The Incognito Parallel -17-

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Down in the valley...

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by Wanda Cunningham

Chapter 17
Owl and Pussycat

 
Chapter 17 - Owl and Pussycat
 

The night around the car seemed deep and wide and the moon in the Western sky looked like a boat. For a moment, I could imagine the Owl and the Pussycat from the song floating away across an ocean full of stars. Neither of us said anything for a long time.

I tried not to think too much on what had happened in the vacant lot across from the motel. Maybe I slept for awhile, though it couldn't have been very long. I woke up while we were going through some mountains. We started down a long hill into the Valley of the Rio Grande, according to a well-lit sign.

We began talking again a few miles from Las Cruces. Mom said a couple of times that we would get on the freeway there.

I looked out the window. "Isn't this the freeway?" I asked. The road stretched away across desert and farmland behind us and in front of us in two concrete and asphalt ribbons. It sure looked like a freeway.

Mom shook her head. "No, honey, this is just a divided highway. See? There are crossroads without overpasses or exits. In the next big town, we'll catch Interstate 10 and head into Arizona."

Her cold seemed a lot better, not so congested and she hardly coughed at all. On the other hand, I felt tired and sick and sad -- and grumpy.

She glanced at me sideways several times. "Want to stop and get something to eat?" she suggested.

"I guess," I said. I knew I should feel hungry but I didn't really want to eat. I kicked my feet where they dangled off the booster and the edge of the car seat. Sitting in the booster seat made me feel a little silly. I'm actually eleven even if I do look about eight and could pass for seven. As long as I keep my mouth shut.

"We'll get fast food," Mom decided, "then do some more shopping. Walmart will be open."

I thought about that for a bit. "Okay," I said. "I want a Happy Meal."

"Chicken?"

"Yeah," I said. "And a milk." A Happy Meal isn't a lot of food but it sounded about right.

"Okay."

I turned sort of sideways and looked at Mom. Her new hair made her look different. More daring, black with red bangs and a blonde streak on the side I couldn't see. She looked younger and could almost have been some high school girl. She didn't look like anyone's mom.

She saw me looking at her and grinned. "What's going on in your head, kiddo?" she asked.

"What are we going to call each other?" I asked. "I mean when anyone else is around?"

"Uh?" she said. "I dunno. What name did you tell the kids back there?" She meant the ones I had played baseball with in the last big town where we had bought the hair dye and clothes.

"Annie," I said. "But some of them called me Tinka, after the Tinker Belle hat I had on." One of my real names is Andrew and before we ran away, most people called me Drew.

She nodded. I'd told her that before but things got a little dramatic with the storm and the sirens and us leaving the motel in a hurry. "Annie is fine with me, easy to remember. Maybe we'll think of something better when we get to Martha's."

"Okay. What about you?" Mom's real name is Debra or Debi.

"Yeah, I dunno. I've always kind of liked Jennifer."

"You don't look like a Jennifer," I said. I couldn't imagine a Jennifer dying her hair three different colors.

She laughed. "Okay, what do I look like?"

"Something weird," I said. She laughed again. "How about Zoe?" I suggested.

She thought about it. "Annie and Zoe. What a minute, that sounds familiar somehow." The town had begun around us and the road had changed to be more like a freeway. "Annie and Zoe?" she repeated.

"Last name?" I said.

"Cooper," she decided. "Annie and Zoe Cooper, I guess. Do you think I could pass for a teen-ager?" She steered toward an exit to a sort of fast food oasis thing.

"No zits," I said.

"Oh, come on!" She laughed. "I never had zits!"

"That's good to know," I said and she laughed again. It felt good to make someone laugh.

Mom, or Zoe, took the exit and the McDonald's was just half a block down. We did the drive through thing and asked the lady at the window how to get to Walmart. It wasn't far away. "Let's go there and eat in the parking lot," Zoe suggested. I had to get used to thinking of her as Zoe.

