Terry Waits family is heading for a certain meltdown. Their lives have revolved around some epic arguments that have aroused the neighbor’s attention and have scared the living daylights out of Terry. At least they haven’t been violent confrontations. So Terry is sent to live with his Aunt while Frank and Clara Wait can see if there is anything left of their marriage worth saving.
A novella, complete in two parts. I am posting both parts simultaneously.
Beauty Queen
A Lady-in-Waiting : Part 1
by
Paula Dillon
Terry Wait sat in the front passenger seat of his Aunt Betty’s Land Rover morosely starring out the window as the miles passed by. Even though he was starring, he didn’t see a thing through a haze of tears. Betty Johnson had dropped everything and rushed down I-35 from Fort Worth to Austin, after she got a frantic phone call from her sister Clara.
Clara and Frank Wait were on the edge of a breakup with divorce looming in the not so distant future. Things were starting to get ugly, but at least didn’t foresee any violence. In the thirteen years they had been married, Frank nary raised a hand against his wife, not even to slap her. They did however, have some epic verbal altercations. After one very bad altercation, she had found her eleven year-old, son hiding beneath a quilt, in his closet. The poor boy was crying and shaking. Clara knew she had to get him out of the house; her sister was her only hope. She called Betty that night; and early the next morning, Betty was at Clara’s home. Betty had tried to convince her sister to come with her, as they packed some bags for Terry, but Clara still loved Frank and she had hopes that they could reconcile.
“Betty, Frank is a good man. It’s just lately he’s been so… It’s just so frustrating. One minute everything can be all roses and sunshine, and the next we are shouting at each other so loud, we draw the neighbor’s attention.”
“You need to come with me Clara; it’s getting worse daily, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it’s getting worse, but Frank is going to see a Doctor this week and we are going to start seeing a marriage counselor.”
“I am not leaving unless you promise me, that if things get worse, you will run to your car and drive directly to my home, Clara! Don’t even take time to pack a bag.”
“I will Big Sis, I promise.”
They hugged each other and then Betty and Terry left.
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Terry’s eyes got really big, as his Aunt pointed out which home he would be living in. He had never been to see his Aunt since she had moved from Corsicana to Fort Worth. Betty Johnson lived in an upscale neighborhood just south of Benbrook Lake.
They pulled up the drive in front of a two and a half story golden clay brick home. The front yard was lush and green and almost as big as the front and back yards of the home where Terry lived.
“Whoa, do you live here Aunt Betty?”
“Yes this is my little patch on this earth. I have a third of an acre up front and about 2 in the back. Do you like it?”
“You live in a mansion. Your home is beautiful Aunt Betty.”
“It’s not quite a mansion, but it is a nice home. Let’ go see what the inside looks like, shall we?”
Eleven year old Terry Wait, helped his Aunt move his bags into her home. The inside of the home was nicer than the outside had been. The home was filled with Victorian style furniture and there were a lot of pictures of pretty girls on the walls. Terry’s mouth hung open, as one picture after another caught his attention.
“Wow, these girls are so pretty Aunt Betty, who are they?”
“They are some of my girls, I work with them Terry,” Betty said, slyly. “You don’t know what I do for a living, do you? I am a cosmetologist and I work as a beauty consultant for pageants. I make a very good living at it.” Betty stopped at one picture, “Do you think she is pretty Terry?”
Terry looked closely at the picture, “She isn’t pretty, she’s fantabulous.”
“How old do you think she is?”
Terry was puzzled as he stared at the picture. At first she looked really old maybe sixteen or seventeen, but she just didn’t look right for a teenager, “I don’t know, at first I thought that she was maybe fifteen or sixteen, but there is just something about her? She just doesn’t look that old.”
“She is ten years and a few months old, in that picture.”
“I don’t believe it… but I guess I do.”
The girl in the picture wore the makeup of a girl twenty or thirty, going on a ritzy date or something. The makeup hid the features of the child.
“I did her hair, makeup, selected her clothes, her accessories and took her portrait, right here, in this home of mine.” Betty opened a photo album and showed Terry a picture of a cute, but relatively plain looking girl, “This is what she looks like without the add-ons.”
“You’re a magician!”
“Something like that.”
Betty led Terry to a room and said, “This will be your room while you are here sweetie. Get your things put away and take a bath. I am going to get us some burgers, will you be alright here alone for an hour?”
“Don’t worry, I will be alright.”
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Betty was tired and a little frazzled. She was worried about her sister and wanted to cry. She just didn’t want to cry in front of her nephew just now. She drove a few blocks away and parked, before letting it all go for a few minutes.
Terry took the things he had brought from his two suitcases and began to put things in the dresser and closets. He was surprised to see that half of the large walk-in closet was full of long dresses and fancy dresses. The closet though, was big and his few things wouldn’t even fill a quarter of the remaining space. He then began looking at the dresses. There were silks and satins, lace and frills, all fancy girls’ clothes. He saw that some were made for little girls and some for girls his age and older. All of them were beautiful.
His room was a pastel blue and even though there weren’t a lot of frills, it still looked like a girl’s room, only not so girly. It wasn’t his choice for a room, but it wasn’t so bad. He considered his Aunt’s business and figured that her girls used this room for dressing or something.
He found the bathroom fully stocked with soap, shampoo, towels and stuff. There was even some hair conditioner, though he didn’t know what it did. Exploring the bathroom, he found some tampons and maxi-pads; he really didn’t know what they were for.
The bathroom had a large bathtub and a separate shower. He decided just to take a quick shower and dressed in shorts and a t-shirt.
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Betty and her nephew sat and ate their burgers, while they talked.
“Do you really think my Mom will be alright?”
“She’s a big girl, Terry and your father isn’t a violent man. I mean he has never hit your Mom, has he?”
“No, he hasn’t, at least I have never seen him hit Mom. But their last argument was their worst, it really scared me, Aunt Betty.”
“I know what you mean kiddo; even your gramps and grandma had their arguments, when they were still alive. They scared your Mom and me too, but they still loved each other and us too.”
“I don’t remember them too much, Aunt Betty. It has been so long.”
Jean and Ricky Wilson had died in a car accident six years earlier.
“It has been a long time Terry, they loved you so much and so do I. Your Mom is going to get through this buster, don’t you worry.”
“Do you want to call any of your friends back home and tell them where you are?”
“I don’t have many friends; the kids at school think I am kind of a freak.”
Terry was different from all the other eleven year old kids at his school. He was taller than they were, a lot taller. He was the tallest kid at Winston Green Elementary. He was even taller than a couple of teachers. He was all of five foot four inches and a hundred and five pounds. At least being tall was better than being short. The short kids sometimes got picked on. He still suffered as many kids avoided him because they were scared of his size.
“You are not a freak; I don’t want to hear that word again. You are just like your gramps. He grew up fast and stopped when he got to five foot nine inches.”
“I guess. I would like to call Mandy Davis; she’s a girl that lives just around the corner from me. She was the closest thing to a friend.”
“Does she go to your school?”
“No, she is a lot older than me; she goes to Jr. High school.”
“Betty laughed and said, “Yeah, that is a lot older than you, she should almost be… what thirteen, fourteen years old?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
“Wow, I feel incredibly ancient.”
Betty was only thirty-six, her sister Clara was thirty-four.
“How long am I going to be here, Aunt Betty?”
“I don’t know, but it will be better for you, being here right now.”
“What about school?”
“I guess I can home school you for now. Let me talk to a friend about that.”
After they ate, they sat down in the living room and watched TV. As Terry went to sit next to his Aunt, she pulled him down onto her lap. They both needed the closeness.
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Terry woke the next day in bed. He remembered sitting in his Aunt’s lap, watching TV, but he didn’t remember going to bed. Looking out his window, he could see that it was still dark, but just beginning to lighten. He got up and looked for his robe. He stopped and realized that he didn’t bring it. He went into the closet and looked around. He did find a robe, but it was really girly. He thought about gutting it out and not wear one, or getting dressed, but he didn’t like getting dressed so early with nowhere to go, so he put that robe on instead. It was a pink and yellow satin robe, with lots of pretty butterflies printed on it.
The robe felt wonderful on his skin and came down to about mid-thigh. When he belted it, it almost looked like he was wearing a dress. He looked at himself in the full-length mirror on the back of the door. Yeah, he looked more like a girl than a boy. He was a freak, he thought, and then he felt bad about thinking that. His Aunt was so nice to him. “I’m not a freak; he thought repeatedly, hoping it would become true.
He went to the kitchen and looked around. There was a lot of food there, but nothing that appealed to him. He ate like a kid, which was fine, since he was a kid. It seemed his Aunt was a health food nut. All he could find was granolas, fibers and such. He didn’t want to cook anything; his Aunt hadn’t given him permission to do that, so he poured a bowl of granola crunch cereal and added some milk. He had to admit; it tasted pretty good and was crunchy.
He took his bowl of cereal to the living room and turned the TV on volume down. He sat on, keeping the floor and placed his bowl on the coffee table. It took a few minutes to find some cartoons to watch; the cable system had hundreds of channels and was different from the cable system in Austin.
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Betty woke from a deep sleep, after taking care of her screaming bladder, she stumbled towards the kitchen. She was startled to see a teenage girl in her living room watching TV, at least until she remembered that her nephew was here with her. Betty looked at her nephew and let her imagination roam. He looked so cute in that robe.
“Morning Terry, you sure are up early.”
“Yeah, I usually get up early to go to school. I had to ride the bus for an hour and a half to get to school. I was one of the busses first stops in the morning and last in the evening.”
“Let me get my coffee started and get me something to eat and I will join you.”
A few minutes later, Betty came back with her coffee and breakfast, and joined Terry on the floor next to Terry.
“I hope you don’t mind me wearing this robe. I left mine at home.”
“I don’t mind that at all. I keep several around for my girls.” Betty giggled. “You look so cute in it.”
“Gee thanks, that’s just what a guy wants to hear.” Terry said, somewhat sarcastically.
He sounded so girly talking, “Aww, don’t be that way, I was just having a little fun. It looks good on you. I like your long hair too.”
Terry had a head full of dark auburn hair. Somewhere in his background there was a little Scottish, or Irish, ancestry that got mixed in and left a lasting impression on the Johnson family tree. Terry kept his hair just a little longer than collar length. He liked it better than some of the shorter cuts most guys at his school wear their hair at.
“I like it too.”
“Still, I thought you looked so much like one of my girls when I first saw you this morning.”
“I get that a lot, because I am so thin.”
“That with your girlish facial features on a teenage looking body and people see what they want to see. Your face will be more girlish till you start puberty, Terry. I actually know girls who would kill for lashes and cheeks like you have. Add that cute button nose you have and you would be a winner.”
“Stop kidding me Aunt Betty.”
“I’m not kidding you. Anyway, start calling me Auntie, Aunt Betty is just a mouthful.”
“Okay Auntie.”
“You need some kid food, Auntie,”
“What is wrong with what I have?”
“Everything is extra fiber this, or granola this or that.”
“We will get some other things today; just don’t expect me to get you some sugar coated sugar cereals. It wouldn’t hurt you to eat more healthy foods.”
“Eww, I don’t eat those things either.”
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Betty and her nephew went shopping at about ten that morning. She was surprised at what Terry called kid food. She bought groceries for the next week, keeping Terry in mind. She checked with him to find out what else he liked. Some of her clients could take heed to what Terry wanted to eat. He selected a couple of whole grain cereals, low fat-low salt snacks and some fruit. She also bought him some hygiene products, a new toothbrush, comb and hairbrush.
“What else do you need, Terry.”
“I don’t know, I guess that is about everything.”
On the drive home, Terry looked more closely at the car. He had ridden in a three or four year old Land Rover the day before, now they were in a newer BMW 335i sedan.
“Are you rich, Auntie?”
“Rich no, but I do well. People pay me big bucks to build their daughters images and train them for the pageant circuits.”
“Isn’t it rather odd that these pre-teens are looking so sexy?”
“Yes it is. I am careful about who I work with. Some of the parents I refuse. Some parents, mostly Moms, constantly push their girls to work harder. Nothing the kids do seem to make their Mom’s happy, short of winning.”
“Like sports Moms and Dads.”
“Yes, many of the kids don’t want to do it and are unhappy about it. If it isn’t fun for the girl, I might not work with her, but if I didn’t do this and do it well, the parents might go to a different person who wouldn’t look out for the girls, like I do. So I do what I need to do, and work to make the girls’ lives better. My girls win, so the parents listen to me.”
“What is it that makes the parents do this to their children?”
“Some Mom’s live vicariously through their daughters.
“Vicariously? What does that mean?”
“The Mom’s see themselves in their children’s place. They wish they could have done those things, or they relive what they went through, through their children. They don’t realize or they don’t care how hard it is on their children.”
“I see, I think.”
“It can be bad, I try to avoid the worst, but I still worry about those poor girls.”
When they arrived at home, they unloaded their purchases.
“I need to spend some time in my office. I am calling clients to cancel my appointments this week, so I can spend some time with you.”
“You don’t have to cancel appointments on my account.”
“Yes I do, I need to get reacquainted with my number one nephew.”
“I am your only nephew, Auntie.”
“My statement is still accurate.”
Terry went to the living room to watch TV and Betty went into the room next to her bedroom. He could hear her talking on the phone, as he watched one of his favorite shows.
After about an hour and a half, she came in. Terry was sitting on the floor and he had the cartoon network on, laughing at the antics of the characters on the TV.
Betty went to his room and got his new brush. She sat behind him and began brushing his hair. He had nice hair, but he needed to take better care of it. He had split ends and it didn’t shine like it should. After she combed out the tangles, she began to brush it till it shined. She took care not to pull or tug at it. Her girls didn’t like their hair being pulled either.
Terry didn’t say anything, but it felt good to him. He loved having his hair brushed. One of the reasons he had grown his hair longer, was so that his Mom would have a reason to brush it. Those sessions became fewer when things started going south at home.
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The next few days just seemed to pass quietly. Aunt Betty had Terry registered into an online home school. She figured they would keep him up to date for when he returned home. They also went shopping to get him some more clothes. The clothes he had weren’t bad, he had just outgrown them. His pants were high water jeans and almost looked like capris. He also had problems with his shirts. He couldn’t keep them tucked and therefore exposed his stomach.
Terry had to have a good belt with some of the pants he got. They had to buy some larger waist pants to get some long enough for his lanky frame. His measurements were 27-26-29; pants that fit his waist were to short, while pants that were long enough had a larger waist. There just weren’t that many five-foot-four, eleven year olds. Betty thought she’d have an easier time fitting him in girl’s clothes. At least he had normal feet for his age.
He was quite the looker when they finally left the stores; Terry wore some of his new clothes out of the store. He wore a pair of slim jeans, a south-western print shirt, with mother of pearl snaps, and some new Justin ropers. Betty almost got him a cowboy hat, but they just didn’t look right on him.
Lastly Betty got Terry his own Wi-Fi capable laptop and printer, so he could do his school work on it.
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Saturday Betty and Terry were lounging around the house. Terry was going through one of his Aunts albums, looking at the before and after pictures, and at awards ceremony pictures. She had a dozen albums that she used as her portfolio to prospective clients.
“Gee Auntie; you are a miracle worker, with some of these girls.”
“Yep, I can make anyone look so much better,” she said. Then for some reason, which she would ponder for many years, she said, “I could even make you look as good as, or better than, the girls in those pictures.”
“I ain’t believing that for one minute, Aunt Betty.”
Betty took the bad grammar as an affront to her skills. She hadn’t planned to push back, but she said. “It’s either ‘I’m not believing that’ or ‘I don’t believe that’, Terry. Civilized people don’t use ain’t and I know that I can do it.”
“No you can’t.”
“Put your money where your mouth is buster. I bet you four hundred dollars I can do it.”
“I can’t bet, I don’t have any money.”
“Okay then, I bet four hundred dollars if I lose. If I win, you will dress up as a girl twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, and go with me for a month to pageants I have clients in, or at least until you go home.”
Terry had a big smile on his face and was counting his eggs before they hatched. “You’re on Auntie.” He hadn’t considered what would happen if he lost.
“Okay, go take a bath and wash and condition your hair. Follow the directions on the bottles of shampoo and conditioner. I need to go pick up a few things. Just have your robe on, when I get back.”
Betty almost had a look of determination and glee on her face as she got her things and left, causing Terry to say, “Uh oh.” His Mom often had a similar look when she was going to prove to him that she was right. Nine times out of ten, she was right.
Still he had a sense of honor, and a bet, was a bet. He got up and took a bath following his Aunt’s directions.
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Terry was sitting in the living room in his adopted robe, with a towel wrapped like a turban on his head. Betty had lost some of her gusto as she shopped. So when she came in the living room she said, “Terry, you don’t have to do this, if you don’t want too. I should never have made that silly bet with you.”
“It’s ok Aunt Betty. I shouldn’t have doubted you to begin with. It will just be between us two, won’t it?”
“It will be just between us, Terry and only for today if you want.”
“Then do your worst to me.”
Betty led Terry upstairs into her work area. Terry hadn’t gone upstairs before today and was amazed to see a salon and a photo studio.
“Sit in the salon chair Terry, I am only going to clip your split ends and give you a male style today. I was going to go all out and do your hair up right, but I’ll just use a wig with you today. It will be easier when you go back to being a boy.”
She did exactly what she had promised. She trimmed his split ends and gave him a male’s long hairstyle . She then covered his hair with a wig cap and began to work on his face.
“You have pretty eyes, Terry. They are a lot like your Mom’s. I love your eyelashes. The only problem you have, are some voids in you brows. What happened to them?”
“I went through a plate glass window.”
“Oh lord, that is bad. At least you weren’t seriously hurt,” Betty could only imagine what might have happened. At least his face wasn’t all scared up. “That could work to my advantage as it gives me more latitude in shaping your brows. Without makeup on, the voids will make it look less feminine.”
Betty had to do some art work on his brows. After she plucked them, she showed him her work. “That doesn’t look to bad for a guy, does it?”
He looked in the mirror and had to agree, his brows didn’t look anything like the girls in the pictures. He could live with them like that. Then Betty began her real artwork. In five minutes she had filled the voids and better defined his brows. They weren’t those very thin brows, or highly arched brows, but he had to admit, they were very feminine.
“I think most women over-pluck their brows, some women can carry those thin brows, but I don’t like them.”
“I don’t think Mom did either.”
“I know, I taught her. Now let’s get you into some more clothes.”
“Are you finished with my face?”
“Heavens no, we are just getting started. There are some things you can put on now. There will be less fuss getting ready later.”
Betty handed him a pair of ice blue lace silk bikini panties and turned to give him some privacy. He slipped them on quickly. Then she handed him a padded brief. He hadn’t worn anything like them before but they went on like the panty. They also had the effect of hiding what little of his male pride there was.
Betty then put a corset on the boy. The stiff boning on the corset would define his shape and improve his posture. The corset wasn’t very restrictive; Betty drew the laces till the sides touched and only took off an inch and a half off his waist. She then considered putting him in stockings, as they would be more feminine in her opinion, but elected having him in pantyhose, as they would be easier on him. She put them on him herself, rather than just telling him how to do it. In the cups of the corset, she placed some helpers which her girls sometimes used. He appeared to have a small size 30A bust, when she finished.
Terry just ran his hands over what he wore, he thought everything was so pretty and the pantyhose felt so heavenly.
Betty thought, “Take it easy Terry, there is worse or better coming yet, depending on how you look at things.” She then got him back in the robe and back into her chair.
She had him face the mirror and told him what she was doing and going to do. She started with foundation and pressed powder. She had a professional makeup kit and easily matched his skin tones. She worked on his brow a bit more and then applied several shades of eye shadow. Betty curled his long eyelashes, used a waterproof liquid eyeliner to create a wing style and three coats of mascara completed the eyes. She was going for an elegant glamour look.
She didn’t like the makeup some of the girls wore in pageants. She hated to admit it, but some of the girls looked like young hookers. That alone almost got her out of the business. There were so many people though, that would try to fill her shoes. Many might not be as good she was, or care as much for her girls, like she did.
Terry’s eye’s got big as saucers, as he saw the transformation continue.
For his hands, Betty used press on nails with adhesive tabs. They were already colored and would save a lot of time. The nails closely matched the lipstick she was about to use.
Betty then started on his lips, they were small, like any prepubescent girl, but she had her tricks. She used a lip plumper, a lip pencil and two shades of lipstick to highlight them and make them look large and luscious. He still had his baby fat in his face and that gave him some nice cheeks, which she highlighted with a nice blush. She then turned him away from the mirror. She sealed the lipstick with a stay on gloss, which would keep the lipstick from coming off for hours.
“I will be finished in just a minute; I need to get a few things. No peeking now.”
Terry didn’t peek, although he wanted to. He knew he was losing the bet, that wasn’t a bet now. He just ran his hands over his nylon-clad legs. He just couldn’t describe the feelings.
