TRANSVESTIA

Margie was almost in tears and, since I supposed that it wouldn't really do any harm, I agreed. Betty's Mother was bowled over when she saw me. "Why, Margie, I'm astounded. It seems such a pity for anyone this lovely to be a boy. It really does." Betty went to get us cokes, Susan put on the record player, and we gabbed about the events of the evening until it was time to go home.

Later, before going to bed, I transferred all the clothing I had bor- rowed from Margie back to her room. Well, that is over with, I thought. That's the emd of my career in skirts. I had not taken into account Margie's propensity for practical jokes and did not know that even then a diabolical one was germinating in her mind.

During the next two or three months, several things happened. A couple of times Margie, Susan, and Betty ganged up on me pleading with me to bring back Jackie for an evening but I flatly refused. One reason was that I had met a girl named Gail who had really made me flip and we were going steady. I shuddered to think how she'd feel about it if she ever caught me wearing dreses. The school play had been a legitimate excuse. There was no excuse now.

It wasn't until late the following Fall that Margie dropped the bomb. She looked up from her breakfast one morning and said to me: "Jack, what are you doing a week from Saturday night?”

"I've got a date with Gail," I responded. "Why?"

"Well, I'm afriad that as a favor to me you're just going to have to cancel it. I've arranged a date for you with someone who is going to be visiting town for the weekend and who is very anxious to go out with you.'

"Aw, Maggie. Why did you do that? You know that Gail and I are going steady. It'll bust us up, if she catches me out with someone else."

"Suppose I promise you that Gail will never find out? Will you do it for me then, Jackie?"

"Oh, all right, I'll do it."

"Solemn oath?"

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