Delta for generations. I'd hope that by hard work, toil, you will gain a greater understanding of what the founding fathers of this town went through. But since you wish to become a 'Woman' I will turn over your conditioning and training to your aunt. Who I trust will turn you into a proper Southern Belle, befitting your status as a Sharbrough. Do you understand me Hailey?” He said in a rough, commanding tone of voice.

“Yes sir.”

“If you are to remain being 'Hailey' when you leave my household or if you will return to being 'Casper' is up to you, your mother and your father. But, since we are family, if something happens, and you are kicked out of your home. I want you to know you have a home here. With me, and your aunt.” He added in a commanding tone of voice as he started to roughly cut into his steak.

“Yes sir.” I said looking down at my plate

“I'm on the board of directors of Sharkey-Issaquena Academy. I can get you enrolled there with ease.” He said as an afterthought.

“Yes sir.” I said gently cutting a piece of meat before popping it into my mouth.

“Sharkey-Issaquena is an old fashion school. Rich in Southern tradition, it was founded as a segregation academy. Your great grandfather Robert Lee Sharbrough donated five thousand dollars to help buy the land, clear the land and build the building. All Sharbrough's have attended school there. If you attend school there, you will get a fine education. Finer than the education you're getting at that other school.” He said, taking a deep breath.

“Yes sir.” I said, taking a deep breath.

“Rolling Fork is also on par with Yazoo City, if not a little larger.” He paused. “Also I should inform you that your father called me a few moments ago, just before we sat down to eat. He asked how you were doing. I said you were doing good, and you were undergoing a change. He said that was good, he also asked if I would mind keeping you for another three weeks.” He added. “It seems he and his wife have decided to take leave of Mississippi and go explore Europe.”

I blinked.

“Oh wonderful!” My Aunt said. “Oh, Hailey, this wonderful news l! Now I can really turn you into a proper Southern Bell. Trust me Hailey you're going to love it here. And yes Sidney, if push comes to shove we could enroll her in Sharkey-Issaquena Academy. It's such a wonderful school. She'll receive a wonderful, well rounded Education.”

I blinked. It was strange being addressed as 'She' instead of 'He' but it was something I needed to get used too. Because it seemed that I'll be living as Hailey for a lot longer than I first expected. But then again, part of me seemed okay with living as Hailey, but not here, not in this hell-hole where so many would tear me limb to limb for what I was. I wanted to be Hailey somewhere else, like in my hometown, with a population that would dwarf the chief cities and towns of this region. Only Greenville famed throughout the Mississippi Delta as the 'Queen' city was nothing more speck when compared to sprawling Ridgeland or Canton, heck even Clinton was at least twice its size and thrice that of Rolling Fork.

Yes I wanted to go to Hailey somewhere else, somewhere where I could enjoy the thrills of city life. The thought of working at the mall seemed to enter into my mind. Maybe if I was to keep on being Hailey I would find a job working at one of high end fashion boutiques that called North Park the name of our regional mall, its charm and grace.

“Haily.” My Aunt Cat said blinking. “Your spacing out again.. it is becoming for a girl of your statues to space out.” She said as she peered at me. A worried look crossed her face.

“You'll need to teach her better table manners, Cat.” My uncle said with a crossed look on his face. “Or I will.” He said muttering darkly under his breath as he sliced his meat and spooned his potatoes into his mouth.

“She'll learn in time, remember it takes girls a while to get things together.. and one can't make a Southern Belle overnight.” My Aunt said in a pleading tone of voice.

“Make it quick, if she has any chance of making it at Sharkey-Issaquena she needs to learn how to act like the rest of the girls.” He muttered as he reached over and took another swig of his beer. “It's an old fashion school and they believe in applying the strap to the bottom. I have a feeling we'll be enrolling her there in the autumn anyway.”

I blinked and blinked again.

“Your aunt tells me that you've been invited to have tea with her UDC group.” My uncle muttered under his breath. “Don't make a fool of me, or your aunt. Or else I'll give a taste that afternoon of what to expect in the way of corporal punishment, the favorite kind of punishment they use at SIA.” He paused. “And no, just because you're going to a Junior next year means that you're too old to get paddled at school. You have a choice, you can either take the strap or face being expelled from school. If I was you, I would take the strap, it makes it so much better in the long run.”

I nodded my head and returned to my dinner, the meat had grown cold, but I ate it anyway.

“And I still expect you to attend church with us on Sunday. We are having Holy Communion this coming Sunday. So I expect the church to be packed with people.” He added. “And your aunt's UDC friends would expect you to be there. So will you.” He added.

“Yes sir.” I said blushing I had not expected to be ordered to go to church, and with this Sunday being the second Sunday of the month I'd totally forgotten about Holy Communion being offered. You see the Episcopal Church in the Landing, was a small one. While in larger churches Holy Communion might be offered every Sunday or twice a week maybe daily, ours only offered Holy Communion twice a month, that was normally the second and and fourth Sunday of each month.

“I expect you to wear a fitting dress, to mind your manners, to only speak when spoken too by your elders. And most of all to be veiled.” He added.

“Yes sir.” I added.

Then my aunt reached over and squeezed my hand.

“Now, I'm going to go watch the news, Haily help your aunt with the dishes.”He muttered as he stood up. But before he left the kitchen he turned and peered at me. “One last word of advice.” He paused, it seemed the beer was taking effect. “Just because you are a Sharbrough does not mean you can flaunt the rules of Delta Society. We are an ordered society. If you make a fool of me, I promise you, you will pay. You will pay dearly.” He added as he stumbled into the living room. I quickly got up and followed him into the living room. I don't know what overcame me, but I wanted to see what he was doing.

He stumbled around, clearly buzzing, a few seconds later he found his chair and without saying a word he crashed down into his chair and flipped on the news. My uncle has a favorite news station and that is Fox News. He believes that the only News channel that is not into “Fake News” and was the only channel that reported the news that mattered. The rest of the channels including our own local News Channel 12 reported nothing but “Fake News” his words not mine.

“Haily, would you mind helping with the dishes?” My Aunt Cat said to me as she popped her head out of the kitchen.

“Sure Auntie.” I said, taking a deep breath as I returned to the kitchen.

Once I reached the kitchen I started to help my Aunt Cat with the dishes, we worked as a team and soon the whole kitchen was swept, mopped with the dishes having been washed, dried and put away. Once that was done. My Aunt peered at me for a good long minute.

“Come, follow me.” She said, taking a deep breath as she hung up the dish towel to dry. “I have something for you.”

I titled my head to the side and decided to follow her without asking too many questions. We slipped out of the kitchen, and through the living room. My uncle Sidney was out cold, I guess three bottles of craft beer would do that to you. Anyway, we left the living room and started to climb the stairs. A few minutes later we were standing in another room. It was my cousin's room, you could tell it was a girls room by the furnishing and the way it smelled.

“This is your cousin's Cindy room. She left a lot of her old clothes here when she went away to university. You and her are about the same size so you should fit some of her things.” My Aunt Cat said. “I don't think she'll mind you borrowing some of her things till we get you shorted out. Till we figure out a few things.” She said as she walked over to the closet. She pulled the closet door open and reached in.

“Here. This should fit you.” She said as she pulled a solid pink nightgown down from one of the clothes hangers. She tossed it to me. “Tomorrow, we'll get you into a proper dress with matching underwear. That is the first hard rule of being a Southern Belle, you always match. Your bra and panties must match, as it is the same color. That is the first rule girls learn when they start developing and it's one of the core rules.” She said in a lecturing tone of voice. “No self respecting southern women would be caught dead without a matching bra and panties.”

I blinked and blinked again as I caught the nightgown. It was a soft, silken nightgown. I felt my cheeks flush with color.

“Why?” I asked.

At that moment I saw a different side to my Aunt Cat. She turned around and gave me a death glare. “Listen, if you want to act like a man pretending to be a woman, that's on you. Not me. If you go around acting like a teenage boy in a fancy frock at tomorrow's meeting then you're going to find yourself tied up and beaten within an inch of your life. Heck that might rape you for what its worth.” Aunt Cat said, closing her eyes.

I was stunned into silence.

“ Look, I got you into this mess, and I'm going to do my best to keep you alive. Right now, nobody knows what the future might hold for you, your mom and dad might just dump you here. Lord knows they talked about it before.” Aunt Cat seemed to be building a good head of steam.

“So don't ask questions and just follow my suggestions as if they were orders and then we might just get out of this one piece.” She added. “Because if by chance you end up enrolling in SIA. Then you'll need to be on par with the other girls, who have had the advantage of being born women and being taught by old school women how to prim and proper Southern Belles.” My Aunt raged on.
“They would also have the home field advantage of having female cousins or older sisters who have taken them under their wings and helped them form connections. These young women would be well connected with other young, well to do women of the delta. You, my wool headed niece would be a newcomer and a fresh face. Thus a threat to them, somebody who can shake up the well established pecking order. Delta girls like to act sweet, innocent and refined. But they can be cruel, ruthless, and plotting, they are not above setting the girl up to get raped if it means to tarnish her family name.” My Aunt Cat raged on.

I blinked and blinked again.

“The game plan has changed.” Aunt Cat said with a sigh. “Don't breathe a word about being Roman Catholic at tomorrow's meeting, and don't breathe a word about being a democrat. In fact don't even speak until your spoken too.” She added.

I nodded my head.

At this point my Aunt took a deep breath and hung her head down and heaved a heavy sigh.

“I'm sorry for unloading on you like that. I'm just scared of that all, I thought in two and a half weeks you would be gone. Gone back to Canton where you belong.” She lifted her hand and pointed out the window. “There are social and political forces out there that would harm you if not outright kill you if they found out who you were.” She said with tears rolling down her eyes. “The Delta is not a nice place to be for somebody like you. But I got you into this mess, and I'm going to see you through it, if it's the last thing I do.”

I nodded my head.

“Alright enough talking. Go ahead and get some sleep, were both going to need it for tomorrow.” And with that my Aunt left me, standing in the middle of my cousin's Cindy room, holding her nightgown, well clutching it really and wondering what in the world have I gotten myself into. One thing was clear though, there would be no escape for me now. The only path of salvation open for me was to become a true Southern Belle, an reluctant one, but one nonetheless.

The buzzing of my alarm clock awoke me from a frightful sleep. Slowly opening my eyes, I peered out the window of my bedroom. Darkness, total darkness. Taking a deep breath I reached up, pulled my pillow closer to me, and turned over, hoping to snatch a few extra minutes of sleep. It was not meant to be, for a few moments later, a harsh knocking came on the other side of my bedroom door. A few seconds later and the door was pushed open and there in the doorway stood my aunt.

“Hailey girl.” She whispered in a harsh tone of voice. “Wake up. We have a lot of work ahead of us.” She said as she walked into my room. I was still half asleep, but a moment later I felt the collection of blankets I've buried myself under came flying off. They were tossed down on the floor. A floor that needed me swept and mopped.

My eyes flew open and there standing over, okay hovering is the better word was my aunt.

“What time is it?” I asked as I reached for my alarm clock, a moment later I felt my hand being swatted. I quickly withdrew it and pulled it close to my chest. Confused, I looked up and saw my Aunt Cat peering down at me, a very crossed look on her face.

“If you have time to ask such questions, then you have time enough to get off that bed and into the shower. We have a long day ahead of us.” She said as she turned upon her heel. “Sidney has left already, it rained again last night so the fields are still wet. It will be a few more days before they dry out enough. The field hands though are doing some work around the shop, there is plenty of work that needs to be done. And many can't afford to lose a day's wage on account of the weather. I think they are getting the old Baker House ready. Lord knows they need to.” Aunt Cat said as she walked out of my room.

“And the time is five twenty in the morning. I'd suggest you hurry up and get into the tub. Breakfast will be waiting on you and I'll have the outfit I want you to wear already laid out.” Aunt Cat it seemed was not giving me a chance to talk this morning. In fact she seemed to be railroading me over. “Also, I talked with Sidney last night. We will not be paying you an hourly wage. But a set allowance, I've decided that that allowance would be around two hundred dollars a week. That for all the work you'll do around the house and helping me with the chores that need to be done. Also I've settled on making myself my life model. If you model for me it would be a flat eighty dollar fee, three hundred if I need a nude model and ten percent of the sale. Twenty if it's nude.”

I blinked and blinked again.

“Now hurry up!”Aunt Cat said in a snappy tone of voice as she marched out of my bedroom. She slammed the door closed behind her and the wall started to shake as she slammed it shut. And it shook for a few moments before finally starting to settle down.

“Oh dear Jesus.” I muttered as I picked myself off the floor. “What in the name of God have I gotten myself into.” I said as I stood up, and brushed myself off. It took me a few minutes to collect myself. But soon as I was walking into the hallway, my Aunt cat was coming down the hallway.

“Oh and Hailey.” She said smiling. Her smile reached from one ear to the other. “I want you to use my bathroom this morning.” She paused, “Its not becoming for a man and a woman to share the same bathroom. Now, I want you to shave every square inch of your body, that includes under the arms, your legs, your face, and of course your nether region. If we had the time, I'll take you to the Ferns, that a beauty salon in town to have something done with your hair and to get a full body wax. But, alas we time is something were running short on.” Aunt Cat said with a sigh. “I'll just have to add that to the things we need to do next week.”

I blinked and blinked again.

“Can you really find such a place here in The Landing?” I asked as I peered toward my Aunt Cat. I thought one would need to travel at least to Rolling Fork or Yazoo City to find such amenities.

“Oh there more to The Landing that you know. You've never really walked the whole of Main Street. We have several small businesses here. We even have a small library here. Its a handsome brick building with Greek Columns. There is also an Auto Repair Shop, a laundromat, a bank, and a barber shop and a beauty salon.`` Aunt Cat said smiling. “Kind of like those farm games you like to play, only this is real life and not some video game.” Aunt Cat then reached out and gave my bottom a smack, “Now hurry up and get a move on. You need to bathe, and get dressed, and I need to bathe and get dressed, plus we need to have breakfast and too many other things.”

“Yes ma'am!” I said jumping as I felt my bottom get smacked.

And with that being said, my aunt Cat left me to tend to my business while she tended to her own. A few minutes later I was stumbling into the second bathroom. The moment I stepped into the bathroom was the moment I felt my breath being taken away. The bathroom was one of those old fashion ones with porcelain tile and a cast iron paw foot tub in the corner.

I felt my breath being taken away as I filled the tub with hot water. Once the tub was half full I slipped under the warm surface of the water, the warm water took my away as it seeped into my bones and seemed to wash away all doubt and fear from me. After a few minutes of soaking, I heard the door creaking open and there in the doorway stood my Aunt Cat.

“Good Lord girl.” She said, “We don't have time for you to soak in the water.” She scolded. “The sun is starting to rise and you've not even finished your bath yet. We're on a strict time-table here.” She said as she set out a matching set of bra and panties. They were a coral pink color. “You look around a 'C' size in the bra. Consider yourself lucky and count your blessings for that. That is considered by many to be the perfect size. Not too big, not too small. Enough to fill the lustful palm of any hand.” She added.

I blinked as I eased down into the water.

“Lord Girl!” She muttered. “Your acting like you have something I've never seen before. Nothing can unsettle me, I've given birth to one child and lost another. I've seen everything known to God and man on this earth.” She said as she picked up a pink razor and a bottle of pink shaving foam that had a picture of a strawberry on the front of it. “Here, shave under your arms, now and when your done powder down and put on your bra and panties. You will find one of Cindy's old housecoat's hanging on the door. Wrap that around you and hurry down to eat.” She paused. “And consider this my final warning on the matter. I know it's common for teenage girls to run around the house in just a light cotton shirt and a pair of cotton panties. If I spot you doing that. I promise to God and Sunny Jesus girl, I will haul you down to the study and take the strap to your bottom and you'll beg for a pillow to sit upon when I'm done beating some common sense into your head.”

She paused.

“And if you take any more time, I might just take the hairbrush to your thighs and your bottom and you'll be sipping your tea this afternoon on a hot bottom. And no, no pillow to cushion the sting.” She said in a menacing tone of voice.