His aunt came back into the room, carrying a dress and shoes. The dress was the prettiest dress Terry had ever seen up close. He didn’t know what to call it, but it was a shoulder-less, green silk cheongsam dress. It had a beautiful golden phoenix embroidered on the front. Betty unzipped it and had Terry step into it. She then zipped it up and buttoned the collar. The skirt pooled on his feet, so for the next part, a pair of green satin pumps were necessary. The pumps had a two-inch heel that raised the hem. Next came the wig, she placed it on his head and fiddled with it a bit. It was just about the same color as his own hair, but a lot longer. She had him sit, as she worked with the wig. She took a pair of chopsticks and worked it into a bun, except for two curly tendrils, that framed his face. She stopped and looked at her work. He was missing something and she knew exactly what it was.
“How do you feel about pierced ears?”
“Okay, I guess, there are a few guys at school who got their ears pierced.”
Betty smiled and got a new piercing needle out of its sterile package, she liked to use a needle instead of a piercing gun, and she could be more precise with earring placement with a needle. She had a pair of gorgeous diamond studs she was going to use. She disinfected his ears and then pierced them and put the studs in. She added a few more pieces of jewelry, before touching his makeup up.
Walking was different in this getup, he found. Not only because of the heels, but the skirt restricted the length of his stride by several inches. The dress did have a slit in the back, which Terry found helpful. Betty helped him walk and gave him some instructions.
She smiled at the beautiful girl that sat before her. Betty took the new girl to a mirror. Terry had that wonderful doe caught in the headlights look on his face, as he looked himself, or should it be herself over, she thought. Something happened inside Terry, something that confused him to his very core. He really liked what he saw and something deep inside of him said, that this was so right.
“Wow, I look beautiful,”
“Yes you do Terry. I knew you would.”
“I guess I lost the bet big time.”
“No you didn’t, I will pay you the four hundred and you don’t have to dress as a girl. I shouldn’t have made that stupid bet with you in the first place. I just want to get some photographs, if you feel like it, that is.”
A somewhat shocked Terry said, “Okay, let’s do it.”
Betty led him over to her studio and after a few minutes she began to take her shots. Terry was a little stiff at first, but Betty made it fun, so he began to relax and enjoy himself. Betty didn’t want the classic studio portraits; she wanted to take fashion shots. Terry had never done anything like this, but he listened to what his aunt was saying. As he began to have fun, he loosened up and Terri started vamping for the camera, giving his aunt some poses he had seen in some girls’ magazines . Betty smiled as Terry began to really model for her. She took over a hundred and fifty digital photos, before she called an end to it. The last fifty were really quite good.
“Come on, let’s get you changed back into a boy and get something to eat. I am hungry.”
“Me too, but do I have to change right now, this has been fun.”
“No as long as you are careful with that dress. It cost me over a thousand dollars.”
“You spent a thousand dollars on a dress, for me?”
“No, of course not. I keep all those dresses around for my girls to wear, for portfolio shots. You are the third or fourth person to wear that dress for photos.”
“It’s yours if you want it though,” she teased. “Just be careful with it.”
Betty helped her nephew, come niece, and taught her how to gracefully descend down a staircase. She had him do it three times, the last time by himself. Betty noticed how comfortable he was in heels. Some of her girls never did it this well, but Terry did well.
Betty made them both soup and sandwiches for lunch. As they sat and ate she noticed just how proper Terry tried to be as he ate. It was good seeing him sit up straight. She figured that he had been trying to disguise his height. Now though, he was trying to act like he thought a LADY would act, she guessed. She wasn’t too far off either. He was a bit rough, but all diamonds start out as rough stones.
Terry opened up more and talked about himself as he ate. It broke Betty’s heart, as he talked about his Mom and Dad. She could see that he was upset about it, but he wasn’t crying. He needed to release all that worry, sooner was better, but he also needed to feel good about himself. This might be good for him, as long as she kept it fun.
After he had talked himself out, Betty said. “You know what, I feel positively underdressed sitting next to my gorgeous niece. How would you like it if I dressed up as nice as you?”
Terry looked at his Aunt. He knew she was old; she was thirty-six if he remembered correctly, but she was still very pretty. He liked it when his Mom dressed up.
“I think I would like that a lot Auntie,” Terry said smiling.
“You just sit here and watch TV and let your Auntie get all dolled up.”
Terry kissed his Aunt’s cheek before she left and he turned on the stereo’s FM radio to listen to some music. He tried to dance dressed up, his Mom had taught him the basics one night when they were having fun; he tried to remember how she had danced.
Betty went to her room and began to get dolled up, so to speak. One thing she learned over the years was, she had to look good herself, but never upstage her charges and this was no different to her. She wanted Terry to feel special. She went for a mother of the bride look, pretty and feminine but playing second fiddle to the bride. She went with a pink-skirted suit and a white blouse over her sexiest lingerie and stockings. That was how she liked to feel special.
The phone rang as she was just finishing up her makeup. She heard Terry answer the phone, so she didn’t rush to answer it.
Terry went to his Aunt’s room and knocked before sticking his head in, “Aunt Betty there is a Mrs. Jackson on the phone for you.” His eyes got real big as he saw how pretty she looked.
“Thank you sweetie, I was expecting her call.” Betty said, getting up to get her phone.
Betty talked with the lady on the phone for a couple of minutes and then made another call. After she hung up her phone, she turned to Terry, “I know I said no business this week, but something has come up that is very important to one of my girls. Will you be alright if I step out for a bit? My clients will be coming over later today. I should be back in time to transform you back into Terry before they get here.”
“That’s alright,” Terry said, with just a hint of sadness in his voice. “I understand.”
“If you want too… I suggest you practice acting like what you think a princess would act. No never mind, just do what you want to do. You have my cell phone number; call me if you need me.” Betty kissed Terry’s cheek, got her purse and hurried out.
Terry had never thought about trying to act like a Princess, and much less about being a Prince. He just never thought that highly about himself. The idea intrigued him. He looked up princesses on the Internet, but none of the young princesses intrigued him till he found Princess Diana and Princess Grace Kelly. He watched a few video tributes to them on YouTube. Terry thought they were both so regale and beautiful, especially when they were younger. He spent a little while practicing their mannerisms and grace. He even got the royal wave down, holding up his right hand and just turning it a little left and right. He giggled to himself, as he looked a little foolish and pretentious to him.
He didn’t realize how much time had passed until he heard the doorbell ring, it had been close to three hours. He thought about not answering it, but he knew that it was very important to his Aunt. So he stood and mentally shifted into “Diana Mode” and went to answer the door. He stopped in front of the door and took a deep calming breath and opened it after releasing the breath.
There were two ladies at the door; one looked like a Mother and the other a very pretty girl that was a little taller than he and a couple of years older than Terry. In fact he recognized the girl from his Aunt’s photo albums.
“Hello, may I help you?” He said, to the two ladies.
“Yes we are here to see Ms. Johnson, is she here?” the older lady asked.
“No, she had to step out. She should be back shortly. She went to get something for a client. Would you like to come in and wait for her?”
“Oh good, Yes and thank you. We are the clients. I am Melinda Douglas and this is my daughter Amanda Fae Douglas.”
“I am Terry Wait and Ms. Johnson is my Aunt. Please come in.” He held his hand out like he had seen girls do when they shook hands; both ladies smiled at him and shook his hand as they came in.
Melinda was thoroughly confused; she had thought that Ms. Johnson had said her nephew was in town, when she was called by her canceling appointments Thursday. This lovely creature couldn’t possibly be her nephew, or could it be. If this was a game, she was going to have fun; she just smiled and treated Terri like the lady he appeared to be.
Terry led the two women, to the living room and invited them to have a seat. “Would you like to have something to drink?” Terry offered.
“No thank you,” Mrs. Douglas said. “A diet coke if you have some,” Amanda said.
“I am sure we do, if you will please excuse me.”
Terry went to the kitchen and got a couple of diet cokes and the phone before he returned. After he gave Amanda her coke, he called his aunt on the phone, “Aunt Betty, the Douglass’s are here,” he said, after his aunt answered her phone.
“I am so sorry; I didn’t make it back in time. Are you alright with this, sweetie.”
“Yes, everything is fine here Auntie.”
“Alright, I am about twenty minutes out, so can you entertain them till I get there.”
“Of course I can. Don’t worry everything is okay here.”
“Good, tell them there was a little problem with the shipment, but I got everything sorted out. Take care sweetie.”
Terry turned to the two ladies, and said, “My Aunt will be here in twenty minutes. She said that there had been a problem with the shipment, but that she got it sorted out.”
“Oh good, we were so worried. Your Aunt was getting us a shipment of some extra-long human hair extensions. Amanda’s beautiful hair was one of her best features, till that cretin Paul Smith took out a chunk of her hair out with a pocket knife.”
“Oh no, I saw my Aunt’s picture of you. Your hair was so beautiful,” Terry said, looking at Amanda. He saw that her mid-shoulder length blonde hair was now a collar length bob. “But I disagree, your eyes, nose and cheeks, are your best feature, Amanda.”
Melinda smiled. Terri seemed to be pretty sharp, if she were a guy.
“Thank you, Terri,” Amanda said, smiling warmly. She lived for compliments. “At least I saved the hair that Ms. Johnson had to cut, to even things out. I am braiding it into friendship bracelets for my friends. So are you a contestant too?”
“Oh no, I am just not into that, if you know what I mean.”
“Yes, we do. Doing the pageant circuit is so trying. It’s not something every girl is into.” Melinda said. “So do you live around here?”
“Oh no, I live in the Austin area.”
“Excuse me Terri, but might I use your bathroom, please,” Melinda asked.
“Of course you may, do you know where it is?”
“Yes, we have been here many times.”
Melinda got up and headed to the bathroom.
Amanda was sitting next to Terri and was a little confused, “So why did you come here to visit your Aunt in the middle of the school year?” She asked.
Terry looked a little sad and looked down at his hands on his lap, “My Mom sent me here to get me out of the house. Things between her and my Dad were getting a little rough.”
Amanda was shocked, after she extricated her foot from her mouth, she said, “I am so sorry. I should have thought before I spoke.” She wrapped Terry up in her arms and hugged her so close.
The dam behind Terry’s emotions broke, as the girl hugged him and he released a torrent of tears on Amanda’s shoulder. Terry was still crying when Melinda came back in. Amanda saw her and waved her off. She quietly walked to the kitchen and started a pot of coffee.
“I am so sorry, Terri. How are things between them? Has he hit her, or you?”
“No, Dad has never been violent with us, but he argues all the time with Mom. I just got so scared, if you know what I mean.”
“Yes I do, unfortunately. I had a girlfriend whose father went ape shit on her and her Mom. Let it all out girl,” Amanda said, rubbing Terri’s back.
Terry felt so good crying on Amanda’s shoulder, he loved the way she was rubbing his back. After a couple more minutes, he started to get a little embarrassed. What must this girl think of him? Then he remembered what he looked like and got more embarrassed.
“I am so sorry, I shouldn’t be crying like this,” Terri said, and then he felt worse as he saw his makeup staining Amanda’s pretty white blouse. “Oh no, I stained your blouse. It was so pretty.”
“Don’t worry about the blouse. It isn’t as important as friends are.”
“But… you don’t even know me.”
Amanda didn’t understand why, but she felt very protective about this girl. “That’s okay; we can still be sisters can’t we?”
Terry began crying again, out of shame. She would take that back and hate him if she knew, but he felt that he had to tell her.
Amanda wrapped the girl back up in her arms. It felt good comforting her.
Terry just whispered in her ear, “but… but… Amanda, I’m not a girl.”
Shocked, Amanda said, “You’re not a girl…”
Terry shook his head on her shoulder and muttered, “No I am not.”
Amanda didn’t know what to say. She knew that there were people like Terri out there. She liked the Terri she saw, if he wanted to be a girl, so be it. She then whispered into Terri’s ear, “Of course you are a girl. You are my sister now and all sisters are girls. It’s alright for sisters to cry on each other’s shoulders.” She felt an incredible attachment to this girl.
“You… you… mean you don’t care?” Terri whimpered.
“Of course I care about my sister. That’s what girls do.”
Terry was confused, “Did you really, understand what I said.”
Amanda held Terri at arm’s length and smiled, “Yes, I understand that you might have been born a boy, but understand this buster, you are still my sister, whether you like it or not.”
Terri tried to giggle, cry, smile and frown all at the same time. It was rather amusing watching her try to do that.
“Mom, I am taking Terri up stairs to fix her face.”
“Oh let me do that Amanda,” Melinda said, coming out of the kitchen. “She looked so lovely before, she needs to look special for her Aunt.
Melinda knew her daughter was good at makeup, but she wasn’t as good as Betty. Melinda was very good, but she wasn’t as good as Betty either.
Melinda had just cleaned off Terri’s ruined makeup when Betty got home. Betty seeing the living room empty, called out, “Terri, Melinda and Amanda, where are ya’ll.”
“We are up here, Betty,” Melinda called back.
Betty came up to her salon and saw Melinda throwing a makeup wipe away.
“What happened?”
“I stuck my foot in my mouth, Ms. Johnson. While my Mom was in the bathroom, I asked about Terri’s parents. I am so sorry. Terri just had to have a good cry on my shoulder.” Amanda said, showing Betty her blouse.
“Yes things are kind of sticky at her home right now. My sister wanted me to bring… her up here for a while. Do you feel better sweetie.”
“Yes, thank you, Aunt Betty.”
“Oh you poor girl, of course you needed a good cry,” Melinda said, understanding the situation. “Please you must make this precious child look amazing again, before you attend to my Amanda.”
Melinda was good people Betty thought, as she sat down to work on Terry. She used some eye drops to take out the redness from crying and then began to work. Amanda held Terry’s left hand, as Betty worked.
Betty quickly worked her magic and soon Terry went from very pretty to quite lovely again.
“Oh she is so precious,” Melinda said. “By the way, how old are you girl?”
Betty began to snigger and Terry looked at his Aunt.
“It’s up to you kiddo.”
“I am eleven.”
Melinda and Amanda were both shocked.
“Stand up girl, let us give you a look.”
Terry stood and gave the women a twirl.
“She is so tall for her age. She is going to be a heart breaker when she gets older,” Melinda said, smiling.
“Alrighty, now let’s make you look beautiful again, Amanda. Terry please get a robe for Amanda, will you darling.”
“Of course Madame, will there be anything else,” Terry vamped in a weak British accent and a courtesy. He acted like a maid he had seen on TV.
“That will be all for now,” Betty said, failing to suppress a laugh.
Terry went to his room and started to get a robe out of the closet. He stopped and looked at the one he was using. The thought of him wearing his robe after Amanda wore it, intrigued him. He would be able to be closer to her, at least in his mind, so he took that one.
Amanda smiled when Terri offered her the robe. She stood and took off her blouse and slacks right there in front of everyone, handing her clothes to Terri to hold for her. She liked that Terri wanted to act like a maid for a while. She put the robe on and Betty got to work on her. Terri neatly folded her new friend’s clothes and set them on a table.
It took Betty a long while to section and begin the process of attaching the extensions to Amanda’s hair, a single strand at a time. She had four different hair lengths of hair. Today she just added the shortest extensions. It was tedious work and she only added a couple of hundred extensions.
“You’ll have to come back every day for the next week,” Betty said, rubbing her hands.
“Can I spend the night here with Terri, Mom? It will be just like a sleepover.”
Betty and Melinda were both speechless, they didn’t know that among the four of them, that Terri’s secret was no secret to any of them.
Not knowing what to say Melinda said, “I suppose, if it is alright with Betty,” putting the decision on her shoulders.
Betty didn’t know what to say, either. It wasn’t unusual for her girls to stay over, and she really didn’t want it to seem strange not to let them, “I guess it’s okay.”
Terry looked at Melinda and somehow he figured out that she knew, but didn’t want to let her daughter, or his Aunt know she knew. Betty knew of course, but she didn’t want to let Amanda and Melinda know. Amanda knew that Betty knew, but she wanted to conceal it from her Mom.
“Aunt Betty, Mrs. Douglas and Amanda everybody knows,” Terry said. “I promise nothing will happen between my sister and me. After all, we are sisters.”
They all looked at Terri and then at each other and nodded.
“How did you know, Terri?” Amanda asked.
“I don’t know, call it women’s intuition.”
That comment had the three other people laughing. They went downstairs to the kitchen and Betty made coffee and tea.
Terri then went over her story for everyone at the same time. For now at least, she was a girl and pointed this out. When she finished her story she just sat there quietly.
Melinda just wanted to know one thing, “How do you feel about all of this, Terri?”
“I don’t know, but maybe I needed something like this. I have been scared and afraid, but now I have been able to talk to others and lean on them for support. So for at least as long as I am here, I am a girl.”
They had a group hug that almost started Terri crying again.
“I guess I need to go buy you some more clothes, Terri. You can’t wear thousand dollar dresses all the time.”
“And her own makeup too, so she can learn, Ms. Johnson.”
“And I need to get you some clothes for your sleep over, Amanda.”
The two olds got their hugs and went out the door. Amanda took Terri by the hand and led her into the living room. She sat down on the couch and pulled Terri into her lap, holding her sister to her chest.
“You are my princess, Terri.”
“No, you are the Beauty Queen; I am just your ‘Lady in Waiting’.” Lady-in-Waiting was something Terry had read about; he liked the sound of it as soon as he said it.
“Well then my ‘Lady in Waiting’, you may help me dress.” Amanda took Terri by the hand and led her back upstairs.
Terri balked a bit and was worried, but Amanda smiled and kissed her cheek, “Don’t worry we are sisters.”
Terri untied the belt of the robe and lifted it off her shoulders; she then helped her into her blouse and buttoned it for her, before helping her with her pants.
“I liked the way you took such good care of my clothes, Terri. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. They were nice things, I didn’t want to see them get all wrinkled. Sorry about the stains on the blouse.”
“You had a good cry and you needed it. Those stains will come out. You know this is fitting. A Lady-in-Waiting was first a Lady. In other words, she was herself a noble Lady, of lower rank, who the Queen, Princess, or even a Duchess trusted. The Lady-in-Waiting brought honor to her family, by attending to their needs; by being their assistant, their secretary, their confidant and friend. Being a Queen, Princess or Duchess, can be a lonely responsibility. They needed someone who understood the pressures they had on themselves. The Lady-in-Waiting wasn’t considered a servant, but she did what was necessary to make things easier for her charge. Remember, you are not a maid, you are my ‘Lady in Waiting’.” Amanda said, kissing the cheek of her friend.
“Is it lonely being a Beauty Queen?”
“It can be, other contestants, for the most part, aren’t your friends. They are your opponents; that is one thing I can’t forget. They will smile with you on stage, but stab you in the back in the dressing room, if they feel it can help their position. I always need more friends.”
“Well count me in.”
>>>>><<<<
Melinda returned; first she sat in the living room and talked with Terry. She wanted to know more about this person, “Tell me about yourself Terri?”
“Well, I don’t have many friends at school. I sort of stuck out like a sore thumb. From the third grade to the fifth grade I grew tall fast, but didn’t fill out at all. At least I wasn’t picked on like some of the short kids, but I was still called a lot of names.”
“My few friends were from my neighborhood and they were all girls. I was the only guy between eight and twelve for four blocks. The guys where I live, were either under five, or over fifteen.”
“Tell me Terri,” Melinda asked, “Have you ever dressed as a girl before?”
“No ma’am. I never even thought about it. I’m afraid my Dad would kill me if he saw me like this. No I take that back, he wouldn’t kill me, but he might bust my ear drum with his yelling at me.”
“You didn’t dress as a girl for Halloween, either.”
“No ma’am. Today was the first time.”
“Did you ever do any acting?”
“A few school plays yes, but it isn’t hard being a tree.”
“Where did you learn to act so much like a girl?”
“I don’t know. I guess I just watch people. I did study Princess Diana and Grace Kelly, on the Internet, while my Aunt was out getting Amanda’s hair. What happened to your hair, Amanda?”
“At school I sit in front of a guy name Paul Smith. His girlfriend, is a girl I sometimes compete against. I know what you said about my face and I appreciate it, but what helped me win so much was my long hair. Cindy Gray knew this and I think she got Paul to cut a large lock of my hair off.”
“He is not a good boy, Terri,” Melinda said. “He has confronted Amanda before over Cindy. Cindy Gray is a pretty girl, but she doesn’t really have any talents. Child and Teen beauty pageants are just like the adult ones on TV. To win you have to sing, dance or do something that is classified as a talent. There have even been girls who have even done Karate and that is an acceptable but unusual talent. Cindy can’t seem to do anything well. We did get a measure of satisfaction though; Paul’s family is having to pay for all of this, to the tune of two thousand five hundred dollars. Real human hair hair-extensions, as long as we got, are very expensive. ”
“What do you do Amanda, for a talent?”
“I can sing, dance, quote Shakespeare, or play the violin.”
Amanda stood and you could see a change in her demeanor. She became frazzled and was nervously rubbing her hands as if washing them as she walked around.
Yet here's a spot.
Out, damned spot! out, I say!--One: two: why,
then, 'tis time to do't.--Hell is murky!--Fie, my
lord, fie! a soldier, and afeard? What need we
fear who knows it, when none can call our power to
account?--Yet who would have thought the old man
to have had so much blood in him.
