RELUCTANT PRESS

I froze at her last remark and turned around.

"Come on Danny, did you really think that I did not know that you were a boy, a very pretty boy, but nevertheless a boy?"

"How long have you known?" I asked.

"Oh, right from the start. But don't worry, I thought it was fun and I do expect to see you again. Alone!"

She winked and pulled away from the curb.

I walked in the side door and called to Susie. She came racing down the stairs and stopped short when she saw me. "DANNY? Is that really you? My gosh, you're beautiful!" I began to blush again at Susie's exuberance. Feeling a little awkward and yet flattered, I did an ungraceful pirouette that made my hair and skirt flare out. Susie threw her arms around me and held me tight for quite a while. I loved every second.

"Will you still be able to help me get ready?"

"Oh sure, why not?" I asked, not thinking like a girl. Being all dressed up, most girls would not think of doing any work.

"Great! Mom, come see Danny!" Susie shouted.

Mrs. Wells came out of her bedroom and down the stairs. Without a word, she looked me over, front and back.

"I don't see any Danny here. I see our beautiful Danielle. You look wonderful. The hairdo and make-up suit you perfectly and that dress is just divine! Let me hug you."

She too wrapped her arms around me and held me close but I heard her whisper in my ear, "Later."

I had a pretty good idea what that meant and was relieved that my girdle kept my response from showing.

"I'm going to go shower. Be ready for me when I come out," Susie said to me. I remembered that she had a "hot" date that evening with the class president. She had finally broken up with that ass hole Jack. "Get my clothes ready. I'm going to wear my blue dress and I think it needs to be pressed. You can pick out whatever else I'll need," she added with a twinkle in her eyes.

So, Cinderella had returned to her chores for the wicked step-sisters, or so it seemed to me as I followed Susie upstairs to her room to get her clothes together. Sure enough, her blue linen dress had not been hung up properly and was

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RUFFLES & CURLES

By Kammi Morton

full of wrinkles. She would need a full slip so I picked a pretty white one from her drawer and took both items back downstairs to the kitchen. I was in the middle of setting up the ironing board when Mrs. Wales came in carrying two nightgowns, one blue and one pink.

"You can do these too while you're at it," she said, laying the gowns on the back of a chair. "Let me get you an apron, you certainly don't want to ruin your pretty new dress."

By the time the board was up and I had the iron plugged in and warming, she was back with an apron I had never seen before. Actually, it was a pinafore, flowered and with big lace ruffles all around the hems. As she helped me into it and buttoned up the back I could tell from the smell that it had never been worn before.

"There, just right," she said as she looked me over. "When I saw this in the store I knew that it would be perfect for you." "Thanks, Mrs. Wales," I felt I should say.

I started with the dress, knowing that it would take the longest and would need a lot of hot steam to smooth out the wrinkles. And then I would do the slip and nightgowns, which were still fun for me to iron.

"By the way, did your mother tell you about our arrangement for tonight?" Mrs. Wales asked as I worked on a particularly stubborn crease.

"Ah, no, she didn't."

"Well, I have to go out of town tomorrow for a meeting of the Garden Club so I won't be able to go to the shop tomorrow and I was too late to get it rescheduled for today. I understand that your mother is all booked up with a wedding party and will be working late."

"Yes, she told me she might not be home 'til ten." I had not known this when I had asked for the evening off and felt guilty not being there to help. But she had been able to get a friend from another salon to assist her.

"Anyway, we decided that you could set my hair tonight and she will stop by on her way to work in the morning to comb it out. She's such a dear. I hope you appreciate what a good mother you have. I'll have pizza delivered and we can send the evening together."

She patted my ass as she left the room.

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