“Yes ma'am.” I said sinking lower into the tub.

“Hailey you need to learn one thing.” My Aunt said as she peered toward me. “Sometimes it is best not to answer every statement, even with a 'yes ma'am' any southern woman has instilled that into her daughter's head by the time she turns twelve. But since you were not born a girl, I'll overlook that little cheek just this once. But listen girl, we southern women have our own brand of justice. Sure a father might take his son out to the woodshed and beat him down till he's learned his lesson. And yes a father might pull his daughter over his lap for some correction. But a mother, and only a mother reserves the right to punish her daughter in the most humiliating of manners.” My Aunt Cat said as she peered at me.

I sunk down into the water and wished the earth would open up and swallow me.

“Do you want to know what that is?” My Aunt Cat said leaning in a little as she peered directly into my eyes. I was seeing another side of my Aunt, gone was the fun loving artist, gone was the worldly woman that I've come to love and respect from afar. Here, standing before me was the woman unmasked. A woman who at the core of her being valued her position in society more than anything else, a woman who valued her political connections more than anything else. A woman who would if given the chance toss me under the bus.

“Yes ma'am.” I whispered.

“Only a mother can shave her daughter's head. A girl with a shaved head, is marked. There is no way she can hide her sins, and all of her friends will abandon her, her peers will shun her. She will become an outcast.” Aunt Cat peered at me. “Remember that, because that is the power I hold over you, my sweet, lovely niece.” She said as she gently pulled her out of the bathroom.

“Now, remember wash your hair, shave, and powder down.” She said. “Once that done, come to the breakfast table. We have a long day ahead of us and you'll need to eat to keep up your strength.” And with that she felt me alone to collect my thoughts. Then something came over me, I don't know what it is, then I started to pray. Now I did not pray in a loud, booming tone of voice that filled the chamber and echoed off the walls. Nor did I pray in tongues, nor was it in a commanding tone of voice that turned to ice the blood of those who heard me. It was a soft murmur. Barely above a whisper.

“Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; Thy kingdom come, thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread: And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” I whispered under my breath.``

I do not know why I prayed the “Our Father” prayer. I had never been overly religious growing up. I read the Bible true enough, and knew the Bible well enough. But I did believe every word that was written in it. It was hard for me to wrap my head around the wine and bread served at Holy Communion being transformed in the blood and body of a man called Jesus. In fact since age twelve I'd only gone to church to admire the girls in their Sunday dresses.

But, I knew I needed help and right now, God it seemed was the only one I could turn to. How God felt about people like me, I'm not sure. But I had a feeling that if things kept going the way they were, then I'd soon have the chance to ask him, when I stood before him, naked as the day I'd came into this world. The only question would I'd be lynched or shot.

“I just gotta make people believe, gotta make them believe who I claim to be.” I muttered. And so with that being said and done, I started to shave, once I was done shaving, I washed my hair and rinsed once that was done I watched the water drain out of the tub. As I watched a small whirlpool form over the grate of the drain. I started to pray again. This time it was a wordless prayer.

Then something entered my head. As I toweled off, and slipped on the pair of pink panties, and slipped on the bra a often quoted Psalm entered into my head. And before I could catch myself I found myself saying aloud.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the path of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.” I said, taking a deep breath.

If there was a God, who sent his son to redeem a fallen race by his blood. Then I'm sure he would not turn his eyes away from somebody who was surrounded on all sides by wolves. And while the flat, rolling Delta was no valley, it was surely a valley to me. A valley where death waited around each corner should my true nature be discovered. And with that having been done. I reached up and wrapped the provided bathrobe around me and tied it. Time to greet the morn.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I blinked and blinked again.

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

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

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

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

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

“Yes ma'am.”

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

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

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

I blinked and blinked again.

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

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

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

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

I took a deep breath as I walked into the crowded sitting room. The room was filled with ladies drawn from all four corners of the Mississippi Delta. Ladies who like me wore fine summer dresses. The room was filled with chatter but the moment I walked into the room, the chatter stopped. All eyes it seemed zoomed in on me. I could feel their eyes peering at me. It was as if they were judging me.

“Ladies.” My Aunt Cat said as she put her cup of coffee to the side. “Please all me to introduce my niece.” She said, rising up from the chair. She then walked toward me and ushered me into the middle of the room. “Ladies this is my niece, Hailey Elizabeth Sharbrough.” 

The collected group of women just nodded their heads. It seemed their first impression of me was not a good one. I forced myself to smile as I bowed my head a little. The women just shrugged their shoulders and returned to their private conversations. I was a bit relieved it seemed that nobody really wanted to pay much attention to me. I settled into a forgotten corner of the room while the ladies drank their coffee or tea and chatted about the social life of the village.

A quarter of an hour passed in this manner till another guest appeared. A woman with bleach blonde hair, blue sparkling eyes, and a heart shaped face appeared in the doorway. At her side stood a young man, around my age. He, like the woman he was standing beside, had blonde hair, but his  was cut kind of short, blue eyes and what struck the most was his frame. Lean and muscular, with a dark peanut brown tan that was characteristic of those who work out in the field.

He was dressed in a white short sleeve shirt that was tucked into a form fitting pair of dark blue jeans. I could almost smell the earth around him. Then something happened, he turned around and smiled at me, and his teeth, oh his teeth were as white as pearls and straight as arrows. So to say he was handsome was a massive understatement. He was down right gorgeous. I felt my breath being taken away.

“Sorry, we're late ladies.” The woman said. “I decided since Cat is going to invite her niece, I should invite my grandson to the meeting.” The woman said as she reached over and pulled the young man into the center of the room. “Ladies, please meet my grandson, George Will Stoner.” The woman said in a proud tone of voice.

“Good afternoon ladies.” He said smiling as he looked around the room. Then his eyes seemed to settle on me, I felt myself starting to flush as his eyes traveled from the head of my body down to my feet.  After a moment he turned away from me, leaving my heart fluttering and my cheeks burning.

“Oh and this must be the lovely Hailey.” The woman said, smiling sweetly. “Come dear, tell us a little about yourself.” She said as she settled down into an open seat. George sat down beside her.

I blinked and blinked again.

“Oh yes ma''am.” I said, trying to remember my manners. “We'll. There nothing much to say about me, my name is Hailey Elizabeth Sharbrough.” I paused. “I'm the second child of Judith Mari Sharbrough.” I said blushing. “Whom according to rumor demanded her husband take the name Sharbrough when agreed to marry him to keep the name alive.” I said blushing a little as I pushed a few strains of hair out of my face.

A chorus of giggles filled the room.

That an old Sharbrough family tradition that anybody that marries into the family must take the family name. Strange folks your family. Anyway go on.” Mrs. Stoner said as she peered directly at me. “I should know I almost married into the family myself when I was your age. But that was a long time ago.” She added. 

“What brings you to Sharbrough's Landing?” Another woman asked. “We don't get many young people here in the 'Landing' the population is starting to shrink, though I dare say we are holding our own. As long as people use cotton, there will always be a need for people to grow cotton. As long as cotton is grown there will be the need for people to pick the cotton, as long as cotton is picked there will be the need to haul the cotton away. And Lord knows the railroad is cheaper than paying them rude, and ill mannered truckers to haul the stuff away. Cheaper means more money in the farmers pocket at the end of the harvesting season.” 

“I agree and there is something romantic about the old steam trains they still use. Turning the old Yazoo Delta Railroad into a heritage railroad was a saving grace for this town.” Another woman said with a small smile. “The children love come and see the old steam trains.”

I took another small sip of my coffee.

“I'm doing research, I've been commissioned by the Memphis Commercial Appeal to write a long article about the history and the development Sharbrough's Landing.” I said smiling. “I'm part of their 'Aspiring Future Writers' program. And they have promised me the princely price of twenty five cents a work upon approval of my long article.” I said smiling.

The women seemed impressed. And a mummer of approval ripped through the crowd.

“And because I am a Sharbrough. And because I come from the Delta. I decided that only somebody with Delta blood may understand it.” I said with a sigh as I sipped my coffee. Another ripple of slight approval went out through the crowd.

“That sounds lovely dear.” Another woman asked. 

“Yes, but where do you go to school? And what are your plans once you graduated?” Another chimed in.

Without missing a beat I said.

“Right now I'm attending St. Clare's Episcopal Academy in Vicksburg. It's a private, Episcopal Boarding School. But given the current direction of the Episcopal Church, my mother and father are thinking about having me attend Sharkey-Issaquena Academy, in nearby Rolling Fork. After graduating from there I plan to attend the Mississippi University for Women in Columbus.” I smiled.

“I plan on majoring in Nursing and Health Sciences.” I added.

“I have another niece that's a nurse, her name is Dawn Sharbrough.” Aunt Cat added. “Hailey and Dawn have always been close, so it's no surprise that she wants to follow in her footsteps and become a nurse. Her Mother was also a nurse, she use to work at River Regional Hospital in Vicksburg before it closed up, she transferred to the Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, its that huge hospital right off State and Fortification.”

I blinked and blinked again and decided to just roll with it.
“Wonderful.” Another woman said as she sipped her coffee.

“Anything else?” Another woman asked as she sipped her coffee.

“I can play the piano a little.” I said, shrugging my shoulders. The last part was not a little white lie but the truth. For the last nine years I've taken weekly lessons on learning the ends and outs of playing the piano. Mother had been amused when I wanted to learn how to play, father rolled his eyes and retired to the bird field to shoot at doves. 

“Oh! Wonderful would you mind playing something for us. A little light entertainment before we dive into the heart of the meeting.”

“Yes, please play us something.”

I blinked and slowly stood up and walked toward an old white piano that sat in the corner of the room. Slowly I pulled the old wooden bench out and slowly I eased my bottom down. Taking a deep breath, I gently removed the wooden cover that hid the keys. Thankfully I found some old, yellow pages of sheet music laying around. But the sheets the music belonged too would not have been my first or last choice. The popular ministerial song Dixie, was among the first songs to pop out and graph my attention. But this was a different version of Dixie, this song was called To Arms in Dixie.

Crossing myself and breathing a prayer for forgiveness at what I was about to do. I started to play And then I started to sing because why not, in for a penny steal a pound as the old saying goes.

“Southern men, the thunder mutters! Northern flags in South winds flutter! To arms! To arms! To arms in Dixie! Send them back your fierce defiance! Stamp upon the cursed alliance! To arms! To Arms! To arms, in Dixie!” 

Silence filled the room. But I kept playing, because why not, maybe I was singing off key, maybe my playing was terrible and they were now wishing they had never asked me to play. 

“Advance the flag of Dixie! Hurrah! Hurrah! To arms! To arms! To arms , in Dixie! Advance the flag of Dixie! Hurrah! Hurrah! To arms! To Arms! And conquer peace for Dixie!”

The room of old ladies stood there in stunned silence.

“Fear no danger! Shun no Labor! Lift up rifle, pike and saber! To arms! To arms! To arms, in Dixie!Shoulder pressing close to shoulder let the odds make each heart bolder! To arms! To arms! To arms, in Dixie! Advance the flag of Dixie! Hurrah! Hurrah! In Dixie's land we take our stand, to live or die in Dixie! To arms! To arms! And conquer peace for Dixie! To arms! To arms! And conquer peace for Dixie!”

Again stunned silence. Well time to bring this show to a close. 

“Swear upon your country's altar never to submit or falter. To arms! To arms! To arms, in Dixie! Till the spoilers are defeated till the Lord's work is completed! To arms! To arms! To arms, in Dixie!” I finished as I turned around and smiled. 

Then something happened that I was not expecting. The whole room stood up and started to softly clap. 

“Cat, you should be ashamed of yourself. Hiding such a wonderful, charming girl from the rest of us. And one who can play so beautifully too.” One of the women said as she turned to my Aunt Cat who only smiled. “Hailey should play tomorrow, I mean what would be a church without music! And we're having dinner on the grounds tomorrow too. It's a perfect way to introduce her to the congregation. Oh and George, George you should invite this charming young lady to dinner one evening”

I blinked and blinked again and George only seemed to smile at the suggestion.

“I would love to spend a bit more time with the lovely Ms. Sharbrough and get to know her a little better.” He said smiling. 

I slowly stood up. And turning around I returned George's smile with one of my own. Pushing the bench back, I stood up and walked over to where George sat, I then took a deep breath and in my  best southern belle tone of voice I said.

“And it would be my pleasure to get to know Mr. Stoner a little better. And it would be my pleasure. Mrs. Stoner to play tomorrow. And I look forward to seeing you all there tomorrow morning and getting to know you all a little better.” I said bowing my head a little.

“Oh Cat!” Another woman said, smiling. “She is a chip right off the old block! Such refinement! Such a breath of fresh air in this little village!” She said, clapping her hands. 

I turned my head around and tried to hide my blushing cheeks. But I couldn't help myself. I felt something just come over me, the words just popped into my head.

“If I might be so bold, may I ask that Mr. Stone please join me outside. I have prepared a pitcher of ice cold lemonade for your enjoyment. I made it with real lemons, real cane sugar and fresh water. I assure you it's none of that powder drink mix stuff or that premixed stuff you buy from the supermarket.” I said and just to make my point known I gave him a very coy smile. And much to my enjoyment I saw George just stand there blushing.

A chorus of giggles rose from the gathered crowd. 

George blinked and blinked again as he peered at me. A small smile formed upon his face as he peered into my eyes. He then held out his hand.

“It would be my pleasure to sit and visit with Ms. Sharbrough for a while. While ladies of the village conduct there business.” 

Another chorus of giggle rose up from the crowd.

I smiled and slipped my hand into his and I then guided him out of the living room. We stopped for a moment in the kitchen and thinking quickly I snatched the pitcher of ice cold lemonade from the fridge and two glasses from the cabinet and those in hand I guided him out the back door to the paved patio section of the back yard.

George followed behind me like a lost little kitten. I smiled as I turned around and gave him my best smile as I placed the pitcher of ice cold lemonade down upon the table along with the two tall glasses. Quickly I filled glasses.

“Are all Vicksburg girls this coy?” William said, smiling as he peered toward me.

“Only those who know how to handle themselves.” I said smiling as I picked up one of the glasses and handed it to him. A few seconds later he took the glass and took an uneasy sip. “Vicksburg girls are different from the Delta girls, we take what we want and once we get our hands on a prize, we never let go.” I said winking as I reached down and picked up my own glass. 

“Okay, a personal question then Ms. Sharbrough.” He said lifting his glass up and taking a deep drink. “Is there a boy awaiting your return in Vicksburg?” He said setting his glass aside once he had drained it.

“No, I'm free as a songbird in the greenwood.” I said smiling as I reached up and twirled a few strands of my hair around my fingers. “Also Mr. Stoner, is there a Delta girl who you fancy?” I said smiling as I took a little sip from my glass. The unfolding scene was so cheesy, so melodramatic that if I was watching it unfold and not playing an active part, I would burst out laughing.

“Not at this moment.” He smiled as he peered at me. “Ms. Sharbrough, would you mind, if I get your number?” He asked as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

“Only Mr. Stoner will give me his.” I said smiling. “Fair fair after all.”

George blinked and blinked again. After a few moments delay we exchanged numbers, no sooner had we exchanged numbers when swooping down upon us like a flock of doves came a dozen or so little old ladies of pure southern stock and breeding. All of them laughing up a storm, leading the column was my aunt Cat.

“Cat.” Mrs. Stoner said smiling. “That was such a wonderful meeting! We had such a wonderful time! And your niece, oh your niece was a breath of fresh air! We must invite her again sometimes! Next time, we shall have the meeting at my house!” Mrs. Stoner said.

My aunt said nothing but only nodded her head. 

“Well George.” Mr. Stoner said as she moved up to George. “I hope you've been nothing but a southern gentleman to Ms. Sharbrough.” She said as she gently took him by the hand.

“Mr. Stoner has been a perfect, Southern gentleman to me ma'am.” I said without thinking. “I hope that he and I will soon cross paths again.” 

A gale of laughter escaped the collective group of ladies.

