16TV FICTION CLASSICS

The naive boy assumed it had something to do with the setting process. Little did he know that it was purely a feminine way to cover up the rollers. Soon, both mother and son sported similar gaily-colored head coverings with assorted rollers and clips peaking out and making the kerchiefs bulge all over their heads.

Saturday morning was usually housecleaning day at the Taylor home. Alan was not unfamiliar with the duties, and he had been trained by his mother over the years that he should wear an apron to keep spills and dust off of his clothes. His mother was now glad that she had trained him this way over the years because it fit in well with her plan.

"Mom, where is my work apron?" Alan called as he searched in the kitchen closet. He had always worn an old, men's-style barbecue-type apron. It was quite worn from the two or three years of use.

"Oh? That old rag?" Mrs. Taylor replied. "I've cut it up for wash rags. Don't worry I'll find you something from my work apron collection."

Karen, being the hotel housekeeper for Amanda Richardson, had a whole closet full of uniforms. Mrs. Richardson was quite an eccentric at times, but she insisted on proper decorum from her housekeeper and maids at all times. In fact all the hotel employees wore new and stylish uniforms. Karen was even provided with an open account with a local seamstress which provided her with the highest quality of uniforms for every occasion. As she entered her closet, she already knew exactly which apron she was looking for.

"Here you are dear, it should fit you nicely, we are about the

same size.

"I can't wear that!" Alan declared as he looked at the garment that his mother was now holding up against his body. "It looks like a dress!"

"Nonsense-it's one of my standard work aprons. It will do nicely," Alan's mother stated as she unzipped the long zipper up the back of the gleaming white apron. Unlike the average apron, this one had a completely enclosed skirt, full front bodice and short cuffed sleeves. The only way that it may have differed from a jumper-style dress was that the back was more open from the yolk of the bodice to the lower back.

The skirt was of a dirndl design, much like a bell which flared from the hips then dropped straight down to just past the knees. It would limit the size of step the wearer could take. The hem of the skirt was trimmed with a pretty flounce of ruffled material. The same decorative material adorned the yolk of the bodice. Alan's years of helping do housework in an "apron" must have overrode his natural masculine aversion to donning such a basically feminine garment.

"This is silly," Alan grumbled as he submitted to his mother's instructions and stepped into the skirt which she held out for him

HAIR TODAY, GOWN TOMORROW -17 near the floor. However as she pulled the skirt up over his jeans it became impossible to pull up all the way to his waist because his jeans were too bulky at the hips.

"Of course-what am I doing?" muttered Mrs. Taylor to herself. "Alan, you can't fit this apron over jeans. Slip those jeans off, you don't need to dirty them, the apron will cover everything."

The boy continued to grumble but complied, not thinking ahead to realize that this "apron" when worn without trousers would truly appear to be a dress!"

With the jeans cast aside, Alan once more tried to step into the "apron". It went over his hips smoothly now but when he tried to put his arms into the short sleeves they ran into difficulties again. Alan's flannel, plaid shirt bunched up as he tried to push his arms through the narrow apron sleeves.

"Same problem again!" Alan's mother said to herself, "Karen. ..start thinking! Alan slip off that shirt, I'll get you something that's not so heavy." With well-staged self-disgust at her "forgetfulness" Mrs. Taylor once again went into her closet and returned with a shiny, yellow satin blouse (amazingly similar in color to Alan's kerchief.)

"Here, this is one of the tops that fits well with that uniform apron."

"Mom! I don't want to wear that! It'll make me look like a sissy. I'll just get one of my own light shirts," Alan complained. "Don't be silly. You won't look like any sissy! Are you planning to go somewhere before your hair dries anyway? Hmmm?" "Well...of course not...

"Well then, let's make use of the clothes that Mrs. Richardson buys rather than wear out the ones we have to spend our hard-earned money for, okay?"

Alan took to heart the "our hard-earned money" part of what she said. He knew that his mother worked fifty to sixty hours some weeks, while he hadn't had a job of any kind for months. Who was he to be picky!

"Okay, okay, I guess you're right," he finally conceded. The apron was pulled off his hips again as he removed his shirt. He was about to put one arm into the sleeve of the "top" when his mother said,

"No, silly, not that way, this way," she held the garment in front of him suggesting that he was to put both arms in at the same time. This was a back-buttoning blouse! Grimacing he complied and felt a shiver go through him as the cool, shiny material was draped over his arms and chest.

Quickly his mother stepped behind him and began to do up the twenty or so little pearl buttons that closed the back of the blouse. There was a little stand up collar on the blouse that buttoned at the side of his neck. Completing the back, Mrs. Taylor moved to the work on the cuffs of the sleeves which had five buttons each closing around the wrist snugly letting the rest of the sleeve puff outward to