Author's Note: This is the story about a young boy who is forcibly introduced to cross-dressing by his sisters, and their friends. The experience quickly changes his life as he discovers what's been missing in his short life, for so long.

 

 

Texas Gal
by   C. Sprite
© 1999

 

Chapter One     A New Beginning

"Alright… can I have your attention please, folks," Alex Robison shouted at the crowd assembled in the church parking lot. "Everybody who's going on the bus should board now. We will be leaving in a few minutes."

People immediately began queuing up at the door of an enormous couch-liner. At least it was enormous to me. At ten years of age (soon to be eleven), just four feet, eight inches tall, and about seventy-three pounds, my perspective of the world was a whole lot different than that of an adult. Feeling like the stranger that I was to all these people, and totally uncomfortable in this situation, I waited on the periphery of the crowd as the bus slowly filled. It had been chartered to take my Cub Scout pack and their family members to a "western" theme park in upstate New York, from my hometown in Newark, New Jersey. Having been a member of the scouts for less than a week, I didn't really know any of the other scouts. At least not well enough to call them my friends. None of them attended my school or lived in my neighborhood. Nor did I know any of the family members that were with them. My own family, like others who had decided to go at the last minute, was driving there in the family car. I had literally begged my father to let me go in the station wagon with him, my mother, and my three older sisters, but he adamantly refused. He said that by going on the bus I would be spending more time with my fellow scouts, and thus would more quickly establish friendships among them. I had only been to one 'den' meeting with my 'pack' and wasn't even sure I wanted to establish a friendship with any of them. The only one that had responded to my overtures of friendship was the kid whose mom was the pack's Den Mother, and he sort of had to because I was a guest in his house and his mom was watching.

I felt incredibly alone as I climbed the steps of the bus, even though I was surrounded by dozens of people. I walked slowly down the aisle looking for an empty seat next to one of my fellow cub scouts, hoping that I could find someone sitting alone whose name I remembered. Unlike school buses, the seat backs were very high and I couldn't see who were in the seats until I got right next to them. I quickly learned that all my fellow scouts had already paired up and I didn't find a vacant seat until I got to the rear of the bus. In the next to last row, both seats were vacant on the right side; so I stepped sideways into the area in front of the seats and sat down on the hard, green, vinyl-covered seat next to the window. Across the aisle was a young girl whose age I estimated as five, and an elderly woman who I figured must be her grandmother or great-grandmother. The girl was in the window seat, playing with a doll, while the old woman had her eyes closed as if she was asleep. I couldn't see forward because of the seat heights so I stared out the window. A young boy should have been excited about the prospect of going to see the 'Cowboys and Indians' at the 'Dodge City' theme park, on this beautiful spring day in 1966, but I only felt miserable, alone, and dejected.

The bus began to vibrate as the driver of the bus started the engine and closed the door. A loud 'whoosh' could be heard as the air brakes were released, and the bus lurched as it began to move out of the parking lot. I knew that for the next three hours I would be trapped inside this behemoth. As the bus pulled out of the lot I could see the cars moving into position to follow us. I longed to be in my family's car where I knew my sisters were talking and joking with each other, but I would have to suffer through this day and hope time passed quickly. I sat back in the seat as the bus swayed and bucked while the driver wove his way through traffic on the way to the turnpike, and I thought about the events that had led up to my being here today.

I'd never had any desire to join the cub scouts, my father had 'volunteered' me. It was like being drafted into the army. Just eight days ago, on a mid-April Saturday morning, the three goddesses of fate had conspired to send my life along a new tangent, but not one that I would have chosen had I been given the choice.

On that Saturday, my father had already left for work when I awoke. As a self-employed contractor, he always worked at least six days a week, and frequently seven. By building quality, single family homes at reasonable prices, he never lacked for customers. His business had been growing steadily and he poured back as much of the profits into the company as he could, procuring land and new equipment to continue the business's expansion. I figured he was an entrepreneurial genius. I often heard him telling Mother how well things were going. She would comment that we could use a little more money in the household budget and he would say that would come soon enough. He wanted to stick with their plan for scrimping along now so that life would be good later. They always ended their financial discussions by reminding each other that they had four kids to put through college. Although we owned our own home, a small, older, wood frame house on the edge of the city, we kids would have loved to live in one of the beautiful new homes that Father was building for other people's families. There was never any question of our parent's love for us, although we were frequently disappointed when our friend's families got new cars and home items such as stereos and color televisions, while we always had to do with the old things for as long as they were serviceable.

After preparing breakfast for her brood, Mother had gone grocery shopping with one of her friends. That usually meant an extended absence since they would invariably stop somewhere for lunch and then for coffee at her friend's home when Mother drove her there and they carried in the packages. We kids never enjoyed the grocery trip and were relieved of having to go now that we were older; or at least now that my oldest sister was fourteen and could act as sitter for the rest of us.

Judy, as the oldest, got the job of watching over us when required. Whenever we disagreed with her protectiveness, and control over our lives, we called her 'Miss Bossy', but her decisions were never arbitrary or vindictive and she always tried to explain why she told us to do something, or not allowed us to do something. We usually followed her orders without question since Mother had told us that she was 'in charge' during Mom's absence. As 'second mother', Judy was always the most serious of my sisters with her intensity escalating as the situation warranted.

Mary at thirteen, was fourteen months behind Judy. I had always thought that all my sisters were beautiful, but secretly I felt that Mary was the prettiest. She shared the same light auburn hair color and brown eyes of the others but there was something about the way that her face lit up when she was happy that made you feel happy too. She smiled a lot more than Judy did, probably due in part to her lesser responsibility in having to govern younger children. She could be more of a child herself.

Susan was twelve, as of two months ago. The baby of the family until I came along, I don't think that losing that position ever bothered her. Probably because of our similar ages, Susan and I usually played together, while Judy and Mary shared other activities more in line with kids their age. As the prankster of our family, Susan's mischievous nature caused a seemingly never-ending chain of impossible situations in my life. All too often I was blamed for things that happened to me, while the architect of the event put on her most angelic face and escaped without blame.

Aside from certain obvious gender attributes, my appearance is not really so different from that of my sisters, with a few notable exceptions. There's certainly no doubt that we are closely related, as our facial structure clearly shows, but while they share Father's hair and eye color, I got Mother's. My hair is golden blond and I have medium-blue eyes. In most black & white pictures taken when I was very young, it appears as if I'm bald because of my very light hair color, and because it was so very short at that time. I hated it and always complained. If my hair couldn't be long enough to plainly determine from the photos that I in fact had hair, then I wanted it to be brown like my sisters. I guess that Mother either shared my dismay, or at least understood my feelings on the subject, because she gave instructions to my barber to allow it to grow out as much as would be acceptable for a young boy. He took her instructions literally, and after that he simply trimmed my hair whenever I was sent in for a haircut, until it grew as long as he dared let it. For a time I began to look like the kid in the Buster Brown shoe commercials whose long, straight, thick blond hair fell almost to his neck, except in the very front of his face, where it ended at his eyebrows. But in a couple of years I far surpassed him. Since the Beatles have changed everyone's perception of acceptable hairstyles, my shoulder length hair gets very little kidding from my friends at school. In fact, they tell me that they are trying to get their parents to let them grow theirs longer. With advances in color photography, and my longer hair, I now appear like a normal kid in family pictures.

I'm quite thin for a boy my age, and Mother tells me that with my fine bone structure and straight hair, that I definitely take after her side of the family. At the parochial school that I and my sisters attend, my slight frame and limited athletic ability means that when sides are being chosen for games, I'm always the last to be selected, if I am selected at all. On those all too frequent occasions when I am the 'odd man out', I usually just sit down and watch my classmates having fun. I have tried to infiltrate the activities of the girls a number of times when they engage in things that I do with my sisters at home, such as 'jumping rope'. But if the nuns see me playing with the girls, they immediately send me back over to the 'boys' side of the schoolyard. Since the girls all wear knee length, dark blue jumpers over their white blouses, with a funny looking dark blue bow-tie that resembles an enormous ribbon, I stand out quite dramatically in my dark blue trousers, starched white cotton shirt, and dark blue school tie. Unless the school yard 'warden' is involved with something or someone out of the line-of-sight of the activity I want to join, then I don't even try. But when I do try, the girls, one or more of which might be one of my sisters always welcome me.

With Mother having left to do her shopping, my sisters began cleaning the kitchen and breakfast dishes and cooking utensils. As always they shooed me out of the kitchen while they did the 'women's' work, but not before handing me a bag of trash to take outside to the garbage pails. After depositing the trash in an empty container and putting the lid back on to keep out the neighborhood dogs and cats, I re-entered the house and went upstairs to my bedroom to read. I have a rather extensive library for a ten-year-old, and I use the books and novels there to escape the boredom of my normal existence whenever I can. Because I spend all my spare time with my nose in a book, my reading skills and vocabulary are well beyond what most kids my age have attained. I had just begun to re-read a novel that I had received for Christmas when I heard some commotion downstairs. I marked my place, put away the book, and went to investigate.

Gina and Maria Marcoti, our neighbors, schoolmates, and my sisters' best friends, had come over to visit and they were all about to start a game of Monopoly in the living room. The board was setup on the coffee table in the middle of the room and the girls were seated on the floor all around it. I asked if I could join and was invited to sit down between my sister Mary, and Gina Marcoti. Gina was the older of the two neighbor girls, being fourteen like Judy, while Maria was my sister Susan's age of twelve.

My strategy in Monopoly was to buy everything that I landed on while my sisters tried to buy certain sets of properties in order to put up houses and hotels. After a number of go-arounds on the board, I had managed to collect enough property to be a spoiler for anybody trying to put together a set. Additionally, I had managed to purchase both Boardwalk and Park Place, a feat I only rarely was able to do. With the money that I had collected in rents and by mortgaging most of my property, I was able to put hotels on Boardwalk and Park place. My sister Mary criticized my strategy, saying that now I wouldn't be able to collect rents on most of my property and since I had very cash left I would be unable to pay when I landed on someone else's property. She said I would be bankrupted out of the game. I told her that she should watch her own position because she didn't have much cash either. On her next move she landed on one of the squares that required her to take a card and do whatever it said. When she picked it up and read it, she just out a small groan. She dropped the card on the board so that we could all read it. It told her to go to Boardwalk and pay any rents due the owner. This, of course, bankrupted her. As a ten year boy is prone to do when winning out over an older sibling I smirked and gloated a little bit and said, "HA!"

At this point she said, "Ha, is it. I'll give you a ha." She grabbed me and started tickling me on my stomach and sides. Being very ticklish, I started to thrash around. Gina had to grab my legs as a means of self-protection or I could have kicked her accidentally. With Mary holding and tickling me while she laughed, and Gina holding my legs and laughing, I guess that the other girls felt left out. But not for long. Before I knew what was happening, all five girls were working on me. Someone pulled off my sneakers and socks and I felt fingers ticking the soles of my feet, and since this is the most ticklish part of my anatomy, it sent me into new spasms of squirming and laughing. I guess that Mary decided that she wasn't getting as much of a reaction from her tickling as the girls at my feet so she grabbed my tee shirt and pulled it over my head and off of my arms and then with renewed vigor attacked my sides with her soft fingers. So there I was, thrashing and laughing as five girls tried to outdo each other in tickling my half-naked body. Suddenly somebody grabbed the cuffs of my pants and pulled my jeans down and off of my legs. All at once everybody stopped tickling me. I stopped thrashing around and tried to get air back into my lungs, not realizing why they had stopped tickling me until I heard Judy say, "Well, it looks like somebody forgot to put their underpants on this morning. Susan, run upstairs and get David some underwear, please." Susan jumped up and ran up the stairs. As I got my wind back, I felt myself beginning to turn crimson, Judy said, "Oh David, don't be embarrassed. Everybody here has seen you naked when you were a baby. Some of us even helped to change your poopy diapers. You don't have anything now that we haven't all seen before."