“I say it again! She a breath of fresh air!” Mrs. Stoner said as she tramped arm and arm with George down the concrete driveway. Leaving Aunt Cat and I standing there, looking quite dazed and unsure of what had transpired. Once the last car had pulled away, Aunt Cat turned me and in a demanding tone of voice said.

“Hailey I trust you behaved yourself when you were with George.” She said, folding her arms under her breast as she cocked her head in my direction.

“I got his number.” I said, smiling a little.

“Lord.” she said, shaking her head. “I guess now is the perfect time to tell you, your father wants to stay in Europe for a little while longer. He wants to see Oktoberfest in Munich and your mom wants to spend Christmas in Paris and New Years in London.” She said, shaking her head.

“That's fine.” I said smiling. 

“You know that means we'll have to redouble your training.” She added as she peered at me.

“That's fine.” I said, still smiling.

“They promised to send you twelve hundred dollars a month.” Aunt Cat said smiling. “Your mom won something like two million euros on a scratch off lottery ticket or something. The same day your dad hit a million euro jackpot at gambling house a few miles from Paris.” 

“That's nice..” I said smiling.

“Well, looks like you're going to have a little summer romance.” Aunt Cat said as she shook her head and walked back up the driveway. “Once you're done daydreaming, come inside and help me clean up. Also we need to brainstorm on what we're going to take Sunday for dinner on the grounds.” 

The meeting took place on a Friday I believe, the following day was Saturday. Uncle Sidney at this point seemed content to have me frolic around the house in a pair of skinny jeans and a t- shirt. He rarely said much to me anymore. Though from time to time I saw him peering out the window of his study or pacing up and down the concrete driveway. I was starting to see a different side of him. It was like a change had taken place deep inside of him. I knew when he discovered me wearing a old hand-me down dress, he had tried to scare me straight, the Bible having been his weapon of choice. But now he seemed to wrestling with something. A personal demon maybe, or maybe he was standing toe to toe with his own doubts.

But when he looked at me, it was not a look of scorn, nor was it a look of contempt. Instead he seemed twisted up inside. Anyway Saturday was payday and as promised I'd been paid for the work I'd done around the farm as Casper and the promised two hundred dollar allowance as Hailey. And oddly enough the first promised payment of twelve hundred dollars arrived via Western Union. Anyway it was Saturday night and Uncle Sidney had decided to cook steaks.

Which was odd, because the only time we had steak was when he felt like celebrating. Anyway, as normal Uncle Sidney sat at the head of the table and Aunt Cat sat beside him and I beside Aunt Cat so she could correct my table manners. We had just finished saying grace when Uncle Sidney cleared his throat and looked up from his plate.

“Hailey.” He said taking a deep breath. “I've been doing some thinking. I might have been too quick to judge you. I have been doing some thinking, some praying and I have asked the Lord to forgive me. It was wrong of me, to judge you and to use the Bible as a weapon.” He said sighing. “I also ask your forgiveness too.” He said taking another deep breath.

I blinked and blinked again.

“Of course.” I said And before I could catch myself I added. “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: And with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?”

Uncle Sidney smiled and leaned back in his chair. “Simple homespun wisdom. Anyway, I'm going to settle this matter here and now. Do you wish to become Haiely? Or is it just some kind of charade you're putting on to pull the wool over my eyes.” He asked as he leaned in. “I want an honest answer from you.”

I blinked and blinked again.

“I think I want to become a woman. I mean I had fun at the meeting and I can't wait to play at church this coming Sunday!” I said without thinking. “Besides, Hailey has something of a blooming social life. Casper was just too shy to do anything. I mean..” My voice started to trail.

“That good enough.” Uncle Sidney said. “But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes', and your 'No', 'No'. For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.” He said, sighing. “I accept that as a 'Yes' then. Now, let's move onto another issue, in the eyes of the law you are still Casper. To the United State’s Government  you are still a boy, and to the state of Mississippi your still Casper. We need to change that before you enroll in school.”

I blinked and blinked again.

“I have a friend. We served together in Iraq War.” He paused. “He's a big time lawyer in Greenville. His name is William Percy. He's a firm supporter for people like you. You know people of the LGBTQ+ Crowed. Monday I'm going going to give him call.”

Aunt Cat and I blinked.

“I also his father and I hunt and fish together and we belong to the same country club. The Percy family controls Washington County pretty much. Nothing happens without their approval.” Uncle Sidney Said. “I'll tell him to start on the paperwork. He and the local judge are fellow masons. They belong to the same lodge. He'll help cut through all the red tape and stuff.”

And again Aunt Cat and I blinked.

“Listen, you're going to stay with us a while. I don't know what the future is going to hold. Your dad just won more money than he knows what to do with. Your older sister in college. But right now, I see you living with us at least for a year, if not more.” He leaned back in his chair.

I opened my mouth but once again he waved his hand and silenced me.

“I'm not finished speaking. If we don't start on this stuff now. We'll be caught with our pants down come September when school takes in. And I refuse to be caught with our pants around our ankles. So, here is what is going to happen. Aunt Cat is going to keep training you. I'm going to start calling in some favors. And we're going to get the ball rolling. Do you understand me?”

I was too stunned to speak. But after a few tense seconds I managed to mutter “Yes sir.”

“I understand the meeting with the UDC ladies went well and you've discovered your attraction to boys.” He added. “Now I'm not going to tell you to run your life.” He said. “I only ask if the mood is right that you use a condom...”

I was taking a sip of water at that very moment and I damn near choked on it. And I swear my eyes went as big as saucer plates. My Aunt blinked and blinked again. I think that last part shocked her.

“Listen! I know you don't need it!” Uncle Sidney was blushing. “But still! I know how boys are. I was a teenage boy myself. I know what they think about, and damn..” He seemed to be choking. “I've seen stuff when I was in the services. I'm just asking if you want to do it, that's fine.. just be sure to use a condom.. or have him use a condom.”

“OMG..” I said blushing. “I can't believe we are having this conversation right now..”

“I need wine..” Aunt Cat said as she looked around the table. “Maybe a whole bottle of it.”

“Anyway that's all I wanted to say.” He paused again. “That and welcome to the family.. Somebody should call Cindy and tell her she might want to come home soon and meet her new little sister.” He added as he started to attack his steak with his steak knife.

“All in good time. All in good time.” It had only taken Aunt Cat a moment to find a nearby bottle of wine and less than a second to uncork it. I had expected her to pour some in a glass and start to sip upon it. Instead she had lifted the neck of the bottle up to his lips and had taken a big swallow. Or several swallows. And given how she swayed the wine had clearly rushed to her head. At that moment I wish I was old enough to drink myself.

“Anyway let's finish eating, we have church tomorrow morning.. and I expect you to wear a proper dress. Something with sleeves

“I'll dress her!” Aunt Cat said as she swayed back and forth. She took another swallow of wine. I guess to get whatever mental image was forming out of her head. And given my Aunt Cat loved to read books about bare chested cowboys and lustful looking cow girls I doubt I wanted to know what kind of image was forming in her head.

Anyway the rest of the meal was not that eventful. And nothing else really happened. Aunt Cat, slowly eased off the wine and helped me get the kitchen in order. Uncle Sidney retreated to his study to pray or watch Fox News or maybe get the old shotgun down from the hallway closet. And I turned in shortly after ten o' clock.

And in a way, I'm kind of glad that little dinner took place. It kind of cleaned the air a little. With Uncle Sidney now firmly on my side I think, and Aunt Cat promising to double down on her efforts to turn me into a prim and proper Southern Belle, and Uncle Sidney lawyer friend handling all the legal mumbo-jumbo I could firmly set my eyes on one thing, that is the conquest of George Stoner. I guess tomorrow will mark the start of our courtship. And that was the last thought that entered into my head, a few seconds later I was drifting off to sleep.

Sunday morning was an insane marathon. My Aunt Cat was still a little hung over from the half bottle of wine she had tucked away last night at dinner. And Uncle Sidney looked like he had already Taken Holy Communion. Coffee was the first order of business. Strong, black coffee, thicker than oil and strong enough to take the paint off the side of the house. Then showers, I went first. I had to dash through the shower, dash through shaving my legs, dry off and blow dry my hair and remove the polish from my fingernails. I managed to do all of this in fifteen minutes flat. No self respecting Southern Belle would go to church with her nails painted.. Only Jezebel's did that and I was no Jezebel.

Anyway once I was finished Uncle Sidney decided to step into the shower. Aunt Cat was still nursing her third cup of coffee. And I was on my second. There would be no breakfast that morning because we were to have dinner upon the grounds right after Holy Communion. That led to the next thing I needed to tackle. I needed a dish to bring. Again no self respecting Southern Belle would show up without a covered dish. And my cooking was something to be desired, with time slipping through my fingers, I rushed into the kitchen.

My Aunt Cat, who was still half asleep, only looked up from her coffee. I think she was enjoying me rumbling through her kitchen. Finally after watching me struggle, oh she seemed to enjoy watching me struggle, she lifted her head from her morning coffee and pointed with a slender finger.

“There is a collection of Bell's Best. In the reading room. I'd suggest you go and find one and pick out something you can do within thirty minutes. I'd suggest a Macaroni Salad. You make it, you get the credit. I'm too old to be playing that game. It's your turn to play the game.” She said, smirking. “And remember you get double points if your boyfriend goes for seconds.”

“George is not my boyfriend!” I said, taking a deep breath as I marched off to the reading room. I paused before leaving the kitchen to see what my Aunt Cat would say. It took her a moment to respond. She needed to finish her coffee first. “Yet.” She said with a wink.

I swear I started to blush.

“Have you made a Facebook account?” Aunt Cat asked me as she stalked over to the coffee pot. Once more she filled her coffee cup with strong black coffee. She took another sip and peered toward me.

“Not yet.” I said, taking a deep breath.

“Go ahead and make one. You'll need to start posting pictures of you and George together. That would send a clear message to the other girls around the Delta.” She said, taking another sip of her coffee.

“And what message would that be?” I inquired as I peered my Aunt Cat.

“That he's yours. Besides, you're getting at the age that most girls here in the Delta marry. Delta girl's marry young. You're going to seventeen next year? That is about the age most girls start looking for a future husband here. Once they  turn eighteen they are already engaged. By the time they turn nineteen they are married and the husband is co-owner of the family farm.” Aunt Cat said, smirking.

“By twenty two, their mothers and nursing.” She added.

I blinked and blinked again.

“That is, if they let their heart get swept up in a whirlwind. One thing leads to another. And more often than not it starts with a little Summer romance.” She said as she walked out the room. “My Job is to make you into a Southern Belle. Like I made Cindy into one. My job is not to direct your life.” She paused. “Also you'll find the cook books as you first walk in. I'm going to shower now.”

And so Aunt Cat went to shower and I made a mad dash to the reading room. It took me about ten minutes to find the copy of Bell's Best she had mentioned. I tucked the cook book under the crook of my arm and rushed back into the kitchen. Taking my Aunt's advice I flipped to the cold salad section and I quickly found a simple, easy to do recipe for Macaroni Salad. Thirty minutes later, I had a big old bowl of the stuff chilling in the fridge. Now any Southern Mama would tell you, if you're going to prepare a Macaroni Salad you let it sit in the fridge at least overnight if not longer. Well, I only had two hours. So I said a prayer and went to get dressed.

Two hours later, I was dressed. Aunt Cat was dressed, and Uncle Sidney was dressed. Once we were dressed we formed up in a line and Uncle Sidney like a true Christian husband/father led Aunt Cat and I to church.

St. Andrew's Episcopal Church was named after the patron saint of Scotland, St. Andrew. The church had been built by two brothers John Walter Sharbrough and Franklin Wilson Sharbrough. It had been the Sharbrough brothers who had been born and raised in Smith County and had lost everything in the aftermath of the Civil War that had arrived here and first settled the area. That is why the town is called Sharbrough's landing. And I'm a direct descendant of two brothers. Both brothers had been Episcopal and their father Matthew Allen Sharbrough had happened to be an Episcopal Priest. He was also the first rector of the church and had helped to establish the parish.

The church was a simple, wooden building. The outside was painted white, it had no stained glass windows. The inside was simple, wooden pews, a simple wooden communion rail, behind the communion rail an unadorned simple copper cross  could be seen. Behind the church one would find a dozen wooden picnic tables. To the side one would find a small graveyard. Here resting under the sod were six generations of Sharbrough's. And other families that had settled the area along with the Sharbrough Clan.

I can't recall what happened during the service. Nor can I recall the sermon. My eyes were firmly glued to Mr. George Stoner who was sitting up front with I'm going to assume his mother and father. The Service lasted around one hour, maybe a little longer considering Holy Communion was given. And then the real fun began.

Now 'Dinner on the Grounds' is a hallow southern tradition. It's like one huge picnic, the wooden tables located behind the church seemed almost to shake from the weight of the food placed upon them. It was a spread fit for Lord God himself. Mountains of tender buttermilk fried chicken, fried golden brown with a seasoned crust, mountains of soft, buttermilk biscuits, bowls of speckled butter beans, pinto beans, seasoned black eyed peas, cold salads of all kinds.

And pitchers of tea, both sweetened and unsweetened, and coolers of pops. If you left hungry it was your own fault, nobody else's. And for dessert, mountains of pies and cakes, some store bought, some homemade, some even brought from one of those big chain bakeries you often see in the city. Good food, good fellowship, and plenty of gossip. What more could a Southern Belle ask for.

Anyway once the preacher, an older fellow, with thinning gray hair and steel gray eyes had said grace, we all lined up and started to help ourselves. Then through the crowd I spotted him, sitting under the shade of an old pecan tree was George Stoner, he was chatting it up with a few of the locals. I felt my heart jump into my throat as I watched him move his arms, his strong arms and point toward the Sunflower River, a river that was only a half a mile away. I closed my eyes and then I decided to make my move. I moved through the crowd till I reached that old pecan tree. Then putting on a big smile I said.

“You mind telling me what you want George.” I said smiling. “I'll fix you a plate and bring it to you.” I said with a smile and a wink.

At that moment you could have heard a pin drop. The two older men blinked and peered sly toward George who only blushed and looked around. I enjoyed seeing him blush, it gave me such a thrill. He was just about to say something when an older woman walked up to him, the woman looked at me and then at George. I'm ashamed to say I started to bristle like a cat who just met another cat peeing in its litter box.

“George, would you mind telling me who this young lady is?” The woman said as she peered at me. She had blonde hair that reached a little past her shoulders, blue eyes that reminded me of Sapphires, and a heart shaped face with a dimpled chin.

“Oh of course mom.” George said as he looked around. “Mom this is Hailey the girl I was telling you about. She the girl I meet at that meeting that grandmaw had dragged me too.” He said blushing. As he looked around.

“Oh so this is the Hailey Shabrough that caused such a fuss at the meeting.” She said smirking. “A pleasure. My name is Lavender Stoner. And George here is my son.” She said holding out her hand. “Its a pleasure to finally meet the girl George as been rambling on about for the last few days.”

I blinked and gently reached my hand out and took it. “It's a pleasure Mrs. Stoner.” I said. I paused and then decided to add. “It's a pleasure to finally meet the mother of this fine Southern gentleman.” I said as I peered toward George who only blushed and turned his face away.

Mrs. Stone smirked a little and as she gently shook my hand she said.

“Edith warned me you were a charmer.” She said as she gently slipped her hands out of mine. “Please, just Lavender honey. So, what brings you all out to this tiny little village.” She said smiling as she peered directly into my eyes. I could tell she was sizing me up a little.

“Oh visiting family for the summer, and maybe way into the autumn.” I said smiling as I started to play a little with my hair. I knew this day would come, but I was not expecting it to come so soon. Something deep inside me told me that I was on trial, a trial that all girls go through at least once in their life, the trial to win the mothers approval of a boy they like.

“Oh nice.” Lavender said. “So, where did you come from?”