The thane of Fife had a wife: where is she now?--
What, will these hands ne'er be clean?--No more o'
that, my lord, no more o' that: you mar all with
this starting.
Here's the smell of the blood still: all the
perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little
hand. Oh, oh, oh!
(MacBeth Act 5)
“Wasn’t that from ‘Macbeth’?” Terry asked.
“Yes it was,” Melinda said, surprised to see that Terri knew what play it was from. “She did that scene nicely, I think. Do you know the play, Terri?”
“My mom and I watched that movie on PBS. The one where Patrick Stewart played Macbeth and Suzanne Burden played Lady Macbeth.”
“There is a lot of superstition attributed to that play,” Amanda said.
“Enough of what Amanda likes to do. What do you like to do Terri?”
“I don’t know, staying out of trouble more than anything, but I like to read. I like Joan Lowery Nixon, Franklin Dixon, Agatha Christie, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Carolyn Keene. Any good mystery as long as it isn’t too grisly and graphic.”
“Do you play video games, Terri?” Amanda asked.
“Some, but those games can be too gory for my tastes. I don’t understand the fascination with eviscerating your opponent.”
“Well you have a superior vocabulary, compared to your contemporaries.”
“I keep a BIG!” Terry demonstrated by holding his hands apart, “dictionary by my bed. I look up words I don’t know.”
“Did you wear nice clothes as a boy?” Amanda asked.
“Not really, and not because they were too expensive, I out grew my clothes too fast for the last year and a half, except for my shoes. I didn’t mind going to the resale store. Mom bought me a really nice suit once and I got to wear it twice before I outgrew it.”
“Did you know, some girls might spend hundreds of dollars for a dress and only wear it once,” Melinda said. “Do you like that dress Terri?”
Terry ran his hands over the dress. The silk felt exquisite and he loved the embroidered Phoenix.
“I don’t like this dress, I love it. I can’t describe the way the fabric feels so right, but it is very nice. The embroidery though, makes this the prettiest dress I have ever seen.”
“You’re wearing a corset now, is it tight?” Amanda asked.
“Not really, except for right here,” Terri said, indicating the narrowest part of his waist, “Aunt Betty said it was to make me sit straighter and give me a little more of a figure. I slouch too much. I guess I did that out of habit to hide how tall I am, when I am at school.”
Betty had been gone for about two hours. It was hard to tell that there was a body behind all the bags when she came in. It looked like the bags had two arms and two legs. That was all that was visible.
“I just bought a couple of outfits till we can take you out and go shopping,” as she dumped all the stuff in front of Terry.
“Just a few outfits?” Terry asked in amazement.
“That’s only enough clothes for two or three days, maybe more if you mixed and matched. You really don’t know what a girl needs, do you Terry?” Melinda said.
Terry and Amanda began to go through the bags, with Betty and Melinda sorting, folding and stacking things. Betty bought everything that Terry would need, bras and panties for a week, four blouses, three skirts, four T’s, two pair of slacks, two pair of jeans, another corset, panty hose, two purses, a wallet, five pair of shoes, makeup and makeup brushes, shorts, socks, two casual jackets, three night gowns and a black sleeveless dress.
“Terri, this isn’t half as much as I have to take for some pageants.”
Terry didn’t believe that for one minute. Melinda knew what Terri was thinking and said, “Believe it Terri. Amanda sometimes has to do maybe six or seven changes at a pageant and then there are her normal street clothes. You can come with us next weekend and see for yourself. I sometimes get adjoining rooms for us. One room is for the clothes and stuff and one for us to sleep in.”
“We were going to that show anyway, Melinda,” Betty said. “I have your daughter and Leslie Walker, at that show.”
“I know, but I thought it would be nice to ask Terri personally.”
“Thank you Mrs. Douglas. I would love to do that… Something though has been bothering me. Don’t you think it’s strange… I mean… I am a boy dressed as a girl… and everyone is so accepting of me. I know if I went to my old school, even the smallest guys would pick on me.”
“I don’t care who you are, or what you are Terri. You make a credible girl and my daughter likes you. My grandparents were hippies, till they got bit by the capitalism bug and my Dad made his money in Silicon Valley. Those geeks are some strange dudes. I learned not to judge people by the way they look and I believe in ‘live and let live’. And another thing, the way you make that dress look, I am just glad that Amanda doesn’t have to go up against you at a beauty pageant.”
“You said it Mom, Terri is just too cute,” Amanda said, “I could just hug her to death. She is my good luck teddy bear.”
“You seem like a good kid, Terri. Until you prove otherwise, I am going to treat you like a good kid. I am also going to treat you like you portray yourself. If you want to be a girl in Fort Worth, far be it from me to say nay. Considering your circumstances, being a girl for a while can’t hurt, if it will get you to let the bad things go. This will be our secret, nobody else in this world will have to know, Terri,” Melinda said.
Terry was almost crying when he got up and hugged Melinda. She hugged the girl, Terri, for a few minutes.
“Fashion show,” Amanda said. “It will be good seeing someone else put on the spot for a change.”
“You can try on everything here Terri, you will probably have to have our help,” Melinda said.
Betty helped Terri out of the cheongsam, while Amanda selected an outfit.
“Is that a wig, Terri?” Melinda asked.
“Yes, I have collar length hair, but it is a boy’s cut.”
“It looks very good on you.”
“My own hair is pretty close to the wig in color.”
After Terry dressed in the first outfit, Betty took out the chop sticks and fluffed out the wig.
“You look good in long hair, Terri,” Amanda said.
“Yes she does, doesn’t she?” Melinda said.
“I would grow mine longer, but my dad is already on the warpath about my hair.”
Terry had fun changing in and out of the clothes, his aunt had bought him, no her, she was a girl for now and girls wear girl’s clothes, which means she is a girl. Sure it was circular logic, but it meant something to Terri.
They made Terri prance back and forth. Amanda taught him how to walk like a girl on a runway. One of the new shoes had a three-inch spike heel; Amanda called it a stiletto. It took him, no her, a few laps to get used to them. Terri really didn’t need the added height, but the shoes looked good. Betty, Melinda and Amanda were surprised that she walked so well in the shoes. Terri was only a little awkward in the heels.
After the show, Melinda went home. Amanda and Terri took their things to Terri’s room. Amanda helped Terri arrange her things in her dresser and closet. Terri took off her clothes and hung them up. Amanda helped Terri out of the corset. Terri took a bra, a pair of panties and her robe into the bathroom, where she brushed her teeth, took off her wig, placing it carefully on the Styrofoam head. She shook out her own hair and, undressed the rest of the way and washed herself a bit with a bath cloth. She pulled on her panties and then figured out how to get into a bra, stuffing the cups with those silicone bits. She felt better with her small breasts than her flat chest. When Terri came out of the bathroom, Amanda wasn’t there, so she, yes she was a she; she slipped a nightgown on and went to bed and turned her lights out.
Five minutes later Amanda came in, “Can I sleep with my sister and Lady in Waiting.”
“You don’t have to ask, Amanda.”
>>>>><<<<<
Terry slept better than she had in a long while. It felt comforting having Amanda sleep behind her, although Amanda’s breath did tickle the hair at the back of her neck. She slipped out of bed and into the bathroom. Before she left the bathroom she had to readjust the bra, it and her breasts had ridden up while she slept. She wished that they were real. She took out the new corset and figured out how to get into it and it didn’t take much to tighten it all the way. Looking in the bathroom mirror, she tied it off in a bow behind her, like her aunt had done. She put the wig cap on, tucking her own hair underneath. She shook out the wig and with some effort, got it in place. She liked the way she looked. She just added a touch of pink lipstick, from her new makeup kit.
She dressed in her robe and a pair of feathered mules, before she left the bedroom, with Amanda softly snoring. The mules were wedges, with about a two inch heel and were pretty comfortable.
She had seen how her aunt made coffee and started the pot. Terry found tea bags and there was a kettle on the stove. Terry hadn’t been a tea drinker, but she knew her Mom was, so she turned the burner on underneath the tea kettle. She got a bowl of cereal and when the kettle whistle blew, she made a cup of tea, with cream and sugar. She decided that she liked the tea, after tasting it.
She finished her tea and cereal, and had cleaned up, before anybody else got up. Amanda came waddling in, followed shortly by her aunt.
“Morning Amanda, Morning Auntie.”
“Morning,” came the reply in unison. “Did you two sleep well,” Betty asked. “I know you slept together.”
“We are sisters, Aunt Betty.” Terry added confidently.
“Yes, I guess you are in a way.”
“I slept better than I have in a long time. May I call my mom, later?”
“Yes but make it after ten. Amanda, let me eat and get woke up, and then I will add another layer of extensions.”
>>>>><<<<<
Terri watched her Aunt work on Amanda’s hair, inserting one hair at a time. She helped by handing Betty one hair at a time. Amanda’s hair was starting to look significantly longer and fuller. Betty didn’t work as long today, but still added about two hundred hairs.
Betty then taught Terri how to braid Amanda’s hair.
“Extensions last longer if they are braided, when possible,” she said.
Terry tied a big blue satin bow at the bottom of the braid. Amanda smiled, when she finished and kissed her cheek.
“Thank you Terry and thank you Ms. Johnson.”
“It won’t be as long as it was Amanda, but it will be fuller and we will be able to do more things with it. I am glad you are getting the cost back out of that boy.”
“Mom also got a restraining order; Paul can’t come within two hundred feet of me. He has to change classes and he can’t go to the pageants that I will be in. I am making sure I attend the same pageants that his girlfriend does. It will kill them both.”
At about ten Betty got her phone; she carried it into her office and closed the door.
“Clara how are things were going.”
“Frank went to the doctor and is going to go to anger management classes, as am I,” she said. “We only had one minor argument and it wasn’t loud enough to alarm the neighbors. The therapist is really helping me. I was a barrel of nerves and now I’m learning to be a more calm and assertive, without being over the top, but its going to be a month or so, before I would feel safe enough to have Terry come home.”
Betty told Clara not to worry about Terry; he loved it here and already made some good friends. She also told Clara that she had enrolled Terry in a home school online program. Clara was relieved about that, she hadn’t even thought about what he would do about school. She did call his old school and told them why he wasn’t coming. They understood and were relieved that he was safe at least. Betty also told Clara to be really careful around Frank.
Betty called Terry into the office and gave her the phone. Then she went and sat with Amanda.
“How is Terri’s mom, Ms. Johnson?”
“She is doing as good as can be expected, Amanda. These type things can take a long time to resolve… and sometimes they are unrecoverable.” Betty took both of Amanda’s hands in her hands. “Learn from this Amanda. Never become some man’s punching bag. There are times it is better to walk away from a bad situation, than to try to hold on to something dangerous. If you get married, set some money aside each month in a savings account at a different bank, in case you have to leave in a hurry.”
Twenty minutes later, Terry came out of the office. He was just starting to cry a bit.
“I miss my Mom, Aunt Betty and I am worried about her.”
Betty pulled Terry into her lap and tried to comfort the child. He cried on her shoulder. Betty whispered into his ear, “I know, sweetie. I’m worried about her too, but she is strong, she will get through this.”
Amanda took one of Terry’s hands and held on to it, wishing that there was something more she could do.
Terry was all cried out in about twenty minutes. Betty set the child down next to Amanda, who wrapped him up in a hug. She then went to fix lunch for the three of them.
When Betty finished getting lunch ready, the kids weren’t in the living room, so she called out.
“Terry… Amanda, lunch is ready.”
“Be there in a minute, Ms. Johnson.”
When the kids came out of Terri’s room, Terri was all made up and was acting like a lady.
“You look nice Terri, do you feel better?”
Terri nodded and gave his aunt a half smile and a hug.
>>>>><<<<<
Amanda had taken him back to his room, to get her sister and Lady-in-Waiting back. Once she started on Terri’s eyes, Amanda could sense a change in Terri’s bearing. Terri went from a hurt child, to a proper Lady. Amanda smiled and continued to work.
Terri was happy to see what Amanda had done. This was another new look and so she tried to remember what Amanda had done. She saw that Amanda had done many of the same things his aunt had done, but she used less makeup and lighter colors.
When they heard Aunt Betty say lunch was ready, Amanda was almost finished. She just needed to add lipstick.
Amanda led Terri to the kitchen. Betty smiled when she saw Terri.
Terri sat like the lady she wanted to be at that time and swept her skirt under her as she sat. She told Amanda and Aunt Betty about her talk with her mom. Her mom had been more upbeat when she talked with Terry, than she had been, when she talked to Betty. She didn’t want Terry to worry. Terri felt things were a little better, but not as good as what his Mom had told him.
After lunch, Betty worked on Amanda again, for about an hour. Amanda was pleased with how things were going.
“You need about four more sessions Amanda to be finished and then I will style your hair and give you a perm.”
“I can’t wait, I loved my long hair. Terri, will you braid my hair for me again, please?”
Terri began to work with her friend’s hair and finished it off with the blue stain bow again.
The afternoon was a little more upbeat. Amanda took Terri and began teaching her how to use her makeup. She made it fun, she wanted Terri to love being a girl and Amanda felt she needed her. She would do the right side of Terri’s face and have Terri try to match the left side. Terri did learn to remove the makeup real well, as she had to start over several times. They would have Betty critique their work. The last time, Amanda had Terri do everything.
“How come you know so much about makeup? How long have you been wearing it?”
“Honey, I have been wearing makeup since I was six. It isn’t unusual to see girls all ages made up extra fancy at pageants. Mom started me in pageants back then. Most normal girls don’t get a chance to start wearing makeup till they get to somewhere between thirteen and sixteen. I started doing my own when I was eleven. I always wear a little, but Mom won’t let me wear more than mascara and lipstick to school. I still practice my makeup almost every day. If you’re my Lady-in-Waiting, you need to look good too.” Amanda tickled Terri causing her to laugh and streak mascara over her right cheek.
Terry looked mad at Amanda for a second and then they had a tickle war. Amanda gave up, as Terry had her pinned face down on the bed and was relentlessly tickling her feet. Amanda cried Uncle and Terri relented. They both had to clean off their faces and redo their makeup.
“I wished you could go to school with me, Terri.”
“We wouldn’t even be in the same grade. I am in the fifth grade and you are what, seventh or eighth?”
“Eighth. Still it would be good to have my best friend with me in school.”
“Why, don’t you have lots of friends?”
“Not so many, and the ones that want to be my friend, are pretty shallow. They want to use my looks to attract boyfriends. Then others like Cindy, despise me. Like I said yesterday, Royalty are sometimes lonely people.”
“We will see each other often and you can call me every day.”
Amanda hugged Terri and said, “Thank you.”
The two kids talked about what music they liked, which actors and actresses they thought were cool and other things kids talk about.
Amanda had to leave and go home at five that afternoon. She had to go to school the next day.
>>>>><<<<<
Terry slept well, but missed Amanda’s warmth. She got up early the next morning and took her bath. She kept things simple, she had to sign onto the home school site and take some tests. The site wanted her to turn on her webcam and they expected a boy. She wore some girl’s slacks over her panties, with one of Terry’s boy shirts, without her bra and breast padding.
The way the site worked, was the children logged in every day in the morning and turned on their webcams. The teachers would lecture them for about thirty minutes a class and then in the afternoon, the kids would do their assignments. They had to have their webcams on in the morning, so the teachers could see that they were actually present for the lectures. In the afternoon, they had teachers who could start a chat if the students needed help.
Back home, Terry’s grades had begun to slip a little, but she did well in testing today. The teacher was pleased and that afternoon, after five hours of testing, they assigned him to the sixth grade in most classes and the fifth grade in others.
Ten minutes after the tests, Terri was in her corset and doing her makeup. She was in full girl mode when Amanda arrived.
Amanda had a ninety minute long session with Betty, and Terry braided her hair afterwards. The four of them sat around and talked. Betty and Melinda talked about the next pageant. Terry and Amanda talked about what they had done today.
“You should have been there today. Paul came in and sat behind me. Before class started, the principal came in and read him the riot act and pulled him out of class. He was sent to the alternate school. He will be there till the end of the semester and then he may have to go to a different school the next year. Cindy was livid, but she couldn’t do anything.”
“Was he mad at you?”
“Oh yes he was mad, but I think his mom and dad got to him. He looked crossly at me and just left. He never said a word.”
Terry smiled and hugged his friend, “Just be careful, I don’t want my best friend hurt.”
“I will. Oh I have something for you.” Amanda said. She took out a bracelet she had made out of her hair. She had taken some longer sections and braided it together with a gold chain. She placed it around Terri’s right wrist. “This is made out of my own hair. I want you to have it.”
Terri smiled and hugged “Amanda. “I love it, thank you Amanda. I will wear this at special times and when we are together.” Terri kissed Amanda’s cheek. “I just wish, I had something to give you.”
“You did, you’re my friend.”
“Amanda, we have a violin lesson, so we have to go,” Melinda said.
The two girls hugged and then waved, as Amanda and her Mom left.
>>>>><<<<<
The next few days, Terri was schooled in the morning. She would get into full girl mode at lunch, and do her assignments and then watch as her Aunt Betty dealt with other clients. Amanda had more rounds of extensions and she was pronounced finished. She would come back the next day for styling and a perm.
Aunt Betty dealt with two other girls this week, one was a pretty perky eight-year-old girl. Leslie Walker was a mass of black curly hair and unlimited energy. She had a huge smile that endeared everyone to her. Aunt Betty worked with the girl’s stage presence, in other words the way she walked, the way she talked and the way she posed. She would be the other girl that was going to the pageant on Saturday. Leslie liked Terry and spent a lot of time with her. Terry liked the little girl and it was apparent to her that the girl was having fun doing all of this. What surprised everyone was during a break, Leslie climbed up into Terry’s lap, made herself comfortable, and took a short cat nap. Forty winks later (about five minutes) Leslie was wide awake and full speed ahead.
The other girl Betty worked with that week, was an eleven year old girl name Wendy Green. Wendy was eleven, but was about four inches shorter than Terry. She seemed a little less happy about all this ta-do, but her Mom, Charlotte, pushed her to always do better. Terry got a chance to talk to the girl, which surprised Wendy. The girl liked going to pageants some, but there was so much work in between. When other girls had time to play and have fun, Wendy had to practice this or do that, to make her mom happy. Wendy liked going to school, it was there she could be herself and have fun. Wendy said that she liked working better with Ms. Johnson, than her old coach. Her old coach was worse than her mom about having her work harder and longer.
Aunt Betty talked to Terri about her girls. Terri gave her impressions about Wendy and Leslie. Betty smiled as Terri talked about the two girls. It was obvious that her niece was very observant and she was happy that she got along well with her girls.
“Terri, Wendy is one of those girls I almost didn’t take on as a client. I did it so that I could try to help her to have some fun. I have seen to it that things are better with her. I would drop her but then I am afraid that her Mom might go back to the other coach or to a worse one.”
“Wendy likes you Aunt Betty, so does Leslie. I think Leslie will do well in her pageants.”
“Yes, it was like she was born to be a beauty queen. Well, I need to take you shopping, if we are going to the pageant on Friday. You need more clothes.”
Aunt Betty and Terri hit the mall. Terri was surprised to see, ‘how much in her element’ her Aunt was. Betty knew just the right shops which would have clothes that Terri loved and would look good in. Even though it was her first time going out in full girl mode, Aunt Betty made her feel good. She didn’t have time to feel self-conscious. Terri seemed to thrive in the feminine environment. She was only a little uncomfortable her first time in the ladies restroom; she just smiled and acted as naturally as she could.
Their first stop at the mall was the lingerie shop. In the lingerie shop, Betty bought some really expensive breast forms, which would be attached with an adhesive. These forms had a high quality, natural skin appearance. When they were attached and treated with a special makeup, they matched Terri’s skin tones very nicely; they looked and felt real too. Terri stared at them in the mirror for several minutes, turning left and right to get a better look at them. She then jumped and shook her shoulders to make them jiggle. Betty laughed and whispered to Terry that her new breasts would help her mix in better with the other girls at pageants, make her look a little older and she would be less likely to give herself away as the attached breasts forms wouldn’t shift out of place at an inopportune time.
The shop owner was a friend of Betty’s and didn’t think it was strange that Betty was doing this for one of her girls. In fact this wasn’t the first time they had done this. There are some girls that don’t start growing their breasts till they are thirteen or fourteen. In a beauty pageant, breasts can make quite a difference in this age group. It wasn’t supposed to be so, but it was. Teen girls with larger breasts did better than girls who were less endowed. The shop owner gave Terri and Betty a lesson on how to attach and take care of the breast forms.
When Terri was measured, she found out that she was a full 32B with these forms attached. She had to buy some new bras and she still had some that she had never worn yet. Her tank top was stretched nicely over her new bra, but it was apparent that Terry would need some new tops.
Terri whispered to Betty, “Gee, I have only been a girl for a few days and I am still outgrowing my new clothes.” Terri was alluding to her previous growth spurts as a boy.