Just then Susan returned and handed Judy what she had retrieved. Judy said, "Susan, I meant for you to get a pair of David's underwear, not a pair of my panties." Susan, always the prankster, replied that she hadn't specified whose underwear to get so she grabbed a pair from the first bureau that she got to. Judy said, "Well, since they're here we may as well use them. Here David, this will restore your modesty" and she slide them up my legs. Gina was still lying across my torso where she had been almost since the tickling had started and I was still physically spent. Mary was sitting on the floor near my head while Judy and Maria were sitting near my feet. Susan was standing a couple of feet away, where she had been since she returned from the bedroom that she shared with Judy and Mary. I asked if someone would please hand me my jeans.

Susan said, "It seems like such a shame to cover up such pretty panties with those yucky jeans." Four female heads turned to look at her and then they started to giggle.

Mary jumped up and said, "Come on Susan, let's see what we can find."

I didn't understand what they were talking about so I ignored them and asked Gina to please get up off of me. She said, "Not just yet. I'm comfortable and I still have some tickling to do," at which point she, Judy and Maria started in on me again.

They stopped the tickling when Mary and Susan returned carrying a bunch of clothes in their arms. I felt somebody putting socks on my feet and then shoes but I was still trying to get my wind back from the latest round of tickling and did not have the strength to try to see who was dressing me.

Judy walked over by my head and said, "Okay David, sit up."

Gina moved off of my stomach and onto my legs so I could sit.

When I managed to sit up, Judy said, "Put your arms out." I raised my arms over my head expecting her to put my tee shirt on over my arms and head but instead she said, "No David, I said put your arms out. Like, in front of you." Confused, I lowered my arms so that they were in front of me.

Mary immediately pulled a padded training bra over my arms and clipped it in the back. It took me a second to realize what it was and that they were dressing me in girl's clothing. I looked around for the clothes that I had been wearing when I first came downstairs but they were nowhere in sight.

"Raise your arms up over your head, sweetheart," Mary said. I refused and said that I wasn't going to put on any more girls' clothes.

Gina giggled and said, "That all the excuse I need," and started tickling me again until I hollered, "Okay. You win. Please just stop tickling me."

Mary told me to raise my arms and I did so as soon as I could manage to sit up. She slid a full slip down over my arms. I was amazed at how soft and cool it felt. Gina got off of my legs and I got my first look at the white satin panties that had been put on me. I also saw the white socks and black school shoes that had been put on my feet.

As Mary and Gina lifted me to my feet, the slip fell the rest of the way down, almost to my knees.

"Put your arms out in front of you again," Mary said.

When I did, she started to pull a blouse onto them. I pulled my arms back, but saw Gina start to come towards me, and quickly extended them again. Mary pulled the blouse on over my arms and buttoned it up my back. I knew that I could not stop them from doing whatever they wanted to so I gave no further resistance. Besides, I kind of liked the way that the panties and slip felt against my young hairless body. Next they told me to raise my arms over my head. As I did, they slid a school jumper over my head and after letting it fall into position, closed the full-length back zipper. It seemed a little snug and then I realized that it must be one that Susan had outgrown. They then tied one of the silly bow ties that they had to wear every school day, around my neck.

"There David," Mary said, "Now you can join us in the school yard and Sister Mary Frances will never know that you're there." At this point all five girls started laughing and giggling.

I smiled weakly and said, "Okay. If you're done, can I get dressed now?"

"But Davy," Susan said, "you are dressed. And who said that we're done."

Gina whispered something to Susan who immediately turned and ran upstairs. Gina then took my hand and led me to the kitchen. She had me sit at the table. Susan came back down and handed Gina a brush and a comb. Maria brought over a cup of water and over the next ten minutes Gina proceeded to style my hair with the aforementioned items plus a small supply of bobby pins. While this was going on, Susan was filing and shaping my pitiful fingernails on my right hand while Mary did the left. When they were satisfied that they had done the best that was possible, they applied a coat of polish. As they waited for it to dry they decided to do my feet as well. So it was that I received my first manicure and pedicure. They used the same polish on my feet as my hands. After a half-hour, they announced that they were done. Gina came back over and worked on my face for about five minutes. She smeared something all over my face and then powdered it. She told me to close my eyes and I could feel her doing something to my eyelids and the area below my eyebrows. She put something called mascara on my eyelashes, and finished up by telling me to pucker my lips. She then applied a coating of light red lipstick and said, "Voila."

Judy brought over a hand mirror and handed it to me. I looked at myself but I no longer looked like me. Instead I saw a young girl staring back at me.

"She's so pretty that we can't keep calling her David," Susan said. "We need a new name for our youngest sister. Anybody got any suggestions?" The other girls all started suggesting names.

Judy spoke up saying, "Since David's initials were "D.A." for David Alexander, we have to come up names that will not change her monogram." I had learned to keep my mouth shut and not resist after the last tickling episode but I was getting increasingly worried over their constant use of "her" when referring to me.

"How about Darla… Darla… Arlene?" Gina said.

"No, it just doesn't sound right," Mary said. "How about Darla Anne?"

"I think that that's perfect," Judy said. "All in favor, say aye."

Everyone, except me, said 'aye'.

"Motion carries by a vote of five to one," Judy said. Walking over to me, she put her hand on my head and said, "I christen you Darla Anne Drake. That will be your name from now on whenever this group assembles."

"What shall we do now with our new girlfriend?" Gina asked.

"Why don't we hold a dance?" Maria suggested.

Mary ran into the living room and immediately put some 45's on the record player.

Taking me by the hand, Maria led me into the living-room and said, "Miss, may I have the pleasure of this dance."

I responded that I didn't know how to dance but she took my hand and pulled me towards an open area saying, "That's okay, I'll show you."

Over the next two hours, one of the girls was my constant partner showing me how to do the latest dances. They worked in relays and in between working with me would dance with each other. Then Gina decided to show me how to slow dance. She was at least half a foot taller than I was and since she would be leading, she took the male dancing position and had me take the woman's dancing position, although I didn't even realize that there was a difference at the time. I was so intent on following her lead without stepping on her toes that I never gave it a second thought when she told me hold up my right arm and put my left hand on her shoulder while she put her right hand on my waist.

As I started to improve in following her lead, she told me that when you found that special someone, the way that you hold your partner changes. She had me put both of my arms around her neck, and she put hers around my waist and pulled me in tight. She put her head down along side mine and pressed my head to her shoulder and we danced like that for several songs. I found it much easier to follow her lead dancing like that.

My sisters and Maria were giggling almost the entire time that Gina was slow dancing with me but I thought that they were laughing at my clumsiness and it didn't bother me. I was having such a wonderful time with all the attention that I was getting that I had even forgotten that I was wearing a dress. When Elvis Presley's 'Love Me Tender' song ended, Gina and I separated. I thanked her for the dance, as all of my partners had instructed me to do, when I suddenly realized that everyone was staring behind me towards the kitchen doorway. There, in the doorway, stood Mother with her arms full of groceries.

"Davy, it that you? What are you doing wearing your sister's dress?"

All I could say was, "H..Hi Mommy."

She walked over to the kitchen table and put the grocery bags down, then returned to the living room. She came over to me and bent down putting one hand on my back and one on my chest. The padded bra that the girls had put on me must have been visually obvious but I guess that she wanted to confirm it. "Honey, what's going on?" she asked.

Tears started to well up in my eyes. I figured that I was really in trouble now. I stammered, "The.. they dressed me up like this. I didn't want to but they tickled me and tickled me until I let them do it."

Mother looked at my sisters and the Marcoti sisters and after a minute of thought said, "Girls, I'm ashamed of you. You should know better than to do this to your little sister. She's much too young to be wearing eye makeup."

I couldn't believe my ears and Mother even had a little smirk on her face.

She lifted the front of my dress and said, "My, what pretty panties you have on dear. I'll bet that they are really soft and comfy."

I didn't know what to say so I just nodded.

She smiled and said, "I thought so." By this time the tension in the room had dissipated as it had become obvious that she was not really angry. She said, "Gina, Maria, it's time for you to go home now. We have to start getting dinner prepared. Please don't mention today's events to anybody else since they could prove embarrassing."

Both girls promised that they would keep it to themselves and after saying their good-byes, left for their home, a block away.

"Judy, Mary, Susan," Mom said, "pick up your records, put the Monopoly game away and straighten up this room. Davy, come into the kitchen with me."

"Darla, Mom," Judy said.

Mother turned back to her and said, "What did you say dear?"

"I said Darla. That's what we named her. Darla Anne Drake."

Mom scrutinized me again and after a few seconds said, with a mischievous smile, "Why that is a perfectly lovely name. I like it. Okay Darla, come into the kitchen with me."

I groaned. Now mom was calling me by a girl's name. After we got into the kitchen I said, "Mom, can I go change now?"

She looked at me and said, "Oh honey, you look just fine. I'm not angry with you for having eye makeup on but I think that you should wait until you're older before wearing it out in public. Nice girls don't wear any until they are at least thirteen. No gentleman wants to marry a girl who has a reputation as a tramp, and I don't want any daughter of mine to ever get such a reputation. So no more eye makeup for at least two years, young lady. You'll thank me for being strict when you find the man of your dreams and he proposes. Now come over here so I can put this apron on you, I don't want you to soil your dress while you're doing your kitchen chores."

I was dumbfounded. Here was my mother talking as if I was a girl.

She must have read the look on my face because she came over to me, bent over, and said, "I always wanted to have another daughter and I love you for letting me have one for the rest of the day." Then she kissed me and hugged me and led me over to the panty where the aprons were. After putting the apron over my neck so that it hung in front of my dress, she tied the apron strings behind my back in a big bow.

She gave me potato peeler and sat me down with a paper bag in front of me and showed me how to peel the potatoes. By the time that I had finished the pile that she had given me, I was getting pretty good at it. I had often watched Mother cook our meals but she had never involved me in the preparation before. She complimented my progress and gave me pile of carrots to peel. Showing off my newly learned skill I cleaned the carrots in short order. Then she gave me a stalk of celery that she had washed and a paring knife. She showed me how to slice up the celery and told me to go very slow and be very careful lest I cut myself on the sharp knife. When I was done she took the celery pieces and added them to the stew that she was preparing. She had cut up the potatoes that I had cleaned and she had diced an onion.

While I was cutting the celery, she had browned the meat and the onion. She took me over to the stove and had me watch as she added all of the ingredients together, added the spices, and put the top on the pressure cooker. She explained how the pressure cooker worked and what temperature was best to use. She said that my sisters already knew all this and she was glad to be able to show me since we could never know when it might come in handy. Then she got that mischievous smirk on her face again and said, "Someday you'll find the right man and when he makes you his wife you'll want to be able to cook and care for him and your children. There's more to being a woman than just wearing soft, pretty clothes." By now I was getting used to these remarks and didn't get upset. "Okay, young lady, time to set the table while the stew is cooking."

She got a tablecloth out of the pantry and together we spread it out on the table. She handed me dishes from the cupboard and I arranged them on the table. Then she gave me a silverware tray and I arranged the place settings as I had always found them when I came to supper. I folded paper napkins and placed one next to each plate under the fork. She took glasses out of the cupboard and put them on the counter, where I took over. I carried them to the table and put one in back of each plate. Then I got the butter dish from the refrigerator and put it on the table. A loaf of bread from the bread drawer went onto the table next, and then the salt and peppershakers. I never really used it myself, but Dad liked to add ketchup to his stew, so I retrieved that from the fridge and put it on the table. I started to take the milk out of the refrigerator but Mom stopped me, telling me that we wanted it to stay cold until mealtime. By this time the pressure cooker had been shaking its pressure release cone for the correct amount of time, and Mom announced that the stew was almost cooked. She turned off the stove and, as she set it in the sink, said that we would wait until the cone stopped shaking so that the pressure reduced enough to get the top off. She told me to follow her upstairs. I was happy that I would finally be able to put on my own clothes.