“Clinton.” I said blushing,

“Were you going to school?” Lavender said with graceful ease.
“I was enrolled in St. Clare's Episcopal Academy in Vicksburg. But with mom and dad away on an extended holiday. I might be enrolling in Sharkey-Issaquena Academy.” I said as I looked around. It seemed George had been sent away, no doubt on a fetch quest by his mother so she could grill me a little.

Then something happened that totally took me by complete  surprise.

“We'll welcome you to the village. How about this, this Thursday, I'll throw an ice cream social in your honor, to you know welcome you into the social life of this little town and introduce you to some people your own age.” She then moved in a little closer and in a low tone of voice she whispered into my ear. “I'll make sure my son is there and I'll keep the other girls from getting too close to him so you two can have some alone time.”

I blinked and blinked again and my face I swear started to turn as red as a vine ripen tomato. Lavender just seemed to laugh a little as she gently patted me on the shoulder.

“Hailey, honey you have nothing to worry about. From what I've heard so far you are a truly charming girl. Now, run along and find George, I need to find my husband.” She said winking. “Oh one last thing we need to talk about, we are hosting our annual Cotton Festival next month. This year we are doing something different though, we are going to  bring back an old tradition. They used to hold a beauty pageant back when it first started back in the sixties. But as the village population shrunk they kind of did away with it.” Her voice trailed off a little. “Anyway if you want to, I would love it if you could consider signing up for it.

Lavender did not give a chance to respond, she just walked away, whistling a little tune as she did. My cheeks were still blushing. I then remembered a promise I made to George and quickly I walked to the line and loaded a paper plate down with food. Including what remained of my humble dish. Aunt Cat at this point had found a chair and was sitting it in, she was half asleep, no doubt still half hung over from the night before.

Anyway a few minutes later, I had two massive plates, and two mountains of food. Now, it's true a Southern Belle has to watch her waist, but when you're attending an event like this, people would consider it rude if you don't just stuff yourself and go hog wild. An unspoken rule was to get a little of everything, just a spoonful and to sample a bit of everything. And to lavish praise on whoever provided the dish. That is how you score brownie points in the deep south. And right now I needed all the brownie points I could get.

“Hey George.” I said smiling as I spotted him, sitting by himself away from the crowd. “Sorry I took so long, but hey I got plenty of food.” I said grinning as I sat the plate down in front of him. His plate like mind was a sampler plate, fried chicken, pulled pork, smothered in a dark, brown sauce, baked beans that have been seasoned with brown sugar and molasses, potato salad, not my personal favorite, but still something to chew on, and of course cornbread and what remained of my salad.

“Hey thanks.” He said smiling as he peered at me.

“Why are you sitting all alone?” I said as I sat down beside him.

“Just thinking.” He said he then stood up and walked away. I was puzzled at first, but soon noticed that he returned with some two sets of plastic forks and knives and of course two ice cold cans of coke-cola.
“Thinking about what?” I asked as he pushed one of the cans toward me.

“Us, you said your only staying the season and well, I don't know if I can deal with losing you.” He said taking a deep breath. “There something that just so charming about you. I know we've only known each other for a few days, but it seems like we've known each other much longer than that. I swear to God I feel like I've met you before.” He said peering at me. “It's like I've known you all my life.”

I took a deep breath. I guess now was a good time to tell him.

“Well, good thing for you mom and dad decided to extend their European holiday for a little while longer, a lot longer. And knowing them I doubt they'll come back any time soon.” I reached out and smiled and touched his hand. “So you and I have plenty of time to well get to know each other.” I said with a wink.

“Oh.. well then.” His voice trailed. “I guess I'll just have to give you a grand tour of the delta.” He said as he peered toward me. “There's plenty to see here.” He then leaned over and whispered into my ear. “And I want to see a lot more of you too.”

“Oh George.” I said smiling. “I think you and I will be seeing a lot of each other in the coming days.” I said as I closed my eyes, I had to open them though before I started to day dream about me ripping his shirt off, followed by his shoes, then his socks and then his pants and then his boxers. I kind of wondered what colored boxers he was wearing, that is if he wore boxers, he might be wearing briefs.

“Oh.” George said, smirking. “And I know some private spots too.”

I raised a eyebrow and took a sip of my coke. It seemed another chapter was opening up for me. I felt like somebody had tossed me aboard a speeding bullet train. And with each passing second the train was gaining speed. I just hoped the train would stay on the tracks. That and I hoped the conductor was sane.

It was Halloween night. The Halloween of two thousand and fourteen. I was eight years old at the time. I was a pale, sickly little boy with long, raven hair. I weighed just under eighty pounds and was a shrimp when compared to the other boys my age. I was also astmatic and prone to coughing fits that lasted for several minutes. That Halloween still comes back to haunt me from time to time. 

My uncle Sidney was born on Halloween, and always celebrated his birthday by throwing a massive Halloween Party on the family farm in Sharbrough's Landing. All of the planters of the Delta were to  gather at his farm to celebrate both the holiday and the birth of the man they  often considered to be their leader.  My Father, adorned and loved his older brother, and so each Halloween, my mother, my older sister, and I would be loaded up in the family's car and driven to the farm.

In my dreams I can still remember those events. I also remember that one Halloween because it was around the time that I started going under the name 'Hailey'. Let me explain, for my eighth birthday I had been given a handheld and a copy of the newest Pokemon game, Pokemon Alpha Sapphire. For the first time I was allowed to choose the gender of the character I was playing. I tried at first to play as a boy, but that seemed off. So I deleted that save file and started another one, this time I decided to play as a girl. A girl named 'Hailey' I did so in secret of course.

My Father was already a bit disappointed in the way I was turning out, though he never said so aloud. He often threatened or promised to send me to Chamberlain-Hunt Academy, a private boarding school that was located in Port Gibson, Chamberlain-Hunt was a military style boarding school. And was Presbyterian in nature. You see I'd been named Casper to honor his great, great, grandfather who had been a highly decorated infantry officer in the Second World War. And as far as he was concerned I'd not lived up to that name. 

There is not a shadow of doubt in my mind that if my father had seen me playing a girl in a video-game, he hated video-games and thought they turned men into sissies and he blamed all of society ills on them. He would have taken that hand-held gift from my mothers older brother and tossed it into Ross R Barnett Reservoir. Once that was done he would have wasted no time on making good on his promise to enroll me in Chamberlain-Hunt Military Academy, before I could blink an eye, I would have been put on a train bound for Port Gibson. Which despite its name is not a port. Though it was close to a river.

Anyway it was Halloween night, and it was unusually cold on that night. Autumn's in Mississippi are a mixed bag of nuts. Sometimes it's freezing cold on Halloween night, other times it's warm, very warm. I've seen Christmas where people would run around in short sleeves and shorts, and I've seen the rare fabled 'White Christmas' where the whole world seems to be covered in snow. Now that Halloween stands out because it was cold, andc cold enough for there to be frost on the ground.

Now, it being Halloween, I'd decided to dress up, at the time I'd fallen in love with a popular Saturday morning kid's show called My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic my dad of course hated the fact I wanted the show, but like most things I was into, including reading, video-games, and writing poetry he seemed to merely tolerated it.

Anyway that Halloween it was cold, really cold, like there was a thin sheet of ice on the pond and frost on the ground cold. Anyway I'd decided to dress up as one of the characters from the cartoon My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. The one I'd decided to dress up as was the main character, a purple unicorn named Twilight Sparkle.

The costume consisted of purple leggings, a purple tutu, and a purple shirt. And a purple tail pinned to the back of the tutu and at last a hair band that had ears and a unicorn horn. I loved that costume, simple yes, but it somehow reflected who I was inside. My dad hated the costume. I'm sure he would have wanted me to go as Superman, Batman, or The Incredible Hulk. Something more manly you know. But mom held his anger at bay saying it was just a costume after all.

Anyway, like I said it was cold that night and cold, northern wind was blowing across the barren fields, one could see bits of ice in the breath of Boreas that blew across that flat, delta land. It was the kind of wind that turns your blood to ice and makes you shiver. The wind cut me like a sharp knife. I remember a dozen roaring bonfires had been built around the farm that night. The men, gathered around these bonfires, and dranked bourbon straight from the bottle and boosted about the women they fucked, the number of deer they killed, last years harvest, should they plant winter wheat or rye grass, and how one of them should run for congress and bring some much needed help to The Delta. 

The women, gathered inside a warm, brick house that was called 'The Baker House' there inside, drinking spiked cider they talked about the men they fucked, the short coming of the harvest, who's daughter had been crowned homecoming queen and who was expected to marry come spring and who was pregnat in the village.

The children, I included, tended to drift from one group to another. It being Halloween, massive pails of candy were laying about. The good kind of candy mind you, Reese peanut butter cups in the shapes of pumpkins, bats and full moons, full size Snicker candy bars, full size Twix candy bars. And many more.

The older teenagers tended to police us children, they also guided us through the woods that lay north of the Farm. The woods were supposed to be haunted by various demons and other supernatural creatures, as we were shepherding around the woods, stories of the supernatural would fill our heads and soon we were turning our heads at every little noise. I remember those stories were filled with some fearsome creatures of the supernatural such as the Rougarou, that was claimed to haunt the woods around the Landing, or the dreaded Wendigo.

Those who were more bolder, would often follow one of the older teens down to the river bank, there they would be loaded up in aluminum bass boats and sent down river for a tour of the 'Haunted Swamp'. All of those were a test of courage, a test that I shied away.

Instead, I huddled around one of the roaring bonfires and played with a plastic pony figurine I'd brought from Dollar General a few days ago with some pocket change. I had just finished brushing out the pony's tail when from behind me came a boy that was twice my size, he was surrounded by four of his chorts local Landing boys that did not like somebody new being on their turf. I don't remember what transpired next, only I caught a fist to the mouth and my toy went into a roaring bonfire. The orange and yellow flames quickly turned the plastic figurine into nothing more than a pool of melted plastic. 

The boy's name was Georgie Stoner, he told me so.. Of course I cried, but I had nobody to turn to, my dad was roaring drunk at the time and was sitting in awl as some of the other guys told stories of the bear hunt they had been on. I could hear one of the men boasting that his son had just killed his first deer, killing your first deer was something of a rite of passage in the Delta. A rite of passage I've never completed. It was one of those things that separated the men from the boys. And so I kept my tears to myself.

Something changed that night though. I don't want to say that Hailey died that night, I'll say she went to sleep. She remained dormant for the next eight years. After that night I sold my Pokemon game, the one with the Hailey save file, and brought a football game. I joined our local boy scout troop and somehow I rose through the ranks if you will. I reached the rank of Scout First Class before I decided to drop out. I even joined my school's JROTC program. JROTC stands for Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps. 

I lasted about one year before dropping. I think that when Hailey awoke  from her eight year sleep. Anyway, here I am now, sitting in a Lavender colored room, sleeping in a pink canopy bed, wearing a silken nightie instead a pair of ill fitting sweat pants and a oversized t shirt, and my now shoulder length raven black hair styled back and parted down middle with each half being pulled into two braid pigtails. 

I've been Hailey for only two and a half weeks, but it seems like I've been her forever. Now as I sit here, watching the first rays of dawn peek over the top of the pecan and magnolia trees in the backyard. I wonder if dad sending me here was not the hand of some god of being beyond my understanding. I wonder if the sudden change of my uncle's heart was not due to some god or other goddess acting on my behalf. As I sit here, sipping the first cup of morning coffee, waiting for the rest of the house to wake up. Knowing that in a short few hours, I would squeeze myself into a pink dress, and walk half a block to the house of Walker and Lavender Stoner, who's son eight years ago punched me in the mouth and tossed my toy into a roaring bonfire.

Who's son I'm also madly in love with, whom I lust after, and who's mother is honoring me by throwing an ice cream social in my honor. I wonder if all of this is just a weird fever dream or if this is my life. I also wonder what tomorrow will bring, and the day after that. I have a lot of heavy thinking to do between now and then.

Part of me wants to just pack my bags though, and catch the morning train out of this village. Part of me wants to stay here and keep being Haiely, and another part wants me to walk down to the river. Tie a piece of metal around my leg and jump into the water and see what awaits me on the other side. Am I afraid of living the rest of my life as a woman? I'm afraid that when the moment of truth comes the only boy I've loved will reject me? Or am I afraid of living until old age comes and claims my soul. 

These are thoughts and demons I will have to struggle with in the coming hours, days, months. And yet I know that at any moment, I can end it, at any time I can walk down the bank, tie an old piece of metal around my ankle, and without giving it a moment's thought I can jump into the water. Thirty seconds later, I would slip under the brown surface of the water and then, I'm sure I would meet my creature. I would either find heaven or hell. Or neither. And right now that is the only thing keeping me sane.

Maybe I should talk to somebody. But one thing is for sure, when I climbed down from that train, I was not expecting to become Haiely again, nor was I expecting to fall in love with a childhood bully, nor was I expecting to make the splash I'd made here, in this rural village. So much has happened so fast, that I've found myself utterly lost. Anyway, it's time to finish my cup of coffee, shower, and get ready to meet the morning.

The Stoner family lived in a fine two story brick house at the corner of Hegman Road and Railroad Avenue. That was about a half mile from where Aunt Cat and Uncle Sidney lived. The house was a fine, brick house with a black slate roof. Behind the house one could see the railroad that was the lifeblood of this small delta town. Beyond the railroad tracks, and as far as the eye could see one could see cotton. Cotton was the chief crop of the Mississippi delta and was the breadwinner for many delta farmers including my dear uncle. Who's change of heart still worried me.

The front yard was nothing to look at. It had no charm or grace about it. One small flower bed that had seen better days provided a splash of color. The stone walkway that led from the carport to the front door had also seen better days, many of the stones had been broken and cracked. As I walked down this broken stone walkway I noticed the remains of another small flowerbed to the far side of the house, though this one seemed to have been abandoned and was choked with weeds. 

Anyway I took a deep breath as I walked down the broken stone path. The heel of my shoe made a clicking noise as I carefully stepped to the side to avoid stepping on the cracks. Now I'm not prone to superstitions. I don't believe that stepping on a crack will break my mothers back. Nor do I believe that breaking a mirror will result in seven years of bad luck.

Anyway, carefully stepping around the cracks it took me a few minutes to reach the front door. Once I reached the front door I pushed in the doorbell and a few minutes later a loud chime seemed to sound inside the house. I then took a deep breath and waited. A few tense moments passed and nobody came to the door, so I pushed the door bell again and again the chime sounded, and finally from somewhere inside the house I heard a woman cry out.

“Hold your horses I'm coming!” The woman bellowed. A few seconds later the door was thrown open and in the doorway stood Mrs. Stoner. She looked a bit flustered, and for a moment I was afraid she was going to bite my head off. That is until she caught sight of me. And then her facial expressions seemed to soften up a bit.

“Oh Hailey darling. I totally forgot about that little party. You see George is down with some strange sickness. Poor dear is coughing his lungs out and I'm having to play nurse-maid and keep this house running. I've just not had time to go into town to buy any ice cream or reach out to my friends. I'm so sorry darling.” She said, sighing.

I blinked and blinked again. Well it seemed like I was off the hook. All that early morning panicking was for nothing. At this point I had shoved the painful memories that had resurfaced last night back into the tiny box they came from and had firmly put that box away. I wanted to burn it. And I guess I would in time.

“Oh.” I said smiling. “No problem, I should have phoned ahead anyway to see if the date was still on. I'll just be going then.” I said as I turned around and then something happened that took me by surprise. Mrs. Stone reached out and took me by the arm.

“Oh no, Hailey. You've walked all this way. Why don't you come in and have some coffee with me. After all, I'm eager to learn a little more about you.” She said as she stepped to the side. “Come in please.” She said smiling. 

I swallowed hard and took a deep breath. I was not expecting this.

I mentally debated for about thirty seconds if I should take the invention or not. Now I'm not ignorant when it comes to southern high society. And I know southern women love to play mental games with each other. And so as I stood there, searching for any hidden meaning or trying to see what such an invitation would hold I started to wonder what had I gotten myself into again. I could reflect on her offer by making up an excuse. But might lead to more questions, questions aimed at discovering the truth.

