TV FICTION CLASSICS "SANDY THOMAS with real boys. Knowing how some older tresses felt about real boys, I wasn't surprised that they would prefer to dance only with real boys! This brought up the problem of me needing an appropriate dress to wear. I seemed to waiver between being shocked at myself for thinking about such matters one moment, and the next moment drooling over some fashion magazine photo of a slinky cocktail dress. In any event, two weeks before the dance I called home, "Hi mom, it's Ken.

"Kenny! Oh, I've missed you so. How is school? Bet you lots of new friends, Right?"

"Hang on, mom. I'll tell you all about it the next time I see you, but right now I'm calling to ask you for a favor."

"What, dear?"

"Well...There's this dance in a couple of weeks.... "Yes..?" she said, making me come out and say it. "Well...you read the orientation material...remember what it said about tresses and how they would dress for dances?"

"Hmmmm...let's see. . .I can't quite remember.. ..something about dressing nicely," she was clearly teasing me, pretending not to know.

"Mom, I need a fancy dress." There, I said it.

"Oh...my baby," I could hear her voice cracking, like she was about to cry, "That's so sweet. Of course, I'll be there this Saturday morning to shop for a dress for you. Be ready at ten o'clock sharp, and make sure you wear nice underwear and high heels.'

"What? I'm not going out in a dress. Can't you just pick one up for me?" I stammered.

"Oh dear, Kenny, there's my ride to work. I have to run . . .see you Saturday, bye," she said quickly.

"Mom...,

," but it was too late.

What was she thinking??? That I would go outside the walls of this school dressed as a girl?! Fat chance. That evening, I discussed my dilemma with Michael. Well actually, it was half Michael, half 'Michelle'. He had his hair up in rollers, his eyemakeup was still on and he was lacquering his long fingernails. However, he was wearing one of his loose boys shirts, but the front was tied in a knot just below his ribcage. He also had on tight blue jeans that were kind of unisex, and his feet were bare, but exposing lacquered toenails! Anyway, it was Michael's voice coming from his mouth so I thought of him as my male roommate. (Things could get really confusing around here!)

"Listen, Ken, you mean to tell me that you don't think you could in any situation as a natural, and very pretty, girl?" he asked not pass looking up from his manicure efforts.

ACTING LIKE A GIRL -33

"I'd die, Michael! Someone would see through my disguise and I'd

die of embarrassment!"

Chapter 10, Mike's story.

Mike tells me his story.

"Bull! Let me tell you something girl," he said looking straight into my eyes. I could tell he was about to divulge some kind of inner secret to me. "I was just like you last year. I almost ran away. I'm the youngest of four kids, all boys. My older brothers are all big, strong and athletic. Can you imagine how I felt when my mother told me I was accepted into Rosemount and what that meant! Can you imagine, my first visit back home, when my mother insisted on having a formal Sunday family dinner with all the men in suits and mother and me in matching Sunday dresses and hairdos? I came down those stairs with tears in my eyes. I caught my reflection in the big hall mirror. I had on a billowy, knee-length, fullskirted linen dress in virginal white. It had three quarter sleeves and a Peter Pan collar. My hair had been set on rollers all morning (while I hid in my bedroom), then mother combed it out and swept it all up onto the top of my head held in place with several ivory colored combs. My ears had pearl earrings that matched my pearl necklace. All this was complimented with full makeup and nail polish. I was going down to meet my brothers, whom I spent years playing baseball with, going fishing with, and generally being 'the' younger brother! I was sure that they were going to fall over themselves laughing!! And...you know what happened?" He glared at me for a response.

"They died laughing...?" I said cautiously, not sure whether or not I should think it was supposed to be a funny story.

"No." Michael's voice was calm, almost as if he was reliving an unforgettably pleasant experience, "They were perfect gentlemen. I was speechless. They couldn't stop complimenting me on how great I looked. You'd think I was their long lost sister. I think that mother had many a long talk with them for weeks before I came. What she said must have impressed them. Later, Tim, my eldest brother took me aside and we had a heart to heart talk. Things he said started to make sense. He said that he realized that I had been treated as the family baby and seldom as an equal brother. They were jocks, while I most certainly was not. He was right; I realized that I had always felt like an outsider being allowed to 'play along' with them. Tim also explained that mother had confided in him (while crying) how lonely it had been for her, as a widow, raising four boys. She had always prayed for a daughter to share her life with, but father died and her hopes did too."

Mike continued, "When I was accepted into Rosemount, she felt reborn. It was during that conversation that my life changed. I shook off the guilt and embarrassment I had about dressing like a girl. I realized that