She led me into the bathroom, turned me around and unzipped the jumper. I raised my arms and she lifted it off. Then she unbuttoned the blouse and removed it when I held my arms out in front of me. I raised my arms for her to remove the slip but instead she draped a towel around my neck and shoulders and told me to bend over the sink. She removed all the bobby pins from my hair and turned on the water. After getting the temperature right, she wet down my entire head and then poured some sweet smelling shampoo onto it and worked it up into lather and rinsed it off. She repeated the process and then announced that we were done. I straightened up and she patted my hair dry with the towel that had been around my neck. She went into my sisters' bedroom and returned with a pink party dress that I knew that Susan had outgrown because she didn't wear it anymore. She said, "Raise your arms dear."

I whined, "Mommy, I don't want to wear a dress."

She said, "Don't be silly dear, you can't eat dinner in your slip. Now raise your arms up, Darla Anne." I groaned, put my arms up, and she slid the dress down over my head. When it had settled into place, she zipped it up to my neck and fastened some kind of extra closure. She then took each of my arms and buttoned the sleeves. I hadn't ever noticed before, when my sister had worn this dress, that each sleeve had five buttons at the wrist. No wonder it always took girls so long to get dressed. Looking down at the dress I noticed the details in the fabric. There were little flowers embroidered all over the skirt. Funny that I had never noticed them before even though I had seen my sister wear this dress dozens of times. Mother put a white belt around my waist and fastened it. She said, "It's lucky that you're almost the same size as your sister Susan. You will be able to use the dresses that she has just outgrown but that we haven't given away yet." The she went into her bedroom and returned with a brush, comb, scissors and some other things in a small basket.

Back downstairs, she told be to sit at the kitchen table. She again placed a towel around my neck and shoulders. She combed my long blond hair and then took the scissors and trimmed it in several places. She opened up the basket that she had brought down with her and began taking rollers out and rolling them into my hair. When it felt like there was no hair left on my head that wasn't being pulled out by the roots, she closed the basket and took a scarf out of her pocket and tied it over my head and under my chin. Then she carried her things back upstairs and came back down. She bent over me and put a very fine gold chain, with a gold cross, around my neck and closed the clasp. She pinned a gold brooch on my dress and took my right arm and put three loose bracelets on my wrist and a gold ring on my hand. Then she took my left arm and put a small wristwatch on my wrist.

She said, "A girls' not fully dressed until she has her jewelry on. I'll lend you some of my things for tonight Darla Anne. Now that you've become a young lady you'll start to accumulate your own things." By now I was tired of hearing about how I was a "young lady" but I loved my mother dearly and I decided to go along with her little joke without further complaining because I knew it was a joke and that she was enjoying it.

Mom then stood up and returned to her cooking duties. She explained that she always ran cold water over the top before trying to open it. This helped cool down the steam left inside and that it would open easier with the lower pressure. After removing the top and stirring the contents she placed the cooker back on the stove and put the top on to keep it warm. She got a large serving bowl out of the cupboard and placed it on the counter in preparation for putting the stew in it.

Just then we heard the front door open signifying that Father was home from work. Mom looked up at clock and said, "Wonderful. Right on time. Remember Darla Anne, it's important to try to have a hot, delicious meal ready for your husband when he gets home from a hard day at work. It will go a long way towards keeping him faithful and loving during all you're married years. Also, always greet him with a kiss and a smile, even when you're not feeling well. Make sure that you always look pretty for him when he gets home. It gives him a good reason to come home promptly when he's looking forward to seeing you. Remember what I taught you when you find that special man." I was now beginning to wonder if Mother had forgotten that I was a boy.

I didn't say anything but I did roll my eyes. She couldn't see me because she was standing behind me checking my hair.

Mom walked over to the living-room doorway and said, "Judy, Mary, Susan. Come to the table. Your father's home. My sisters came into the kitchen and were shocked to see that not only was I still wearing a dress but that I had put on a different dress and had my hair up in curlers. We all sat in our usual places. They didn't say anything but they were all staring at my hair and the jewelry that I was wearing. Father came downstairs and walked into the kitchen. Mother was at the doorway to greet him with the smile and a kiss. I had never really noticed before but I sure did today. Father didn't look very happy when he came into the room but as soon as he saw Mom, and she threw her arms around his neck, greeted, and then kissed him, I sensed that his entire mood changed. He slapped her on the fanny and I saw her hand sneak behind him where I think she pinched him. When they separated his face was lit up with a big smile.

He looked over at us sitting at the table and said, "Hi Kids."

Almost in unison we said, "Hi Daddy."

He came over to the table and pulled out his chair. Mother had taken up a position behind her chair, which was right next to his, and she was watching his face intently. As he started to sit down, he noticed me for the first time since he had come in. He stopped in mid-air and stared at me. Then he stood back up. He looked at each of my sisters as if trying to see if anything was unusual about them. Then he looked over at Mother and I saw an almost imperceptible shake of her head. Father looked back at me and arched his eyebrows. Then he said, "That stew smells delicious, Hon. Let's eat." and sat down in his chair. Mom went over to the cooker and emptied the contents into the serving bowl that she had set out for that purpose. She brought the stew back to the table and set it in front of Father. Then she sat down and we said grace, offering our thanks to God for the health and fruitful bounty that he had bestowed upon us.

Father rose up from his chair and dished out portions of the stew as we passed our dishes to him. Mother had brought the milk to the table and filled everyone's glass. We helped ourselves to the bread and butter, passing them around the table so that each could take what they wanted. Father never said anything to me during the meal. The secret message that Mom conveyed to him in the blink of an eye kept him silent, but I did notice him surreptitiously looking at me when he thought my attention was elsewhere.

When he had finished his meal, Dad patted his stomach, turned to Mom and said, "Honey, that was absolutely delicious. You are by far the best cook in the state of New Jersey."

She put on a hurt, pouty face and said, "Only New Jersey?"

He responded by saying, "Well actually in the entire United States."

She gave him another hurt, pouty look and said, "Only in the entire United States?"

At this point he looked at her, smiled, and then she suddenly jumped while making a little noise, followed by a giggle. Father's hands were under the table and I assumed that he must have pinched her for teasing him.

"Robert, not in front of the girls," she said.

He then gave her a look and leaned over to kiss her on the mouth.

As he straightened back up, she said, "Actually, I can't take full credit for tonight's dinner. Darla Anne prepared a good portion of it. She was very helpful in the kitchen today and I think that she learned a few valuable lessons in food preparation also."

Father got a quizzical look on his face and he said, "Darla Anne?"

My face began to turn beat red and mother said, "Yes. You're youngest daughter, silly. But we can talk about that later."

Father looked at me and mumbled, "Oh. Okay."

Witnessing this interaction, I gained a new respect for Mother. She had always seemed so subservient to Father. He told her what to do, and she did it. But now I began to see how she manipulated his actions. Reflecting back on what I had observed over the years, combined with what she had told me earlier, and what I was observing now, I began to realize that she did do what he said without question, but that she got him to tell her to do only what she wanted to do in the first place.

Father rose from the table and went into the living room to sit in his favorite chair and read the evening paper. I had finished eating so I asked Mother if I might be excused.

She looked at me and said, "Why Darla Anne, are you trying to get out of helping your sisters with the kitchen cleaning chores?"

I was shocked and my jaw dropped. I looked over at my sisters and they were all smiling at me. Susan actually giggled a little. I had never had to do cleanup work before. I had always been told that that was woman's work. All I ever had to do was take out the trash, after being chased out of the kitchen.

"Okay girls, let's get started," Mom said.

Judy went to the pantry and retrieved four aprons. She put hers on after handing one each to Mary and Susan who also donned their aprons. Then she stepped behind me and hung the last apron over my neck to cover my pretty dress and tied the apron strings behind my back as Mother had done earlier.

Judy and Mary cleared the table while Susan put our small step stool in front of the sink and after stepping up, began to fill the sink with soapy water. As the dishes were scraped clean into the trash, they were put into the soapy water to soak. Judy removed the tablecloth and took it out the back door to shake out any crumbs, then returned and went down the cellar stairs to the laundry area. I knew that she would wash out any spots resulting from our meal, rinse the tablecloth, and hang it up to dry on a line in the cellar.

Meanwhile, Susan removed my wristwatch, ring, and bracelets. She unbuttoned the sleeves on my dress and rolled them up my arm to my elbow. Then she told me to get up on the stepstool and proceeded to show me how to wash the dishes in the warm soapy water. She said that she would dry when I was finished. Mary was sweeping the floor and would then wipe down the counters and cabinets. As I washed the dishes and stacked them up on the sink sideboard, Susan wiped down the refrigerator and then the condiments before putting then away.

After I had washed all the dishes. I opened the drain and let the soapy water run out. I turned on the tap and rinsed the soapy dishes that I had stacked up, placing them in the drying rack as I finished each one. Susan came over and began to dry them and put them away.

During all this activity, my parents had gone upstairs to their bedroom. For them to both go upstairs this early meant that they were going to have a private conversation. I suspected that it was about me. I figured that once they were upstairs, Father would lay down the law and I would be released from my feminine clothes. I was looking forward to removing the bra. I was not used to having anything so constricting on my chest. I have to admit, however, that the other clothes were softer and far more comfortable than my jockey shorts, jeans, and tee shirts. The sensation of the soft fabrics on my hairless body was intoxicating. I was no longer angry at my sisters for doing this to me, but the mores of our society told me that this wasn't right and that I must take off the feminine garments as soon as I was able.

When the kitchen was cleaned, we sat down at the kitchen table. We knew that as soon as my parents came back downstairs, I would be out of the feminine clothes in a matter of minutes. My sisters all told me what I big help I had been and that they had never finished this quickly before. My sister Judy came over to me and gave me a big hug. She said that she loved me and that she was so glad that Darla Anne had come to visit with them today. She said that it had been wonderful to have a new little sister for today and that she would miss Darla Anne when she was gone. My other sisters came over and hugged and kissed me and echoed Judy's sentiments. With my sisters hugging and kissing me, and telling me how much they were going to miss me, I began to feel as if I was leaving my family. I actually began to feel sad about reverting to my male identity. Tears actually began to well up in my eyes when I saw my parents coming back downstairs.

Father returned to the living room to finish reading his paper. Mother came into the kitchen and saw her four 'daughters' embracing. She said, "Now what's all this about?"

Judy spoke up first and said that she, Mary, and Susan were just saying goodbye to Darla Anne before she left.

"But Darla Anne isn't going anywhere," Mother said. I figured that she meant that I would still be here once I had changed back to David. She continued, "Daddy has said that Darla Anne can stay until David returns on Monday morning."

My sisters squealed with delight and began hugging and kissing me all over again. I responded to their enthusiasm without thinking and hugged and kissed them back. I no longer knew what I felt, should feel, or even wanted to feel. On one hand I wanted to become David again but on the other hand I wanted to stay as Darla because this had been the most wonderful day of my life. The attention that I had received from my sisters, the Marcoti sisters, and even from Mother had been overwhelming. While I had always felt loved in my home, I frequently felt a bit lonely when I saw the bond that my sisters shared. At school I was often alone during recess because of my limited athletic ability. But today I had not felt a moment of loneliness. My spirits had been high ever since I started playing Monopoly. Even while I was rebelling against being put in lacy undergarments and a dress, I was also reveling in the attention that was being paid to me. My fears of being punished by my parents for being found in feminine attire had not diminished my joy at being the center of attention.