We drove toward the town, which had even more trees than the previous one that was named after trees. The Walmart parking lot wasn't that crowded and we got to park pretty near the door. I used the Happy Meal box as a table and dipped my chicken and fries in the barbecue sauce and drank my milk. Mom, er, Zoe, had a fish sandwich and a diet cola and she stole some of my fries.

The meal came with a little toy in a plastic bag, a My Little Pony, all pink with a fluffy mane. "I've never got one of these," I said.

"You got the girl's Happy Meal this time," Mom pointed out.

"Oh, yeah," I said. "Wow, I would have really liked this when I was little."

Mom --Zoe!-- grinned.

I frowned a little to have admitted that, but something occurred to me. "Will they have horses at Martha's?"

"They did when I was there before you were born. But no little cute pink ones. Just big brown cowponies."

I stuck my tongue out at her grin. Well, if she was going to be my sister and tease me like one, I could do that, too. Anyway, we both giggled. "Did you ride one?"

"A couple of times. Scary. Horses are big. Tall, I mean. It's a long way to the ground." She thought about it. "And I was bigger then than you are now. I think I'd still be scared on top of one of those horses."

"I think it would be neat to get to ride a horse."

"We'll see," she sort of promised. "We may not be staying that long."

We finished eating, bagged all the trash and carried it to the door of Walmart to dump in the trashcan there. "Huh," said Mom once we were inside. "There's a McDonald's in here."

"Yes, miss," said the greeter, pointing toward it. "Most Walmart's have a Mickey D's inside now."

"Thank you," said -- Zoe. We both smiled at the greeter who looked a little like some old cowboy star.

He grinned back at us. "Y'all have a good evening and thank you for shopping at Walmart," he said; he even sounded like a movie cowboy.

Mom took the cart he pulled out for us and we wandered in past the checkouts.

"This place is huge," I said.

"Well, don't get lost. I'd never find you."

"How much cash do we have?"

"Enough," she said. She picked up another pair of black slacks for herself and one black and one plum-colored top. They were plain and pretty cheap but she ended up putting them back, deciding to shop in the junior department. "I'm supposed to look nineteen or so, huh?" she said.

"I guess. If you chew gum, maybe you can look even younger." I mimed chewing gum like a cow.

"Younger or dumber?" She laughed.

We cruised through the juniors shop and she picked up some more fashionable stuff. "This will probably fit me better anyway," she said.

"'Cause you're short," I said.

"Look who's talking."

"I'm only nine, I'm not that short for nine," I said.

"Nine, I thought you were supposed to be eight?"

"I dunno," I said. Getting closer, I whispered, "Do you really think I can sound like I'm only eight?"

"Sure," she said. She grinned at me.

I didn't know if she meant it or was just trying to yank on me. So I stuck out my tongue again.

We ended up in the little girl's part of the store. "Let's see how serious you are about making this work," she said. She headed toward the dresses.

"I knew you'd think of this," I said, following her.

She laughed again. "Well, if you want your Dad not to recognize you, this would do it." She pulled out a frou-frou kid's dress in an orangey sort of pink with little yellow flowers and green leaves. It didn't have any sleeves and had ruffles top and bottom.

"Z-zoe," I said.

"It's a sundress," she said. "For playtime, you'll look adorable." She picked out another one, a blue-purple with kittens wearing red bows. It had poofy little sleeves and a kind of square collar. "You pick one," she said.

I looked up at her. "I'll figure out something to do to get even, you know."

She grinned. "I don't think you're nearly as upset about the idea as you think you ought to be."

I frowned at her logic and she crossed her eyes at me. I had to look away to keep from laughing so I stepped over to a different rack and pulled out a green dress that looked more dressy. It had white cuffs and a collar and a bow in the back. I glared at Zoe.

"You sure?" she said. "That's sort of a party dress."

I almost couldn't hear her. As soon as I touched the green dress, the sound of my blood running in my ears drowned everything out. I didn't want to let Zoe -- Mom, know how much I wanted that dress. And I wasn't quite sure why I wanted it, but I knew I did. "I guess I should try them on?" I said. I didn't seem to have enough air to say it very loud.