“I would love some coffee.” I said at last deciding to go ahead and take the bait. “But I'm afraid I can't stay long.” I said smiling as I entered the house.

“Oh don't worry darling. Just a little chat over a nice cup of coffee.” Mrs. Stoner said as she closed the door. “After all, it would be rude to send you on your way without offering you at least something to drink and snack on. I know we southern girls want to watch our waistline. But I have some home-made lemon cooling on the kitchen table and it would be a shame if you left without trying some.” She said as she moved around me and started to guide me toward the kitchen.

Once we reached the kitchen, she pointed toward the kitchen table and offered me a little smile as she started to move around the linoleum floor. I noticed the kitchen was small, with a limited amount of counter space. And the large, round, wooden kitchen table seemed to take up much of the free space that could be found. I also noticed the fridge and the stove had been squeezed in tight together and fitted like pieces in a puzzle.

“So. How long are you going to keep this game up? Because I know who you are. Your Casper Sharbrough.” She said, taking a deep breath as she peered directly into my eyes. 

I blinked and blinked again. I wanted to jump up and run right out of the house. And I was going to keep running till I reached Aunt Cat and Uncle Sidney's home. Then I was going to bolt up the stairs and dive under the covers of my bed. Instead I closed my eyes and took a deep breath and as I released it I said.

“Mrs. Stone, I think you are mistaken. My name is Hailey Sharbrough and it will always be Hailey Sharbrough.” I said, smiling a little.

Mrs. Stone blinked and slowly a little smile formed upon her lips. 

“I'm afraid the game is up, Casper.” Mrs. Stoner said. “Casper Sharbrough, You see, I have connections. All delta women do. And none of your information checked out. So in short you lied. And I do not like people who lie.” She said as she stood up and walked toward me.

“So, Casper. If you want to keep living your life as Hailey Sharbrough you must do me a few favors. You see, I'm always in need of a willing volunteer. The young women in this village don't like to volunteer. And I'm often forced to depend on outside help. You know from outside towns such as Yazoo City, Rolling Fork, and Belzoni.”

Mrs. Stone said as peered toward me.

I swallowed hard.

“Now,  I need you to do two things for me. First we're going to hosting our first annual “Sharbrough's Landing Days” a small town wide celebration that going to showcase local talent. Local craft's, and highlight the history of this little settlement on the banks of the Sunflower River.” Mrs. Stone grinned as she stood up.

“Now, we have several events lined up that will provide entertainment for people. A bunch of local guys have put on a make-shift band. Called 'The Cotton Pickers' they will be providing live music. The Lost Dog Pizza Company has agreed to bring their food truck out here so there will be fresh, hot pizza. From Yazoo City, 'The Red Samurai' will also bring out their food truck so hibachi inspired dishes would be offered for those who want them. And last but not least 'Sunny BBQ' another stable of Yazoo City would be there. So We'll have live music, three food trucks.” 

“Sounds like an amazing time.” I said, taking a deep breath.

“Oh I put a lot of hard work into this. Also I've rented a dunking booth, and alas so far only the guys seem willing to take turns getting dunked. And trust me honey, nobody will pay to see a bunch of sun tanned farmers get dunked.” Mrs. Stone said with a heavy sigh.

I wanted to disagree with Mrs. Stone at this point. I for one would pay money to see George Stoner get dunked in nothing but a pair of form fitting bathing shorts. But teenage lust aside I could kind of tell where this was going. Though I wanted to wait and see if my hunch was correct.

“So.” Mrs. Stoner said. “Unless you want your little secret to get out. I think you would agree to take the full four hour shift with brief fifteen minute breaks every hour. So three hours total.” She said smiling. “Of course if you take on this task, I'm sure it would really boost your image. You'll gain a lot of brownie points with the community. And everybody would just fall more in love with you.” She said grinning. As she started to circle around me.

I swallowed hard.

“I mean I would volunteer. But there is just one problem. I don't own a bathing suit.” I said blushing.

“Oh don't worry, you don't really need to wear a bathing suit to go into the dunking booth. But if you wish, I'm sure me and the other women of the village can hunt something up for you. Though I would suggest a nice, form fitting sundress. You know to put on a little show, one that will show a little skin as you get wetter and wetter.” Mrs. Stone said with a wink.

I swallowed hard and nodded my head.

“One final piece of business.” She said. “This coming Saturday. Me, my husband and my son will be going out to eat at 'The Cow Pen' A charming little steak house located in Lake Village, Arkansas. A picture perfect little village located on the banks of Lake Chico. If you don't know, Lake Village is located right across the river from Greenville. I would love it if you could join us. I could use a little female companionship. And George would be there. It will give you a chance to flirt with him a little more.” Mrs. Stoner said, smirking.

“Sure.” I said, taking a deep breath. “I would love to.” I said, trying to smile a little as I looked Mrs. Stoner straight in the eye. It was like looking into the face of a feral cat.

“Good. Now one last bit of business. A personal request for me. I know you're already volunteering for the dunking booth. Because you are a brave and charitable girl. And we all know that Southern Belle's are known for being charitable souls.” Mrs. Stone said as she started to walk around the room.

“Right..” I said, taking a deep breath. I knew by 'Personal request' she really meant that she had something else planned for me. And since it seemed I was totally in the palm of her hand. I really only saw one way forward and that was to agree to any oddball request she might put to me.

“Now, a few of the men folk of the Landing.” Mrs. Stoner started. “Have been pitching the idea of a beauty pageant around as evening entertainment. And the women agree. But we're a few girls short of a full roster. Now. I think it would be best if the new girl in town signed up. After all, you are Landing gentry after all.”

I heaved another sigh. I could see what she was driving out.

“Wonderful, there are no forms to fill out. Just show up in an evening gown after your four hours in the dunking booth. We'll have everything you need to make yourself pretty again in the tent beside the dunking booth. I'll go ahead and phone your aunt and tell her that you're volunteering for both the dunking booth and beauty pageant.” Mrs. Stoner said as she patted me on the shoulder and smiled.

“I'm so glad we could have this little talk darling. I'm sure you're going to make a wonderful daughter-in-law someday. We just need to get you broken in and get you to unlearn a lot of those nasty little habits you've picked up in your tomboy phase.” She added.

And so the next stage of my journey has started. I had turned the page it seemed. But really a dunking booth? A beauty pageant? What have I gotten myself into this time? And to think all of this started because I agreed to model a painting for my aunt Cat one rainy afternoon a month or so ago.

We had sirloin steaks that night with garlic french fries and home-made yeast rolls. The cotton was dry and needed to be hauled in and uncle Sidney was in the field from daybreak to dusk. I could tell the work was taking its toll on him. His face, arms and neck seemed blistered from the sun and his eyes seemed hollowed over. And no matter how much he seemed to bathe, he always seemed to be caked in dust.

“Once we get the last of the cotton out. I swear I'm going to take a break. I might go into the woods for a few weeks. Just to get myself back together. I'm sure you and Hailey can keep things running smoothly, her Cat.” He said as he leaned back in his chair. “I just need to see something beside that dusty, damn cotton field. I need about a dozen field hands too. Field hand's that know what they're doing and know their way around farm machines. I don't have the time. I'm afraid to break in a new hire, not in the middle of the harvest.” He said with a long, drawn out sigh.

“Let's not talk business at the kitchen table.” My aunt Cat said with a sigh as she cut into her steak. “We'll manage like we've always managed. The weather will hold, the cotton will be harvested. Our bills will be paid on time. Payments will be made on the notes for the new machines. All will be well.”

“I guess you're right. I worry too much. Side. We need to get Hailey enrolled in school. Need to get her name legally changed and get a new social. Damn brother of mine, running around the world with his wife. Not a care in the world. Lucky son of a bitch.” Uncle Sidney muttered under his breath.

My Aunt Cat fixed him with a cold hard look.

“Hailey dear.” Aunt Cat said to me. “Mrs. Stoner said you volunteered to staff the town's dunking booth. Are you sure about that? You'll be sitting up there for the whole town to see. Wearing nothing but a skin tight bathing suit. A two piece at that.” 

Uncle Sidney raised his eyebrow and peered at me.

“I kind of talked into it.” I said blushing.

“I guess we need to add a bathing suit to the list of things we need to buy tomorrow in Greenville.” Aunt Cat said with a sigh.  “And she also said you signed up for the beauty pageant?”

Before I could say a word, Uncle Sidney popped into the conversation.

“I'll sponsor her.” He said without taking his eyes off his plate. “Hell that son of a bitch across the river Clark Fields is running his mouth down at the Green Door that his daughter is going to take first prize in that thing. I'll be damned if I let that country club snob beat me in anything.”

I blinked and blinked again.

“Honey, are you still made because he blackballed you from joining the country club?” Aunt Cat asked as she peered toward my Uncle who was reaching for his glass of tea.

“Damn right I am! I'm Landing Gentry!” He said, pounding the table. “And I'll be damned if I let a Field take first place in that beauty pageant! I'm glad Hailey volunteered for the dunking booth! She is a Landing girl! Clark Field's daughter is afraid of getting wet for a good cause? Good, show's what kind of woman she'll be.”

“Little gold digging bitch!” He said, swallowing his tea in one go.

At this point I was very confused so I kept my mouth shut and focused on cutting my steak into bite size pieces. It was nice and tender and very flavorful. Aunt Cat had done a wonderful job of cooking them on an open charcoal fire and had seasoned them to perfection.

Aunt Cat just blinked.

“I guess since we're going to Greenville tomorrow we could swing by the mall. There a Belk's there. I'm sure they will have a limited but fine selection of gowns. And a bathing suit. And a few other things she'll need.” Aunt Cat said. She then added. “I also understand that Mrs. Stoner invited you out to dinner with them this coming Friday or Saturday?” 

“Yes.” I said stuffing my face with the garlic fries. 

“That means more shopping.” Aunt Cat said with a smile.

“Why y'all going all the way to Greenville tomorrow anyway?” Inquired uncle Sidney who was on his third glass of tea. “That's a full tank of gas there and a full tank of gas back,” He added. 

“We have an appointment with Mr. Percy of Percy and Walker. The Law firm that handled all the legal work to get Casper's name changed to Hailey.” Aunt Cat blinked and then shifted her gaze away from her husband toward me. “Sorry for dead naming you there hon. But I had to make my point.”

I just shrugged my shoulders.

“Also.” Aunt Cat said with a sigh. “It just dawned on me, how are we going to hide the fact that you still have a you know what under your bathing suit?”

“I'm not sure..” I said, shrugging my shoulders again as I focused on dipping the last few of my garlic fries in the drippings off my steak. That is the best of having steak and friend fries, that is you get to use the french fries to soak up the juices that come off your steak. “I'm sure we'll figure something out though. I was kind of blackmailed into volunteering anyway.”

“Blackmailed?!” Aunt Cat said as she shifted her full attention toward me. 

“Yep.” I said. “It seems Mrs. Stoner uncovered our little secret. Somehow, I'm not sure what kind of black magic she worked. But she knew my dead name. I don't know how she figured it out. But anyway she threatened to expose me to the whole community if I did not agree to volunteer.” I said in a calm tone of voice. Well calmer than I felt.

“Good fucking God.” Uncle Sidney said. “We are in deep shit.”

“Everybody in the village knows that Walker Stoner is the Senior Warden of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church and that he has the rector in his back pocket.” Uncle Sidney seemed to be rubbing his eyes. “Jesus,  knowing her, she'll have her husband whisper something into the ear of that  batty old priest we have here and before you can count to three. He'll be denouncing you from the pulpit.” 

I blinked.

“Lavender Stoner is something of a cunning fox.” Aunt Cat said. “She is well known for causing trouble in the village. The problem is.” Aunt Cat took a drink of her tea before she finished her sentence. “The problem is, she has a bit of power and she knows how to use it. Her husband is Senior Warden and her brother is Junior Warren and she is head of the Altar Guild. So in a sense they control the affairs of St. Andrew's Church and run the parish. They use that as kind of a social battering ram.” Aunt Cat Said.

I blinked and blinked again.

“The whole lot of the Stoners are nothing but trouble. Have been since the town was founded. They came with the railroad. Before the railroad laid down tracks and connected us with Yazoo City and Spanish Fort and Vicksburg. Most of our cotton harvested was sold to the merchants of New Orleans. Steam boats were the only way cotton could be shipped out and supplies brought in. So the population remained small. No more than a dozen leading families and their hired hands. Then the railroad came in and that brought in a fresh wave of settlers.”

“You might want to listen dear.” Aunt Cat said as she pushed away her remaining steak and garlic fries. “You still need to write that paper and somehow get it published. Otherwise the remaining threads of  our carefully woven cover story will come undone. And then we'll be up schitt's creek without a paddle.” She said, sighing again. 

“Anyway, among those fresh wave of settlers were the first Stoner's, they were low breed folks, who came sinking in from the hill country of East Mississippi. Some say they came from the coal fields in Alabama. Others say they came from up north and came to the delta looking for easy riches. And instead found only hard toil. Hellish summers and frigged winters. Yearly overflows. Disease carrying mosquitoes, yellow fever, malaria, foul tasting water, and still much of the land was covered in brush. With blue cane as tall as a man. They came looking for ready made farms and instead they found work.” Uncle Sidney said with a sigh.

I nodded my head.

“Anyway they endured. And through hard work they managed to achieve a small measure of success. But they always looked at us Sharbroughs with malice. I can see it in their eyes. You see the Sharbrough family did more than bring the railroad here. We laid the first telephone cable, our marriage to the Hegman Family, a family of merchants from Yazoo City, helped to establish a new general store. We along Hegman's built the first ice house here, and helped build the first school here. We brought a small regional vocational center here. Helped to establish and fund the first volunteer fire department. In short we did everything we could to make this place livable.”

“They even built the first High School. Sadly it closed up in nineteen fifty seven. The last class only had around four or five students.” Aunt Cat said. “The vocational center is still open for those wanting to learn shop skills. And there is an elementary and middle school here. But that's about it.” Aunt Cat said with a sigh.

“The point is Hailey.” Uncle Sidney took a deep breath. “You're a Sharbrough and that means certain people in this town are going to have a certain degree of malice toward you. The best thing you can do, is try to keep your wits about you when you around Lavender Stoner and watch what you say and do.” He paused. “I have a feeling she has a network of little birds watching you, so watch what you say and do, please..”

“My guess is she saw you flirting with her son and did a little digging. Maybe she googled your name. You'll be surprised to see what kind of personal information is out there on the web. School records, hospital records and stuff. Bunch of stuff. She knows the family well enough to put two and two together. Heck she might have even drawn up a family tree.” Aunt Cat said with a sigh. “Never should have invited that woman to that meeting.”

I remained silent. I was kind of brooding. While I brooded I reached over and picked up the remains of aunt Cat's steak and half of the plate that remained of her famous garlic french fries. And without muttering a word I started to eat.

“Eat up girl.” Aunt Cat said. “Your going to need your strength for tomorrow morning. Because we gotta leave here at the crack of dawn. Drive all the way to Greenville. Get Mr. Percy to sign them papers, then we gotta hit up the mall. Best thing for us to do now. Find a flattering swimsuit that will hide your little problem. Find a flattering gown that will blow the other girls out of the water. Get you some good make-up and not the stuff we brought from Dollar General a few days ago. And put your training into hyper speed mode.”

“I'm going to bed.” Uncle Sidney said as he stood up. Then something happened that I did not expect. As he walked by me he bent down and placed a kiss upon my forehead before kissing aunt Cat on the cheeks. And with that he vanished into the living room. I stood there puzzled for a moment but a few minutes later aunt Cat clued me in.

“He's changed. He's started to see you as his own child. His own daughter. I don't know what kind of magic you worked on him or if the Holy Ghost fell upon him. But something caused him to change. Lavender stoner expects you to make a fool of yourself up there in the dunking booth. So when you take your seat, sit close to the edge. Put your legs together, and place your hands in your lap and remember to smile. I'll put your hair in pigtails to really highlight those eyes of yours.”  Aunt Cat said smiling.