Susan grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the stairs. She said, "Come on Darla Anne, I have a beautiful dress that I can't wear anymore. I want to see how it looks on you. I saw Mom smile and then Judy and Mary started giggling and ran after us. The four of us hurried up the stairs and we went into the girls' bedroom. Judy, Mary and Susan shared a large room at the top of the stairs. It had a full wall of closets. I suppose that this would have been classified as a, 'Master' bedroom on the blueprints. I have a bedroom right across the hall but it's only about one quarter the size of this one. My parent's bedroom is at the end of the hall and is just a little smaller than that of the girls.

Susan unhooked my dress's closure at the back of my neck and pulled the zipper all the way down while I unfastened the belt. She delicately lifted the fine gold chain that I was still wearing so that it would not get caught on the dress and then pushed the dress down over my hips until it fell to the carpet. The sleeves had still been unbuttoned from when I washed the dishes. Susan rolled the sleeves back down, zipped the dress, and placed it on a hanger. She attached the belt to the same hanger by putting the buckle over the hang hook. She said to me, "Always hang your clothes up right away Darla Anne so that they stay in top condition." She knew that, as David, I usually just tossed my clothes over the nearest chair. She told me to take my shoes off and then asked Judy if Darla could borrow her new heels. She lifted my slip up to my waist and put a garter belt around me and clasped it. Then she knelt in front of me and rolled stockings up my legs and attached them to the garter belt. When I rubbed my nylon covered legs together, the sensation traveled all the way up to the rollers in my hair. I could not believe how wonderful it felt. My sisters noticed immediately because the first sensation had caused me to suck in my breath and I actually trembled. Susan giggled and said, "Great, huh?" I could only nod my head.

Mary told me to raise my arms and then lifted my slip up and off. Then she unclasped the training bra and removed it as well. I rubbed the area that it had been covering, glad to be free of it. But my relief was short-lived. Mary held out another bra and had me hold out my arms while she affixed it to my chest. Then she took some nylon stockings, filled the small cups and replaced the full slip that she had removed. Susan added a petticoat over the top of that and then another. Then she brought over a beautiful, creme-colored, taffeta, brides-maid dress that she had worn last year at the wedding of Gina Marcoti's eldest sister. As she held it over my head waiting for me to raise my arms, time seemed to slow down. I watched as the dress started to descend over my torso and I felt myself becoming giddy with excitement. The sensation of feeling the material glide down my body was almost more than I could bear. As it settled on the petticoats I suddenly remembered to start breathing again. Without realizing it, I had been holding my breath. I was feeling a little light headed but I wasn't sure if it was from holding my breath or from the excitement of wearing this beautiful gown.

After the dress was zipped up, Susan held my arm while Judy told me to lift up my right foot. She placed one of her new shoes on it and fastened the ankle strap. It was only a little loose as she had such tiny feet. Then she told me to lift my other foot and as I shifted my weight into the shoe that she had already put on, I felt myself rise up three inches. The height was necessary or the dress would have dragged on the ground. Susan was taller that I was. After she finished buckling the strap I put my foot down and tried to balance myself. I probably would have fallen over if Susan had not still been holding onto me. With her help I started to move around the bedroom. Judy had taken position at my other arm and was offering me tips on walking in heels. Within five minutes I was walking unassisted.

Mother came into the bedroom and beamed with delight upon seeing me walking around in the brides-maid gown and heels. She said, "Oh Darla Anne, that dress looks wonderful on you. I just got an idea. Judy…Susan…Put on your matching dresses. Susan, put on your new prom dress. Fix your hair and faces girls, then come downstairs. Darla Anne, come into my bedroom. Oh, Susan, give me the gloves that you bought to go with this dress. Thank you dear."

I followed her down the hall feeling wonderful with the new height that was provided by the shoes. Mom told me to sit down at her makeup table and she went to work on my face. First she removed the makeup that Gina had put on. Then, starting with a new foundation, she worked her magic on me to transform my face in ways that I would not have believed possible. She took the scarf off my head and removed the rollers from my hair. Then using a comb and brush she styled my hair, giving me bangs that fell to my eyebrows. She put gold clip-on earrings on me and took the delicate chain necklace, which I still wore, out from under the neckline of my gown so that it rested on the dress. She had me put on the elbow length gloves that she had gotten from Susan, and then put the bracelets and wristwatch, that I had worn earlier, back on my wrists.

While she had worked on me she had reminded me to sit up straight, cross my legs, and other little tips that I should know. Now she had me stand up and walk around the bedroom so that she could see the final results. She told me to take shorter steps and to place each foot in front of the other, and that, if I swiveled my hips a little I would have better balance. After a few minutes of practice, she told me to concentrate more on walking on the balls of my feet so that my foot would come down evenly on both the heel and the front of the shoe. She also told me that I was holding my arms out too far. They should be tighter to my body. She said to continue practicing while she checked to see how the other girls were doing. I had now become so used to being referred to as "her" that I did not realize she had said "the other girls" until after she had left the room. I continued practicing my walk while incorporating all of the tips that Mom had given me. She was gone for about ten minutes and by the time that she came back, I felt perfectly natural in the three-inch heels. I wished that Gina were there so that I could try to slow dance in the shoes.

Mom watched for a couple of minutes and then came over to me and hugged me. She said that it was always such a thrill to see a young girl learning to walk in her first heels. She added that I had taken to them like a duck to water. Most girls have to work their way up from low heels before they become as proficient as I already was with my first pair. She took me over to her closet and opened the door. She had a full-length mirror mounted on the inside of the door and I got my first good look at myself. Prior to this I had only seen my face in the makeup mirror. I stood and stared at my reflection. What I saw was a pretty girl, who appeared to be about fourteen-years-old, and who looked just like one of my sisters. For this special occasion Mom had violated her own rule and used makeup around my eyes. She must have known what I was thinking because she told me that it was okay because I would not be leaving the house looking like this. I turned to see myself from several different angles as I had seen Mom and my sisters do when they were trying on dresses while shopping. I could hardly believe that this was my reflection.

Mom came over and said, "Yes Darla Anne, that's you in the mirror. you're a beautiful young girl. I just used the make-up to make you look a little older than your ten years, but the bone-structure of your face is all yours. I couldn't fake that. In a few years you'll have every young man in town calling you for a date. Remember all the things that I have told you, and will tell you, about how to be the perfect wife to your husband. A good marriage does not just happen. You have to work at it. You will have to suppress your own ego in favor of your husband's. You must be supportive and caring at all times unless your husband shows that he is not deserving of your support and care. Selecting the right man for marriage is difficult. Sometimes we women become infatuated with the wrong man. You can not always trust your heart alone. You must use your head as well. But when your head tells you that you have found Mr. Right, your heart must agree. If you're very lucky, you'll find someone as wonderful as your father. And remember, you must save yourself for your husband until you get married. Don't pay any attention to all this talk of free love that so we hear so much about these days. Love is not free. There are always prices to pay. No good man wants to marry a tramp. He may be willing to use a tramp for sexual release and gratification until the right girl comes along but he won't marry one. Will you remember all that I've told you tonight?"

"Yes Mommy, I'll remember... Mommy?" I said.

"Yes, Darla Anne?"

"You remember that I'm a boy, don't you?"

She laughed and said, "Of course I remember, darling. Through an innocent game that your sisters started with you, and with the consent of your wonderful father, you're being given a marvelous gift. you're being allowed to see what life looks like from the viewpoint of women. Until Monday morning you will live like, and be treated like, a girl. On Monday morning your father says that you must return to your true identity of David Alexander Drake. I hope that by that time I can teach you enough about what it's like to be a woman that you will be a better man for the experience. I know that what you learn this weekend will stay with you for your entire life. So, since your father has consented to this, until Monday morning you're officially a young lady; and until then I'm going to treat you just like I treat your sisters. The things that I tell you are the things that I have told them. The things that I show you are the things that I have shown them. I can't compress thirty-four years of experience into one weekend but I'll teach you everything I can in that time. We'll do our best to see that nobody outside the family learns about your little secret; except for the Marcoti sisters, but I don't think that they'll tell anyone. Just enjoy the experiences and don't have any guilt about them since they're outside your control. Now give me just a minute to fix myself up a little."

Mother sat down at her makeup table and brushed her hair. Then she touched up her face and pressed a tissue lightly between her lips after applying her lipstick. She went to her dresser and picked up a bottle that she referred to as an atomizer. Then she sprayed a small burst of perfume into the air and stepped into it. She called me over to her side and showed me how to hold the bottle so that I could duplicate her actions. I could smell her perfume on her, and in the air. I sprayed the atomizer, and stepped into the mist as she had. I was instantly enveloped in the fragrance.

"Perfect," she said. "you're such a quick learner. Now, young lady, lets go downstairs."

As we passed my sisters' bedroom I saw that they were getting dressed. Mother told me to wait at the top of the stairs while she went down to the kitchen. She came back out with her camera and started giving me directions. "Now remember, you're the most beautiful girl in the world. I want you to smile… Bigger smile… Now start to walk down the stairs… Pick up the front of your gown like I showed you and look down to see where you're walking…. Remember to smile… Bigger smile… That's perfect Darla Anne... Now stop on that stair and look at me… Smile…. Bigger…. Put your left hand on the railing…. Turn a little to the left…. Now turn a little to the right…. Now start walking down again…. Beautiful…. Perfect…. Keep walking…. Big smile.. and look at the camera." All the time that she was giving me directions, she was snapping pictures with her Nikkormat camera. The flash was making me see spots. After I reached the bottom, she sent me up to do it again. And when I next reached the bottom, she sent me up a third time. When I reached the bottom stair for the third time, I needed a break from the flash.

My sisters had finished getting ready and mother now turned her attention to them. I watched them as they came down the stairs. They were all so beautiful in their gowns that any one of them, or all of them, could have been a fashion model. As I watched the graceful way that they descended the stairs, I hoped that I looked even half as graceful as they did. When Mother finished with the stairway photos, we filed into the living room and lined up in front of the fireplace. Mother positioned me between Judy and Mary because we were all wearing matching gowns. Susan was wearing her new prom formal and mom positioned her on the left side. After every two shots we changed positions. Then it was time for the close-ups. Mother had us sit on the carpet with a footrest in front of front of us, for us to lean on. Mother had put a piece of blue velvet material on the footrest so that it resembled a photographer's model bench. Next came several shots of each of us sitting on the velvet-covered footrest. Mother would have us pose in all sorts of positions such as looking over our shoulder, or with our heads and eyes raised upwards. While she was shooting one of us, the other girls would be looking through magazines for ideas for interesting poses.

Father had awoken in his easy chair and was sleepily watching us from his reclined position. Susan leaned over to me and told me to watch everything that she did, very carefully. I watched closely as she went over and sat on his lap, and gave him a big hug and a kiss after saying, "Hi Daddy."

He was busy watching what Mother was doing and absently said, "Hi sweetheart," and kissed her on her forehead. He put his arms around her and pulled her down to cradle her against his chest. She snuggled in his arms and laid her head on his shoulder with her forehead resting against his cheek. She then asked him if he would pose for Mother. He replied that he was not dressed properly to have his portrait taken.

"Okay Daddy," she said, and climbed up off of his lap. She came over to me and whispered, "Did you watch me closely?" I nodded and she said, "Okay, now you." I just looked at her, and then I saw that old mischievous look that I had come to know so well. That gave me the courage to do it. I got up and walked over to his chair. His attention was still fixed on Mother's picture shooting so he did not pay any particular attention to me. I climbed up onto his lap as I had watched Susan do and gave him a big hug and a kiss after saying, "Hi Daddy." He said, "Hi sweetheart" as he put his arms around me and pulled me down to cradle me against his chest as he had done with Susan. He absently kissed me on the forehead as I snuggled in his arms and I put my head on his shoulder with my forehead resting against his cheek. As I lay in his arms, I tried to remember the last time that he had held me. It had been so long that I could not recall it. Men did not embrace other men in Father's world. I was enjoying Father's embrace. I could feel the strength in his arms that was the result of his construction work.

Suddenly I heard Mother say, "Darla Anne, come over here and stop bothering your father."

