Be Careful What You Wish For!

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I’m innocent; it’s all BarbieLee’s fault! I blame her, she forced me, she twisted my arm. Well, not really but she dangled a twisted idea in front of my nose so of course I just had to grab it and add a twist or two. There was no way I could avoid it, could I? You believe me, don’t you?

Friday evening. I hear the door open and my son enter.

”DAD! It’s getting cold so I need warmer tights now. Could we get some tomorrow?” he shouts before quickly going upstairs. He is always quick to get out of his school uniform blazer and skirt. He keeps complaining about the skirt every day. I sympathize with him but he really has himself to blame. No matter, he’s a good boy, or so I thought until yesterday!

When the temperature hit a hundred in June he lead the other boys in a protest against the school dress code that didn’t allow shorts. As the Head Teacher explained shorts weren’t forbidden, just not allowed. As a joke she suggested that the boys could wear the school skirt instead. Taylor talked some of the other boys into borrowing school skirts. The first day there were five of them the next almost 60. I was quite proud of the way Taylor and the other boys handled the situation. Polite, correct but adamant that wearing long trousers in that weather was inhumane. BBC and several national newspapers interviewed them and he was quite grown up in the way he answered. Well, they won, sort of. The school decided to remove the long trousers from the dress code so now all the students have to wear the school skirt all the year round. Girls AND boys. Boy, did that make the papers! Taylor was not popular for a while. Not only were the boys angry at him but many of the girls also resented being deprived of the option of wearing trousers. Taylor was not happy but he wore it, and the skirt, like a man. He’s a good boy!

He really is. He’s doing quite well in school. He always behaves well. Since his mother disappeared ten years ago when he was only three there has been only the two of us. Mary just disappeared one day. There were some unexplained circumstances so the police investigated the matter thoroughly but without result. I still get a call from Detective Chief Inspector Harengrouge every six months for an update and just in case I’ve heard anything from her. So far: nothing.

Unfortunately I work quite a lot and I don’t like Taylor being alone in the house so for a long time I had a Nanny for him. However, three years ago Mrs White moved to Spain and Taylor and I agreed that he’d spend the time between school and me getting home at the library or at the home of one of his friends. Because of what happened in the summer he spent most of September in the library, in his school skirt of course. He was not happy but struggled through it and soon his old friends forgave him. He still resents the smiles from his friends’ mothers when he stays in his school skirt as his friends change as soon as school ends. Just as he’s not too happy about the change in PE and PE clothes. Apparently the school decided to change that in line with the rest of the dress code. Leotards etc. A bit vindictive I thought but I signed the papers he brought back since he said that we shouldn’t make a fuss about it. He’s a good boy! Or so I thought until yesterday.

I was having lunch when Mrs Green cornered me. I usually try to avoid her since she’s the worst gossip in town. Not only that, she always manages to make a mole-hill into … OK not exactly a mountain but at least into a respectable hill. One thing though, she knows what she’s talking about. Not only does she know EVERYTHING that’s happening in town but also, amazingly, everything she tells is based on reality. She “improves” things but never actually makes them up. Strange!

She told me that the school went back to the old dress code already in October having made their point. All the boys went back to wearing trousers except Taylor. Now I understand better why all the slips from school I had to sign were “Consent forms” and not just information. The scamp had tricked me into letting him attend school to all intents and purposes as a girl. The lad doth protest too much, methinks.

Yesterday and today I have been busy.

As Taylor came downstairs I told him:
“I’m sorry but you will have to miss a couple of days of school next week”

He didn’t exactly look unhappy at that news. What 13 year old boy would?

“There are a number of people we have to talk to.”

He looked confused.

“Why”

“I talked to your teachers yesterday and found out what you have been up to!”

He looked crestfallen. Why? He couldn’t have expected to get away with this for a long time. I’m amazed, and ashamed, that he had managed to fool me this long. Well, it was time for him to face up to the consequences.

“First you’ll see a psychiatrist and then a couple of doctors. Depending on the results we may be able to help you become the girl you want to be. Nothing permanent until you are 18 of course but we can delay developments until we are certain that you are certain.”

I could see the smile on his face spreading. First it was of relief, then sheer happiness. He threw himself into my arms.

“You have to get up early tomorrow since the only time I could get at Madame Loulou’s was at 8. We will what she can do with that hair of yours. Then we will get you a nice dress, as well as the warmer tights, since we will have guests for dinner tomorrow night.”

Taylor looked terrified.

“Guests? And me as a girl? Why? Who? I’m not ready for that!”

“I’ve invited your boyfriend and his parents. I thought it was time we met.”

With that pink blush Taylor was really cute. I would have been angry if Mrs Green hadn’t described their relationship as “sweet, innocent puppy love”. If Mrs Green couldn’t find anything worse, there wasn’t. Taylor may not be a good boy but she is a good girl!

Looking at her bright pink face and realising how easily she was embarrassed I noted that she was an unlucky girl …since her father isn’t good. I’m going to have sooo much fun with this.

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Comments

You know

This girl is definitely going to have 'daddy issues.'

Commentator
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Be careful

Maybe it should be called Revenge of the Dress Code

Ah Yes...