I said nothing but remained eating.

“Then, at the pageant. You'll really blow them away. You'll get the crown and get your name in the paper and it would be Lavender Stoner who ends up with egg on her face. We'll shame that old hen into going back into the hen house. We'll run her right off the barnyard.” Aunt Cat paused. “And that date with them. Trust me girl, when I get done making you up. That old snake in the grass would be speechless. Just make sure you order the biggest steak they have and be sure to eat it all. Delta men love a girl who can handle her beef. In more ways than one.”

And that is how that chapter comes to an end. Stay tuned there more to come.

Greenville, Mississippi had a total population of some fifty thousand souls all nestled along the banks of the Mississippi River. The town was a thriving river port, and could boost a thriving downtown district that was lined with all kinds of shops. It also had a mall, a pretty good mall. Not as big as say North Park the second biggest enclosed shopping space in Mississippi or the Metro Center Mall, who claimed the title as the biggest and best enclosed shopping mall. But it was the only mall in the region.

The town was also the seat of power for the Percy family. The Percy family ruled over the Mississippi Delta like it was their personal fiefdom. And they had good reason too. It had been the Percy family who had transformed the Delta from a huge swampland into an agricultural empire. The family was a family of planters, lawyers and cunning businessmen. And their law firm Percy and Walker was one one of the best law firms one could find in the Delta.

This fact was not lost on me as I and aunt Cat were ushered into the private office of Roy Percy. Roy was a tall man, with salt and pepper colored hair and blue eyes that seemed hard as steel. He had a slender frame that reminded me of a railroad rail. He was dressed in a tailored three piece suit and he seemed deep in thought as he flipped the papers in front of him.

“I see.” Roy said, taking a deep breath as he leaned back in his high back leather chair. “When Sidney phoned me, saying that he needed my help. I thought that temper had finally gotten him into some real trouble. I was preparing for a real fight. Instead I got a bigger fight that I was hoping for.” He said as he then leaned toward me.

“So tell me again. Hailey from the start how all this happened.” He said as he locked his ice blue eyes with mine.

“Well about a month ago. My aunt asked me to model a dress for her for a painting. She a painter.” I said as I looked down. I felt small, like a little girl who had been caught with her hands in the cookie jar before dinner and had been hauled into her fathers office to explain herself.

“I'm very much aware of that.” He said. “I know your aunt is a painter. I own several of her paintings. She is really famous down in New Orleans. I've seen some of her prints for sale in Vicksburg and in Jackson too. Anyway, you were asked to model this dress and then what?” Roy's voice was cold and void of emotions.

“It felt like a switch had been thrown. The next thing I remember was my aunt was fawning over me. She snapped a picture and posted it on Facebook. And well things kind of snowballed. Some of her friends And before I knew it, Hailey was here to stay.” I said blushing. I was very self conscious at that moment of how I was dressed. I had decided on a simple, blue dress with long sleeves, white stockings and black dress shoes. Overly formal yes, but it was the most formal dress aunt Cat and I could find in the closet. I had worn my hair down that morning too, because a high ponytail, my favorite style, might come across as too casual. A nice touch had been a simple, matching bow in the back of hair. Aunt Cat said I looked perfect, perfectly demure and that was a good thing. Because right now my future depended on Roy Percy signing all these papers.

What were the papers you might ask? Government forms that needed to be filled out so I could get my name legally changed from “Casper” to “Hailey” and get a new state issued birth certificate and social card. Then we could set about getting my driver's permit updated and state ID too. There was still the question of my transcript from my old high school. I'm sure I'll need to present that when aunt Cat and uncle Sidney enroll me in Sharkey-Issaquena Academy this autumn.
“I see.” He said taking a deep breath. “Have you seen anybody?” He said leaning back in his chair again.

“No.” I said, taking a deep breath. “The Warren-Yazoo Mental health center just shrugged their shoulders and said their backlog was too much and signed what they needed to sign.” I said, taking a deep breath. “The woman at the front desk just muttered something about me wasting their time and money and took the papers and had them signed and handed them back to me without so much as a thank-you or have a good day.”

“You live in Yazoo County then?” Roy Percy said. As he flipped through the papers again.

“Yes, in Scarborough's Landing.” I said as I smoothed out my skirt.

“I see, I've passed through Sharbrough's Landing once or twice. It's a picture perfect Delta town. One dusty street, lined with small mother and father owned shops. A PB gas station. A small general Store. A few other minor businesses. I was surprised to see that the town also had a nice size public library and could boost of having an Episcopal, Methodist and Baptist Church.” He said. He then added kind of as an after thought. “And considering its size they even have a small, yet thriving Roman Catholic community.”

I nodded my head.

“Okay lets get down to brass tacks.” He said, taking a deep breath. “Do you intended to live the rest of your natural life as a woman?” He said as he peered toward me.

I took a deep breath and nodded my head.

“Yes.”

“You are aware that beyond a few small islands. Or very large islands. Most of the state will look upon you as a freak show. The state is changing. But change is slow coming. We have removed the Confederate battle flag from the state flag. We have finally introduced a lottery into the state to fund our roads and public schools. And after much back and forth bickering the Medical Cannabis Act was signed into law. So the tide has turned.” Roy said, taking a deep breath.

“Yes.”

“Are you also aware that the private school, your aunt and uncle wish to send you too. Can legally refuse to enroll you and there is nothing that can be done. Your uncle might have some say so over what happens in the surrounding countryside of Sharbrough's Landing. And he might have some power over what happens in the surrounding hamlets. But beyond that he is utterly powerless. Even here in Washington Country, the home of the Percy Family our power is shirking.”

“Yes..”

“Very well then.” He took a deep breath and sighed. And handed them back to me. Here you go, Hailey Sharbrough. Everything should be in order now. Mind you these papers only open the door to getting your name changed. You'll need to appear before a judge in Yazoo City to get the final seal. Just show up like you did today and I'm sure you will be fine.

“Thank you sir.” I said as I took the papers. And gently placed them in the folder. I then took the folder and placed it in my backpack. I then zipped the backpack tight and smiled a little. One step at a time I guess. Aunt Cat who had remained silent for the most part nodded her head. She seemed to be deep in thought.

“I have a friend in Yazoo City, his name is John Sharp Williams he's well connected with the legal machine there. He and I tend to hunt together from time to time. I'll give him a call this afternoon and tell him you'll be paying him a visit. I'll also tell him that I'll consider it a personal favor if he will guide you along the system without much fanfare” Roy Percy said with a small smile.

“Thank you sir.” I said, smiling a little. Any help at this point would be welcome. After that aunt Cat and I rose up from our seats and I went to shake his hand. But he then held his hand up and took a deep breath.

“Before you two ladies go. I need to offer you some advice. And this is off the books.” He said as he shifted his weight around in his leather chair. It took him a few minutes before he settled down and then he drew in a deep breath and peered toward Aunt Cat and I.

“A word of advice. The sheriff of Yazoo County is a man named Thomas Lee Vaughan. I've heard some things about him. He's not fond of people like you. And he makes a point to employee deputies that share his political views and also belong to local Lodge.” He said, taking a deep breath. “What I'm trying to say, without saying it directly, but I guess I must. Be aware that the law machine of Yazoo County is under the direct control of a man who despises people like you.” He said, sighing.

“So be mindful of how you act. Obey all laws and don't give anybody any trouble. Just some friendly advice.” He paused and then took another deep breath he said. “I have heard stories that Thomas Lee Vaughan is famous for making people vanish without a trace. He uses his connection with the local Masonic Lodge to cover his tracks. He also hunts and fishes with a man named Walker Stoner who has a childhood grudge with your uncle.” He paused. And then as an afterthought he added. “He and Walker Stoner belong to the same deer camp and the same fishing camp. They are also Masonic brothers and belong to the same lodge that based out of Yazoo City.” 

Aunt Cat and I exchanged looks and nodded our heads.

“Okay ladies if there is anything else I can do for you. Feel free to give my phone a ring.” He said as he stood up and offered his hand across the wooden desk.

I likewise stood up and reached out and took his offered hand and gently shook it. A few moments later my aunt Cat shook his hand and with that out of the way we were shown the door. As we exited his office I happened to look over at his secretary. His secretary was a woman who seemed to be around thirty years old, she had honey blonde hair and jade green eyes. A slim figure too. Her phone was out on her desk and she seemed to be sending somebody a text. She must have felt me gazing at her because she looked up and the moment she laid eyes on me she slipped her phone into her purse and gave me a bone chilling smile.

“You two ladies have a nice trip now.” She said smiling as she returned to her text. “Be careful on your way back home.” She added as an afterthought. Aunt Cat and I exchanged a glance but said nothing and with that we made our way out of the office, down the wooden flight of stairs and soon we were standing on the concrete sidewalk of downtown Greenville.

“Well that one chore out of the way.” Aunt Cat said to me with a little smile. “Next up, we need to hit up the mall. I don't know about you girl. But I could do with a little retail therapy right about now.” She said smiling as she reached over and took me by the hand. “Then we can get a bite of dinner and head home. I'm sure Uncle Sidney can handle feeding himself for one day.”

“Sounds great!” I said smiling as I followed aunt Cat back toward the car. And so the first part of our day was over and another one was about to begin.

The Greenville Mall was like most rustic malls. Two major anchor stores and a concourse running between them. With the concourse being filled with varies name brand boutiques such as Rue18 and Forever 21 and oddly enough an Gothic Topic. The two major anchor stores were JCPenney and Belk. Belk's was located on the east hand side of the mall and JC Penny's was located on the west hand side of the mall. Aunt Cat decided that JC Penny's would hold greater promise for the gown she wanted me to wear and of course the bathing suit too. I can't forget the bathing suit either.

And so that is how this scene opens, with me standing beside a rack of bathing suits while my aunt Cat browses through the selection. From time to time she would pick up a hanger, hold it out in front of her and with a sad sigh she would shake her head and return it back to the metal rack.

“Hailey.” Aunt Cat said, taking a deep breath. “You're going to the one wearing the suit. Mind stop sitting there like a turtle on a rotten log and help me look. Because I have no idea what kind of suit would suit your taste. Picking out a bathing suit that women handle by themselves”

I blinked and blinked again. After a few moments I rolled my eyes and started to browse through the racks of swimwear. After a few minutes of searching I pulled out a bright pink bathing skirt. It came attached to a flimsy top that was nothing more than two cloth triangles with string running through them. I shrugged my shoulders and held the two items up to Aunt Cat.

“See. Pink will look good with your black hair. The bottom will cover your problem area and along with the dance belt will keep you smooth and modest. The top is sexy and will lure people in to dunk you. To complete the picture, I'll tie your hair in two pigtails with pink ribbons and paint your toenails and fingernails pink too.” Aunt Cat pauses. “Pink flip flops too.” She said smiling.

“That's a lot of pink.” I added as I reached down and looked at the price tag. My eyes almost popped out of my head. One hundred and twenty dollars for this. This was insane! This was totally insane! This was madness. I was just about to shove the suit onto the racks and walk away when Aunt Cat walked around me, saw the price tag and smiled a little as she reached into her purse and pulled out a small golden card.

“Hailey. Don't worry about money. Your uncle gave me his debit card. Your uncle and I have sixteen birthdays to make up. This is just one. So go ahead and go hog wild.” She said, smirking a little. A few moments later she was guiding me to a different area of the store. I soon found myself surrounded by formal dresses that were both beautiful and colorful.

“Okay, it's close to four o' clock now. So we don't have much time to shop for dresses. And Piccadilly is about to set out for dinner in about an hour. And we have a two hour drive ahead of us.” Aunt Cat warned. “I guess we can squeeze in another hour so we can buy you a few extra things.” She said, sighing. “Have any idea what kind of dress you want to wear?”

“Something that sparkles and is strapless?” I said blushing a little. “And that pink too! Coral pink!” I added and aunt cat blinked and blinked again, I felt she was debating on either smiling, laughing or throwing up her hands in defeat.

“Strapless! Hailey girl. I'm sorry to say this, but this is not the time to go strapless. I can sew you a little padding to fill out the bathing suit.. but.. in order for you to fill out a strapless stress your going to need something to fill them out. Like some breast foams and finding something like that here in this small town is like finding an ice cream truck in hell.”
I blinked.

“An 'ice cream truck in hell' what does that even mean?” I said as I started to look at the dresses they offered most of them ranged from the one hundred to two hundred dollar rang. I was starting to get the fever it seemed, the shopping fever. “Oh and I'm going to need a new pair of shoes to go along with this dress too! And a new outfit for my dinner date with the Stoners.” I paused. “A southern belle can't be seen wearing the same thing twice!” I added.

“Right..” Aunt Cat said as she watched me pull one dress off the rack behind the other. “It means it's almost impossible to find something like that in this town. We'll need to go into Jackson or Ridgeland or Pear to find something like that. I would say Greenwood. But Greenwood is smaller than Greenville, and I would suggest Vicksburg, but Vicksburg is a hundred and twenty miles away.” Aunt Cat said as she watched me shop.

“Oh heck, I forgot about buying you some bras and panties too.” She added. “I wish we had more time. I would love to take you to the Victorian Secrets they have here and get you fitted for a bra.” She said, sighing. “Damn. So much to do and so little time.” She said, settling down into a nearby seat.

“Oh don't worry. If you get tired I can drive us back home.” I said, smiling a little. “Plus the mall does not close till nine anyway. We still have plenty of time to get everything done.” I said and a small smile. And with that being said I pulled from the racks a strapless, pink satin dress that seemed to sparkle like a thousand jeweled stones when I held it up to the light.

“I guess we should buy you a strapless bra too.” Aunt Cat said with a sigh. “Since you are dead set on getting something strapless. I guess that's the style now. Just make sure it fits good, I don't want the dress slipping down and your forms falling out on stage. That would send the townsfolk running to the hills.” She said, grinning a little.

“That would be funny.” I said, smiling a little.

“Hailey, you have a weird sense of humor.” Aunt Cat said smiling as she shook her head. “If that's the dress you want, why don't you go ahead and try it on and then we'll go find you a pair of matching shoes. “

And with that I was ushered into the changing room. The changing room looked like something from the late eighties. It was small, smaller than a bathroom with barely room enough to turn around in. A full length floor mirror was provided but that was about it, there was no were to sit down. And it smelled, it smelled like plastic. The wallpaper too was starting to peel and the walls were covered with graffiti.

Now you would never expect a women's changing room to be covered with graffiti but this one was. And some of it seemed older than the earth. I had to pause and read some. One read. “ 'A' was here in the summer of two thousand and five.” I blinked and for a moment I wanted to know who this 'A' was. Another one read “Greenville Homecoming Queen Lily Anna Golden brought her gown here. Go class of ninety ninety nine!”

And the most twisted one of all read. “Little Peter can lick your pussy like an ice cream cone!” At that moment I wanted to know who this 'Little Peter' was. And why he was so good at licking ice cream. After spending too many seconds thinking about this more than any sane person should, I returned to the task at hand, trying on the bathing suit.
I'm not going to lie, it was a trick, the skirt part was simple enough. You just slip that one. The problem was trying to tie the top. I found you had to tie the strap around your back first before tying the ones that looped around your neck. But finally I managed to get it done.

“Oh Hailey girl!” Cried Aunt Cat. “You gotta see what Lavender Stone has done now, she gone put her foot in her mouth.” She said from outside the changing room. “Here girl, let me read this post she just posted on Facebook to you.” She cleared her throat. And then she started. “Major update on the Dunking Booth attraction that is going to run from mid Saturday morning to early Saturday afternoon. Hailey, the newest girl on the block, has volunteered to take the whole four hour shift in the dunking booth. As you guys know, Hailey Sharbrough is one of the famous Sharbroughs who's folks founded this town. “

“Okay.” I said blinking.

“Girl what she did is call you out. Pretty much given how many people are liking that post. And are sharing it, half the damn Delta will be expecting to see your pretty little self sitting in that tank. If you don't show up. There's a lot of talking going on.” Aunt Cat said.

I smiled a little.