Father said, "She's not bothering m…DARLA ANNE?"

I gave him a big kiss on his check leaving a lip stick mark there and got up off his lap. Mother said, "Oh Darla Anne, now you've smeared your lips. Susan please get the lipstick from my bedroom and fix your sister's face. Thank you honey." I looked over at Father. He had his eyes closed and would have appeared to be asleep if it had not been for the way that his jaw was clamped so tightly shut. I was sorry now that I had played the little joke on him. I had not wanted to hurt him.

Mother, as always, immediately understood Father's mood and decided to get me out of the room to defuse any potential problem. She was currently taking pictures of Mary, and Susan had left to retrieve the lipstick so she said, "Judy, would you take your sister out into the hallway and help her practice her walking and deportment."

"Of course Mommy" Judy said. Taking my hand, she led me out of the room. Judy had me walk back and forth, the length of the hallway, a few times.

Susan had come back downstairs with the lipstick and I stopped so that Judy could touch up my lips. She said, "Now pay attention Darla Anne, you have to learn to this for yourself. Your sisters won't always be around to put on your makeup." I watched carefully in the hall mirror to the way that she held the lipstick and applied it to my lips. Then she gave me a tissue to blot any excess.

When she was done, Susan came over to me smiling, hugged me, and said in very low tones, "Oh Darla Anne, that was priceless. I thought that I was going to pee my pants when Daddy realized who he was holding."

I smiled back but Judy, always our 'second mother', scolded us. She said, "That was terrible. You shouldn't have embarrassed Daddy that way. Susan, haven't you learned ANYTHING from Mother. It's okay to do things like that to friends our own age, but as young women we must never embarrass our parents, boyfriends, or husbands. They occupy a position of authority and such actions will undermine the sense of respect that we must maintain in these relationships. Don't forget that respect works both ways. When we give respect, we receive it as well. If that respect is lost, then the relationship could be damaged or even destroyed."

Susan rolled her eyes and said, "Oh boy, you've been spending way too much time with Mother. This in the 1960's not the 1930's."

Judy ignored her and turned to me. "Now Darla Anne, I want you to walk back and forth some more. I think that you're doing wonderful with those high heels. Much better than I ever would have expected given the short time that you've been wearing them, but you're holding your arms a little bit too far from your body. It looks like you're trying to balance yourself on a tightrope. Pull your arms in and glide into each step. Put your weight on the balls of your feet and try to place each foot directly in front of the last. Now concentrate and walk." After several trips she said, "Pretty good but your arms are still a problem. Here, try this. Put your hands together. No, don't interlock your fingers; just lay one hand on top of the other with both palms facing each other. Good, now relax, with your hands no lower than your waist and your elbows at your sides. Good, but relax a little more. Pretend that you're holding a small bird in your hands and you certainly don't want to crush it. Now walk back and forth."

I continued to walk the length of the hallway for the next ten minutes with Judy offering praise at times and tips for correcting me at others.

Then she said, "Okay, time for a break." I was relieved to hear those words because my feet were killing me. I couldn't wait to sit down. I walked over to chair and plopped down. Judy was aghast.

"Darla Ann, you stand back up immediately" she cried.

I practically jumped to my feet. "What's the matter," I sheepishly asked; "Can't I sit down."

She replied, "Of course you can sit down but a young lady never falls into a chair, as you just did. I'll show you the correct way to sit down." She came over to where I was standing. She turned her back to the chair and slowly descended into the seat while smoothing her gown behind her. She said, "By running your hands over the back of your dress as you sit down, you help to minimize wrinkling while insuring that you're covered properly. You will know that your dress is not sticking up giving a free show to anybody behind you. Now you try it. Better, try it again but go slower. Good. Try it again but don't bend so low. Someone standing in front of you should never be able to see your back as you sit down. Good. Try it again. Again…again…Again."

"Now try it while holding this teacup in your right hand." She had taken a decorative teacup off a display shelf in the hall and she handed it to me. "No, hold it by the handle between your thumb and forefinger. Okay, now use just your left hand to smooth your skirt. Try it again, if the cup had contained tea, you would have spilled it all over yourself. Again….Again….Again." This continued for the next ten minutes. Then she had me walk the length of the hall with the teacup and return to the seat and sit down. She made me repeat this a half dozen times until she felt that I was making progress. She took the teacup and placed it back up on the shelf.

Then she went into the kitchen and returned with one of our inexpensive teacups, a small saucer, a small pitcher of water, and a dishtowel. She had me stand, handed me the saucer with the teacup on it and proceeded to fill it half way up with water. Then she told me to walk the length of the hallway, return and sit down. When I was again seated, she lifted the teacup and told me to dump the water from the saucer into the pitcher that she held in her right hand. She had Susan dry the bottom of the teacup and the saucer and refilled the cup halfway. Now I had to get up from the chair, walk the length of the hall, return, and sit down. I practiced this until I could do it without spilling a single drop.

Then she filled the cup to almost full and had me do it until I completed three trips without spilling a drop. She had me empty the water into the pitcher, then took the teacup, saucer, pitcher, and very damp dishtowel out into the kitchen. Susan went with her and they closed the kitchen door behind them. I could hear excited voices in the kitchen but I was exhausted and just wanted to sit on the hallway chair and rest my aching feet.

The kitchen door opened several minutes later and Judy re-entered the hall. She looked at me and in her scolding voice said, "Darla Anne, sit up straight. A lady never sits like that. You must always keep your back straight and your head high. Even when you're alone, because if you let yourself have poor posture when no one else is around, then before you realize it you will be doing it in front of others. Now stand up." While she had been talking, I had straightened up as she instructed. Now I rose from the chair slowly and with all of the grace and dignity that I could muster. Judy threw her arms around me and cried, "That was perfect. you're a wonderful pupil. I've been very hard on you for the past hour and you have not complained even once. And you have learned so much in such a short period of time. I'm so proud of my little sister that I could bust. I love you so much." All of my aches and pains vanished in the face of this praise from my oldest sister. I beamed with pride as she took my hand and led me to the kitchen.

Mother, Mary, and Susan were all seated at the kitchen table. Judy led me over to the seat next to Mother's and indicated that I should sit down. Using everything that I had learned in the past hour, I gracefully sat down in the chair, kept my back straight and my head erect, put my hands in my lap, and smiled demurely at Mother. She had watched my every move and said, "Oh Darla Anne, you're a natural. With only a couple of hours of training, you've almost mastered things that many other young girls take years to learn to do well." She leaned over and squeezed my hands.

I said as softly and sweetly as I could, "A great deal of the credit has to go to my wonderful teachers."

Judy, who had been standing next to me, bent over and squeezed my upper arms. She said, "We've loved helping you. That's what sisters do for each other."

"Let's all have some tea," Mother said. "Darla Anne, will you please pour?"

I immediately suspected a setup as the teapot was on the table directly in front of where I had been led to sit down. I had seen women do this many times in old English movies broadcast on television so I figured that I could emulate their actions. I recalled a movie where a young girl who looked like Elizabeth Taylor had been required to serve tea to a group of visitors. I threw myself into the role and said sweetly, "Of course Mommy. I would be happy to," omitting the English accent. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Susan and Mary trade looks, but I didn't let on that I'd observed it. I took a cup and saucer in my left hand, and picked up the teapot in my right. Bringing the cup up to the spout of the teapot, then tipping the teapot while raising it, being careful not to allow the teapot to actually touch the cup, I filled the cup until the tea was about ¾ of an inch from the top. Then lowering the teapot to its starting position, I made sure that the final drops fell from the spout before I moved the teapot away from the cup and set it down on the table.

I put a spoon on the saucer and held it out, over the table, for Mother to take it. She reached over and took the cup and saucer from my hand saying, "Thank you dear."

Then I poured a cup for each of my sisters, passing each to Judy who was now sitting in the chair on my right. When everyone was served I poured myself a cup and put my hands back on my lap as I had seen the girl do in the old English movie that I was imitating. Then I smiled sweetly at Mother and my sisters. There had not been a sound while I was pouring but now they all started to giggle or laugh and then began to clap for my performance.

Mother reached over again and squeezed my hands. She said, "Girls, I don't think anyone, and I mean ANYONE, could have done that any better. Do you agree?" Judy, Mary, and Susan all starting talking at once so I couldn't catch everything they said, but they were obviously agreeing with Mother. I felt myself blushing so I stared down at my hands.

Mother said, "Darla Anne, we set up this little tea so that we could teach you how to pour and serve, but you have already mastered the procedure. You were PERFECT! Who taught you?"

"There was an old English movie on television a few months ago," I said. "I saw a young girl serve tea to some visitors. I simply imitated everything that she did in the movie.

Mother smiled and said, "Well, we've discovered a new talent in the family. Girls, I think that your sister deserves a reward for that performance. After church services tomorrow we'll have to find something special to do."

"Services? I said. "Mommy, I can't go to services tomorrow dressed like this."

"Of course you can't go to services dressed like that, dear," she said. I started to relax a little, until she said, "I've already told you that you can't wear eye make-up until you've become a teen-ager, and ten-year-old girls do not wear three-inch heels either. Tonight was a special dress-up night just for us girls, and, I also wanted you learn some of the things that you will need to know in preparation for going to church tomorrow. That is why Judy spent so much time with you practicing your walking and sitting. She tells me that you have done marvelous, and after observing your performance in serving the tea, my own eyes tell me that you're ready to face the challenge to going outside of the house. So tomorrow, Darla Anne will debut at church services at St.Peter's Church."

"St. Peter's?" I said. "Where's that?"

Addressing all of us, Mother said, "St. Peter's Church is in the next town. I've been wanting to see their new church since I heard about it last year. The church building is actually round, as opposed to the rectangular, gothic style that we from St. James parish are so familiar with." I started to relax again. It was extremely unlikely that anyone that we know would be attending mass at St. Peter's Church.

"Unfortunately, your father has to work tomorrow," Mom said. "He'll be leaving very early because he has to drive to the airport to pick up a prospective customer."

As I knew that the airport was an hour away, I asked, "Why does he have to pick up somebody that he doesn't even know. I thought that he mainly dealt with local architects and buyers?"

Mother said, "When you're dealing with very important people, whose time is very valuable, then sometimes you need to do things that will allow you to spend more time in their presence. Mr. Burns, the customer, will only be here until tomorrow night. He has an eleven o'clock flight back to Chicago. By picking up Mr. Burns at the airport, and bringing him back again, your father will be spending an extra two hours with him."

"Why so much time?" I asked. "Usually he only spends a couple of hours with prospective customers, not an entire day."

"Mr. Burns is not an average customer," Mother said. "He controls a syndicate that develops huge areas of land. He's interested in an area where your father owns a purchase option on a large tract of farm land."

"What's a purchase option?" I asked.

She answered, "That's when you buy the right to purchase something, at a set price. Seven years ago, your father purchased the right to buy some land from a farmer, who had grown too old to farm it anymore. Each year he sends a small sum of money to the farmer. This enables the farmer to pay the taxes and to continue to live on the land."

"Why didn't the farmer just sell the land originally?" I asked.

"He did try," Mother said, "but there were no buyers at that time. He was in danger of losing the land for back taxes. Your father couldn't afford to buy the land, and couldn't afford to make monthly mortgage payments on it while it sat empty. Until now there's been little need for new homes in that area. But he could afford a purchase option. The farmer was able to save his land from the government, continue to live on the land, and till a small area where he runs a truck garden, and your father locked up a future building site for his homes. Everybody won. Recently, the federal government announced that a new interstate highway would pass very near the area where the farm is located. This means that there will be a new market for homes in that area since commuters will have easy access. Mr. Burns' syndicate is exploring the feasibility of developing the entire area, which will mean new homes and shopping centers. He and your father will spend the entire day with a team of surveyors and planners from that area. Perhaps it's best that he will be busy elsewhere tomorrow. That way we girls can spend the entire day doing girl things, without any men to worry about." My sisters all giggled while I just smiled sheepishly.