"What?" Zoe leaned over next to me. "I didn't hear that."

I pointed at the dressing booth which had a sign that said, "Probadores" besides the one that said, "Only 3 items in Dressing Rooms."

She handed me the other two dresses, "Well, you've got three of them to try on."

I nodded but didn't move.

"You want me to come with you?"

I nodded again. It just seemed safer somehow.

The lady at the counter near the booths smiled at me. "She's afraid to go in alone?" she asked Zoe.

Mom laughed. "Yeah. She's a bit shy."

I know I blushed.

"Just as well," the lady at the counter said. "We don't allow kids her age to go in alone, huh?" She smiled at me. "Someone pretty as you...." She trailed off and shrugged. Her nametag read Sylvia and she looked a bit like a younger sister of Rosie back in the Denny's in the town where I had played baseball.

Zoe nodded, looking serious. She took my hand. "C'mon Annie, let's see if they fit." We went into the dressing rooms together, my heart still pounding in my ears.

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Comments

Owl, Pussycat and a green dress

Another great episode Wanda. I really loved the dialogue between Annie and Zoe. Looks like there may be no way back for Drew, given her reaction on touching the green dress.

Pleione

Well, This Is Getting Very Interesting

To read. Now I wonder what will happen in the end with these two. You have peaked my interest Wanda.
May Your Light Forever Shine

    Stanman
May Your Light Forever Shine

Another cute episode

Really love your writing Wanda and I hope you continue as that would be wonderful. Now we are getting to the juicy parts. Motivations, life decisions and being stuck (maybe) as what you really are inside. Doesn't hurt that your word pictures make Annie cute as a button. And the goofball fun relationship they have is refreshing.

Hugs, Kristi

Kristi Lynne Fitzpatrick

Old themes

But you've given them new life. This story and characters seem so alive and fresh! Their banter is precious and had me giggling the whole time. I just loved Annie's reaction to the happy meal toy and Zoe's teasing about horses. However I think it was that green dress that so captured the whole chapter. Sweet installment Wanda!

hugs!

grover

The Owl and the Pussycat Man

All these mentions of Edward Lear's nonsense rhyme transported me back to childhood and singing some of them which had been set to music, particularly The Owl and the Pussycar. The book was illustrated by Lear's own drawings. He was an artist by profession, something that is often forgotten today as most people seem to immediately associate him with Limericks. His natural history drawings have been compared favourably with those of Audubon.

Here is one of Lear's drawings that accompanied The Owl and the Pussycat music

Owlpus_01.jpg

Gabi

For more on Edward Lear, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Lear

Gabi.


“It is hard for a woman to define her feelings in language which is chiefly made by men to express theirs.” Thomas Hardy—Far from the Madding Crowd.

And away we go

Wanda-

Good to see you over the hump and taking our intrepid duo into Arizona and their new adventures. Debi/Zoe kind of reminds me of a cross between Andi and Barbie in Kelly Girl. She's got some of the candidness and almost-innocence of Barbie, but is showing some of the playfulness, shading over into manipulativeness, of Andi. She's obviously figuring out that Drew/Annie is enjoying his disguise more than one might expect, and is having fun teasing him about that. She's also playing with the age regression, and has found herself enjoying "making" him be an eight-year-old, rather like Andi when she teased Kelly into impersonating a little girl in the other story.

Looking forward to what happens in Arizona.

avidreader

Hope you continue...

I liked "Kelly Girl" a lot, but I like this story even more... I hope you keep going with it!

The Incognito Parallel

I really love this story but am sad to see there has not been any new chapters since December.

Has anyone heard from Wanda? Is she OK? - I do hope so, and that she will be able to post more episodes.

Pleione

I'm fine

I just posted a new short story.

My next project is to finish The Fairy King by the end of August.

I'm not sure when I will get back to this story. I have it plotted out but it seems to similar to other stories other people have written, including me, that I don't find a lot of energy coming to me to work on it.

The last six months I guess I just wandered off the ranch. I'll try to be around a little more regularly.