Betty broke out in giggles. Don’t worry, those other clothes weren’t that expensive.
Terri liked the way she jiggled now when she bounced up and down and they would shift when she turned left and right. Betty had to calm her down a bit.
Betty bought two more corsets for Terri, since she seemed to like wearing them and they did some wonderful things to the girl’s figure. Both new corsets had a two-inch smaller waist, than the ones at home. She was laced into a new one, till the sides touched in the middle. She now had a twenty-two inch waist. She liked the way she looked wearing it. She had obvious hips now and her bust looked bigger with it on. Terri thought she would sleep in the other two and wear these two during the day.
Betty then went from one teen fashion store to another; Terri found many outfits to make her look her best. Being a tall teen meant that Terri didn’t have to endure those overly cute outfits that some girls had to wear. You know, those froths of taffeta, lace, ribbons and organza that make girls look like a modern day Shirley Temple. Those dresses made girls look younger instead of older. Terri looked more mature like a young teen well on the cusp of womanhood when she dressed. The clothes were everything a fourteen or fifteen year old girl would love. At least the fourteen-year-old girls that liked to dress up, that is.
Terri seemed to drift towards the softer, more feminine fabrics and more vibrant colors. She liked being girly, as long as it was a big girl girly. Betty liked the new Terri and seemed to forget about who she really was.
In one store, Terri saw that they had a mother/daughter corner. She went up to a sales lady and asked for her help to find her and her aunt similar outfits. Terri told her aunt that she wanted to pick out the outfits. The sales lady had to the two of them stand side by side, asked what their sizes were. They wore an 8T and a 0. Betty did tell the lady what she needed in an outfit. The sales lady brought out three choices in outfits.
Terri loved the burgundy skirted suit the lady suggested, Betty said we were both autumns and that they could both carry it off well. The suit coupled with a ruffled long sleeve Antique Rose blouse and of course they had to have matching burgundy pumps. The only pumps that matched, had three and a half inch heels.
Betty bought the suits, matching blouses and heels. They had dinner at the mall and talked about the weekend. Terri could stay with Melinda and Amanda at the pageant, but Betty would have to work with both Amanda and Leslie. Terri was alright with that and promised to be on her best behavior.
Before they left the mall, Betty bought Terri a set of soft side suit cases and two matching garment bags. She would need them for the added clothes girls had to carry.
>>>>><<<<<
Terri angled the camera up a little on her web cam. She didn’t want to take her breast forms off, and she didn’t know how the instructors would take having a boy with breasts. Terry was sure her Aunt hadn’t thought about that, but she didn’t care, she loved the way she looked right now.
If they did notice the change, they didn’t say anything. They didn’t, but then again they didn’t care. They had more than a few transgendered students enrolled. They knew it was safer for their transgendered students to be home schooled, rather than go to school and face ridicule and violence. This was one area they saw a huge jump in their enrollment. They just cared that their student was online for the classes and did their work.
Amanda came by after school; Betty styled, colored and permed the girl’s hair, then gave her fills on her acrylic nails. Terri helped by handing her aunt the rods and end papers as she rolled the hair. She was fascinated by the whole beauty process. Her mom regularly went to the salon, but Terry never got to go along with her. The whole process seemed so arcane at times and hardly bearable with all the strong odors. But when Amanda was finished, she could tell that the results were worth the hardships. The results were outstanding; Terri could see why her friend thought her hair was her best feature. She smiled and had to hug her best friend; Amanda looked as good as, or better than, her portrait in Aunt Betty’s albums. Amanda loved Terri’s reaction; she didn’t have to ask how she looked and she knew there wasn’t any falsehood behind her eyes.
Terry whispered in her ear, “You look so amazing, Amanda. I can’t believe anyone could be as beautiful as you are right now.”
“Except maybe for you Terri, when we get you all dolled up. Let’s go to your room for a few minutes,” Amanda whispered back. “Mom, Terry and I are going to her room for a few minutes,”
“Ok, Betty and I need to talk, but we can’t stay long, we have to get home and begin to get ready.”
Amanda almost pulled Terri into her room, “What did you do to yourself girl, you look great.”
“What do you mean?”
“You have some nice titties, girl.”
“Oh, my aunt took me to a store and they had these things attached to me?”
“Breast forms?”
“Yeah, that’s what they are.”
“Let me see girl,” Amanda said, pulling up Terri’s t-shirt.
Amanda saw the new below the bust corset, the bra and the breast forms; at least they had to be breast forms. She unhooked the girl’s bra and took a peak at her breasts. They looked so real, it was hard to tell, they looked great on Terri.
“I love your breasts, they look so real. What size are you now?”
“A 32B.”
“You look good with them. I had to grow mine and use padding to get a B cup. The birth control pills helped me a little, but yours are better right now.”
“I wish mine were real like yours,” Terry said, not thinking. “I like these, but I can’t feel them, if you know what I mean.”
“Are you going to be by my side this weekend?”
“You know it girl, I wouldn’t be anywhere else.”
Amanda hooked Terri’s bra back and pulled her T back down and then opened her purse. She pulled out a pretty jeweled broach and pinned it on Terri’s T.
“This is my gift to my Lady-in-Waiting. It is a jeweled pelican. It is just costume jewelry, but I liked it.”
Terry looked at the broach; it was about one by two inches tall and was covered in different colored crystals. It really caught the light and sparkled like diamonds. It was the prettiest thing she had ever been given. She smiled and began to cry. Amanda came up behind her and hugged her. Terry turned in her arms, threw her arms around her neck and kissed her friend on the lips.
>>>>><<<<<
“You know Betty, you have a real problem.”
“I know, Terri has gone completely fem, I think. I hope I didn’t do this to him.”
“From what I know and I admit I am not an expert, there is not much you can do to make someone be that way. What I mean is, you can’t easily make someone become transgendered. There has to be something there already. You might have pulled the trigger, but the gun was already there, so to speak.”
“Do you think this could be just a phase?”
“I don’t know, but I wouldn’t take bets on it. I don’t know enough about this type thing, but I know that there are experts. She needs to see a gender specialist.”
“How do I tell her mother?”
“How do you tell anybody anything? Come out with it and tell her the truth, at least as you know it. Is she enough like you to accept this?”
“Yes she is, but I don’t think Frank will be happy?”
“Then she needs to know soon, this might be a deciding matter on whether she stays with him or leaves. The sooner you get this over with the better.”
“I have taken pictures and have been debating on whether to send them to her or not.”
“I can’t tell you what to do?”
“She does make an adorable girl, doesn’t she?”
Melinda leaned close to Betty and whispered into her ear, “You bet your sweet ass she does. I just love thethat girl.”
>>>>><<<<<
Things happened fast after Terri finished her classes for the day. She and Betty loaded the Land Rover. Terri saw why his aunt went with that vehicle, instead of the B’mer, there was a lot more storage space than her other vehicle had. It was still full, as they headed out. Betty checked with Delores, Leslie’s mom and Melinda, before they drove away. They were headed to a state wide pageant in Houston and the first two places, in each age group, would move on to a regional pageant, in Atlanta.
They drove on I-20 to US 287 to Ennis and then south on I-45 to Houston. The pageant was to take place in the George R. Brown convention center. Betty and her girls all had adjacent rooms at the Four Season Hotel, just a few blocks away. Terri just chattered away for the first hour and then became a little quieter, before she fell asleep, just past Corsicana. Betty, just had her driving and her country music to keep her company. She woke Terri up, as they drove through Huntsville and pointed out the tallest statue of an American Hero, General Sam Houston. The statue is 67 feet tall.
“My gosh, he is big.”
“Yes, that is just one of two statues of Sam Houston in Huntsville. There is one at the college in town and a likeness on a large tombstone.”
“Who is Sam Houston?”
“He was the General who defeated Santa Anna at San Jacinto. He was the first President of the Republic of Texas, the first Governor of Texas, a Governor of Tennessee, and a US Senator.”
“Oh a politician.”
>>>>><<<<<
An hour and a half after passing Sam Houston, they arrived at the Four Seasons Hotel. Betty and Terri arrived first. That is when they found out that there was a problem. Instead of three rooms, they had two adjoining rooms. Betty called the mom’s. They decided that the girls should use one room and the three adults would share the other. At least they were large rooms.
Terri changed into a nice dress and with Betty’s help, did her own makeup. Betty thought that Terri needed more than just a little makeup. There would be a lot of other pageant goers around and she didn’t want her niece to be the only girl not looking her best.
Betty and Terri got their luggage up to the rooms and sorted them out. Leslie and Dolores arrived and Terri sort of took charge of the little dynamo. She helped the young girl to get her things arranged in their room. As large as the room was, they were going to be overwhelmed. Amanda had told Terri what she had to bring. Leslie then got dressed and added just a little lipstick, eyeliner and mascara to her face, just like a pro.
Melinda and Amanda arrived just as everyone was getting ready to go get a bite. Terri and Leslie helped Amanda, while Betty and Delores helped Melinda. Amanda undressed while walking, Terri picked up after her. She took a quick bath cloth wash job and dressed in something Terri had gotten out for her. She took a little more time doing her makeup and went for a good evening look.
Leslie took one hand from both girls and they went into the other room. Melinda was just finishing up her own makeup.
That night, they ate at the Hotel, and as expected, there were many pageant goers all around. As Betty had expected, most had dressed up and made up their faces. Many of the pageant girls were already posturing, as if they were being judged. They also were measuring themselves by the competition.
The girls sat at one table, while the adults sat where they could see their girls, but still have an adult conversation. This was a treat for them too.
Amanda and Leslie were busy pointing out who was who, when they saw someone they knew. Contestants often run into each other at the various events. It is a small community, when it comes to the competitive girls. Amanda told them stories of some strange parents. One story was of a mom that went schizo when her girl placed second, for the third time, in two months to the same girl. Security had to protect the girl who had won. The mom accused the judges of favoritism, nepotism (it wasn’t true) and a bunch of other tisms.
The contestants themselves sometimes lose it when they are beaten. It isn’t unheard of girls having a big cat fight over losing at these events. Others have a crying meltdown. A therapist could make a killing with all the bruised egos at a children’s beauty pageant.
“Ninety five percent of the contestants are good kids. We could do without the other five percent. Those contestants will keep acting up till they get banned, but there is always someone that takes their place,” Amanda said.
“Why don’t you compete Terri? You’re really pretty enough.” Leslie asked.
Terri didn’t want to come out to Leslie and tried to come up with a reason. “How much time do you put into pageanting every week?”
“I don’t know… but it is a lot.”
“I put in twenty maybe thirty hours a week before a major pageant. I would expect that Leslie puts in ten to twenty hours in the week before she competes.”
“Well before I came to visit my Aunt, I sorta knew about pageants and a few girls that went to them. I just didn’t have the inclination, or the desire, to put in the time to be good. Also I was pretty much a Tom boy.”
“I can’t see you being a Tom boy, you’re too girly, Terri,” Leslie said. “Maybe girly isn’t the right word.”
“Feminine. You are too feminine to have ever been a Tom boy,” Amanda said, smiling at her friend.
Terri was lost for words. She had half expected something like that from someone who didn’t know her secret, but when Amanda said it, it really confused her.
“You really think that Amanda?” Terri asked.
Amanda thought for a second before answering, “I know you might have been a Tom boy, but if I just met you today, I wouldn’t have believed it. Leslie is right, in a way.”
“Okay, granted, I have the looks, and I might have the girly act down. I never liked dressing up before I came to stay with my Aunt and I never learned any talents like you and Amanda.”
“Neither do half the girls that compete, Terri,” Leslie said, giggling. “Janice Parker always sings and her singing is so bad, she can break glass.”
“Oh Lord, Leslie, when she hits a loud bad note, she could start a stampede at the exits. I heard her preacher asked her to join the choir… at another church, preferably out of state.”
“That’s not nice; does she at least try to do good?” Terri asked.
“Yes and that is what makes it worse. But you are right; we shouldn’t make fun of her.”
>>>>><<<<<
“I like your niece, Betty. I think she is a good influence for my daughter Leslie. I liked the way she took charge when we showed up. She had an easier time than I usually do, trying to get her sorted out. She is so cute, why isn’t she doing the pageant thing?”
“Yes, she seems to be an organizer. I don’t think her parents are into that scene and the only way I got her all dressed up and made up, was on a bet. I think she likes what I do and maybe that is the way she will go.”
“I think so too. When my Amanda was getting her hair done, Terri was there helping her aunt out. She is so gorgeous though, when she is made up.”
“Well, I am impressed with her too. She helped my Leslie when we came over for our session. One thing she did, that I really liked, was when she talked to my daughter was, when she got down on her knees, at Leslie’s level, so she didn’t have to look up to Terri. I think my girl appreciated that too. It was a small gesture, but I think it did wonders.”
Betty smiled and said, “I remember Mrs. Carpenter, she was my first grade teacher, she used to do that with the kids in her class, especially when she had to correct one of us. She didn’t dominate us, or Lord herself over us, she didn’t have too. There was no doubt she was in charge. That simple gesture endeared her to us. We just loved her.”
“Whatever, while I wouldn’t trade my Leslie for anyone else, I would still be proud to be Terri’s mother,” Delores said.
>>>>><<<<<
Amanda helped Terri by keeping Leslie occupied, while she took a bath and got ready for bed. Leslie wasn’t in on Terri’s secret, so Terri dressed in her sleep shirt, her panties and her padded brief. The brief kept what little she had up front, tucked away and unseen. Betty had attached her wig with an adhesive and her breasts didn’t need to come off for a while yet. Before Terri left the bathroom, she checked to see that there was nothing of Terry in the mirror.
Amanda and Terri slept in one bed and Leslie slept in the other, but when morning came, Terri found herself sandwiched between the two of them, at about five thirty. She managed to extricate herself from between the two of them, but it cost her a kiss on Leslie’s cheek, as she became half awake. She grabbed the outfit she wanted to wear that day and headed to the bathroom. Terri spent a few minutes stretching left and right, front and back, touching her palms to the floor. She had a bit of a bed head, so after brushing her teeth, she spent a bit brushing her hair. After re-lacing herself in a corset and dressing in her burgundy suit and Antique Rose blouse, she sat in front of the mirror doing her makeup.
At six thirty, she woke Amanda, she would need more time to get ready than Leslie. Terri could hear the adults starting to get up and get ready. Finally she woke Leslie and began to help her get ready.
Amanda and Leslie just wore casual clothes at breakfast; as they would change into their costumes, in the dressing room, at the convention center. Breakfast was light, and served in the adult’s room; they all had a few butterflies in their stomachs.
It was amazing to see how many bags had to go with them to the George R. Brown. There were a half a dozen garment bags, four suit cases, Betty’s professional makeup kit and several boxes. Betty drove her Land Rover with all the stuff in it, with Terri, while the others took the shuttle the few blocks to the center.
At the center, Terri stayed with the clothes, as her Aunt parked. The others had already joined her, as her aunt got back. At the desk, everyone got their credentials. Security at these events was always high. There were many areas you couldn’t get in without the right credentials. The dressing room area was tightly controlled, so the girls could feel safe there. There were many girls running around half dressed, as they got ready. Betty got Leslie ready, as her age group was first to show. Amanda had Terri help her. She taught Terri how she liked to do things.
Amanda was dressed, when Betty was ready for her. Betty quickly began to sort out the young lady’s hair and makeup. She took great care to create the look she wanted, on the older girl and did a wonderful job.
Betty would have loved to see Amanda on stage, but by the time the girl was on stage, it would be time for Leslie to have her second change. That was how it was when you had multiple girls at the same show. Terri did go with Amanda and stood offstage, as her friend’s time came to walk on stage, for the introduction of the contestants.
Amanda walked to center stage, posed left, then right, before walking down the catwalk. Terri thought she looked so amazing, dressed in the lovely formal dress. She walked to the end of the catwalk and then posed for the crowd.
After everyone had their walk, the girls, as a group, walked on stage, while some man sang the pageant’s theme song. After that, they rushed back to the dressing room area. Amanda’s age group had to change to swimsuits.
Amanda again had Terri help her undress and get into the swimsuit. Terri never balked as she helped her friend. Melinda didn’t mind and had the chance to enjoy things for a change. The swimsuit was an orange red one piece. Amanda showed Terri how she used a swimsuit adhesive at strategic points, to keep the suit from migrating between her butt cheeks. The girl got into her matching heels and Betty adjusted her makeup.
Beauty Pageants are run like a military operation. There was a lot of frantic hurry up and wait times, before a few minutes on stage, before frantic hurry up for the next part of the operation.
When the lunch break came, Melinda had gotten everyone something to eat. Amanda and Leslie sat and ate, dressed in satin robes, with Terri. They talked about how they thought they done so far. Both girls had already been on stage twice. Leslie would make one more appearance and Amanda had two.
Leslie was ecstatic, this was her first show with Betty and she felt that she was already doing better than she ever had.
Amanda smiled and gave the younger girl some tips. She also felt that she was doing good, but only time will tell. The older the girl, the more fierce the competition was. Her strongest areas would be this afternoon and Sunday.
All too soon, Amanda had to get ready. She had her talent and poise competitions today. Today she was going to sing ‘Cabaret’ for her talent and had to get dressed to fit the song. Her costume was a little racy for a teen, but milder than Liza Minnelli’s version. The costume was sort of like a corset, but with a blouse top included. There was a short skirt, stockings, supported by garters straps, high heels, short fingerless lace gloves, top hat, a cane and a bow tie. Her makeup was a very dramatic glamour look.
Terri had seen the movie ‘Cabaret’. Along with the movie ‘Chicago’, it was one of her Mom’s favorite movies. She had loved the glamour of the Roaring twenties and thirties movies. Seeing Amanda dressed on stage, in her costume, Terri could imagine Amanda being in a cabaret, singing, with the patrons drooling over her. She was a bit jealous of those patrons. What really surprised Terri though, was her friend’s singing. The girl’s voice was golden; to say she sang like an angel, was an understatement. Her dancing was mildly provocative, but would still get in a PG-13 movie. Her act was polished, unlike some of the girls that had gone on before and after her. Terri would put her as number one, or two, out of the fifteen girls there.
Terri picked her friend up in a hug, when she got off stage, “You were fantastic, Amanda.”
“Thank you Terri. It wasn’t too much was it?”
“I thought it was fab.”
Amanda and Terri rushed back to Betty, who was finishing up on Leslie.
“How did you do Amanda?” Betty asked, seeing the two kids arriving.
“She was wonderful, Aunt Betty. I think she did pretty good.”
“You need to change out of that outfit and get all of your makeup off.”
Terri helped her friend out of the costume and into a robe. She then took several makeup wipes and began to clean her friends face. Amanda loved having someone do these things for her. She just sat back and relaxed.
The poise competition dress was semi-formal, afternoon glam. The contestants were interviewed on stage. The contestants had been given a list of twenty questions; they would be asked three questions off of the list and one question that wasn’t on the list.
Terri tried to be objective, as she listened to the other girls’ canned responses. Some of them were so plastic and cliché, like the Miss America contestants that want to cure all diseases and obtain world peace. Amanda was a little better than most. She had to tell the judges what they wanted to hear, it was all part of the game after all, she explained; but she put more of herself into the answers. Amanda had a little more warmth and expression, as she answered her questions.
After that round, Amanda and Leslie changed into some casual clothes and with the adults along, they headed to the exhibition hall.
The girls and their adults, went through the hall, checking out a lot of the exhibits. They looked at what might be the latest and greatest to come out. Terri was amazed at what she saw. There were beauticians, dress makers, modeling agencies, jewelry makers, beauty show coaches, gadget sales, DVD sales, and games for girls. The hottest sales were the souvenir sales. They sold pins, banners and bumper stickers, associated with pageanting.
After about an hour and a half later, they packed up and headed back to the hotel. Betty and the Moms were so happy that their girls had done so well. Everyone changed into dressier, formal dresses. Betty checked her three girls, before they went out and headed to the ‘State Grille’, a very nice restaurant, which had an anti bellum, civil war era type feel to it. The elegant dresses they had chosen, fit in with the restaurants décor. Terri had wondered just where she would wear the dress her aunt bought her.
Their group wasn’t the only one from the pageant there. There were three or four other groups of mothers and daughters there. Terri was amazed at how elegant Leslie looked and how grown up she acted.
All eyes in the restaurant turned, when an older man and woman, in their late sixties, entered the place. Their clothing could have been used in ‘Gone with the Wind’, or any other civil war era movie. The older gentleman was quite dapper in his powder blue linen suit and vest. His shirt had a high collar and the sleeves had a bit of ruffle at the cuffs. He had a pocket watch and chain, which dangled from his vest, and his shoes were period and had no instep. He wore Ben Franklin spectacles and had a strange top hat in his hands. The lady wore a light green silk dress, with a bustle. There was a lot of ornamentation on the bodice, including a white lace panel, over white fabric in the middle, where it buttoned, and green silk vertical ruffles. There was a dark green ribbon belt, with a large bow, just above the bustle. She wore a green silk hat, with black net trim and pheasant feathers, and button hook high heel shoes. The couple became stars that night, as many of the patrons asked if they could have their pictures taken with the couple.
