8-SCHOOLING IN SKIRTS

YOUR words," she reminded me. "At least you haven't got any facial hair to cover up. I'm sure you will start a beard any day. But we are going to have to do something about your legs." She left the room before I could continue the argument.

During breakfast, Kathy kept after me about her idea. "Look, Danny ... you don't have a costume idea of your own what's wrong with dressing like a girl for one night? It's just a costume. At least it's something we CAN do in one day, and no one will be able to say it isn't a clever idea.”

I swallowed the last of my juice. "Absolutely not, Kathy. There has to be a costume that won't set me up for more humiliation."

"Well, kiddo," she replied, "if you can think of something while I'm at the supermarket, I'll be happy to help you. Otherwise, I guess you WILL have to stay home tonight." She picked up her car keys and purse and left.

I sat at the kitchen table for what seemed like hours, trying to come up with a costume idea. Maybe my brain HAD finally failed. I wandered into the living room and turned on the TV. Maybe watching some mindless entertainment would help. Switching from station to station, I stopped at the movie channel. The movie was about a girl who masqueraded as a boy in order to enter a journalism contest after her teacher had said a girl's work wasn't good enough. I found it fascinating in spite of myself, and by the time Kathy got back from the market, I was beginning to think her idea wasn't half-bad.

As I was helping her put the groceries away, I tried to approach the subject gently. "Kathy, I've been thinking about it, and maybe your idea isn't so bad...May be we could just see what I'd look like?"

"It's settled then," she cut me off. "I think you're really going to enjoy yourself tonight." Kathy reached into one of the grocery bags and brought out a pink spray can. "We'd better start getting you ready." She led me into the bathroom and started spraying a creamy foam on my legs. "Wait five minutes before you take your shower... you have to give this time to work."

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CONTEMPORARY TV FICTION -9

As I stood there waiting for the time to pass, Kathy started playing with my shoulder-length dishwater blonde hair. "It's a good thing you kept putting off getting this cut," she said with a smile. "We can really give you a good looking hairstyle for tonight." She turned to leave. "Now, go ahead and shower while I pick out your clothes."

I turned on the water and stepped into the stall. As the warm water hit my legs, I was shocked to see that the hair was washing down the drain with the foam! I finished my shower, somewhat in a daze, and dried off. The towel felt really strange against my hairless legs, and I felt naked even though I was wearing my terrycloth robe.

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As I came out of the bathroom, I started to yell at her but Kathy came out of her room, took one look and said, "Oh, Danny, you have GREAT legs for a girl you are going to look FANTASTIC in a mini-skirt!" She motioned for me to come into her bedroom, where I saw that she had laid out an entire outfit for me, including lingerie, pantyhose, and a pair of black patent leather pumps with three inch heels. "This is going to work out great," she continued. I just stood there, stunned by the thought that soon I would be wearing the clothes I saw on her bed.

I looked at the strapped garment on the bed and said, "I'm not going to wear a bra. The guys will tease me if they find out." Kathy ignored my request and went to work immediately, removing my robe and fastening a bra around my chest. "This is a 'push-up' bra," she explained as she adjusted and positioned it. "These underwires and little plastic platform inside will take the fleshy part of your chest and hold it in place so that it will look like you have breasts. She stepped back to admire her work. "There. Now my little sister has boobs ... a girl your age shouldn't go around flat-chested." Next, she tossed a pair of high-cut bikini panties at me. "Here, put these on while I go plug in my hot rollers," she said as she headed out the bedroom door. "And tuck your male parts between your legs," she added.

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She returned seconds later and showed me how to put on a pair of beige pantyhose, rolling up the legs, sticking my feet into them, then unrolling the legs, one at a time, up to