I knew that it would do no good to protest. Mother had made up her mind. So, I decided to throw myself into this new role as I had done when I was serving the tea. I would think of myself as a girl, refer to myself as a girl, and make sure that everybody that I met tomorrow would believe me to be a girl. I would use everything that I could remember, from every movie that I had ever seen with young girls in key roles, and supporting roles. I absolutely did not want anyone to know that I was a male in female clothing, so if I could convince MYSELF to think of me as a female, I felt that I could pull off this act and have everybody else think of me as a female also.

In my mind, I pictured myself as David Alexander Drake packing a suitcase and leaving the house to climb into a waiting cab that would take me to the airport for a two-day trip. As the cab pulled away, Darla Anne Drake stood on the porch and waved, then turned and walked back into the house. Now only Darla Anne would be here with her family until Monday morning when David would return from his trip. Darla had been born a female and had never known any other existence. Female gestures and mannerisms were second nature to her. Males were the opposite sex. She could never be male, with their sloppy behavior and sometimes-crude manners. Most of the time they could not even talk to a girl. They were always tripping over their tongues. I rubbed my legs together to feel the nylons and thought how lucky I was to have been born a female. The sensations from the nylons, and the feel of the soft panties, slip, and petticoats as I shifted every so slightly in my seat and ran my gloved hands lightly down the taffeta of the beautiful bridesmaid gown where it covered my legs, combined to give me an inner warmth. I looked down at the delicate chain necklace that rested on my bosom and the gold wristwatch and bracelets that I wore. Yes, I was indeed lucky to be a woman. I didn't care for the constricting bra that I wore on my chest but I reminded myself it was necessary to give support to my breasts as they started to grow. Since I would have to wear one for the rest of my life, I would just have to learn to live with it. My feet ached from the high heels but this too was a necessary evil. Men loved seeing women in high heels, so I would have to put up with them to make myself more attractive. The more attractive I made myself, the more men that I would have around me to choose from when it came time to select a husband. Mother always gave such good advice and I knew that if I did everything that she said, I would find a man like my father, and make a wonderful home for him and my children.

"Darla Anne?……... Darla Anne!!!" I looked up and realized that Mother had been talking to me. My mother and my sisters were all staring at me.

"Yes Mommy?"

"Are you all right, honey."

"Yes Mommy, I'm fine. I was just daydreaming a little. What is it that you were asking me?"

"We were talking about our plans for tomorrow. The weather is supposed to be warm and clear tomorrow so after church, we'll go for a walk in Pioneer Park, return here for lunch, then go to the new Tri-County Shopping Center to do a little shopping. How does that sound to you?"

"I think that would be wonderful," I said.

"You do?" Susan said.

"Of course," I said, "I love to shop every bit as much as Mother, Judy, and Mary and you." Susan just stared back at me.

"Okay, that's what we'll do then," Mother said. "Time to start getting ready for bed, girls. It's been a long day. Don't wake your father in the living room. He needs his sleep. I'll come down and get him after we finish getting ready for bed, and take him upstairs."

As we rose from the table, I picked up the teapot and my saucer, cup, and spoon, carrying them over to the sink. I opened the pantry door, took out my apron, and put it on. I tied the apron strings behind me, removed my wristwatch, bracelets, and gloves, then went to the sink and poured the tea that was remaining in the teapot, down the drain. I put the rubber stopper in the drain hole, and after putting some liquid dish washing solution in, ran warm water until the suds came half way up the sink. I shut the water off and turned back to the table. My sisters and Mother were all just standing next to the table, and staring at me. "Well," I said, "do I have to do everything? Isn't somebody going to carry over the cups and saucers?" Nobody moved. I said, "What's the matter, is my slip showing?" With that I bent forward and looked down to where my gown almost touched the floor, then straightened back up, twisted and bent back to look at the rear of my dress. Everything looked okay to me.

My sisters and Mother started laughing. I put on the pouty face that I had seen Mother use on Father earlier and said in a hurt, little girl's voice, "I don't think it's very nice of you to laugh at me and not tell me why you're laughing." This caused them all to laugh harder. I suddenly remembered a movie scene where a boy had been teasing a young girl until she started to cry, so I put my hands up to cover my face and started "boo hooing" in my hands trying to make it sound like I was upset and really crying.

Mother rushed over with my sisters right behind her, embraced me, and said, "Oh Darla Anne, please don't cry honey. We're sorry. We weren't laughing at you. It's just that you continue to surprise us so much."

I stopped my false sobbing, put a Mona Lisa smile on my face and put my hands down. Mother looked at me, her mouth dropped open, and then she smiled as she said, "Why you little faker!" My sisters all started laughing again.

Mother turned to my sisters and said softly, "Girls, quiet down now before you wake your father. Susan, help your sister clean up. Judy, Mary, go upstairs. Help each other to change out of your gowns and then Judy, press a shirt for your father's meeting tomorrow, and Mary, please shine his good shoes. I'm going to pick up my camera equipment and our props in the living room. Remember girls, never go to bed until your home is clean and organized no matter how long it takes. You always want it to be a place that your husband can't wait to get back to at night. If he's anxious to get home, he won't be stopping at bars to drink with his friends after work each evening. You must make yourself, and your home, the center of his life. Never delude yourself into thinking that you're a slave to your man, as some foolish women do, simply because you do all of the cooking and cleaning. Remember that if you have no family you will still have to cook and clean. The little bit extra that you have to do for your husband is more that offset by the fact that he puts a roof over your head, food on the table, and fuel in the furnace." She smiled then and added, "And if he happens to light up your life in bed, then so much the better." We all giggled. "Okay," she said, "lets get to work so that we can get to sleep." Mother, Judy, and Mary then all left the kitchen to perform their tasks.

Susan removed her gloves and donned her apron. I stepped behind her and tied her apron strings. She turned back to me and said rather sheepishly, "Darla Anne, are you angry at me?"

I looked at her and said, "No, why ever would you think that I was angry with you."

She said, "Because it was me that started all this when I brought down a pair of Judy's panties and then suggested that we shouldn't cover them with your jeans."

I looked into her eyes. Normally she's about three inches taller that I am, but because I was still wearing the three-inch heels, while she had on only 1½" heels, she was only a little taller.

"Susan," I said, "I love you. You're my big sister. No matter what you do, I will always love you. As far as what has happened today goes, I have never been happier in my life. I have had so much fun today that I can't believe it was only this morning that we played that Monopoly game. Even though we have shared the same house for all of my almost eleven years, I have never felt even remotely as close to you, Mary, Judy, and Mother as I do today. I'm not angry with you. I'm grateful to you for helping me to see another side of life that I was unfamiliar with."

She leaned over and hugged me, and with her head resting on my shoulder, she said, "I'm so glad. I was really afraid that you might hate me. I couldn't have stood it if you did."

I put my arms around her and said, "How could I ever hate you. I'm your little sister." She laughed a little laugh, then started to cry. I realized that this was the release of all the tension that she had been holding in while fearing that I was harboring some resentment towards her. I was so happy that I had been able to dispel her fears that I started to cry too.

We clung to each other and cried like that for several minutes. We separated and looked at each other. Then we both started to laugh until we cried. Our mascara had run down our cheeks and we looked like refugees from a Holloween fright night party. Susan got a few tissues and cleaned my face, and then I cleaned her face. As I finished, she said, "Darla Anne, you're the best little sister that a girl could have. I love you, too." We hugged and kissed each other, and then went back to our cleaning chores.

After finishing in the kitchen, we turned out the light and went upstairs. In Susan's bedroom we removed our shoes then helped each other to remove our gowns and petticoats. When the dresses had been hung in the closet, we took off our hose and garter belts. Then Susan sat me down at the makeup table and helped me to remove all my makeup. After I was done, she took off her makeup while I sat on the bed and watched. Then she stood up, removed her slip, bra and panties and put on a bathrobe. She handed me a bathrobe and said, "Here Darla Anne, we better take our baths tonight, there's never enough time on Sunday morning with a house full of women and only one bathroom. I hope that someday we can move to a house like my friend Jennifer Talbot has. They have two full bathrooms upstairs plus a ½ bath downstairs." I removed my slip, bra, and panties, and put on the robe.

We went into the bathroom and she started to run a bath. She poured something into the water from a gold colored bottle that looked like olive oil but smelled heavenly. Then a capful of pink crystals, from a box in the cabinet under the sink. She said, "You can go first Darla Anne. I'm going to see if Mother needs anything more done before we go to bed." She left the bathroom. I removed my bathrobe and slipped into the warm, bubble bath filled tub. The water smelled and felt wonderful. I let myself relax and felt all the tension drain from my body. Susan came back in and smiled, "Wonderful, isn't it." I smiled and nodded. She came over and said, "Sit up, sis." She took the hose attached to the showerhead and wet my hair. Then she squeezed some shampoo from a bottle and rubbed it into my hair until I had a full head of lather. Then taking the hose again she rinsed my head. She handed me a strangely shaped bar of soap.

I smelled it and said, "It smells wonderful. It's so fragrant."

 She said, "It's just for us girls, we keep it under the sink so that Dad and David don't use it accidentally." She smiled at me, felt my hair, and said, "You know, sis, I've always envied your hair. It's so beautiful and fine. I wish that my hair were like yours. Too bad your hair isn't just a little longer though. I would love to braid it in Swedish style braids. Why don't you let it grow longer?"

"I will if Mommy lets me," I said. "It's up to her."

"We'll gang up on her," she said. "I'll get Judy, and Mary to help also. Together I bet that we can convince her to allow you let it grow longer."

I had finished washing so I stood up. Susan got a towel and handed it to me. While I dried myself she took another towel and wrapped it around my head like a turban. "I want your hair to stay a little damp so I can put it up in curlers," she said. "You don't have a perm and we want it to look nice for tomorrow." After I put on the bathrobe we went back into the bedroom.

Mom came in and said, "Why don't you take your bath, Suz, I'll put the curlers in your sister's hair."

"Okay Mommy," Susan said, and left for the bathroom.

Mother took her basket of curlers and went to work on my head. When she was done, she covered it with a hair net. She told me to take off the bathrobe. She handed me a pair of pink panties, which I put on. She held up a padded training bra and waited for me to raise my arms.

"Do I have to wear that to bed," I asked, "the other girls don't wear one."

She smiled and said, "I know, but since you just started to wear a bra, wearing this at night will help you get used to it more quickly. You won't feel so uncomfortable during the day tomorrow because you'll be used to it from having slept in it all night."

"Okay Mommy," I said. I knew that she was right. She held up a silky nightie for me and I raised my arms and allowed it to settle down over my body.

"Okay," she said. "Hop into bed." I started to walk towards the door. She said, "Where are you going?"

"Across the hall," I said.

"No dear," she said, "that's your brother's room. You sleep in here with the other girls. Judy and Mary share one bed, Susan and you share the other." I smiled at her and climbed into the bed. She said, "Your sisters will be in shortly. Judy and Mary are just finishing up their chores, and Susan should be just about done with her bath." She pulled the covers up to my chest and bent to kiss my forehead.

I put my arms around her neck and hugged her. "I love you, Mommy," I said.

"I know, and I love you Darla Anne," she said. "I could not have hoped for a prettier or cleverer daughter. Now don't keep your sisters up all night talking. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow. Nite, sweetheart."

"Goodnight, Mommy." She straightened up, gave me a strange wistful smile, turned and left the bedroom.

Susan came in first. She smiled at me and went over to her dresser. She removed a silky nightie like the one that I was wearing. She took her bathrobe off and pulled it on over her head. She put on a pair of yellow panties, and put big fluffy slippers on her feet. She went over to the makeup table and spent several minutes examining her face.