Those two people showing up, broke some of the tension that night, and allowed everyone to enjoy themselves a little more.
>>>>><<<<<
They packed up and checked out of the hotel after breakfast. They then made their way back to the convention center after loading up the cars.
Sunday, both the girls had just one costume change. They both had a catwalk run, to demonstrate their modeling skills, before lunch and then a change for the awards ceremony, after lunch. The atmosphere wasn’t as frantic, but just as tense.
Leslie and Amanda both wore their best formal dresses for the catwalk. While the girls were walking, the moderator gave a description of the dress and a little background information on the girl. Leslie was fairly new to pageanting, but she did fairly well. Amanda did really well; it was easy to tell she had done this many times.
The girls were nervous, as they hardly ate lunch, both knew that they had done well, but they had the jitters. You never knew how the judges liked them, till the announcements.
The awards ceremony started with the very youngest and ended with the high school girls. Leslie was in the third age group, she was chosen as the second runner up, or third place. She was so excited. She received three hundred dollars, a sash, a trophy; that was almost as tall as she was and a large stuffed bear. When she came off stage, she ran to her mom and gave her a big hug.
Amanda was in the fifth group. She was on pins and needles, as the fourth runner up, the third runner up, the second runner up and the runner up was announced. She felt a little let down, till they announced her as the winner. She received two thousand dollars, a large trophy, a tiara, a sash and a large bouquet of roses. She also qualified to go to regionals in her age group. Terri waited till she hugged her mom, before she gave Amanda a hug.
There were two more age groups after Amanda and then they had the winners come out for the grand champion. Amanda placed second to the girl who won the 15-16 year old group. She won an additional two thousand dollars, another trophy, another sash, a dress from some Boutique and another bouquet of roses.
Amanda and Leslie had their pictures taken, which took another hour, they all changed clothes to something more comfortable, shorts, sneakers and blouses, except for Terri, who wore a miniskirt, heels and blouse. She knew she had packed some shorts and sneakers, and had seen them in the hotel room, but apparently, Amanda had hidden them. They departed Houston and started a four-hour journey back to Fort Worth. Leslie and Amanda talked their mom’s into letting them ride with Betty and Terri. Terri was sandwiched in the back seat. Leslie fell asleep strapped in, leaning into Terri, who just wrapped her arm around the smaller girl. Terri and Amanda talked.
“I just can’t believe I’m going to regionals.”
“You did great Amanda and I know that you will do even better at regionals.”
“With you by my side, I know I will.”
“I may not be able to go with you Amanda. I want to go back to my Mom and Dad.”
Amanda remembered why Terri was here and began to cry on her shoulder.
“I am sorry Amanda,” Terri said, trying to comfort her friend.
“It’s not your fault. I just forgot. I just liked having you around.”
“I might be able to talk my mom into letting me come, but…”
Amanda whispered into Terri’s ear, “but you wouldn’t be my lady in waiting, would you.”
Terri was a little sad that she would have to become a boy again, it had been so much fun being a girl, but she had missed her Mom and her Mom expected a little boy back home, “No, but I could be something just as good, a friend who cares a lot about you.”
“Promise.”
“I can’t promise to be there, but I can promise to be your friend.”
(continued in part 2)
Terry Wait now lives as Terri with her Aunt, at least for now. She is having fun living as a girl for now and things seem to be going better on the home front. Working with his Aunt and her pageant girls is helping Terri to forget her problems, or at least to move them to the back burner for now.
The final part of a two part novella.
by
Paula Dillon
Terri’s lessons began again Monday. She was beginning to really like going to school on the Internet. The site had good teachers and she didn’t have to worry about what the other kids thought about her. She also liked the fact that she was in classes that suited her abilities. She was good at math, a grade or two ahead of the other students at her old school. She figured that it might not have just been the school that was slowing her down. As the problems at home had gotten bigger, her desire to learn fell.
Betty told her that she could call home after classes today. In fact Betty called her home about thirty minutes before Terri would be free. They talked for about twenty minutes, about how things were going with Frank. Clara stated that he seemed to be doing better. They hadn’t had a big argument in four or five days and he was definitely easier to get along with right now. Betty also told Clara about the online school.
“I think he likes the online school, Clara. I think he was treated poorly by the other students.”
“He never told me if he was, but I kind of got the feeling that he wasn’t telling me something. His teachers never said anything about it.”
“You know how that goes, Terri probably didn’t want to worry you. Now about the teachers, they would have to be blind or don’t care not to know something is wrong, either they don’t want the kid to get in trouble, or they don’t want the school or themselves to get in trouble.”
“That sounds just like our old high school, Betty.”
“I have something else to tell you Clara. I don’t know how to tell you this, so I will just come out and say it. I made a stupid bet with Terry and won. You know what I do right?”
“You were a beautician and became a beauty pageant consultant, right?”
“You got it Sis. I told Terry that I could make anybody look as good as my girls and he said I couldn’t. I bet him four hundred dollars I could. Of course he couldn’t match the bet so I suggested that if I won, he would dress as a girl for a time.”
“Oh no, don’t tell me he accepted that bet, that was a sucker bet. I know how good you are.”
“Yep, he accepted that bet. I won of course; he makes a very cute girl. I have some pictures that should be in your email box now. Go check,” Betty said.
“Just a sec. I am at my computer now.”
“Anyways, I felt bad about it and told him he didn’t have to dress up. He said he would and I am afraid he is getting to like it.”
“She is gorgeous Betty; she looks a lot like me when we were kids.”
“Yes, she does and that is the root of the problem. Like I said, I think SHE likes it too much.”
“I see you changed pronouns. Do you think it is going to be a problem when he comes home?”
“He may not say it, but I think she really wants to stay like she is. How do you think you and Frank would take that?”
“I love Terry so much; I just want my child to be happy. I don’t know about Frank though. That would be another problem.”
“She has been so happy, Clara.”
“I can believe it, seeing those pictures. She hasn’t smiled like that in months. I hate to ask, but can you take her to a therapist.”
“I have her scheduled to see a gender therapist tomorrow. How long before you decide about Frank?”
“I don’t know, I am being cautious about this. I really don’t want Terry back here, till I am certain, Frank will be ok. You know, this can explain a lot about Terry. His best friends here are all older girls.”
“I know, she latched on to an older girl down here.”
“Really, tell me about it.”
Betty told her about Amanda and her Mom, Melinda and how it was incredible how close they have gotten in so short a time. It was like they became sisters. The funny thing though, is that she and her Mom both know Terry is a boy, but they are treating her just like any other girl.
“Terri was a big help to Amanda and helped her do everything and I mean everything, from dressing, to getting things ready for her, and helping to just calm the girl down, when she was a bundle of nerves. Amanda won her age and is headed to regionals.”
“They aren’t, you know ah…”
“No, I don’t think he is capable of that, is he?”
“I don’t know, I haven’t talked to him about that yet. I guess it’s about time.”
“I think that the therapists could do that.”
“Yes we need to find out, and the therapist is a good choice to do that, for now.”
“Her classes are over, and I can hear her coming. She is so worried about you.”
“I know, I won’t say a thing about what we have said, unless she tells me. Let her in, I want to talk to her.”
Clara and Terri talked for about an hour. She didn’t let on that she knew about Terri dressing as a girl, but Terri told her mom. She had been afraid that she wouldn’t love her anymore, but her mom calmed her fears.
“Terri, I don’t care if you want to be a girl, or a boy, the only thing I care about, is that you are happy. If you are happy as a girl, that is fine with me. Let me tell you a secret, your aunt sent me a picture. I think you are gorgeous.
“You do?”
“Yes I do. You might have to change back to a boy for a little while, till we can get your dad to go along with it, but we will work things out. Can you be a boy for a while?”
“I can do that mom, at least for a while, but I think I should have been born a girl, Mom.”
“I think so too Terri. I knew you were special, I just didn’t realize how special you were.”
“You think I am special?”
“Of course you are special. You are the most special person I know and you are my child.”
>>>>><<<<<
Aunt Betty helped Terri dress the next day. Terri pouted a bit, when she said no makeup. Betty smiled as she remembered having the same feelings when she was a girl with her parents. She picked out a simple white blouse, a plaid knee length skirt, knee socks and a pair of black Mary Jane flats. Terri put her foot down and insisted that she wear her corset. Betty couldn’t believe how much she liked wearing those things. She finished off the look with a ribbon tie. Almost the classic girls school uniform.
Betty wondered about why Terri insisted on wearing a corset, “Why do you like those corsets so much Terri? My girls are usually in a hurry to get out of theirs, when I get them laced up in one.”
“They remind me how to sit and stand, Auntie. They also make me feel and look more like a girl. Also, they remind me to act like a girl. I am afraid I might slip up and act like a boy, if it wasn’t for the corset and breasts.”
“I see; that is important. You know, that is a good idea, Terri.”
Betty took Terri downtown to a gender clinic. They met a lady named Dr. Gwen Harrison. Gwen looked to be in her mid-fifties. She had short gray hair and bright green eyes. She first met with Betty alone, for about ten minutes and then invited Terri alone into her office to talk.
Terri was a little afraid at first, but Gwen’s grandmotherly ways began to win her over. She began to relax and tell Gwen what was on her mind. She was a little embarrassed by some of Gwen’s questions, but Gwen said that it was important for her to know. Terri told her about the problems that her mom and dad were having. Terri asked if her parents arguing could be her fault.
“Heaven’s no Terri. Grownups argue for a lot of reasons and I am sure there is nothing you did to cause them. Do you know what they are doing about it?”
“They are both in counseling and anger something or other.”
“Anger management. That is good to hear, Terri. Well, do your parents know about you?”
“Just my mom for now. She doesn’t want my dad to know right now. She wants to make sure he is better, before we talk about this.”
“Yes, a transgendered child can bring a lot of stress to their parents. The parents have to know what is important. How you feel is very important Terri. Not what they think you should be. If they have a problem with it, it is them that need to grow up, not you. We just need to be very sure you know what you feel. Do you understand?”
“I think so.”
“Good, I think we will get along just fine.”
Gwen made an appointment to see Terri again next week, and asked Betty to keep her informed on her parents’ status.
“Call me anytime Betty, and I mean anytime, if you or Terri need me. I am giving you my personal cell phone number.”
>>>>><<<<<
When they got home Terri called Amanda up and they talked. Amanda wanted to know everything, so Terri told her friend what she knew and how she felt about things.
Betty worked with another of her girls. Patsy Quinn is a six-year-old girl and was working on her runway routine. Patsy had a sassy walk; at the end of the walk, she took off her jacket and swung the jacket over her shoulder. She posed left and right, and then walked back. She had an exaggerated hip roll, trying to look sexy. Terri thought it was kind of clownish and apparently so did her Aunt. Betsy didn’t like the walk either, which her mom and another coach had taught her. She worked to correct the flaws she saw. Joan Quinn stopped Betty and talked with her about what she was trying to accomplish. It took a bit of talking, to convince the Mom, that she knew what she was doing.
In an hour, they had the girl walking differently, it was still a more mature walk, than girls her age normally used, but it looked much better to Terri. The girl didn’t come across ‘as a tramp on the prowl’.
Terri realized that there was a lot to being a beauty queen. It took a lot of work and dedication, along with some cajoling and pushing. So far, she had seen four Moms and she began to form an opinion about the way they interacted with their children. Joan wasn’t the worst, but she and her child had received some bad advice. Her Aunt though, was able to convince the parent and child, that she knew what she was doing.
>>>>><<<<<
Wednesday, Melinda and Amanda came over to begin planning for the regionals next month. They sat at the kitchen table, with Betty pouring over the catalogue from the boutique that sponsored the dress she won, trying to decide which dress to choose. Terri stood behind Amanda and rested her chin on Amanda’s shoulder. Amanda had to choose one from about thirty formal dresses, depicted in the catalogue.
All the dresses looked so wonderful to Terri. She could see that there were a lot of different styles and even more colors to choose from. She saw one in pink that looked very beautiful.
“How would Amanda look in that one, in blue?” Terri asked.
They all stopped and looked at the one Terri indicated. They then discussed the dress using some arcane terms to Terri, but they must have meant something to them.
“I think she would be adorable in it Terri,” her aunt said. “You seem to have a good sense of fashion.”
“It’s not like my other dresses, but I kind of like it too,” Amanda said.
They dog-eared that page and continued to look through the catalogue. They found three more dresses to consider, before they began to compare them.
“We won’t decide today, we have to go to Austin to select the dress and then have it fitted.”
“Oh, I am from Austin, that’s where my Mom and Dad are.”
“Maybe you can come with us this weekend.”
“I need to talk with her Mom first. We don’t want any surprises, or problems,” Betty said.
“Oh yes, I can understand that. I forgot about that,” Melinda said.
They then poured over the schedule for the pageant. The regionals is a five days of competition, with two events each day and rehearsals; except for the last day, when there would be three events. They made notes about the requirements and suggestions on clothing. The packet even had pictures of what girls had worn at the various events in the past, to give contestants an idea of what was expected and required.
>>>>><<<<<
Friday found Melinda and Amanda riding with Terri and Betty in the Land Rover. Betty had called Wednesday after Melinda and Amanda had gone home. She talked with her sister. Clara stated that things were going well, but she didn’t want Terri to come home for at least another month. Betty told her about them coming to Austin on Saturday and she was overjoyed about getting a chance to see Terri. They set up a time where Clara could meet them at the mall where the boutique was located. Clara didn’t want to know where they were staying, she was still being cautious with Frank, if she didn’t know, she couldn’t spill the beans.
Betty talked with Terri and planned to be across the city from Frank’s normal weekend haunts. She had Terri tell her what she knew and pointed out the places on the map. Terri lived in the southeastern part of Austin, right off I-10. The mall they were going to was in the northwest just off I-35.
They chose a motel about a mile from the mall. They had two adjoining rooms, Amanda insisted that she and Terri have one for themselves and after the girls promised to be good the adults consented.
Amanda and Terri slept in the same bed; Amanda spooned behind Terri, as they laid down to sleep. Both being only children, they had rarely shared a bed with anyone, but they seemed to like sleeping together. They both slept better.
Terri woke early the next morning and decided to take her bath. Amanda was sound asleep; she groaned and made a grab for Terri, who scampered out of reach. Terri got the things she would need to get dressed, before heading to the bathroom.
Betty had bought Terri some bath oils and at first she didn’t like the slick feel of the tub, but the more she used them, the more she began to like them. She especially liked what they did for her skin and how they helped her to relax. The oil’s fragrance seemed to melt her worries away.
Terri was just getting out of the tub, when a naked Amanda came in. Amanda saw all of Terri, without her wig. Amanda smiled and looked at her Lady-in-Waiting. This was the first time either of them had seen the other completely naked. Terri was petrified.
Amanda smiled and hugged Terri breast to breast and whispered in her ear, “Looking good girl,” before she stepped into the still full tub.
The fact that Amanda didn’t freak out when she saw Terri, did wonders for the girl. She knew she had to be careful around other people, but having someone who knew her secret and accepted her anyway, was wonderful.
Terri dried off and began to dress. Amanda covertly watched her friend as she dressed. She was amazed at the girl’s tiny waist and her tiny boy parts. It didn’t bother her that Terri was born a boy, because she knew that Terri had a girl’s heart and soul.
Terri put on her panties and she picked up her over the bust corset.
“Why do you wear those things Terri? I have worn one before and I will probably have to wear one again, but I hate those things.”
“Before I began wearing them, there wasn’t much difference between my waist and my hips. Girls are bigger in the hips and have smaller waist. Also, my corset reminds me to act like a girl, more than anything else I wear. I also have to wear a padded brief to hide my ah… thing and to look bigger in my backside.”
Amanda looked thoughtful for a few seconds and said, “Hmm… that make sense. I also wear a padded brief with some of my fashions. I am just starting to expand in the hips and I need a little help there. Almost all the girls above ten wear one. At least till they grow into the right proportions.”
Terri hooked up the busk and began tightening the corset. Early on, her aunt had given her some instruction on how to accomplish that. Betty told Terri, a woman should know how to put on her own corset.
“A woman should only need help if she tight laces, which is something you shouldn’t try. There is no sane reason for a lady to have a waist smaller than twenty two to twenty four inches,” she said.
Terri was already about twenty two inches, or thereabout. She didn’t want to go any smaller, she just wore it because of her stated reasons and she actually liked wearing one.
The girls had fun helping each other dress. Amanda did her own makeup and helped Terri do hers. Amanda tried to do a glamour look on Terri. She was good, but it was easy to see that she wasn’t as good as her Mom and she was light years away from being as good as Betty. Since she was going to have to redo Terri’s makeup anyway, she overemphasized Terri’s eyes and lips. She took a lip pencil and drew way outside the lines, before filling it in with lipstick using a brush.
They both giggled as they looked into the mirror to see. Terri posed like some of the movie stars her Mom loved to watch. Amanda took an air camera and pretended to take Terri’s photograph. It was quite humorous to Terri, but the more she posed, the more she took what she was doing seriously.
Amanda thought, “Damn, I wish I really did have a camera. She is good.” She promised herself that she would bring her digital camera the next time she went anywhere with Terri.
They stopped playing when they heard the olds begin to stir. Amanda cleaned off Terri’s makeup and gave her a nice everyday look. They had just finished, when Melinda stuck her head around the corner.
“Well, I was going to wake you and tell you that we are going out to eat in thirty minutes, but I see that you are both ready. Just hang loose and let us get ready.”
>>>>><<<<<
Terri was sitting on pins and needles as she waited for her Mom. Betty had driven them to the mall and they were sitting in the food court waiting. Clara was running a little late it seemed. Terri had a worried look on her face, but Amanda held her hand and comforted her. She had just about given up and asked her aunt to call her cell phone, when Terri saw her. Terri shrieked, jumped up and was doing a cross between running and skipping up to her mom.
Clara’s eyes got as big as silver dollars as she saw a girl that looked much like a version of herself some twenty odd years ago. The child was simply beautiful, “Terri is that you?”
“Of course it’s me, Momma,” Terri said as she leaped into her Mom’s arms.
Clara was a little stiff, till her new daughters hug melted her heart. “It is so good seeing you again,” she said, as she wrapped her arms around the girl. “Or should I say seeing you for the first time.”
“I am still me Mom, I am just wrapped up a little differently now.”
“Stand back and let me see you girl.”
Terri let her go and stepped back; she then posed like one of Aunt Betty’s girls and turned slowly for her Mom.
Clara looked at Terri with tears in her eyes, “Oh my, Terry you look so beautiful.”
Terri’s eyes were also tearing up, “So are you Mom. You’ve always been beautiful in my eyes.”
Terri took her Mom’s hand and led her over to the table. She then introduced Melinda and Amanda.
“This is my best friend Amanda and her mother Melinda and of course your sister, Betty.” Terri teased.
Clara knew that everyone here knew already, so she wasn’t afraid to say, “I know you told me how beautiful she was, but I really didn’t know what to think till I saw her and could hold her myself. You are a magician Sis.”
“There is no magic there, sister. She was already beautiful.”
Clara thought for a second and then said, “I guess I was just too blind to see what was before my eyes. I am sorry Terri, I should have been a better Mom.”
“Why are you sorry? You are the bestest Mom I know, and I love you so much.”
They hit one of the shops and got something to eat and drink, they then sat down to talk. Clara asked Amanda how she met her daughter. Amanda had a huge grin as she told the Clara how they met. Clara was interested to hear that she was into pageanting and had about a thousand questions. Amanda told her about all of her experiences.
Clara turned towards her daughter and asked, “How do you feel about all of this?”
“Mom, it is like I woke up in a dream world and found that it is all real. I’ve never really felt badly, before, but now I feel so alive.”
“So do you want to stay like this?”
“I know that it may not be possible right now and I can accept that. But I feel that I really need to be a girl, mom. I just can’t explain it.”
Clara was smiling and crying as she said, “I think you did alright, Terri and I promise that if this is what it takes to make sure you are happy, we will find a way to make it happen.”
Clara and Terri cried on each other’s shoulders for a bit. She then pulled out her compact and looked at her face, “I think you and I need to fix our faces and how long have you been wearing makeup, girl.”
“That is my fault Sis, I know girls shouldn’t start wearing makeup at her age, but all the girls I work with, started much younger. I can’t have my assistant look plain, now can I?”
“I guess not. Momma didn’t let us start till we were fifteen, but seeing how Terri looks, I can’t complain.”
The five women went to the ladies room and did what they needed to do. Betty helped Terri get her face sorted out right, as Clara watched. She was amazed at the way Terri acted, but as she thought about things, Terri really wasn’t that much different now. It was just a matter of perspective. Clara realized that maybe she had seen what she wanted to see, when Terri was acting as her son. Sure she had to walk different and do things like sitting differently, but Terri was still Terri. The only real difference now, was on the outside. Clara resolved to observe her child more closely today, to see if her theory was right.