{{{;>
Wanda

Wanda

I very happy to hear you are OK! Thanks for the update about your stories.

Pleione

I must apologise for troubling you.

It is not absolutely clear whether there will be a continuation of this story? There have already passed 7 months from the moment of the publication of last (at this stage) 17 parts. About continuation it is audible nothing...

That's right

It isn't clear there will be a continuation. I intend to do so, but I have several other stories to work on, too. I finished the first story arc in this one and felt I should spend some time working on other stories for awhile but things happened and I only just now got back to writing.

And what am I doing? Starting another series.

It seems silly, but that is how I get my energy up to write, by writing.

{{{;>
Wanda

Paradox.

Well, the life is full of paradoxes. As a matter of fact,it on itself paradox. The next paradox before my eyes.
I thank you for the answer. Once again excuse me for my irrepressible curiosity.

Drew/Annie continuing forward

I am really enjoying your story here. I think that your need to finish this. At least 4 0r 5 mor chapters. H e has a little girls pants and tops, but you left off at the Walmart where his mother was going to get him into dresses. The one thing I did notice though intentional or not is the Drew/Annie seem overly eager to start wearing girls clothing. Just by what he said and was doing led me to this conclusion. I know you are putting a lot of detail in but two chapters for the first ballgame was a little long winded, if you get my gist.
Please continue your story. If I had to rate it it would be a 8 at this time (1 being low to 10 being high). I hope you are still reading these comments.

Continuing Drew's story

The baseball game is pretty much the point of story, without the two chapters Drew would have no reason to be willing to change his identity. So, no, I don't get the gist of what you are saying unless it is that you want more crossdressing and less character development.

Seriously, you could have hardly said anything that would discourage me more from continuing Drew's adventures at this time. I'll probably get over it. ;>

{{{;>
Wanda

Character Development

Since there had been no new chapters for a while, I haven't been reading any of these comment threads. But the other day I wanted to re-read TIP and I read these recent comments. Wanda, I hope that the negative comment is not the reason you've suspended this great story. No writer can satisfy every reader. Character development is what distinguishes your work from that of most others in transgender fiction. To me, that's the charm; but to others, I guess it's a distraction. Look back over the many comments on TFK, KG, KGI, and TIP and you'll see that most readers agree with me. So please don't let criticism stop you!

avidreader

Agreed

I just re-read this too, and I agree your writing is a joy to read. I do hope you’ll decide to continue this at some point.

GeekGirl

Two Homeruns

Teek's picture

This is the second of yours stories I have read. It is just as great as Kelly Girl, maybe better. You do great with character development and that is what makes a story worth reading. You don't drag it out and you don't rush it. You make the people real and put them in a real world. Thanks for being a good writer. I hope I can find one of your stories you have actually finished. I know you finished Kelly Girl, but when you started book too, it made it feel like it wasn't finished.

Keep Smiling, Keep Writing
Teek

A very long wait....

Just hoping that you can find the time and energy to finish this story.
Love,
Sheila

I wanda where you are!

Hi, my Christmas wish is that someday, somehow you find the energy and wherewithal to return to this wonderful story. Yes Wanda, there is a Santa Claus.

Carol Anne

While I'd love to see...

...more of this story, I also know how hard it can be to pick up a story again. So, I'll just smile, and imagine what Drew and Debi, now Annie and Zoe, will be doing next. Thank you for sharing such a beautiful, heart-warming story, Wanda.

{{{huggles}}}

Thank you

Thank you for commenting on such an old story.

{{{;>
Wanda

Just read (or possibly reread

Just read (or possibly reread? Parts I seemed to remember and others were brand new) the story, vary sweet story. Too bad it cut off right when it seemed Annie/Drew was admitting they wanted to wear a dress.

There's more story

It just got difficult to get up the energy for writing it.

Hugs,
Erin

I can imagine ...

... how hard it would be to find the energy to add more to this story. My limit seems to be around a dozen chapters, an you've already written a lot more than that. Even though I'd never say no to more, I'm glad you've shared what you have! :)