“So.” I said stepping out. “Take a picture of me and post it on your Facebook account. Just like you did before and show them I'm not going to back down.” I said as I dropped my hands to my side. I then smiled a little and placed my hands upon my hips and stuck out my chest. I then turned my head a little and tried to act like I was going to wink. It took Aunt Cat a minute to catch on to what I was doing. But once she did, a smile a mile long formed upon her face. And a moment later she had snapped her photo. In fact she snapped a few dozen.

“Okay! Good thinking girl. Your a chip off the old block!” She said smiling as she watched the photos being uploaded to the internet. “Okay here what I'm going to add to the bottom. 'Shopping for a brand new bikini with my lovely niece Hailey Sharbrough at the Greenville Mall. Hailey has volunteered to staff the dunking booth at the first ever Sharbrough's Landing Festival. Come out and support her this coming Saturday. Five dollars for three throws, ten dollars to go up and press the button. All money raised goes toward the brave men and women of the Sharbrough's Landing volunteer Fire Department.'” She spoke each word out loud as she typed them on her phone. She then pressed enter and smiled.

A few minutes passed, and Aunt Cat kept her eyes glued to her phone. In the meantime however I walked back into the changing room and tried on the sparkling coral pink dress. Once I had wiggled my way into the dress, I walked back out and smiled as I peered toward my Aunt Cat who understood right off the bat what I was aiming for. Quickly she snapped a few more photos and like before she uploaded them to Facebook. Again she started to type out a message to go along with the shared photos. “Also, my lovely niece Hailey Shabrough has signed up for the first ever Sharbrough's Landing Beauty Pageant. Come out and support her. The event starts at five in the evening. Admission is five dollars. The winner will be crowned at five thirty. All money raised will again go toward support Sharbrough's volunteer Fire Department.”

I felt myself starting to smile a little. Aunt Cat smiled too as she pressed another button a few seconds later she said in something of a boasting tone of voice. “And posted. Now, lets get these two things paid for. We still need to get you some matching shoes, for both the dress and the bikini.”
“And a bra..” I added. “And another outfit for the dinner date with Mrs. Stoner this coming Saturday.” I added.

“Perfect.” Aunt Cat said smiling. “That means we have a week to get you squared away.”

I blinked and tiled my head.

“I have nine days to teach you how to walk in heels, girls. And trust me, when I'm done with you, walking in three inch heels will be second nature. You'll move with such stunning grace those old farts sitting behind the judges stand would never in a million years come to believe you were born a boy. Hell, you'll sweep them and other girls clean off the stage. Once you're crowned, all the wind would be taken out of that woman's sails. Right now we got her in check, soon it's going to be a mate.” Aunt Cat was rubbing her hands together and grinning like a Chester cat.

I blinked. I was a bit lost for words.

“In nine day's well get your name legally changed. Then we'll get you crowned queen of Sharbrough's Landing. You'll make a darn good name for yourself volunteering for the dunking booth. Get your name all in the papers. I'll make damn sure the Sarah Jason of the Yazoo Herald is there to cover your time both in the dunking booth and get a stunning photo of you getting crowned.”

I blinked again.

“Then I’m going to sign you up to play Dotty in the monthly Dotty Fundraiser. That's going to get your name in the Yazoo Herald again and make you  even more famous. And with your name about to be legally changed from Casper to Hailey. Well let’s just say that Mrs. Stoner is soon going to find herself up Jones creek without a paddle.”

“Aunt Cat, you scare me sometimes.” I said with a small smile. “But that's why I love you.”

“Delta Politics girl. Heck, I might even give Charlie Lightgap a buzz. He's the editor and chief of the Deer Creek Pilot. I'll have him cover the celebration too.” Aunt Cat paused. “In fact I think I will give him a call tomorrow morning.”

It was there and then it dawned on me. I was lost as a goose. I was totally out of my element. And I had only one hope for salvation. And that was to lean on Aunt Cat and Uncle Sidney and hope like hell they could use their connections to see me through the perils that lay ahead. Also another thought entered into my head. I wanted George Stoner to lick me like an ice cream cone too.

I was lost as a goose when it came to picking out a pair of high heel shoes that would match the gown I'd picked out. Thankfully my aunt was there to help. It took her just under fifteen minutes to pick out a pair of coral pink shoes that went well with the dress. And as kind of an after thought she tossed in a pair of pink flip-flops. Once those two items were in hand, we made our way to one of the checker stands. The sales woman, a woman who seemed to be in her mid fifties, a woman who had salt and pepper colored hair just smiled and scanned each item. My eyes almost popped out of my head as I saw how much each item cost.

“Okay.” She said, still smiling. No doubt she gets paid a commission. “Your grand total comes to three hundred dollars and fifty three cents.” She said as her nimble fingers glided across the keyboard. “Would that be cash, debit, credit or would you be putting it on your store card today?” She asked.

A soft, low whistling sound escaped my lips as I peered toward my aunt who just shrugged her shoulders. Smiling a little she removed her purse straps from her shoulder and placed her fire red purse down upon the provided table. She unzipped the purse and reached in and pulled out her black leather wallet. A few seconds later she was pulling out a small, plastic card that was gold in color.

“Like I said, girl. Sixteen birthdays.” She said smiling. “That's only the first four. I still gotta make up for twelve more.” She added, still smiling. The sales woman raised an eyebrow. I'm sure she wanted to say something. Instead she said nothing and with her nimble fingers she entered the information that had been printed on the front of the card before flipping it over and entering the information that had been imprinted on the back. After a few tense minutes a paper receipt that seemed a mile long came zooming out of the small black printer that was located right beside the computer. The sales woman tore the paper out and handed it to my aunt.

“Thank you two lovely ladies for shopping with us today. Here is your receipt.” She said as she placed the items in a big plastic band and handed the items to me. “Have a nice evening and please come back to see us.”

“Thank you.” I said smiling as I reached out and took the bag from the sales woman. A few minutes later Aunt Cat and I were walking back down the concourse of the mall. With each step I took, the more I noticed that for a small, rustic mall located in the heart of the Delta. The mall sure seemed to be teeming with life. As we walked we passed Diamond Jim's Arcade which I'm going to assume is the last of a dying breed. Then we passed a Books a Billion, a chain of small, discount regional bookstores that always seem to find a home in the small, rustic malls of America. I was tempted to step in and ask the sales clerk to see if they had a copy of Chronicles of Sea Breeze in stock. Chronicles of Sea Breeze was an Isakai inspired novella that had been written by my cousin. Who I'm told was like me, I also heard she was working on a sequel called Chronicles of Sea Breeze: The Battle of Sand Hill. And a spin off called Chronicles of Sea Breeze: Side Stories.

“Hey Aunt Cat.” I said pointing toward the bookstore. “Do you think we have enough time to swing inside that book store and see if they have a copy of Chronicles of Sea Breeze in stock?” I asked as I pointed toward the bookstore.

“Honey.” Aunt Cat said, taking a deep breath. “We are already pressed for time. I don't think we have time to pop into that bookstore and look for that book. We still need to get you fitted for a brat.” Aunt Cat paused and then she rolled her eyes. “Then again I suppose if you hurry we can squeeze everything in.”

“I'll be right back!” I said as I dashed in. I was lucky. I'd managed to snag the last copy they had. The total for the book came to twenty two dollars and thirty seven cents. I paid in cash and rushed out with my new book and smiled as I jumped in front of Aunt Cat who looked like she wanted to box my ears.

“That only took fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes we don't have.” She said as she reached down and pulled me down the mall. I wanted to say something but Aunt Cat seemed to be in one of her rare foul moods. She often became snappy when she was hungry. And judging by the way she was acting she must have been famished. A few minutes later she was pulling into a very old looking Victorian Secrets one that looked like it had seen better days.

“Good evening ladies.” A kind saleswoman said as we entered the shop. “How may I help you?”

“My niece is kind of a late bloomer.” Aunt Cat said, taking a deep breath. “And she volunteered for our town's dunking booth. And her bikini kind of flat on her. I was wondering if you might have some breast forms or something. And she needs a bra too. Three matching bra and panty sets.” Aunt Cat said. In a very brusque tone of voice.

“Oh okay!” The saleswoman blinked as she peered toward me and my Aunt Cat. “Is there a price range we should say in?” She asked.

“We don't want to spend too much. Because according to her doctor she might bloom soon. She is just a late bloomer. Something that looks real, feels real and can get wet.” Aunt Cat stated.

“Okay..” The saleswoman then shifted her attention away from Aunt Cat and toward me.

I blinked and blinked again.

Thirty three minutes later I was the proud owner of four bras, one was white, one was pink, one was red and the last one was yellow and four matching panties. I also had some breast foams that would give me a solid ' C ' Cup bust. It was then I reminded Aunt Cat I needed another outfit for my dinner date with the Stoners. Aunt Cat blinked and sighed and dragged me back to Belk's.

This time she handled the dress, I could tell hunger was starting to gnaw on her like a hungry dog gnaws on a bone. It was scary how well she knew my size, without saying a word she picked out a flattering cocktail dress that was black in color and added some black heels. And a pair of black stockings.

“Were going semi-formal here because I want that bitch to see you as a woman and not a confused little boy dressing like a woman.” She said with a grin. “Also I know you’re sweet on her son. So I'm going to clue you in on something girl. Boys love a girl in a little black dress. This dress is semi-formal, but it's also short enough to be a bit risque and a bit flirty. Add in heels and you will have that boy eating out of the palm of your hand.” She said grinning. “And when I get done styling your hair and doing your make-up. George Stoner will be following behind you like a love sick puppy and that fox of a mom of his will be catching flies in her open mouth.”

I blinked and blinked again. Unsure what to say.

“Just be sure to use a condom your first time.”

I blinked and blinked again. Very unsure what to say.

“Aunt Cat.” I said, taking a deep breath.

“Oh come off it girl. I've seen the way you look at George Stoner. And you're young, you can afford to flirt and have fun. In fact I want you to flirt and have fun with all the Delta boys. Just be sure he uses a condom before he slips it into you.” Aunt Cat said, smirking.

I felt my cheeks turn a beat red. I could not believe we were having this conversation here and now. I mean I expected to have this conversation at some point in time. I was beyond shocked that Aunt Cat would bring this subject up now, and in public of all places!

“Anyway we'll talk more over dinner.” Aunt Cat said with a small smile as she reached up and pulled me toward the nearest cash register. The woman behind the stand was the same woman from before.

“Back again I see.” Her eyes then traveled toward the pile of clothing that Aunt Cat held in her hand. “More shopping?” She asked as she started to ring the items up.

“Yes, we forgot a few things..” Aunt Cat's eyes then went wide as saucer plates as she snapped her fingers together. “Could you throw in a basic make-up kit too? Just something simple. My niece is just starting to experiment with make-up and she is still quite the novice.”

“Sure..” The saleswoman said a little taken back at the request. “We have several kits already put together. Should I keep it within a certain price range?” She asked as she scanned each item.

“Just the basic kit, nothing too fancy, just something that contains the most basic of items.” Aunt Cat said with a shrug of her shoulders.

The woman nodded her head and smiled and then she did something that totally surprised me, she stepped away from the check stand and walked toward the make-up counter. She returned a few moments later with a brown, leather case. She smiled and scanned the barcode. A seconds later the total popped up on the screen. “Okay your total is one hundred and sixty five dollars and eighteen cents.”

Once more aunt Cat paid for everything using uncle Sidney credit card. A few moments later a paper receipt was handed to me along with two large shopping bags. Aunt Cat smiled and whistled a little tune as she then led me out of Belks.

“All in all.” She said as she made our way toward the Piccadilly that was located at the front of the mall. For those who don't know. Piccadilly is a cafeteria that is known for serving southern favorites. They are best known for their fried chicken, a stable at any southern table. It also seemed it was the only place in the mall that served hot food. The Greenville mall, being a rustic mall, lacked a food court.

“All in all what?” I asked as I peered toward Aunt Cat.

“All in all its been a good day.”

And I had to agree with her. It had really been a good day. Well to wrap this chapter up. Aunt Cat and I had a lovely dinner. She got the chopped steak with french style green beans and mashed potatoes that seemed to be drowned in gravy. And I got the chicken tender meal, that included five huge chicken tenders that had been breaded and fried to southern perfection. My sides included a side of collar greens and black eye peas. And around four, homemade yeast rolls. We both had tea to drink, sweetened of course. A peaceful silence had fallen between Aunt Cat and I and it lasted till we were halfway through our dinner.

“Hailey.” Aunt Cat said, taking a deep breath. “I didn't mean to embarrass you earlier with our little talk. But as a woman you need to know these things. Just because you can't get pregnant does not mean you can't practice safe sex.”

“Right.” I said, flushing a little.

“Plus with you being a special kind of girl. You need to be extra careful.” Aunt Cat as she finished off her sweet tea.

“Can we please talk about something else!” I said with a little too much pepper. And that is how this chapter comes to an end. Aunt Cat and I finished our dinner and she let me drive back home. Though as I drove us home. I started to wonder about the text that woman was sending and about Roy Percy warning. Something at the back of my mind was telling me that Lavender Stoner was cunning as a fox and had powerful allies. And also part of me wanted to know why my heart had settled on her son. The same boy who had bullied me in my youth. Of course the course of true love never ran straight as the old country song would say.

There was so much on the agenda. I had to get my name legally changed, then I had to get a new driver's drivers license with my new name and gender. And that would require a trip into Vicksburg. The name change would would require a trip into Yazoo City. Then it was the matter of my Social Security card again that would require a trip into Vicksburg. And the matter of my birth certificate, that would require a trip into Ridgeland.

So there was a lot of traveling ahead of me. All of that made my head spin. But it seemed that the cotton would come first. Uncle Sidney said we could work on one thing at a time. But the remaining bits of cotton needed to be hauled in from the fields. Once it was hauled in from the fields, the fields needed to be sprayed so the cotton stalks would wither and then they would be burned so wheat or soybeans or something could be planted. Plus there was still my looming date in the town's dunking booth and the looming dinner date with the Stoners.

All of these thoughts swirled around my head as I sat in the kitchen, munching on a toasted bagel. Breakfast was light, one fried egg, one toasted bagel, and three strips of turkey bacon, with a mug of builders tea to wash it all down with. I was slowly weaning myself off coffee. And so as I sat there, sipping my cup of tea, picking at the remains of my bagel, I felt more dead than alive.

Then my Aunt Cat came storming into the kitchen. She looked like a mad woman, with her hair sticking out in all directions and her old work blouse splattered with bits of paint. I looked at her for a moment and she looked at me. No she stared at me for a long time, like this was her first time seeing me. She then snapped her fingers together.

“Hey! Hailey!” She said as she rushed toward the table and smiled as she slammed her open palms upon the table. She slammed them down with such force that the plastic salt and pepper shaker rocked around and my plate even started to shake a little.

“Good morning to you too.” I said smiling.

“How would you like to make an easy, twelve hundred dollars this morning?” She said grinning. “Cash money, paid in full, twelve one hundred dollar bills placed in the greedy palm of your teenage hands.” She said as she peered at me.

“Who would I need to murder?” I asked as I titled my head.

“No I need another live model for my newest painting. It's called 'The Los Vegas Bunny Girl' and I need a live model for my painting.” She said as she eased her bottom down in the chair in front of me. “And you're just perfect. I mean you've modeled for me before. And that painting turned out really well. Plus if you do this model job for me, I'll even give you two free prints of the painting.” Aunt Cat said as she peered across the table at me.

I blinked and blinked again.

“Did you just say bunny girl?”

“Yes, bunny girl.”

“Twelve hundred dollars?”

“Yes. Cash money. Since we still need to sort out your bank account. I mean right now your bank account is in your old name. We need to get that changed. Get you a new account in your new name. And get a new bank card issued to you using your new name as well. Also your mom and dad sent you some allowance money from Europe. They said something about staying a little longer since it seems your mom's been blessed by the Gods and won a bit more money. I think they're in Spain right now. Your dad is thinking about going to Rome to see the Pope or something.” Aunt Cat said with a shrug.