Daphne Xu's picture

Until yesterday, Dad thought that Taylor was a good boy. Now, he realizes that Taylor is a good girl -- with a boyfriend, even. And Dad's not a good Dad, and will have so much fun with it. :-P

So that's what Mrs. Gossipy Hen told Dad. For a moment there, I thought that the boyfriend was her son, but no, I backtracked and found nothing of the sort. Simply Gossipy Hen telling stories about his son. (BTW, too bad you didn't name her "Mrs. Hen".)

-- Daphne Xu

-- Try saying freefloating three times rapidly.

Second missed opportunity

I've already been made aware of another one. Oh well, I'll try to do better next time ;)
BTW "Hen" is the recently introduced gender neutral pronoun in Swedish. (Han - He, Hon - She)

You'd Better!

Daphne Xu's picture

... do better. :-P ;-) (That was a joke, of course -- as was the original about naming Mrs. Green, "Mrs. Hen".)

Seriously though, when I was much younger, I despised literary practices such as Meaningful Names, Foreshadowing, Juxtaposition of Internal Thoughts, etc. etc. One reason was that they introduced a supernatural element in a non-supernatural story. So, for example, "Mean Girls" could have done without foreshadowing the school-bus accident. (I didn't notice the foreshadowing until the director mentioned both cases. Unfortunately, it made "Mean Girls" just a notch worse for me.) Another thing about the names, and portrayals of the older people, is that they were young once, too.

Interesting fact about the new Swedish gender-neutral pronoun. Was it formally introduced into the language by some Academy of Swedish? Or simply begun somehow, slowly percolating through the language speakers? (That's how language really changes. Two decades ago, we denounced and ridiculed such language as "he was, like,..." and "he was like", but now, we seem to do it ourselves.)

-- Daphne Xu

-- Try saying freefloating three times rapidly.

Gender neutral "Hen"

Apparently the use of the gender-neutral pronoun "hen" in Swedish came from bottom up though it can now be seen in official texts also. According to Wikipedia the use is not uncontroversial.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hen_(pronoun)

Leotards for gym could be

Leotards for gym could be uncomfortable for the boys. Where did mom go?

Karen

I confess that the part about the mother is a red herring

(Hareng rouge - red herring). Sorry, I have no idea what I did with her. This Detective Chief Inspector keep buggin me though.

Leotards: Provided you have the right support and the front is wide enough there is no problem. Of course those cut for males are more comfortable.

My Dearest Bru

BarbieLee's picture

Your disclaimer and cries of innocence for the warped tails..., um tales not your fault, might have received "some" credibility were it not for years of contrary evidence.
The chocolate cake for the wedding has a chunk taken off the edge. The mother looks at the little girl. "Did you pull off a piece of the cake?"
Shaking her head no, the young girl with chocolate cake crumbs around her mouth and on her hand proclaims her innocence. "No mommy."

Girl,um, Boy..., (what kind of name is Bru?) your claim of being blameless for all the warped stories you have written over the years, rings just as true as the story about the little girl. Sweetie, I may dance naked around a cactus on every Blue Moon praying for a better crop. But you my love, are way above my class in the Out Field game.

Knowing your warped mind is never straight forward, I'm still searching for the double blind gotchu in your story. Mrs. Green knows everything. She “improves” things but never actually makes them up. Strange!

Did you toss a witch into this story? One who guides things to a better circumstance?

I'm going to stop associating with you and I ain't ridding to work with you in your Rolls no more either. Daddy warned me about people like you. He said, "You hang around someone and pretty soon you get just like them."

If life ain't working fer yuh, poke it with a stick. Something better might turn up
always
Barb

Oklahoma born and raised cowgirl

Chocolate stains? What chocolate stains?

No Mommy, I didn't do it. Honestly. Chocolate stains? What chocolate stains?

Poking things with a stick may not always be a good policy. You may get "rattled". OK, thats a weak pun but I'm sleepy.

A gossip whose accurate?

WillowD's picture

This story is obviously a work of fantasy because the town gossip checks her facts first. That just doesn't happen in real life.

As for the rest of the story..... AWESOME!

I think the town gossip is a witch

BarbieLee's picture

Don't take my word for it but Bru doesn't write straight up and down stories. They aren't what they seem to be. Bru is The Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock, and all the other convoluted writers and movie directors rolled into one. "Simple Tale" is not in his-her vocabulary nor her stories. Think about it, Bru is not a Johnny, nor a Sally. She is as personally confusing herself as the stories she posts to warp all our minds.

NEVER take a Bru story for what first read comes out in our mind.
always,
Barb

Oklahoma born and raised cowgirl

You said it!

You said it!

M. Night Shyamalan takes lessons in twist endings that come out of nowhere from Bru!

I'm told STFU more times in a day than most people get told in a lifetime

…since her father isn’t good.

tmf's picture

Now, now Bru, you got us all interested in this little tale of yours. Now we need for you to continue it, you left too many treads hanging around to not tie some of them up.

Big Hugs tmf

Peace, Love, Freedom, Happiness

Oops

Nah, I'll just throw you a bone to chew on to distract you, i.e. write another story that you will want to be continued :)

Cute short story. I'm going

Cute short story. I'm going to have to read more of this Bru's stories.