Then she took a pair of tweezers and started working on her eyebrows. She looked for any new hairs growing and pulled them out if the were long enough to grab with the tweezers. While she was doing this, I reached up and felt my own eyebrows. They were pretty thick even though I knew that they were difficult to see because they were so light. I got out of bed and went over to the makeup table. Susan finished her removals and stood up. I asked her if she would pluck my eyebrows. "Of course, sis," she said, "sit down." I sat and she proceeded to pluck. "Oh Darla Anne," she said, "you have to do this more often, hon. There's so much to remove that your forehead is going to be red and swollen for hours. It's a good thing that we're doing it tonight so that it will be normal by morning. You're eyebrows are so light that I didn't pay any notice to them earlier. The eyebrow pencil lines that Mother had drawn were quite prominent. Okay. That just about does it."

I looked into the mirror. My forehead was red and starting to swell where she had pulled the hair out. She told me to put my head back and hold still. All of a sudden she yanked out a nose hair. I winced. She said, "Yeah, they hurt the most but it's a real turn off for a guy to kiss a girl with hairs sticking out of her nose." We both giggled. She proceeded to pull out several more and then declared me hair free. I hugged her and got up from the chair.

The door opened then and Mary came in. She looked at me and said, "Darla Anne, what happened to your forehead?" Susan told her that she had just plucked my eyebrows and since it hadn't been done in a while, there was a lot to do. Mary went over to her dresser and brought back a tube of medicated creme. She rubbed some on my eyebrows and said, "There, that should help some. It will be okay in the morning." They did feel a lot cooler now with the creme on them.

Susan and I went over and sat on the bed so that Mary could use the makeup table. She hadn't yet taken her face off even though she had removed her dress and hose. She cleaned her face and then performed the ritual of self-examination. Using the tweezers, she plucked a little here and a little there until she was satisfied. Then she applied a coating of cold creme to her face and used a moisturizer on her hands, arms, and legs. Susan whispered to me, "I can't stand going to bed feeling all greasy but I guess that I'll have to start using that stuff in the next couple of years."

Judy came in, closing the bedroom door behind her. "Well, Daddy is all set for tomorrow. I pressed his shirt, slacks, tie and a handkerchief. I brushed the lint and dandruff from his suit jacket and polished the buckle on his belt. With the shine that Mary put on his shoes, he should look like a million dollars. All done Mary?" she asked, as Mary stood up from the makeup table.

Mary said, "Yep, all yours Jude. Suz, did you and Darla take your baths tonight?"

Susan said, "Yes, we did. We get to sleep in while you, Judy and Mom fight over the bathroom tomorrow."

"Nobody gets to sleep in tomorrow," Judy said. "We have too much to do. Mom wants us to work with Darla Anne up until it's time to leave for services. Darla has shown us today what a wonderful actress she is but Mom wants us to go over things until they are so automatic that she will do them without having to think about them. No matter how good the actress, you can't be acting all the time. You just can't keep that up level of concentration in all things. Some things have to be automatic. Darla Anne, when we get up tomorrow, you go down and help Suz make breakfast. Okay honey?"

"Okay, Judy," I said.

"Good." Then as she sat down at the makeup table, she said, "God. I can't remember when I felt this tired. This day has really drained me." She removed her makeup and performed her examination and tweezer work. Then cold creme and moisturizer. She took off her housecoat, then her slip and bra. She donned her nightie and climbed into bed. Mary had also undressed and put on her nightie. She was waiting by the light switch until Judy had gotten into bed then flicked the switch off and climbed into bed. Susan and I had already stretched out under the covers. "Goodnight," Judy said.

"Goodnight," Mary said.

"Goodnight," Susan said.

"Goodnight," I said. "And thank you all for a wonderful day."

Judy and Mary both said, "Your welcome, sis." Susan just reached over, found my hand and squeezed it. We feel asleep holding hands. I have never been happier. That night I dreamed about life with my sisters, as one of them, sharing hopes, dreams, aspirations, and … clothes.

Chapter Two       A New Day 

It seemed like I had only just closed my eyes in sleep when I felt the warmth of the sun on my face. I slowly came awake with assorted sections of my dreams floating through my now semi-conscious mind. As I realized what I had been dreaming about, I smiled. Susan had just awoken and was looking at me. She smiled and said softly to me, "Dreaming of boys, I bet."

I blushed, then sat up on the bed, put on a look of indignation and said, "Susan, I'll have you know that I'm not that kind of girl."

"Sis, we're all that kind of girl," she said. We both giggled and then hugged each other.

Either the sun, or perhaps the noise that we were making caused Judy to wake up. She sat up, stretched, and said, "Morning."

Susan and I both said in unison, "Good morning, Judy."

Mary was still dead to the world. She was lying on her side, facing away from Judy. Judy pulled the covers down to the bottom of the bed, lifted her arm and smacked Mary on her posterior. Mary jumped up and out of bed, rubbing her derriere. Judy said sweetly, "Good morning, sis."

"Good morning," Mary said. "Did somebody just spank me?"

"I didn't see anybody spank you," Judy said.

"Oh," Mary said. "I guess that I dreamed it. It sure felt real."

Susan and I just laughed, and Susan got off of the bed. She put on her robe and fluffy slippers, then she handed me a robe and slippers. While I put them on she headed for the bathroom. I walked out of the bedroom and heard the toilet flush. The door opened, and she said, "Come on in, sis." We washed our faces and brushed out teeth. Susan went back to the bedroom, and I closed the door to use the toilet. The seat was cold so I didn't tarry. I flushed and opened the door in time to see Suz coming back out of the bedroom. She said, "Ready to head downstairs." I nodded and we went down to prepare breakfast.

I put a pot of water on the stove to boil. Then I got down teabags and hung them in the teapot to await the boiling water. Susan hung an apron over my head and tied the strings behind me. I saw that she had already put one on herself. She went to the cupboard and took down a large bowl and measuring cup. Then, from the pantry, she retrieved the pancake mix. Using that as my cue, I opened the refrigerator and got the milk, eggs, and butter out and carried them to the counter. She smiled at me and proceeded to start measuring and mixing. She said, "Would you get me the cinnamon, sis." I went to the spice rack in the pantry and retrieved the cinnamon. She said, "Thanks, sis." I went to the stove, put a frying pan on the burner, and set the burner to the lowest setting. The water was boiling so I poured it into the teapot and carried it to the table. While Susan was mixing the pancake batter, I set the table. I got a can of Orange Juice concentrate out of the freezer, mixed it and put it on the table.

Just then, the door opened and Mom came into the kitchen. She was already dressed. She was wearing a beautiful, white suit with a light pink blouse, and white high heel pumps with little pink bows on the front. She leaned over and kissed me on the cheek, and said, "Good morning, honey." Then she went over to Susan and did the same.

Susan finished stirring the batter and announced, "Okay, batter's up," enunciating it like they do at a baseball game, and smiled.

As if on cue, Judy and Mary, came into the kitchen. They had dressed also. Both were wearing white dresses, and shoes with 2" heels. Mother removed her jacket and took it into the hallway to hang it in the closet until we were ready to leave. I turned up the heat on the frying pan and put a pat of butter in it. As it started to sizzle, I moved it around with the spatula to coat the pan. Susan came over and starting pouring the batter to make the pancakes. I went to the pantry and retrieved the maple syrup and carried it to the table. Then scanning the table I realized we needed the milk and sugar for the tea, so I got them and brought them over. Mother, Judy, and Mary had sat down in their regular chairs.

Mother said to me, "Darla Anne, your father has already left so you can return his place setting to the cupboard."

"Oh, okay Mommy," I said, and put the dish, cup and silverware away. Susan brought over a plate of pancakes and we sat down to eat. When the pancakes got to me, I took two and passed the dish to Judy. I noticed my mother smiling at me. She knew that David always took five, but after all, David was away for the weekend and we girls had to watch our figures. During breakfast we talked about the day's scheduled activities.

When we finished eating, Mother said, "Susan, Darla Anne, let's go upstairs to get you dressed. Your sisters will clean up, since you did the cooking today."

"Yes, Mommy," we said. After taking off our aprons and handing them to Judy and Mary, we headed upstairs with Mother following.

Mother selected a dress for Susan and one for me. I commented that they were very similar to the ones that Judy and Mary were wearing. Mother said, "Yes, they are. That is why I selected them. We don't have matching dresses but I wanted my daughters to look as much alike today as possible. I got the idea yesterday when three of you were wearing the matching bridesmaid gowns. Susan, you get dressed in here. Darla Anne, you come over to my bedroom.

Carrying the dress that she had selected, I followed Mother to her room. Laid out on her bed were a variety of items. She had me remove the robe and the nightie. She brought over a padded panty girdle with a long waist. She said, "Judy is giving this to you. She used it when she was your age to give her a more feminine shape. She no longer uses it since her body started to give her the curves naturally. I put it on. Four garter tabs dangled from the panty legs. Mother said, "Go easy on the liquids today, panty girdles make using the ladies room a lot more work. Now reach down inside and push your 'little secret' back between your legs and pull the panty up to hold it there."

When I had done this, she straightened the top section up and closed each of the hook and eye closures until the waist nipper portion was closed. It extended up my ribs, ending just below my bra. I walked over to look at myself in the mirror on her closet door while she started rolling up the nylon stockings. I saw that I now had a real female crotch line. The padding in the panty gave me an extra three to four inches on my hips and a much-improved derriere instead of the bony one that I usually saw.

I returned to where mother stood and threw my arms around her and kissed her. "Oh Mommy, it looks wonderful," I said. She smiled and told me to sit down on the bed. I extended my leg for her to put the stocking on but she said, "No, you do it honey. It's time you learned."

I took the first stocking that she had rolled up and, pointing my toe downward, started to slowly pull it up my leg. I tugged on it every couple of seconds, as Susan had done yesterday when she had put them on me, to keep it straight and taut. Arriving at the top, I stood and attempted to attach it to the garter. It took several attempts before I was satisfied that it was secure. Then several more attempts to attach the stocking to the garter tab in the back of the girdle. I sat back down on the bed and put on the other stocking. When I reached the top, I managed to attach the stocking to the garter tabs on the first try.

Then Mother handed me a full slip. I started to understand that she wanted me to dress myself, under her supervision, instead of dressing me, as had been done yesterday. I looked at the slip to determine the front, and, putting my arms through it while making sure that each hand was outside the respective shoulder strap, I raised my arms and allowed it to fall around me. Mother handed me the dress. I pulled the zipper down and repeated the process as with the full slip.

I reached behind me and attempted to pull the zipper up but the dress was a little snug and I couldn't make much progress. Mother stepped behind me and zipped me up. Before finishing the closure, she lifted the delicate gold chain, which I still wore from yesterday, and placed it outside the dress. She lifted the collar and put the gold chain under it. Then she closed the two hook and eyes clasps on the collar. The tiny gold cross once again adorned my bosom. Today though, I was not wearing the regular bra with the stockings stuffed into it, as I had yesterday. The padded training bra gave the impression of budding breasts though. Mother told me to put my shoes on and gave me a pair of white, two-inch heels with a narrow strap. She said that I should probably not be wearing heels out at my age but that she wanted her daughters to look as much alike today as possible.

She had me sit down at her makeup table and she did my face. No eye makeup today, just the eyebrow pencil after the basic foundation and powder. "Who did your eyebrows?" she asked.

I said that I had asked Susan to help me thin them last night.

She said that Suz had done a first rate job. She then told me to apply my lipstick. I held the tube the way that I had thought Judy had held it yesterday, when she had touched up my lips in the hall, and proceeded to apply it to my lips. When I was finished it looked terrible. Mother had me wipe it off and do it again. For the next twenty minutes, I practiced putting it on, then wiping it off so I could do it again. Mother supervised the whole time. When I had put it on properly, three times in a row, she declared my lipstick application education complete. Next up was nail polish class. She showed me how to remove the old polish and put on the new. After half an hour, she announced that I was doing a good job and that would have to be enough for today.