The five of them left the restroom, after fixing their faces. They went to the boutique that had sponsored the dress Amanda won. A salesclerk led the pack to the proprietor’s office in the back. Gail West’s office, was in a large fitting room that had a stage, catwalk and seating for a dozen people. She welcomed them and after introductions offered them seats.
“My, my, I didn’t know we were going to have two beauty queens here today,” Gail said.
“Oh, I am not a competitor Ms. West. I am just Amanda’s friend. She invited me to join them,” Terri said. “Unless you are talking about my Mom.”
“Well, all I can say is that you could be, Terri. You certainly have the looks and the charm. So Amanda, have you had a chance to look over our catalogue?”
“Yes, we have and we want to look at four or five of your dresses,” She said, pulling out the catalogue. She indicated the dresses she wanted to try on.
Gail asked Amanda to undress down to her bra and panties. Amanda was used to being undressed in front of people, so she just stood and took her skirt and blouse off. She handed them to Terri, who stood next to her. Terri took good care of Amanda’s clothes. Gail then thoroughly measured the girl. She then asked her secretary, Elizabeth, to pull the dresses Amanda wanted to see and about a half dozen more in Amanda’s size. Elizabeth looked closely at Amanda’s hair skin and eyes, to determine her colors.
Elizabeth rolled a rack in, with about fifteen dresses on it, in about ten styles. Amanda stepped back into her heels and Elizabeth helped the girl dress. Terri paid attention to what they were doing. Amanda model the dress for the others, to let them see what the dress looked like and then she would take to the stage, for her walk. Terri would take the dress from Elizabeth, after a change and rehang it. She placed the dresses that were rejected, on one rack, and the dresses they wanted to consider on another. When Terri turned away from the racks, Gail walked over to inspect the girls work. She smiled as she saw how well Terri hung the dresses. She wasn’t perfect, but she was as good as some of her sales staff. Clara noted Gail’s actions and smiled too. Terri had helped her hang the laundry at home and she had taught her well.
Clara observed the interaction between Amanda and Terri. The girl knew about Terri, but showed no concern for her nakedness around Terri. She was happy Terri was there and asked her opinion along with the rest of the women. Terri was unabashed and acted as if this was an everyday thing with her. Clara had to edit her previous conclusions some; her daughter’s actions were a clearly different. Terry might have been a little effeminate, but her daughter was very feminine. Some things didn’t change though, her child had smile that could warm a heart, a great sense of humor, and heart full of caring.
Clara saw one dress that she just loved, even though it wasn’t the best color for Amanda. As Terri took the dress from Elizabeth, Clara said, “Would it be possible to see that dress on Terri?”
Gail smelled blood and smiled, “Go right ahead she looks to be about the same size.”
Clara took Terri to a booth and helped Terri change. Her eyes got big, after Terri took her top off. She whispered into Terri’s ear a question, “How did you grow breasts, Terri?”
“They are something Aunt Betty came up with. She glued them on me.”
“Did Betty make you wear the corset?”
“No ma’am, I like wearing one.”
“Really,” Clara said shaking her head.
Terri’s breasts were large for her real age, but proportional to her size. Clara thought that they looked good on Terri. It took about five minutes to change, because Clara had to fuss over the dress. Everyone was waiting as Terri and her Mom came out. Terri had to raise the hem a bit, because the dress was just about an inch and a half too long, as she walked out. The gown was a full length, dark green, strapless gown in a matte jersey, with a large jersey bow in the back. The bodice was designed to fit like a glove down to the hips and had just a little flare to the floor. The fabric felt wonderful and had just a little give, but it was a little large on Terri.
Terri was careful not to step on the hem, as she walked. Gail came over and fussed with it a bit. The dress really looked good, but a bit mature on Terri.
“You look good in that dress,” Gail said. “It is just a little large on you dear. I would rather alter this one, than to go a size smaller. It would look better on you.”
“I like it, but it is a bit mature for my daughter.”
“I like it, but I agree with Mom.”
Gail arched her brows a bit; she figured that Terri had to be about sixteen and the girls that age that came here, generally sought out something sexier. That dress wasn’t the most risqué she had, but it was very sexy.
Terri changed back and Amanda had gone through the rack and had eliminated all but four dresses. The dress that Terri had pointed out, two that Amanda chose and one that Elizabeth had selected remained. Amanda tried each dress on again. She began to get very critical about every detail of the dresses, from stitching, to fabric and style. She sat down with her entourage and discussed her selections. Melinda decided on two of the dresses, since Amanda had two more pageants, with different organizations before regionals.
Gail had Amanda try on each dress, so she could mark and pin the dresses for alterations. Terri watched the process closely and asked Gail some questions about the fitting of garments.
“She’s not bothering you; is she?” Betty asked.
“No, not at all Betty. Are you considering becoming a dressmaker or tailor, Terri?”
“I don’t know, but I am interested in what you are doing.”
“You just have to remember to stick the client at least once with a pin, if they are a good client, and as often as possible, if they are a bad, unruly client.”
“Really?” Terri asked.
Gail had to laugh at Terri’s response, “No, I am just kidding you.”
Gail began to teach Terri about the important points in fitting the dress. Things like the importance that seams shouldn’t pucker and places the dress should fit well and places where a dress should have a more relaxed fit, depending on the girls figure and the dress’s style. She also showed her how to mark the hem.
“The most important thing and why we take so much time doing this, is that the dress has got to make the client look their best. I make pretty dresses and I like to see my dresses looking good on my clients, but it’s how pretty the dress makes the client look, not how pretty the client makes the dress look, that’s important. Girls may ask about the dress, and believe me, they do, but that is only because the dress made the client look good. The dress should just complete the client’s look.”
Terri had a real thoughtful look on her face, as she began to put the pieces together. “So the dress is one part, the hair another, along with her makeup, and the clients poise, that helps make her a queen.”
“By golly, I think you have got it,” Gail said. “Call me when you graduate and I can help you succeed in this business, if you want. I think you have that certain ‘je ne sais quoi’ that will help you do whatever you want to do.”
Terri smiled at Gail, and Clara smiled at her child. She was seeing things she had overlooked for so long. In her heart she knew that Terri ‘WAS’ her daughter.
After they left the store, they window shopped a bit, then regretfully, Clara had to leave. She had to get home for Frank. She hugged Terri and began to cry a bit, “Terri, I love you, no matter who you are. Don’t ever forget that.”
Terri shed a few tears too, but she began to feel better about everything and she began to have hope that things would be alright.
Betty and her troupe left the mall and headed home, back in Fort Worth. Amanda and Melinda kissed Terri’s cheek, before they had to leave for their home.
>>>>><<<<<
Monday and Tuesday, it was back to online schooling till two or three and then helping Betty with her girls. Wednesday, Terri met with Gwen again. Terri told her all about what she had done since they last talked and about meeting her Mom back in Austin. She was so excited about seeing her Mom. She told Gwen that her Mom accepted her as she was, and they hoped that her Dad would too.
After she got back home, Terri did her makeup and her school work. She logged in, but forgot to change into a boy when she turned her web cam on. The teacher didn’t say a word about it, but made a note in Terri’s file, that she might be transgendered. They would treat her like she was dressed. Terri didn’t notice that the teacher used feminine pronouns as she chatted with her. The teacher just gave her, her assignments and told her to request a chat if she needed any help.
It wasn’t till she was talking with her aunt, that she realized what had happened in the online school.
“It didn’t seem to bother the teacher, did it?” Betty asked.
“No, she just treated me like a girl and told me what I needed to do.”
Thursday, Terri just dressed like she wanted to. She used a little makeup, before she logged into school. The teacher pm’ed her, that she looked nice. That teacher made Terri’s day and she worked harder. All of her teachers made encouraging comments to her that day.
Friday, after school, they prepared to go to another pageant with Wendy, Leslie and Patsy. Amanda didn’t have another one till next week. This was when Terri asked about how many different pageant organizations there were.
“Oh Terri, there are too many to count. I know of twenty or thirty different organizations, but that is just a drop in the bucket. I like about eight of them. Many of them are only in it for the money. There can be big money in running pageants, at least till the organizers drain the organization of the money. They then shut it down, change names and locations, and open another.”
>>>>><<<<<
Today they headed to Tulsa.
The hotel they stayed at this time didn’t make any mistakes. They had their four rooms. Leslie’s and Delores’s room adjoined to theirs, Wendy’s and Charlotte’s was on the other side and Patsy and Joan’s room was right across the hall.
Leslie and Delores were already in their room as Terri and Betty entered theirs. Terri sat on her bed, while Betty opened their adjoining door and knocked on the Walker’s door. When Delores opened their half of the door, Leslie brushed past Betty and hopped right up on Terri’s lap, hugging her, while Betty and Delores just laughed.
In an hour, everybody was there and dressed to go out to eat together. Terri surprised Wendy, when she took the girls hand. When Leslie took Terri’s other hand Patsy pouted a little. Terri crouched down and looked Leslie in the eyes, saying, “Can you share me with the other girls this time, Leslie. I promise to hold your hand later.”
“Ok, I can share,” Leslie said, as she hugged Terri.
Terri then smiled, as she took Patsy’s hand. They then went to the hotel’s restaurant to eat. Terri resolved then to spend time helping each girl at this pageant. Of the three here, Terri knew that she would try to help Wendy enjoy what she was doing. Leslie and Patsy, she knew would have a bundle of fun, wherever they were.
At the restaurant, Terri sat with Wendy to her right, Patsy to her left and Leslie across from her. The adults sat at a table to the left. Terri got Wendy talking about what she liked and the other girls joined in. Wendy seemed to forget trying to be miserable and seemed to enjoy herself.
After dinner, they all met up in Betty’s room and discussed the next day’s schedule. Terri listened as she kept the other girls occupied; especially Leslie and Patsy; they still had an overdose of energy. At about eight thirty though, both younger girls crashed. Wendy helped Terri take the two young girls to Delores’ room and laid them out on one bed. The two girls snuggled up to each other and went back to sleep.
Wendy and Terri sat at the table in Delores room and talked.
“How are things going for you Wendy?”
“It has been, bearable. Working with Ms. Johnson is better than Mrs. Perkins, that’s for sure.”
“Good, I hope you have more fun, tomorrow.”
“Thanks, I like being here with you too. Why don’t you pageant, Terri?”
“I don’t know. I knew about pageants, but my mom isn’t gung-ho about them. I really didn’t dress up that much till I came to stay with Aunt Betty for a while.”
“Where are your parents?”
“They are back in Austin. I came here because they were arguing all the time.”
“Oh, that is horrible. My mom argues with my dad too, so I know how it feels.”
“What do they argue about, Wendy?”
“Money mostly, Dad says that Mom spends way too much money on pageants. I was going to four or five different pageants, before we came to Ms. Johnson. She got my mom to only go to the two best pageant groups. I should have gone with ya’ll two weeks ago, but dad put a kibosh to that.”
“Mom and Dad, at least came to an agreement. He sat down with her and Betty to select the pageants I will go to. Things are sort of looking up.”
“Well, I think you are going to do well this weekend and I hope you have lots of fun too,” Terri said, hugging the girl.
Wendy just sort of melted into the hug, not anything sexual, she just liked that Terri took an interest in helping her. Terri made her feel better about herself. Wendy began telling Terri about some of the kids at her school.
The two of them talked till Wendy’s Mom came in and got her daughter. Delores told Joan to just leave her daughter here tonight, as she looked at the two sleeping girls. They didn’t even bother undressing them. They just covered them up.
>>>>><<<<<
Terri was up early the next day and was dressed up before Betty woke. She was doing her makeup when her aunt finally got out of bed. Betty kissed her and then went to the bathroom.
This pageant was in the hotel’s ballroom, so they didn’t have far to go. Terri helped the two girls that Betty wasn’t working with at the time. When the events started, she and Betty were working with one girl or another, while the third was taking her time on the stage. Terri acted as cheerleader, booster and friend to the girls. They all seemed to feed off of her energy and encouragement. All three were glowing when their day was over. Sunday would be a short but stressful day for them.
Charlotte, Delores and Joan all liked what Terri did for their girls, although Charlotte missed being the ramrod with her daughter. Wendy seemed to work harder for Terri, than she had for her. That made Charlotte a little sad, but she was also happy that her daughter was doing so well. She wasn’t about to rock that boat. Betty smiled, as she knew what was going on in Charlotte’s mind.
“That old saying about getting more flies with honey than vinegar, is true, Charlotte,” Betty whispered in her ear.
“Yes, I know what you mean. I think you also might just save my marriage,” she confessed to Betty. “I was just about to drive William away over the costs. We talked, he didn’t mind Wendy going to some pageants, but it was just too much going to three or four a month.” She looked at Terri congratulating Wendy over her performance. “Wendy, or I should say, I am limited to no more than one pageant every six weeks. If she wins one, she can go to the next level, if she wants to go.”
“Trust me Charlotte, she will be happier and will do better, if she has time to be a kid.”
“I know Betty; I am having to learn how to have fun with my daughter too. I had gotten too addicted to having her compete. I didn’t realize she was miserable.”
“She doesn’t seem to be miserable today.”
“No, she seems to be enjoying herself. Thank you, Betty. Thank your niece too.”
“I think you need to thank her yourself.”
“I will.”
>>>>><<<<<
Betty was happy to have two runner ups and one winner on Sunday. Wendy was absolutely shocked, when she won her age group. Terri, Leslie and Patsy were jumping up and down with her, when she left the stage. Charlotte was crying happy tears on Betty’s shoulders.
When the winners came back on stage, Wendy didn’t win the overall competition, she wasn’t the first runner up or the second runner up, she was the fourth runner up, but she was jumping up and down when she came offstage. She had won a thousand dollars, a tiara, a sash and a trophy this weekend. She ran up to her mom and gave her a big hug, when she came offstage. Leslie and Patsy mobbed them, as they tried to get a hug in.
Betty whispered into Terri’s ear, “You did good girl. Thank you for your help.”
“You don’t have to thank me, I loved working with them.”
“Yes I do have to thank you. You did more for Wendy, than I ever could.”
“Really?”
“Yes REALLY, Terri.”
>>>>><<<<<
Terri called her Mom when she got home. Clara sounded cheerful, but Terri knew something wasn’t right. She wormed it out of her Mom that they had another blow out. No, Frank didn’t touch her, but they had a big argument. Clara was happy to hear what her daughter had done this weekend. Terri could tell that it really did seem to cheer her up a bit, as she shared details of what happened.
Betty had listened in, part of the time, on another extension; she then went to her room to have a short cry, herself. She then called Gwen’s cell number and talked with her a bit.
“Don’t give up hope yet, Betty,” Gwen said. “It’s true that only about a third to a half of these things resolve favorably, of those that do, they tend to be long term efforts. They have a lot of two steps forward one step back. Just be there for your sister and for Terri, if things go bad. You are helping Clara so much, just keeping Terri safe. You’re taking some pressure off of Clara and Frank.”
“I guess so Gwen, I just worry so.”
“You should worry, but don’t let that worry ruin your life. Hold up your chin and be proud of what you are doing for your sister. What happens, will happen. There is no magical solution to these things. Just be there and be ready to help pick up the pieces.”
>>>>><<<<<
Betty canceled her appointment that day and took Terri and Amanda out to see a movie. Amanda felt just how much Terri needed to be with her and held her friend close to her. They went to see one of those new CGI cartoons. Terri seemed to perk up a bit and began to enjoy herself. She told herself that it wasn’t her fault, her parents were acting like spoiled children and they needed to grow up. She just wished she was there to send them to their rooms, without their dinner. She giggled as she thought about that.
She told Gwen that, when she went to see her the next day. Gwen had a laugh and said she agreed.
“The only problem is, you can’t make your parents take a time out. They have to do it on their own, Terri. You are only responsible for doing your part and that is becoming the best person you can be. From what I hear, you are doing a great job doing that.”
“Why can’t parents be more like kids?”
“Kids have problems too, Terri. Adults just have adult sized problems. It takes an adult sized solution to help them resolve their problems and from what I hear, they are trying.”
Friday, Melinda and Amanda were there. They had their tickets to go to Atlanta and asked if Terri was going to be able to come.
“Well, it looks like Terri is going to be here for a while longer. I already have my ticket and hotel reservation. I just need to get her a ticket. So I guess you can count on her being there.”
They then went over the schedule for the regional pageant. It was four days long, with competition events every day and two group events. Like the Miss America Pageant. The girls were expected to entertain the attendees, with some group signing, or dancing, and such. They weren’t exactly judged by their efforts, but a girl couldn’t win if she didn’t participate in them, or if gave them less than her best effort, while doing them.
They spent all the next week getting things ready. Everyone was so excited. Terri thought school was just taking too much time, but she worked diligently to finish, so she could help her Aunt and her friend.
The Monday after that, they shipped much of what they needed to the hotel. It would be there already when they arrived. Tuesday, Terri saw Gwen again and told her what she had been up to. Terri had talked to her mom again and things seemed to be going better. Tuesday after school, the four of them left to go to the airport. They flew out of DFW, headed to Atlanta Georgia.
>>>>><<<<<
Wednesday morning they picked up their credentials and then went to an orientation meeting. The pageant director separated the girls by talents and sent to meet with one of four entertainment directors. There would be five shows put on by the girls. The entertainment director then began working with the girls, picking girls to play the various parts in their show.
Amanda was in a song and dance group, with twenty four other girls, from six to eighteen year olds. Terri, Betty and Melinda, sat in the audience and watched as the choreographer put the girls through their paces and the music director got them singing. Amanda did well. Terri decided that she would place her friend in the top three and that included the older girls too. The girls worked hard for two hours before and two hours after lunch,
Terri had a cold drink ready for Amanda, when the girls were dismissed for the day. They got in their car and headed back to the hotel. Amanda was hungry, but she also needed to shower, she took one smell of herself and the shower won out.
Amanda pulled Terri into their bathroom and sat her down on the toilet, as she showered; she wanted to know what Terri thought about the rehearsal today.
“I think you were great, Amanda. Your voice is better than all but one or two, and your dancing was better than one or two, but they weren’t the same girls. I would say you were the best well rounded, but that is just my opinion.”
“There were two girls from my age group there, Alicia Gordon and Renée Wilson. I know that I don’t have to worry about them.”
“Were they the blonde in capris, and the brunette in tights and a tank?”
“Yeah that’s them.”
“What are their talents?”
“Well, seeing as they are only fair at singing and dance, I am not sure. Hand me a towel please.”
Terri got a towel from the rack and handed it to Amanda, “Alicia I think, was the better of the two. How many girls will there be in your age bracket?”
“There should be twenty-two, if they all show up.”
“That girl, Casey Goodman, was kind of cute, she could steal the show with her smile.”
“Tell me about it, she is only six and she has this incredible smile.”
Terri went out and got a bra and panties for Amanda, as she took off her shower cap and began to mess with her hair.
“That choreographer sure worked the heck out of ya’ll.”
“Yeah, that is his job, I think he is pretty good at it. You know he won a Tony for his work.”
“Really, that is so cool.”
Amanda left the bathroom with Terri following her. Terri had laid out a blouse, skirt and heels for her friend. Amanda quickly dressed and did her makeup. She then helped Terri touch up her face.
“Were you having fun?” Terri asked.
“It was work, but yeah I enjoyed it.”
“That’s good.”
Amanda opened the bag with her jewelry and put on a few pieces.
“Well how do I look?”
“You look smashing, Sis.”
Amanda smiled and said, “Okay let’s go, I am starving.”
Betty and Melinda were ready to go, when Terri and Amanda came in their room. They hugged and then headed out. There were two other contestants on the elevator, as they went down. Instead of standing in the elevator in awkward silence, Amanda introduced herself and the people with her. The two girls introduced themselves and their Moms. They all shared where they were from. The girls were surprised to find out that Terri wasn’t competing and they were more surprised to find out she was only eleven.
“You are only eleven, oh my, you are going to break some hearts when you get older,” Samantha, a sixteen year old girl said. “I can’t believe how tall you are for your age.”
“It’s not fair,” Natalie, the twelve year old girl said. She was at least five inches shorter than Terri. “You get to be so tall, and have some nice long legs, and I am a short runt.”
“You are not a runt, Natalie,” Hana, the girl’s mom said, “She is just tall for her age, very tall for her age. You are taller than average Natalie. Just how tall are you Terri?”
“I am five foot four inches tall. My family grows fast, but then we stop early. I may grow another three or four inches before I stop growing.”
“See Natalie, you still have hope.”
“Are those real?” Natalie asked, pointing at Terri’s breasts.
“I may have used a little help in my bra. After all, I am helping out at a beauty pageant. I couldn’t let my friend Amanda and the other girls give me an inferiority complex now, could I,” Terri said, winking at Amanda who nearly lost it. “Would you believe I was pretty much a Tomboy till this year?”
“Ain’t no way, you are too gorgeous. I would hate to compete against you,” Samantha said.
They all decided to eat together, as they got off of the elevator. The girls sat at one table and the adults at another. They chatted about the pageant, what their talents were, what their dresses looked like and a hundred other details.
“So, if you don’t compete, what do you do at a pageant,” Natalie asked.
