RANSVESTIA

So tell me... could I really help it if I gradually began to adopt the mannerisms of a girl? Just from the long stories of Mrs. Weingarten and Mrs. Rosalia about her three daughters, I learned enough what a girl is supposed to do and how to act in different circumstances. Yes... I was being groomed into a demure, good looking, modest young lady, accomplished in all things feminine. And I just had no way of fighting it. It was just a fact of life that I had to accept.

On my 16th birthday, they had a party. Mrs. Weingarten had wanted to bring "a couple of young people," but I killed that in the bud real quickly. But the gifts were all feminine, without exception. Trinkets, from mother a beautiful little gold watch. She must have spent the entire dividend on the one stock she had on this. I had to promise her to wear it always. Mrs. Rosalia came with two of the cutest, frilliest pinafore aprons, with lots of ruffles at the hem and the shoulders and fine lace inserts. "Made them myself and they'll fit you just right. Well you know. We don't hurt any feelings in our house (except mine) so I wore one all evening. I must admit they were beautifully made, but this time I knew enough not to say so. A couple of times I had to put up with: "Doesn't she look sweet in it?" But I guess it could have been worse. It was obvious that they had com- pletely forgotten I was ever a boy.

Lately mother became more and more angry as I still refused to go on the streets with her or the other two women. But I managed to escape. I sure wasn't going to let anyone make a fool out of me in public... Right?

How wrong I was. It happened this way. I had made another two friends who knew me only as a girl. Two five-year-olds from the neigh- borhood a boy, Jimmy, and a girl, Debbie. One could often see them walking hand-in-hand, open-eyed, taking in all of the big world.

I was washing the windows at the time. Yes... outside and every other Saturday... and yes... I sort of had gotten used to this limited exposure in skirts and aprons. I could always quickly scoot in the house and nobody seemed to be looking anyway.

So one day a few months ago on a beautiful April day, Jimmy and Debbie stopped by.

"What are you doing," Jimmy asked, obviously the leader of the two.