“The Pope?!” I said blinking as I nearly choked on my bagel. “Why? What has he become Catholic now?!” I said my eyes went as wide as saucer plates.

“I have no idea. Anyway they sent over around two thousand Euros. That is around twenty one hundred dollars. Paypal kept around forty dollars.” Aunt Cat shrugged her shoulders. “Anyway , back to the subject girl. You want the modeling job or not. Cause I can always get somebody else in the village to do it.” Aunt Cat said as she leaned back in her chair. “I just thought I'll offer it to you first.”

I took a deep breath. Becoming a girl had one thing, modeling for Aunt Cat had been another. But a bunny girl suit? I felt my cheeks flush with color. But, maybe there was a golden opportunity here. I'd just made a Facebook account a day or so ago under my new name of ' Hailey Sharbrough' along with an Instagram Account. And well I only had two friends, my crush, possible boyfriend George Stoner was one and my aunt Cat, who was quickly becoming like a mother too me. In fact you can say she had stepped into that role. Along with uncle Sidney who after a rocky start with me had started to become like a second father figure to me.

“Sure.” I said blushing as I looked around. “Would you mind taking a few photos of me so I could post them on my new Facebook account?” I asked

Aunt Cat blinked and blinked again and smirked a little as she leaned across the table. With nimble hands she reached down and picked up the remaining strip of turkey bacon from my plate and with a smirk she started to munch on up.

“Sure.” She said, “Trying to entice George Stoner with a little sexy cosplay?” She teased.

I blushed, giggled and reached up and moved a few strains of my hair back and tucked it behind my ear.

“I take that giggle to be a yes.” Aunt Cat said, smiling a little as she stood up and yawned.

“Okay go ahead and get a shower. I know you showered yesterday before our little ladies day out in Greenville. But you still need to shower, be sure to shave under your arms, your nether region, and your legs. And just touch up. Wash and condition your hair. Once that is done, go to your room. I'll have the outfit laying out for you. Once you put on the outfit. Just come down to my studio and I'll have you pose sexy for a few quick photos. You can then upload those photos to your Facebook account. Once that done, you'll pose for me and I'll finish my painting.”

“Sure.” I said as I stood up from the table and walked toward the kitchen sink. I ran some hot water over my plate and washed it off and then placed it in the drainboard to dry.

“I know you have a dinner date with the Stoners tomorrow.” Aunt Cat said as she watched me go about the chores.
“Right. Where to some place called 'The Cow Pen' . It's kind of a fancy looking steakhouse just outside of Greenville, on the Arkansas side.” I said as I went to leave the kitchen.

“Right. And next week you volunteered to staff the dunking booth and do the beauty pageant. So the weekend kind of tied up.” She said, taking a deep breath. “Anyway what I was driving at. Sometime next week, you and I need to make a point to travel to Yazoo City to have your name changed at the CourtHouse. Then we need to make a point to travel to Vicksburg to get your Social Card  updated.” Aunt Cat paused. “That one trip to Vicksburg. We'll need to make another trip to get your driver's license updated . I took a chance by letting you drive back home last night. I mean I feel safe if your driving one these back roads and stuff.” Aunt Cat paused at this point as if she was trying to collect her thoughts.

“Maybe even driving to Vicksburg and in Vicksburg. But not to Yazoo City or in Yazoo City.” She said with a sign. “Anyway we'll cross those bridges when we come to them.”

“You worry too much Aunt Cat.” I said smiling as I left the kitchen. “I'm sure everything is going to work out just fine. Sure Mrs. Stoner is acting like a bitch right now. But like you said, we're going to work her into a social corner. She won't know what hit her. And George, once he sees these photos. I'm sure I'll have to beat him off of me with a baseball bat.” I said giggling.

It took me around thirty minutes to shave under my arms, my legs, and to wash and condition my hair. Once that was done I toweled off and  wrapped  a towel around me and started toward my room. As I pushed open my door, I noticed that sitting on my bed was an oblong shaped box. I titled my head a little to the side, confused about what could have been in the box. Then I remembered the costume and so without giving it a second thought I lifted the top to the box and peered down.

The minute I lifted the top to the box, my breath was almost taken away. Laying in the bottom of the box was an black, faux leather leotard that seemed to almost shine in the light of my room. A pair of white cuffs. And a bunny ear headband. I carefully removed each article of clothing. Slowly I laid them out, my cheeks starting to glow as I looked over each item. The last item I picked out was a pair of faux, leather pumps.

I took a few steps backwards and peered at the items that were spread out on my bed. I'm not going to lie to you, I was starting to have second thoughts about this whole thing. But then I decided to hell with it. You only pass through this world once and you might as well make it count for something. And so I dropped my towel on the floor and took a deep breath.

And with that I started to get dressed. Without thinking I slipped on the dancing belt that smoothed out my front. A few moments later I'd managed to slip on the tight, form fitting leather leotard that seemed to hug my body. It hugged my girlish hips and highlighted my hourglass frame that was slowly starting to develop. The leotard was padded, and so once I slipped in the breast foams, it made it seem like I was a well developed girl, instead of a curvy twig.

I took a deep breath and smiled as I reached down and picked up the bunny ear headband. Smiling, I placed the headband upon my head. I then slipped on the leatherette shoes and with butterflies floating around in my tummy I started toward the full length mirror. Without thinking, I reached down and picked up my phone. And then without thinking I'd started snapping a few photos.

I snapped at least a half dozen photos. All the photos showed an amazing, stunning, alluring, and dare I say it, a sexy girl. The kind of teenager who oozes self confidence and seems to have all of her stuff together.

And so I snapped away. Finally after getting about a dozen photos, I decided to upload them to my newly created Instagram account and Facebook account. After that was done, I put my phone down and started to walk toward my aunt's studio. As I walked I made sure to switch my hips from side to side. I still need to practice walking in high heel shoes. As I reached the bottom step, I paused and peered toward the heavens. Oh what would mom and dad say now? Not only has there once timed, shy and reserved son become a girl. But a girl who just oozes self confidence and has landed herself a boyfriend. I bet they would flip their collective shit.

And so that how another chapter in my life comes to an end.

I took a deep breath as I peered out the car window. The sight that greeted me was nothing but flat, rolling fields that seemed to stretch far beyond the horizon. The Mississippi Delta was flat as a board. As I released my drawn in breath I shifted my eyes toward the woman seated beside me. Her name was Lavender Stoner and she was less than thrilled to have me along for the ride. I could say the same for her. Sitting next to her was like sitting next to a junkyard dog.

“So, Like I was saying. This year is going to be a bumper crop. We'll need to hire some extra hands to haul all the cotton in. And the price of cotton at all time high right now.” Mr. Stoner, who was driving, said aloud. I could tell he was trying to break the uncomfortable silence that had fallen over us since leaving Sharbrough's Landing about an hour ago. 

I nodded my head. The last thing I wanted to talk about was business, and farming. But it seemed the only thing Delta men wanted to talk about besides farming, was either farming or fishing. I knew nothing about hunting and fishing was soul withering to me. So I mostly tuned out what Mr. Stone had to say about that. Lavender though, like the cruel bitch she was, seemed to enjoy my discomfort.

You see, I had hoped to spend the hour and two hour car ride from Sharbrough's Landing to Lake Village, a small hamlet located on the Arkansas side of the Mississippi River right across from the bustling river port of Greenville, sitting next to my crush, possible boyfriend George Stoner.

Instead I'd ended up sitting across from his mother, the wicked Lavender Stone while George rode up front with his father. Thus dashing away my hopes of getting to spend two hours flirting with George and teasing him and maybe even showing him pictures of me posing in the risque bunny girl costume I'd worn yesterday for my aunt. I'd taken a number of pictures of myself, striking very suggestive poses with him in mind and I was just dying to see his reaction to them. Call it wicked, but I wanted to see if I could make him hard. I just wanted to see if I was that much of a woman.

“So.” Lavender said as she peered out the window. Right now we were passing through some small Delta town called Leland. Leland was one of the many small hamlets that dotted the Delta landscape. The one claim to fame, and the only thing the city had going for it was that it was the birthplace of Jim Henson, the guy who made famous because of Kermit the Frog. The town even claimed that Kermit the Frog had been born on the banks of Deer Creek that ran through town. 

“So.” Lavender said again as she shifted her attention toward me. “How are you settling in Hailey?” She asked.  “I'm sure Sharbrough's land must seem like the ends of the earth compared to where your from.” She said, narrowing her eyes at me.

I blinked and shifted my attention away from the row of mom and pop shops we were passing as we traveled through the heart of Leland. “Hmm?” I said tilting my head to the side as I peered toward Lavender. Again my hopes of spending the whole trip in silence had been dashed. 

“I'm enjoying it.” I said, taking a deep breath. “It's nice to, too, spend some time among my fathers people. I've enjoyed learning about the history.” I said, being careful to choose my words wisely.

“Really?” Lavender said as she smirked a little. “Oh I'm glad you're enjoying it. And I'm so glad you could join us. I could use a little female company. You know George and hubby all they want to talk about is fishing, hunting, and football.” 

“Oh I'm glad I could join you.” I said smiling and then I decided to risk throwing a little dirty into the eyes of the woman who it seemed hell bent on making my life a living hell. Because you know, why not? This whole dinner date had been her idea to begin with.

“I mean.” I said, smiling a little. Then I saw a glimmer of fear in her eyes. It did me good to see that small glimmer of fear in Lavender Stoner's eyes. Maybe the truth was starting to dawn on her, maybe she was starting to come to the understanding that she had screwed over the wrong girl. I might have been born in the city, but my Aunt Cat was schooling me in the subtle art of Southern Belle politics.

“I mean it was just a crying shame that our little ice cream social fell through at the last minute. I was so looking forward to spending the afternoon with you and all your friends. And of course, getting to know your wonderful son a little better.” I said with a small smile.

“Hey mom!” George said with a grin a mile long. “We can still have it. I mean, It would be a perfect chance for Hailey to meet all my friends. Plus, if Hailey is going to go to Sharkey-Issaquena Academy next year, she needs to be properly introduced to her classmates. Like kind of like a welcome to the class type of celebration.” 

“I think that's a wonderful idea son.” Walker Stoner said as he threw in his two bits. “It's good to have more young people in the village.” He added.

Lavender fumed; it seemed I'd pinned her into a corner. 

“Of course.” Lavender said. “Hailey, what is your favorite type of ice cream?” She said as she raised an eyebrow and shot me a look that could have turned a Gorgon into stone. If that is even possible. I countered with the way I knew how by acting demure. 

“Cookies and Cream are my favorite flavors.” I said smiling. “I can't have too much though, I'm watching my waist. Aunt Cat has me on this strict diet you see. Since It seems I'm her best model, I gotta keep my slim waist.” I paused. “But I'm sure I can break my diet just this once.” 

Truth be known. Aunt Cat could care less what I ate or how much I ate. The only thing she really cared about was her painting and my well being. But I'm going be real with you. Housework burns a shit ton of calories. And Aunt Cat was never one to shy away from giving me chores. I was always doing something around the house, sweeping, mopping, dusting, cleaning out closets, hauling stuff to town dumb for her. Then it was rushing to and fro to the field to check on uncle Sidney and his crew of hired hands. Bringing them fresh water to drink and sometimes even a pitcher of fresh homemade lemonade. 

Then it was cooking, aunt Cat had taken it upon her thin shoulders to show me the ins and outs of the kitchen. And nine times out of ten once I'd cooked a full meal, I was often too tired to enjoy it. Also, my bad habit of snacking on junk food, such as pizza, hot pockets, chips and soda had been replaced with snacking on more fruits, such as apples, oranges, carrots, and even steamed broccoli florets. 

All of this meant that I was slimming down. In a good way mind you. I'd noticed my natural girlish looks were starting to develop a bit more. My waist was starting to become narrower and my hips wider. I was starting to develop that fable 'Hourglass' figure. That each southern belle prayed, wept, and toiled for. 

All of these thoughts swirled around my head as a peaceful silence fell over the car. The silence lasted for a good twenty minutes, long enough for us to leave Leland and drive through the outskirts of Greenville, and cross over the old, Mississippi River bridge. I know this because I spied through my window a sign that read. “Welcome to Arkansas” Below that read “The nature state.” and a again under that “Buckle up for Safety” a reminder to all that wearing your safety belt could indeed save your life. Or something along those lines.

“I'll be sure to buy at least a carton of Cookies And Creme then.” Lavender said as she shifted her gaze toward the window. “How about the Saturday after next?” She said as she threw out a possible date.

“Sounds good! Don't forget this time.” I said smiling as I peered toward Lavender. 

“Oh! That right this coming Saturday we have that Sharbrough's Landing Day's Celebration right?” George said as he turned around in his seat and peered toward me with a smile. “And Hailey, you volunteered to staff the dunking booth right?” 

“Yep!” I said blushing as George gave me his full attention. It seemed word of me volunteering to staff the dunking booth was spreading like a wildfire through the region. I'd noticed a drastic upturn in the number of friend requests I was getting once Most of those friend requests seemed to be spam. But many belonged to accounts of people who lived and worked around the village.

“I hope the water is really cold..” Lavender muttered under her breath as she noticed George seemed to be looking me up and down and judging by the look that was twinkling in his eye, he was liking what he was seeing. I'm going to say it again. I had been slowly developing a curvy figure since deciding that Hailey was not just a persona I'd adopted on a whim. I mean that had been my biggest fear going into this, that I'd been somehow bullied into being Hailey by my aunt Cat. 

“Oh I'm sure it's going to freeze. John Bowman donated around seven hundred pounds of ice to dump into the dunking booth. Sorry Hailey, but we gotta have the water freezing. Gotta give the people what they paid for.” Walker Stone said from the front seat. “It was really nice of you to volunteer too.” He added as an afterthought.

“So.” George said, popping into the conversation. “Hailey, I totally forgot to ask, but you are going to be spending the rest of the year down here in the Delta right? I mean you are going to SIA next year right? Please tell me your aunt and uncle are not going to make you go to Manchester..”

“Manchester?” I said tilting my head to the side. I'm going to be honest with you. Right now I was a bit over my head. On one hand I had Lavender and Walker holding my date with the dunking booth over my head. And on the other hand I had George asking all sorts of questions that I really had no good answer for. 

I mean yes, I'm sure the matter of what school I'll go to would need to be settled. But it seemed so far away, or so far down the list of things that I need to take care of. I had so much to do, and there seemed to be so little time to do it. Time itself seemed like tiny grains of sand slipping through fingers. 

“Oh yes Hailey. Manchester is a super elite private school in Yazoo City. Only the true bourgeoisie of the Delta planters can afford to send their sons and daughters there. The rest of us poor farmers must make due with other academies. Because we all know the public school system of Mississippi is broken beyond repair.” Lavender said in an almost purring manner.
I winched a little at that comment. I could almost feel the venom in each and every word. I mean. Clearly Miss. Stoner was trying to pay me back for making me make good on her promise to host an ice cream social in my honor.  The men of course seemed utterly clueless of the battle of wits being fought between Miss. Stoner and I.. George bless his heart just shrugged his shoulders and Walker kept his mouth shut and his eyes zoomed in on the road.

“Almost there.” Walker Stoner said smiling. “Man, I can almost taste that steak, and Hailey doesn't worry about anything. All this is one me, my treat.”

“Hey dad, do you think I could try that Cow Pen Steak Challenge?” George said.

“Up to you son. If you want to spend seventy three dollars on a seventy two ounce steak, be my guest.” He said. “Oh and don't forget the six fried shrimp, salad, roll, and baked potato.” Walker Stoner said as he pulled the car into the gravel parking lot. 

It was then and there a twisted idea popped into my head... I have no idea what came over me, but the idea of swallowing a seventy two ounce steak, six gulf fried shrimp, that must be jumbo because you only fry jumbo size shrimp, a salad, dinner roll and a bake potato and keep it all down would be something that would keep Walker and George talking for days. And the more they talked about me, the more I'm Sure Lavender Stoner would forced sit there and grind her teeth as they sang my praise from here to the other side of heaven.