“I help my Aunt, she is a pageant coach. Amanda is one of her clients. I help make her job easier and keep her clients happy. You know how stressful things can be to you.”
“Yeah, she helps me and a lot of other girls,” Amanda said. “She is just fun to be around. We just love her. She helps me get dressed and takes good care of my clothes. She encourages me when I am down and she is one of my biggest cheerleaders, but most importantly, she holds my hands and is my friend. It can get awfully lonely doing the pageant thing.”
“Tell me about it,” Samantha said. “It is hard finding time to be with my friends. It must be wonderful to bring yours along.”
“It is.”
“Are you wearing a corset, Terri?” Samantha asked.
“Yes,” Terri said. She had given this question some thought and came up with a good response. “I hurt my back a year ago and it was either a corset, or a back brace. The corsets were more comfortable and prettier. I have worn one since.”
>>>>><<<<<
Thursday was the introduction and the swimsuit competitions. The introductions were done in long formal dresses. Terri couldn’t help but look in wonder at all the beautiful girls. She had already helped Amanda get dressed and was sitting next to her, while Betty worked on her hair and makeup.
When their age group was called, the girls lined up on both sides of the stage. As their names were called, the girl would walk to center stage and turn, walk the catwalk, turn and pose, and then walk back. Each girl was the center of attention for about fifteen seconds. After all the girls had their walk, they walked on stage as a group. Then it was time for the next age group.
Terri helped her friend undress and then slip into her swimsuit and matching heels. They didn’t have to hurry. Betty had plenty of time to get the right look. The girls lined back up in the same order and followed the same routine as before.
Amanda was then free from ten thirty to two. If there had been a hundred vendors back in Houston, there was at least three times that many here in Atlanta. They spent almost two hours visiting the various booths, to peruse their wares. Terri and Amanda picked up quite a few souvenirs from the booths. Pageant pins were very popular. A lot of girls would pick up a lot of pins from this event to trade with any friends they made at other pageants. This way they could end up with pins from all over the country.
After lunch, Amanda had another rehearsal. The girls were gelling into a very good group. They moved well and their singing was superb, better than they were yesterday. The program they were working on was like one of those Broadway Musical numbers. The musical spoke to modern girl’s hopes and fears.
Back at the hotel, while Amanda took a shower, Terri did the bath cloth thing and changed her corset. Melinda found a message on her phone from the girls’ new friends. They wanted to meet again for dinner.
Back in Fort Worth, Betty’s home phone rang, the voice left a tearful message on the phone saying that she would be there on Friday. Clara finally came to the decision to leave Frank.
>>>>><<<<<
Friday the girls had a fashion show/photo shoot. They had to wear three different outfits and pose for four different photographers. They had four sets setup on stage and the audience would get a chance to see a real fashion shoot. This was a change over previous years, the organizers wanted to see the girls in action in real time.
Terri really had a lot of work to do. She made sure that everything was in place for the three changes, this relieved Betty and Melinda of a lot of tedious work and concentrate on the looks they were trying to achieve. The first round consisted of casual day clothes. The girls were to show how they could look fashionable, but still be dressed in comfort, for a day in the city or with their girlfriends. The second round would be dress to impress; the girls were to show how they would dress for an interview, business or a meeting. The third round was formal, you know, the perfect prom, going to the ballet or opera, or an important banquet.
The organizers wanted to see if the girls could follow the photographer’s directions, their energy and charisma, during the shoot and just how photogenic the girls were. With today’s computer software you can edit a world of sin out of the portfolios the girls send in with their entry packets.
It was organized chaos in the dressing rooms; Amanda really thrived with everyone’s help and Terri made a big difference to Amanda. She was a lot calmer and more focused, than she had been in the past. It showed onstage, as she modeled for the four photographers. She was a little sad that none of her group got to see her as they were busy setting up for the next shoot. Even Terri was hard at work back in the back.
Four girls came on stage as their names were called. A fashionista fed the announcer a description of what the girl was wearing, using an earpiece radio receiver. When all four were on stage, they would head over to their designated photographer, for a three minute shoot. The cameras were those high dollar digital cameras and were Wi-Fi capable. When a good shot was taken, it was projected on a large screen, over the girl, for the audience to see. After three minutes, another four girls would take the stage. This round was only for the girls thirteen and older.
The audience really loved this, many had never seen a photo shoot in person before and it was a bit of an education for them. They oohed and ahhed as a photo would appear on the screen. It was a bit nerve wracking for the girls, because they couldn’t see what the crowd could see, or know which girl elicited which reaction. They just had to concentrate on what they were doing.
After her last shot, Amanda had to hurry to get dressed for her part of the program. She didn’t feel like eating, she was a bundle of nerves and had butterflies in her stomach, but Terri sat on her lap till she got a little food down her gullet. When she got up to go to put on her costume, she actually felt better for it. Amanda could only have one person behind stage this time and of course that was Betty. She was doing Amanda’s makeup and she was asked if she could help with a couple of other girls too.
Their show wasn’t quite ready for Broadway, but it wasn’t that far from it either. The girls did a wonderful job, which wowed the audience. The audience showed their appreciation as the girls took their bows. Terri was ecstatic when she finally saw her friend. She ran up to her and picked the girl up in a hug.
Back in Fort Worth, there was a knock on Betty’s door, the knock persisted for a couple of minutes, but there was no one there to answer.
>>>>><<<<<
Saturday was all about Talent till two and then there was a rehearsal for the Sunday show. All the girls over thirteen were expected to participate in the Sunday program. Again they weren’t judged on it, but woe to any girl that wasn’t there, or didn’t do her best.
Amanda played her violin for her Talent today. She played a Sonata for violin, by Hindemith. She wore a long black skirt, a white blouse and as black jacket, not unlike what professional musicians wear in an orchestra performance. Terri thought she looked fantastic. This was the first time she had heard Amanda play the violin and the first time she had really listened to classical music. Her part ended with her plucking notes out on a violin, another thing that was new to Terri.
Amanda came off the stage smiling. In the other events so far, she didn’t quite know how she did, since much of the judging is quite subjective. One never knew how one did till the score sheets came out after the pageant was over. Today though, she knew she had done a really great job. She got to relax a few hours till the next rehearsal and that was a blessing.
>>>>><<<<<
Sunday, they walked the catwalk in a formals. Afterwards came the last show, the minor awards, like Miss Congeniality and then the awards presentation. This was the hardest day for the contestants, mentally that is. Each girl wondered if they had won, if they had made any gaffs, if they could have done something better and a thousand other woes. Some girls knew that they didn’t have a chance. They knew that they weren’t as good as some of the other girls; things were not as hard for them.
Amanda was one of those bottles of nerves, she knew she had performed well in every challenge; she just had to see what the judges thought of her efforts. It was all Terri, Betty and her mom could do to keep her in one piece.
The Formal Dress and the program went well for Amanda. She actually began to relax once she hit the stage, everything was in the judge’s hands now and there was nothing she could do. She didn’t pick up any minor awards and hadn’t expected to either, there was just too many girls.
They always started the awards with the 0 to 3 year olds and then went up in age. They also waited till five minutes before their appearance, before the organizers let them know who was in the top five. It seemed to take forever till the top five for her age bracket were called. Amanda was the third name called. She was excited that she had a chance.
The five girls walked on stage in a group as their age group was called. The announcer introduced each girl again, after they stopped on their marks and turned towards the audience. He started off with the fifth runner up. There aren’t many girls that wanted to hear their names called out first at this point, but it was better than not being on stage for the awards ceremony. They called the fourth runner up was called and the girl mildly showed her disappointment. The same could be said for the third runner up. Second runner up was the first of the big prize winners and still Amanda didn’t hear her name. She had a sinking feeling when her name was announced next. It took her brain a few seconds to process the fact that after the second runner up, the winner’s name was announced. She had won her age group.
Amanda broke out in tears of happiness as she received her tiara, trophy, sash, roses and her check for four thousand dollars. She couldn’t spend too much time in front of the crowd because there were two more age groups to go and then the Grand Champion. She did get a chance to hug Terri, Betty and her Mom. They were just as excited as she was when she came off stage.
During the final awards, Amanda was called as the second runner up. The grand champions tended to come from the younger girls, or the oldest girls, at these mixed group pageants. Amanda was still ecstatic. She had qualified for nationals and she won another trophy, three thousand dollars, a two thousand dollar scholarship, a makeup collection and a dress.
After a photo op, Amanda changed into some more casual clothes. Samantha and Natalie caught up with Amanda to congratulate her and trade email addresses and cell phone numbers.
They all went out to celebrate at a local restaurant. Amanda was treated as a minor celebrity, as she was still wearing her tiara. They had a grand time talking about the pageant. Amanda and company stayed about two hours before they headed back to the hotel.
>>>>><<<<<
Melinda, Amanda and Terri went to one room to pack everything up and Betty went to the other room to drop off her camera and things. Her cell phone went off, while she was taking care of business.
“Hello,” Betty said.
“Hello, I am Detective Brian Wilson of the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Department. Is this Betty Johnson?”
Betty had a sinking feeling. “Yes, I am Betty Johnson.”
“Do you have a sister named Clara Wait of Austin Texas?”
Betty knew then that something was wrong, “Yes, Clara Wait is my sister. What is this all about?”
“I have one more question and then I will tell you what I know. Do you know the whereabouts of Terri Wait?”
“Yes, he is here with me.”
“Good, that will come as a relief to a lot of people. Where are you right now?”
“We are in our hotel in Atlanta Georgia. One of my clients just took part in a beauty pageant, she won her age group and place third overall.”
“Wow that is wonderful… I guess there isn’t an easy way to say this, but to come right out and say it. We were contacted by the Travis County Sheriff’s Department for several reasons. First… I guess I should break the suspense. Clara and Frank Wait are both dead. It appears to be a murder/suicide by cop.”
Betty began shedding a fountain of tears.
Detective Wilson could hear Betty softly crying, “Secondly, we were requested to make a health and welfare check for a Terry Wait. The people down in Austin were about to go crazy looking for him. They were afraid that he might have been a third victim.”
“Thirdly, Travis County SO wants you to contact them so they can give you the details and make arrangements. I have a contact number for a Detective Greg Sizemore.”
“Okay, I will call him in a minute. I guess.”
“I am very sorry for the loss of your sister, Ma’am. I know what you must be feeling; I lost my father to a murder. Call me if I can be of assistance to you.”
“Thank you, Det. Wilson. I can’t say that this is a surprise. Clara had me take Terry away from that situation. Was anybody else hurt?”
“No Ma’am, of that we can be thankful.”
“Yes, well let me call that other Detective.”
“Take care Ma’am.”
Betty took a few minutes to compose herself and called out for Melinda.
Melinda came into the adjoining room saying, “Yes.”
“Can you take the kids out to a movie or something? I have got to make some phone calls. Something has happened in Austin. Terri’s mother and father are dead I think.”
“Oh my god, don’t worry about the kids. I will take them out, but will you be alright?”
“Yes, for now at least, I halfway expected something like this happening. Don’t say anything to Terri right now. I want to make sure of things before I tell her.”
“No problem. You just take care.”
“I will. Make an excuse for me, please.”
Melinda went to the next room and Betty heard them leaving, still on cloud nine. She steeled herself before she dialed the number Detective Wilson had given her. The phone rang twice before it was answered.
“Hello, this is Detective Sizemore.”
“Hello, this is Betty Johnson. I was asked to call this number about my sister, Clara Wait.”
“Yes thank you. I am Detective Sizemore with the Travis County Sherriff’s Department. I need to ask, is Terry Wait with you?”
“Yes he is. We are in Atlanta Georgia, right now.”
“That is a relief. I suppose Tarrant County SO told you about your sister and brother-in-law.”
“Yes they did. Something about a murder/suicide by cop.”
“Yes we know a little more now. Frank Wait killed Clara Wait as she was trying to leave her home Friday morning. She was apparently coming to see you. She made a call to your residence, Thursday night.”
“I have been here in Atlanta since about noon Wednesday.”
“That’s good. Anyway we have a preliminary autopsy report and it is very telling. Frank Wait, it seems might not have been in his right mind at the time. Our ME told me that Frank had several brain tumors and wouldn’t have lived much longer anyway. The location of several of these tumors may have been the cause of his rage and anger. It’s so sad to lose a loved one, like this, but it may not have been his fault.”
Betty and Det. Sizemore talked about twenty minutes more. He told Betty how to make arrangements for her sister and brother-in-law and told Betty to contact CPS (Child Protective Services) about, Terry Wait. He said it there wouldn’t be any problem in her keeping Terry if she wanted too, as she was the only living relative, according to what he found out. Betty made it clear that hell or high water wouldn’t take Terry away from her.
Betty called the CPS office in Austin. She talked to a lady there, who took note of where Terry Wait was and asked her to call back on Monday, once a case officer was assigned.
Betty then called Gwen and broke the news to her. Gwen said she was coming over, till Betty told them that they were in Atlanta.
“Where is Terri?”
“Out with Melinda and Amanda. She doesn’t know yet.”
“You need to tell her soon.”
“I know I sent them out so I could make some phone calls. I need to get her to dress as a boy for the CPS officer.”
“Not if she doesn’t want to, you let me worry about that. Can you stay there one more day?”
“I have to; I need to arrange shipping for all of Amanda’s trunks tomorrow.”
“Good, I will be there tonight. Make a hotel reservation for me, if possible. I am going to start packing. Bye.”
Betty made a reservation for Gwen, who called back and said she would be in Atlanta around eleven that night.
>>>>><<<<<
Terri was a bright child and knew something was up. She had heard her Aunt talking on the phone, but she couldn’t make out what was being said. Then when Melinda came in and took her and Amanda out to a movie, she knew it was bad, but this was her friend’s time to shine, so she went out to help Amanda enjoy herself. Terri knew she would find out sooner or later. While she wasn’t as chipper as she could be, she resolved to have fun herself.
They went to a nearby theater and went to see one of those new 3D cartoons. Terri and Amanda both liked the movie, along with the popcorn and soda. They then went from there to one of those pizza arcades. Whack the mole, was very therapeutic for Terri. The poor mole would have had a terrible headache if it had been real. Terry had played that game many times before, but it was a new experience playing this game in a skirt and heels for a change.
It was nearly ten, when they got back to the hotel. They all went into Betty and Melinda’s room. Betty had cleaned her face and used eye drops to take out the redness, before making her face up again.
“Kids, take a seat on the bed. I have something to tell you Terri.”
Terri sat down next to Amanda.
“It’s about my Mom isn’t it?”
“Yes it is Terri. I hate to say this, but your Mom and Dad passed away. Your Dad was very sick and didn’t know it. He had several brain tumors that were causing him to act the way he was.”
Terri was quietly crying rivers; Amanda had her wrapped up in a hug. Betty did her best to spin things to make them easier on Terri. She wasn’t about to give her all the details, she didn’t need to hear those.
“It must have been very hard for him not to hurt the both of you sooner. I guess he really did love ya’ll, but it was the tumors that made him seem so out of control.”
Amanda and Betty held Terri as she quietly cried her eyes out. When Terri stopped crying, Amanda got her to lie down and then she spooned with her.
At about midnight, Gwen arrived, Terri was still awake, but in a daze. She perked up a bit, when she saw Gwen.
“Do you feel like talking with me for a bit, or do you want to sleep?” Gwen asked.
“Talk, I guess.”
“Ok, we’ll talk for a few minutes.” Gwen then shooed everyone out of the room.
They talked about twenty minutes, and then Gwen gave the girl a shot, before joining the others in the other room. “You must be Amanda.”
“Yes Ma’am,”
“Why don’t you help Terri get ready for bed, if you will? She might act a little loopy, I gave her a shot.”
Amanda got a nightshirt and panties for Terri and herself, and went it the other room.
“How is Terri?” Betty asked.
“She is in shock right now. That is to be expected. She was concerned that Amanda would be bothered by all of this. She likes Amanda a lot.”
“Yes, she does,” Melinda said. “She loves Amanda like a sister.”
“I also think that she had been expecting something like this to happen. I asked about becoming a boy again and she was vehemently dead set against that idea.”
“What about CPS? They are expecting a boy.”
“You let me worry about them. If they push her to become a boy, or threaten to take her away from you, they are in for a fight from me. I am almost certain Terri will become as much a girl as she can be. It will just take a lot of time. Don’t let them see her without me being there. I can gauge their intent and take appropriate actions. Now tell me, how are you doing Betty?”
They talked for a while and then went to sleep.
>>>>><<<<<
Amanda went into the room where Terri was. Terri was giggling about something or other. It was work, but Amanda got Terri out of bed and into the bathroom. She stripped Terri and got her into the tub. Amanda got undressed and followed her friend in. Amanda couldn’t help but look at her friend; six weeks of constantly wearing a corset gave Terri a very feminine figure. All she could see was her sister, except for that bit of flesh between her friend’s legs. It was small she had seen a few penises, mostly on the Internet. Terri’s was small, maybe an inch and a half.
Terri started giggling and splashed her friend, which led to a bout of tickling; at least till Terri started to zone out. It was all Amanda could do to get Terri out of the tub, dried off, dressed and in bed. Amanda then cleaned up a bit and then dressed herself before joining Terri in sleep.
>>>>><<<<<
Terri was still sleeping quietly, when Amanda woke up the next morning. Terri was facing her so she just wrapped the girl up in her arms. She couldn’t imagine what it was like losing both parents like that. Amanda didn’t want to leave Terri’s side. Her mom came in to get her up.
“Mom, I want to be here for her when she wakes up. I want her to know that I will be by her side.”
Melinda hesitated for a minute and then relented, “Alright, if she hasn’t woken up in an hour, we will need to wake her then.”
Terri did begin to wake, in about twenty minutes. She opened her eyes and then just clung to Amanda.
“Yesterday wasn’t some bad dream, was it?” Terri whispered in her friend’s ear.
“No, it wasn’t. I want to let you know though, that I will be there with you. You don’t have to face this alone.”
“I know, but I am going to miss my mom. What am I going to do now, Amanda?”
“You are going to make your Mom proud, by going on and living well, Terri. Sure it isn’t going to be easy, but we will all be there for you. You’re still my ‘Lady-in-Waiting’ aren’t you?”
Terri didn’t reply, but she nodded yes. She then began crying on Amanda’s shoulder and shivering in her arms.
“What kind of ‘Lady-in-Waiting’ am I, needing you to help me?”
“Everybody needs help at times. I might need your shoulder to cry on later. Will you be there for me when I do?”
Terri just nodded.
“Let’s get up and make ourselves beautiful.”
“Okay.”
The girls then set about getting ready, they both dressed nicer than they usually did. Amanda was just doing Terri’s makeup, when Betty, Melinda and Gwen arrived.
“Oh, don’t we look nice today?” Gwen asked.
“Yes Ma’am,” Terri said.
“Good, I would like to spend some time with you after we eat.”
“We had some food sent up and it’s waiting in the other room,” Betty said.
They ate and talked about what they needed to do. Betty needed the shippers to pick up the trunks and then they needed to get back to Fort Worth. Betty needed to go to Austin, to make the arrangements and handle the paperwork. She didn’t want Terri to be there till the funeral. Melinda volunteered to let Terri stay with her. Terri told them that she didn’t want to go to the funeral as a boy. She didn’t like how boys did things. She didn’t want to ever be like them.
Gwen took Terri into the other room, to have a talk with her. They talked for about an hour, in which Terri shed many a tear. When Gwen was satisfied that Terri wouldn’t give up and try to hurt herself, she helped Terri get presentable. She cleaned off Terri’s makeup and did an acceptable job making the girl up.
>>>>><<<<<
Betty, Melinda and Amanda finished their packing, while Gwen and Terri talked. Betty contacted the shippers and had the trunks picked up and taken to the desk. The hotel would hold them for the shippers.
Betty asked again if it would be alright if Terri stayed with Melinda, while she went to Austin. Melinda insisted on keeping Terri.
“Terri needs to be with someone she knows and trusts. I doubt if Amanda would let me sleep if I let her stay somewhere else.”
“You better believe it,” Amanda said.
“How will I get her to Austin for the funeral?”
“We will bring her, Betty. You just do what you need to do.”
“Well then, I am going to fly straight to Austin. I need to get this over with.”
“Are you going to be Ok?” Melinda asked.
“For now. I will do what I need to do. There will be time for grief later. It always seems to be that way for women. I wasn’t as close to my sister as I should have been, the last few years. I regret that, but life goes on.”
“Just make sure you take some time to grieve, Betty. You’re not made of iron. You will break if you keep it bottled up.”
“I know, I just need to be there for Terri.”
>>>>><<<<<
Melinda, Amanda, Terri and Gwen, flew back to Fort Worth, while Betty flew to Austin. Melinda took Terri to their home and Gwen followed them. Terri had thought that Betty was rich, but when she saw Melinda’s home, her eyes bugged out. They had a quarter mile drive, from the front entrance, to the huge house. Melinda had to giggle, as she looked at Terri in the rear view mirror.
“It’s not that big Terri; we have a nine thousand square foot home on twenty five acres of land.”
“It must be worth a hundred million dollars,” Terri said.
“Not that much, about five and a half. This land has been in my family for a hundred and twenty years. We sold off most of the property to build this home. We had nearly four hundred acres. Rick, my husband, makes enough to keep us comfortable.”
“What does he do?”
“He works for a brokerage, selling stocks and bonds for his clients. He isn’t a big time broker, but he does well.”
They got Terri installed in a room, Gwen talked to her again and gave her a shot and a prescription before she left. Terri was asleep shortly thereafter, with Amanda holding her. Melinda gave the script to her housekeeper to fill. Gwen left instructions to let her sleep, feed her when she wakes and call her if Terri needed help later.
When Terri was good and asleep, Amanda emptied Terri’s luggage, she sorted out the lingerie and dry cleaning. She sent the dry cleaning out, except for her black dress. It was decent enough for a funeral. Amanda washed Terri’s lingerie by hand and the rest of her clothes went in their two washers.
>>>>><<<<<
Betty got off her plane in Austin, she rented a car and got a hotel room, before she called Det. Sizemore and told him she was in Austin now. They made arrangements to meet after lunch, at his office.
Betty didn’t feel like eating, so she laid down and had a good cry. She did grab a small bite to eat, on the way to the sheriff’s office. Det. Sizemore was really kind to her. He shared what he knew with her and helped her with the paperwork, before taking her to the medical examiner’s office, for identification of the remains and paper work, to release the body.
The medical examiner hid the wounds when Betty came into identify the body. No relative should have to see the grisly reminders of the violence that is done to their family. He then sat down with her and went over his findings, he reiterated what she had been told about the tumors that Frank Wait suffered from. He stated that Frank probably suffered from blinding headaches and fits of rage attributed to his tumors. He stated that even if they had known about the tumors, up to six months ago, nothing could have prevented Frank’s death, but they might have been able to help him cope, and Clara Wait might be alive today.
Clara had gone quickly; Frank had shot her in the head. She was dead before her body hit the ground. Frank then pointed the gun at the sheriff’s deputies and they had shot him six times, within three seconds. His wounds had been instantly fatal. He didn’t give Betty the gory details, she didn’t need to know that he took two rounds to the heart, one to the right lung, two to the left lung and one went through Frank’s throat.
Betty selected a mortuary and made arrangements for her sister and husband to be picked up. She selected a cemetery and made arrangements for their internment and funeral.
She left the Medical Examiner’s office and then went to a Starbucks that had Wi-Fi. She took her laptop out and did a search for an attorney located in Austin. She searched for estate, probate and child custody attorney, who were also recommended by an LGBT group. There were just a few that fit all of those requirements. She selected a females name and called her.
As much as Betty trusted Gwen and she did, Betty wanted to have a lawyer that was local to Austin and maybe one in Fort Worth too.
“Naomi Wright’s office, attorneys at law. My name is Denise, how may we help you?”
“I need to see your attorney, my sister and brother-in-law both died. I need estate, probates and advice on child custody, of a transgendered child.”
“I see, if a child is involved, then this is an emergency. Can you be here at four?”
“Yes I can.”
“Good, we will see you then.”
Betty tried to relax; she called Gwen and talked to her a bit.
“I found an LGBT attorney here in Austin; we might need one here and in Fort Worth. I just don’t want to lose custody of Terri.”
“Don’t worry, we won’t lose her,”
“How is she doing?”
“She is sedated right now, and I have her on an anti-depressant right now. She will make it.”
“I might need you to talk with the attorney down here. Her name is Naomi Wright.”
“Just fax me a release from her office and I will work with her. Let me give you the name of the lawyer up here. His name is Craig Lofton. Have you contacted CPS yet?”
“I will, after I speak with Miss Wright.”
“Okay Betty, take care and don’t worry.”
>>>>><<<<<
Betty went to Naomi’s office, and after checking in with Denise, she was shown back to Miss Wright’s office.
“Hello, I am Naomi Wright.” A thirty something lady said, holding her hand out to Betty. Naomi was dressed in what was probably a two thousand dollar skirted suit. Her makeup was immaculate and her hair expertly done.
“Hello, I am Betty Johnson.”
“Please, have a seat and tell me how I can help you.”
Betty started with how she came to be in custody of Terry Wait, and how they discovered that she might be transgendered. She gave her a copy of the letter of temporary guardianship, Clara and Frank had both signed. She told Naomi of the problems that Clara and Frank were having and how they died. She also gave her the ME’s report. She then told her about Terri’s sessions with Dr. Gwen Harrison, who Betty said was a psychiatrist and gender specialist.
“Gwen said that she would talk with you, if I faxed her a signed release form.”
Naomi had Denise type one up for Betty and had her sign it and then faxed it off to Gwen. Gwen then called and Naomi talked with her. Naomi listened to Gwen and then asked her several questions about, what Terri wanted and about how she felt about Betty.
After she finished talking to Gwen, she turned to Betty.
“This is my suggestion; I will act as Terri Wait’s attorney. I will assign my associate, Jim Worley, to be your attorney and to handle the other matters. I like your suggestion, about having an attorney here and one in Fort Worth. Any child custody cases should legally come out of Travis County, since that is where Terri lived with her family, but an overzealous CPS officer, could do an end run and attack from both flanks. You have legal temporary custody; we need to make that permanent custody. You are the only living relative, right?”
“Yes I am, all the grandparents are dead, Frank didn’t have any brothers or sisters and I am Clara’s sister.”
“Normally, there wouldn’t be any problem, but since Terri appears to be transgendered, CPS might accuse you of abuse and try to take Terri away. Where is Terri right now?”
“In Fort Worth with a friend. I didn’t want her to have to be here for all that I had to do.”
“Will she come to Austin?”
“Yes, her parents’ funeral will be on Friday. She will be here on Thursday.”
“Have you contacted CPS yet?”
“Not yet. I didn’t learn of their deaths till Sunday, A case officer hadn’t been assigned yet,”
“I want to talk to my client today, if possible. Do you feel like a drive?”
“I guess, if you don’t mind me sleeping on the way. What about CPS?”
“They are closed for the day by now, except for emergencies. You and I will contact them back here tomorrow. Just let me call Craig Lofton and we will both talk to her.”
Naomi Wright called Craig and gave him a run down on things. She asked if he could meet her and her client tonight. Craig said he would be delighted. Betty gave them Melinda’s address.
“Let’s meet at Denney’s, at Hulen and I-20, in three hours,” Naomi said.
“Sounds good, I will be there,” Craig said.
Lastly, she called Gwen and asked if she could be there. Gwen said, she would be with Terri.
>>>>><<<<<
Betty fell asleep shortly after they left Austin. She was mentally exhausted. Naomi skillfully navigated her Mercedes up I-35. She woke Betty, as she turned at the I-20 interchange, on the south side of Fort Worth, to give her some time to pull herself together. She called Craig and found that he was already there. She said that she would be there shortly.
When they walked into Denney’s, Craig waved at them.
“Go powder your nose Betty, so you’ll look good for your niece. We have some lawyer speak to do.”
Betty cleaned and made up her face. She was tired and worn out, but Terri was worth all the effort. If she wanted to remain a girl, she would move heaven and earth to help her. If this was just a phase she was going through and she wanted to go back to being a boy, then so be it. She just wanted Terri to be happy.
When she came back out, she had a quick coffee with the two lawyers and then led them to Melinda’s home. Melinda greeted them at the door and gave Betty a big hug.
“Terri is awake and Gwen is with her.”
“We need to talk to Terri,” Naomi said.
Every one followed Melinda to her drawing room; Gwen was sitting with her, talking.
“Hi Terri, I am Naomi Wright and this is Craig Lofton. We want to be your Lawyers.”
“Why do I need a lawyer?”
“Well, you are a special child. Sometimes the State of Texas doesn’t like special children and they set about screwing with their lives. Do you like living with Betty Johnson?”
“Of course, she is my Aunt and she is all I have left. I need her.”
“Then you also need us. As your lawyers, we will fight to see that you get to stay with her. You see, some people think that boys, wanting to be girls, is bad and they set out to punish the people that help them. Your Aunt helped you, right?”
“She didn’t force me to be a girl. I guess I have always been this way. I didn’t realize it till my Aunt helped me. I love my Aunt.”
“That’s good to hear. Do you have ten bucks?”
“I think so.”
Terri got her purse and checked. She had a little more than ten bucks. She pulled out a five and five ones.
“Give five to me and five to Craig, then sign this paper and we will make damn sure you will be able to live with your Aunt,” Naomi said, handing Terri a retainer agreement to sign.
Terri signed the paper and handed it back.
“We need to talk to Gwen and then we need to talk to Terri. I am sorry, but everyone else has to leave. That includes you Betty. This is all about confidentiality rules.”
The two lawyers spoke to Gwen, for about fifteen minutes and then she joined the other people, while they spoke to Terri. Amanda played hostess and got everyone something to drink. Gwen then talked with Betty, asking how she was holding up. Betty was a little frazzled, but she was ok. Betty had to hold it all together for Terri.
“Talk with me when you get everything done in Austin.”
“How is Terri?”
“She is doing fine. She is sad, but the rest she’s gotten, has helped her a lot. There will still be rough spots, though.”
“I know, I still can’t believe this is all real.”
Naomi and Craig were in there with Terri for over an hour. The three of them came out and joined the others.
“We would like you to bring Terri back to Austin with you tomorrow. I will call CPS and make arrangements to meet if they want. Craig and I will be with Terri, if they want to talk to her. They can’t prevent us from being with her. We’re her Lawyers. Jim will be there for you Betty.”
“I will be there too,” Gwen said. “With all my credentials.”
“Good, we will hit them hard and often. They won’t want to spend too much time fighting a losing battle.”
“Are you expecting a fight?” Melinda asked.
“No, but you never know what will happen. When it comes to CPS, you never know. Some of those people aren’t happy unless everyone else is miserable. Also, Terri being a transgendered child, is like chumming for sharks while skin diving. We hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. Betty, pack a bag for Terri and include some boy’s clothes. Terri gets to pick though. Don’t tell her what to wear.”
“Alright, Melinda, may I leave Terri here with Amanda?”
“Amanda and my housekeeper will take good care of her, I will take you home and help you pack a bag for Terri and bring you back.”
“I will be alright.”
“I know, I will be there with you. What time are we leaving, tomorrow?” Melinda asked.
Betty didn’t understand at first, “You want to go with me?”
“Somebody needs to look out for you; Amanda will take care of Terri.”
The people heard Amanda shriek, she pulled Terri after her. “You got to help me pack, Terri.”
“I take it that those two are friends,” Naomi said, chuckling.
“You have no idea,” Melinda said. “They are inseparable at times.”
“And she knows? Of course she does. She has been here with us and she is okay with Terri.”
“You got it.”
“Good she needs friends that she can be open with.”
>>>>><<<<<
A four car caravan headed south down I-35. Betty, Terri, Melinda, Amanda and Gwen stopped off at a hotel. Naomi and Craig headed to Naomi’s office to discuss their case, prepare their paperwork and contact CPS.
The CPS set a time for their interview at four in the afternoon. Naomi called Terri and asked her to come to their office at one, with Betty and Gwen.
Betty told Terri to get ready, but not how to dress. Terri dressed in a skirt, blouse and a blazer, along with her other girl things. She only used a touch of pink lipstick. They got a quick bite to eat and then went over to the law office. Melinda and Amanda stayed at the hotel.
Betty met with Jim Worley, as Terri met with Naomi and Craig. Betty played thousand questions with Jim. Where and when she was born? Where and when was Clara born? Who were their parents? Who were Frank Waits parents? Where was Frank born? Did Frank have any living relatives? Where did she and her sister go to school? What did she do for a living? How much money did she earn last year? Did she own her home? Did she want custody of Terri? Could she provide for Terri? Where would Terri go to school? Did she force Terri to dress as a girl? Did she or anybody abuse Terri? Did she seek professional help for Terri? Did she want her share of her sister’s estate? Plus many more questions.
Terri and Gwen retold their parts in all of this, to Naomi and Craig. Naomi had already filed some paperwork with the Travis County Family Courts, on behalf of the minor child, Terry Wait.
They all met up and talked strategy.
“CPS set a late meeting so that they could, if they wanted to, take Terri away until a hearing. The courts would be closed and there would have been nothing we could have done. I have already filed an injunction barring that. It could take weeks to get her out of foster care, if they succeeded in taking her. They have a way to just lose the kid in the system and damn the child’s mental health,” Naomi said.
“I will file similar paperwork in Tarrant County, if they try to get around us that way,” Craig said.
“They may attack your fitness to be a guardian. Jim, are you prepared for that?” Naomi said.
“I am. Betty has a stable address; she is self-employed as a licensed cosmetologist and beauty pageant consultant. She has sufficient income to support Terri. I made some inquiries last night in Fort Worth and Benbrook, and Betty has an excellent reputation with them. There is nothing that would bar her for being a good guardian. I will do an extensive check for a will, birth certificates, death certificates, for any of Clara Wait’s relatives, Frank Wait’s relatives and any other thing they might use against Betty.”
“We also checked with the online school Terri has been using. We told them what happened, they sent their best wishes and faxed us their report on Terri. I was duly impressed by their professionalism,” Craig said. “There should be no problem with her continuing to use them. In fact, I will prepare a paper to that effect. Terri is getting a good education.”
They talked and worked till forty minutes before their CPS meeting and then headed in mass to the meeting.
The CPS officer hadn’t been prepared for the number of people who came into her office. She moved them to a conference room. She introduced herself as Shawna Black and Naomi introduced everyone else.
“This can’t be Terry Wait. My preliminary report stated that Terry Wait is an eleven-year-old boy. This is obviously a fifteen to sixteen year old girl.”
“Terri Wait is the child of Clara and Frank Wait. This is Terri Wait and we are her attorneys. Terri Wait is a transgendered child of eleven. She is tall for her age, but I assure you, this is the person we purport her to be. Dr. Gwen Henderson is a state licensed Psychiatrist. Terri has been under her care for five weeks. Gwen informed me that she approved having Terri dress as a girl, because it is her preliminary diagnosis that Terri has Gender Identity Disorder. It would be harmful for her well-being, to be forced to dress as a boy right now. At least until she changes her mind, or is old enough to know for sure who she is, Terri will dress as she feels she needs to.”
Shawna was losing ground and she wanted to talk this nonsense out of Terri’s head. She had people who could reprogram the boy.
“I need to talk to the boy alone.”
“Not going to happen, at least without Dr. Henderson and Craig or I. Ms. Johnson and Mr. Worley may leave.”
“You can’t keep me from talking to this child alone.”
Naomi reached into her briefcase and pulled out a document. “The Texas CPS is enjoined against talking to my client unless her doctor and either Mr. Lofton or I am present.”
“Okay, but Terri will need to stay with a foster care home till we have a hearing.”
Jim and Naomi both reached into their briefcases and pulled out documents.
“Here is a statement asserting that Betty Johnson is a fit Guardian, another showing that she had and continues to have temporary Guardianship assigned to her by Frank and Clara Wait prior to their deaths,” Jim said.
“The Texas CPS is hereby enjoined against removing Terri Wait out of Betty Johnson’s custody.”
“Betty’s treatment of Terry Wait is tantamount to abuse.”
Naomi reached into her briefcase and pulled out another document. “This is Terri’s statement about the care she has received from Betty Johnson. Terri, is this your statement?” She asked, handing the paper to Terri.
Terri took it and looked it over, “Yes Ma’am it is. It has my signature on it, too.”
Naomi handed it to Shawna, “Mrs. Black, CPS may check out my client and her Aunt. They are good people. Ms. Johnson is Terri’s only living relative. She has legal custody of the child. Mrs. Henderson will state that the child is happy with living with her Aunt. This is a document from an online home school, which Terri attends from her home. She spends seven hours a day studying and has shown improvement in the five weeks she has been going online to study. They will send you test results and grades she has earned. CPS may make home inspections as long as Mr. Lofton, or myself are there. Together, we have five lawyers. If you attempt to screw with this family, I can assure you that there will be upwards of a hundred lawyers working on behalf of Terri Wait. Until you can prove that Terri is not better off with Ms. Johnson, or that Ms. Johnson has violated the law or hurt this child, or that somebody else has a better legal claim to Guardianship, don’t screw with us. Save your efforts for the children that really need your help. You don’t need this headache.”
Jim added, “Oh, and unless you can prove abuse by a legal definition, don’t use that word again when referring to my client. I love to handle Libel and Slander suits. I am very good at winning them. Simply dressing a boy up as a girl doesn’t rise to the level of abuse by legal standards, especially when there is a diagnosis of Gender Identity Disorder.”
Naomi smiled at Jim, he was learning. “Oh, and if you want to talk with Terri, it will have to be after the funeral, at her home in Fort Worth. Please call Ms. Johnson in a few weeks. She will be happy to have everyone present for the interview and any home inspection you may need. Please give them time to grieve.”
Shawna didn’t need the headaches these people would give her. The State of Texas had few resources to spend on one case. Naomi was right, there were too many children that needed their help. She didn’t like it, but the child didn’t look unhappy or abused. If she got the State tied up in a long drawn out case, that they were destined to loose, it could mean her job. She would check all the things she had been told so far and if they checked out, she would sign off on it. This country was just getting too liberal for her tastes, but she may not be able to do anything about this child.
“Okay, take Terry with you, but you can be certain that I will do a thorough investigation.”
“Thank you. We wouldn’t expect any less from a dedicated state employee, Miss Black, and we will cooperate with the CPS,” Naomi said.
Terri left the office with everyone. She asked, “Does that mean we won.”
“This round. CPS doesn’t always play fair. They can’t, sometimes. Children are just too easily abused, but like Thomas Jefferson said, ‘The price of Freedom, is eternal diligence.’ We won’t let our guard down. We will make sure we dot all of our I’s and cross all of our T’s. We will file our paperwork in a timely manner and if they screw with us, we will bury them in a mountain of paperwork,” Naomi said. “They will need to speak to you, Terri and they will need to do a home inspection, but they can’t, without Craig or I being there with Gwen. We put them on notice. If they do, we castrate them. If they come and take you, we file kidnapping charges against them. You aren’t totally safe, but you are a lot safer for now Terri. Take our cards, Terri. Memorize our phone numbers. If they take you and you can get to a phone, call us. We will come with the Calvary to get you. Don’t despair and don’t give in to them, don’t say a thing to them without one of us being there.”
“Okay, I promise to do what you ask. I don’t want to leave my Aunt.”
“We have a ton of work to do, but would you like to go out to eat with us tonight,” Naomi asked.
“Can Amanda and Melinda come along?”
“Sure, the more, the merrier.”
>>>>><<<<<
Terri and Betty went to Clara and Frank Wait’s funeral. Melinda and Amanda were by their sides throughout everything. They cried as their loved ones were lowered into the ground and they said their final goodbyes. It was hard leaving them in the cemetery, but what else could they do.
CPS did their due diligence and investigated. There were no other relatives for them to give custody of Terri to. Ms. Johnson was found to be a capable guardian, she had the means to provide for her and they just couldn’t get around Gwen’s diagnosis. They did receive mountains of paperwork that was filed in a timely manner. Terri didn’t have any complaints and they couldn’t manufacture any cause to take custody of the child. There were too many cases on the books that needed their attention more. They didn’t entirely drop the case, but they weren’t actively moving against them. They would wait and see.
Betty won permanent guardianship and adopted Terri as her child. Terri changed her legal name to Terri Fae Johnson and continued to help her aunt. At thirteen, she started on testosterone blockers. She stopped growing shortly after that and was five foot nine inches. Her measurements were 34B, augmented by breast forms, 24, with a mildly restrictive corset she wore fourteen hours a day, and 34, without the padded brief. She never suffered from testosterone, so her few boyish features became girlish features. One thing Terri accomplished by age fourteen was, she perfected her ‘Diane Mode’. She could be regal and stately and she used that ability appropriately.
At sixteen, Amanda won at nationals for her age group and was crowned as the grand champion with Terri at her side. Terri also helped several other girls, including Wanda and Leslie, achieve many wins, but they didn’t aspire to continue pageanting after three and five more years respectively. It was hard to date, when you had to always be practicing for pageants.
At eighteen, Terri began taking hormones and at nineteen, she had surgery to become as much of a woman as she could be. She had her own B+ breasts and still wore her corsets. She got her beauty licenses and went to TCU to study psychology, management and fashion, all with the intent of helping Betty, whom she now called Mom.
They had about thirty to forty girls they worked with on and off, as Pageant coaches. They even coached a several special girls, whom were much like Terri. They taught them how to compete in pageants. These girls usually did quite well, competing against genetic girls.
Ricky, Melinda’s husband, had taken Terri’s inheritance, a little over two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, and invested the inheritance, under Craig Lofton’s scrutiny. In ten years, he more than doubled it her money. Terri didn’t touch it for another five years, during which time it doubled again.
Every year, on Mother’s Day, Terri and Betty visited Clara’s grave, they placed some flowers there and shed a few tears.
The End