"Remember," she said, "straight, even, full strokes. Make sure that you have enough on the brush but not too much." I looked at the pretty pink color on my nails and wished that I had taken better care of them. I made up my mind never to bite them again, and to keep them clean at all times. I wanted them to grow long so that I could shape them. I asked mother how long it took for fingernails to grow. She said that she thought they grew about a quarter of an inch per month, but she wasn't really sure.

I had forgotten that my hair was still in curlers until she took the hair net off of my head. I don't know how I managed to sleep last night. I guess it goes to show you that you can get used to almost anything. She removed the curlers, combed, and then brushed my hair.

"Oh Darla Anne, you have such beautiful hair," she said. "It's so soft and silky smooth."

I told her that Susan thought I should let it grow longer. I told her that she wanted to try braiding it in Swedish style braids. She said wistfully, "We'll see, honey." She spent ten minutes working on my hair until she got it the way that she wanted it. Then she sprayed hair spray all over it to hold it in place. I sat at her makeup table just looking at the pretty girl that stared back at me, for several minutes, until the hair spray set. I stood up and used the atomizer with the perfume as I had been shown yesterday. Mother handed me the wristwatch to put on, and a single gold bracelet for my right wrist. She gave me two rings to put on and put a brooch on my dress. Then she handed me a white patent leather purse, with a shoulder strap, and a soft, white, long-sleeved, cardigan sweater.

"Okay honey," she said, "your sisters are waiting for you downstairs. They are going to spend some time with you before we leave for church. We want to make 10 o'clock mass, so we have to leave by 9:30. That only gives us a little more than an hour before we have to leave."

I went downstairs and found my sisters sitting at the kitchen table discussing me.

"Here she is now," Judy said. "Let's get started. Darla Anne, let's go into the hall."

With my three sisters following, I walked back into the hallway. All three watched me as I walked back and forth, from one end of the hall to the other, over and over. I found walking on the two-inch heels to be more comfortable than the three-inch heels I had spent last evening wearing, but I missed having the extra height of the other shoes. It had been so wonderful to be tall for a change, but the two inches I had today were nice. While I walked, my sisters conferred in low whispers. Mary walked upstairs and then came down again with something in her hand. Judy told me stop walking and come over to where they stood. She said that my walk was fine for the first few minutes but then my gait started to change and the length of my stride increased. She said that the longer stride is reminiscent of the way that a man walks. She told me to lift my dress and slip it up to my waist. When I did, she looked at the panty girdle and asked how it felt. I told her that it was a little constricting but that I loved what it did for my shape. She rubbed her hand lightly over the front on my crotch and said that with this on I would even be able to wear shorts or slacks. Then she took what Mary had brought down and I realized that it was a half-slip. She told me to raise my legs one at a time. I did, but said that I was already wearing a slip. She said that this was special. It was quite tight as she pulled it up to my waist. I felt it tugging at my thighs. She said that this would reduce my stride as I walked, and help remind me to keep my legs closed when I sat down. Then she pulled my full slip and dress back down and made sure that nothing was hanging down or out of place. She told me to walk back and forth again and my three sisters nodded in agreement that this was a big improvement. I immediately realized the difference. The slip forced me to take twice as many steps for each round trip. I also found that I HAD to place each foot directly in front of the other in order to get as much distance as the slip would allow. Judy said that I should wear this at all times until my womanly walk became natural. As she had been saying last night, you can't be acting constantly. As I had walked back and forth in the hallway I had become complacent and fell back into my normal walk. The half-slip would re-train my movements.

Next, we went into the living room, to review sitting and standing techniques. The half-slip helped again by keeping my knees together. I really didn't even have a choice. When my sisters were satisfied, we went into the kitchen and sat at the table. They covered a number of topics that they thought might come up today. They told me that when we left for church, I would be required to get into the car as befits a young lady. They said that a boy would just climb in one leg at a time. A young lady sits on the seat first and then swings her legs, knees held tightly together, into the car. We discussed church services and protocols. They reminded me to bring a head covering for the church. While men did not wear anything on their heads, ladies must always be covered. They said that since I was such a beautiful young lady that a boy, or boys, at some point might approach me today. So we discussed how I should deal with it. If anybody asked for my telephone number, I would say that my mother doesn't allow me to have boys calling me yet, but thank you asking. We continued on, talking about anything and everything, but we almost always came back to talking about boys.

Before I realized it, it was almost time to go. I had been having such a good time chatting with my sisters, the time had flown by. Mother came down and told my sisters to finish getting ready so that we could leave. They all went upstairs to get their sweaters and purses. I had brought mine down with me earlier. Mother put a small hat on my head. She told me that I could remove it after services, if I wished. She handed me a pair of white gloves and told me to put them in my purse, and that I should wear them when we got to the church. She put on her white jacket and checked herself in the hall mirror. She draped my sweater over my shoulders and said that it was warm enough out that I probably would be okay wearing it that way. She buttoned the top button to hold it in place like a cape. She stepped back to look at me and said, "How are you feeling."

I told her that I had a few butterflies in my stomach. She said that I would be fine. That I was a beautiful young woman going to mass with her Mother and sisters. Nobody would think anything out of the ordinary.

I went to her, and hugged her, and she returned my embrace. I told her that I loved her more than I could put into words. I said that the past 24 hours had been so wonderful that I wished this day might never end. David had never experienced the joy that I was feeling right now. I said that I would rather stay here and grow up to be a woman like my beautiful mother and beautiful sisters. David could stay away on his old trip forever. I told her that I wished that David would never return.

She pushed me back and looked at me for a long time. Then she said, "If it was up to me, I would keep my dear, sweet Darla Anne forever too. Although I love David with my whole heart, there is always a more special bond between mother and daughter. Unfortunately, your father has pronounced that David must return tomorrow. Your father is the head of the family and his word must be obeyed." With this my eyes started to tear up. She continued, "Of course, he hasn't said that Darla Anne could not return. We'll just have to work on that." I began to feel better immediately. She dabbed at my eyes with a tissue that she pulled from her pocket.

My sisters came down from upstairs, at that point, and my spirits buoyed back up as we left for Church. My mother had said that she would work on it, and I had never known her to fail at anything she put her mind to. I convinced myself that somehow it would all work out, and that David would not be back for long before he left again for an extended trip. Even if he was my brother, I would prefer that he were away on a long trip. We reached the car and my mother got into the driver's seat, with Judy sliding into the front passenger seat. Susan opened the back door and slid across the seat to the window. I sat down, swung my legs in and slid to the center. Mary got in after me and closed the door. Mother pulled out of the driveway and we were off on our journey to attend services at St.Peter's.

Susan opened her purse and exclaimed, "Oh darn it, I forgot my compact. Darla Anne, do you have yours."

I looked into the purse that Mother had given me and found one. I said, "Yes, I do" and I handed it to her.

"Thanks, sis," she said. Opening it, she used the small mirror inside to let her touch up her face, then handed it back to me. Before returning it to my purse, I used it to check my face. I made sure that my eyes were not puffy or red from when I had talked with mother, and, satisfied that everything was in order, I closed the compact and put it in my purse. I suddenly realized that Mother was watching me in the rear view mirror. She smiled and dropped her eyes back to the straight expanse of highway in front of us.

We arrived at St. Peter's minutes before Mass was scheduled to begin. People were filing in from the parking lot immediately adjacent to the church while we parked and got out of the car. The church was beautiful. While our parish church was constructed of huge blocks of gray granite, a bit dingy with age, this church was built with light rose colored bricks. While our church was somber and majestic, this one looked festive and warm. The inside was even far more beautiful than the outside. A rotunda of stained glass greeted us as we entered the massive oak doors. With Mother leading, we walked down the main aisle, entered a pew and sat down. Mother was at one end with me at the other. An elderly woman entered the pew and sat down next to me. I looked over at her and smiled. She smiled back and patted my knee. In a Catholic Church mass, the congregation must, at various times, stand up, sit down, and kneel down. I realized at the very beginning that the elderly lady would have problems. Most old or infirm people just sit in the pew. However, she attempted to participate in the service in the traditional way. I felt obligated to assist her at every change of position.

At the end of the mass we filed out of the pew and out of the church. Once outside, the elderly lady stopped and stood slightly to the side until I reached her. Then she reached out and put her arm in mine and walked with me on the way to the parking lot. She said that she just wanted to thank me for helping her during the service. She knew that God would forgive her if she just sat in the pew, but for as long as she had lived, she had attended church every Sunday and participated fully even though it was getting more difficult with each passing year. She said that God would reward me for sharing the strength of my young body with her. She told me that she would pray for my continued good health, and was sure that I would bear many fine children who would be a credit to their mother. We had reached the parking lot, and I thanked her for her blessing. She pulled me over to kiss my cheek and we said good-bye to each other. She walked over to her automobile and I turned to find my family. They were a few feet behind me and when they caught up we walked together to our car. Mother asked what she had said to me. She had known during the service that I was assisting the elderly lady. I related what the woman had said, and she said that she was proud of me for helping someone who needed me. Smiling, she added that she was sure that my children would be a credit to me. I blushed and my sisters giggled.

We got back into our car and started heading in the direction of home. We had planned on stopping at a park halfway home if the weather was okay, and it had turned out more than okay. It was absolutely beautiful. We had a clear blue sky with an occasional puffy white cloud, and a warm, springtime temperature with an occasional soft breeze that carried the smell of new flowers. The trees were all filled with new buds, and in some, the new leaves had already started to burst forth. We parked the car and started strolling along one of the paved walking paths, stopping for a while near a large pond to watch ducks dive for bread pieces thrown in by small children and adults alike. We decided to walk up to a greenhouse where flowers were cultivated before being planted along the walks by the park groundskeepers.

Along the way, Mother said that she had picked up a stone in her shoe so we made our way to a nearby bench. A woman in a gorgeous light green chiffon dress was already seated there, a large shopping bag next to her on the bench. My mother asked if she might sit down. The woman, who had been intently watching two young girls a few feet away, turned and looked before apologizing for taking up the whole bench. She slid to one side and put the shopping bag on the ground next to her.

Mother sat and took off her shoe. Removing the small, craggy offender, Mother replaced her shoe and smiled at the children. "Yours?" she asked the woman.

"Yes," came the reply.

"They're beautiful," Mother said.

The woman turned to her and said, "Thank you very much." Then the woman looked over at my sisters and me and said, "Yours?"

When mother replied affirmatively, she said, "They're very beautiful also."

Mother said, "Thank you. I think so too. My name is Elizabeth Drake," and offered her hand.

The woman took it and said, "I'm Anita Clark."

"I'm pleased to make your acquaintance Mrs. Clark."

"Anita. Please."

"Okay Anita, I'm Liz."

"I'm pleased to meet you Liz, and your beautiful daughters."

"Anita, I'd like you to meet Judy, Mary, Susan, and Darla Anne. Girls, say hello to Mrs. Clark."

We all said, "Hello, Mrs. Clark."

She smiled at us and said, "Hello, ladies. I'm pleased to meet such fine examples of young womanhood."

We all smiled.

I glanced over at her daughters and saw that they were now trying to get a drink at a water fountain, but they weren't having any success. I walked over to them and said, "Can I help you."

They looked at me and then looked over at their mother who nodded to them. They said, "Yes, please."

"Okay, who's first?" I asked.

They both shouted, "Me, me, me, me, me."

"Well, let's do it this way." Pointing to each in turn, I said, "Eenie, meenie, minee, mo, catch, a, piggy, by, the, toe, if, he, squeals, let, him, go, eenie, meenie, minee, mo. You're first." They both squealed in delight and I giggled. Then I picked up the little girl who won, and held her so that she could get a drink. After a few seconds, she indicated that she had had enough. I put her down and picked up the other one. When she had enough I put her down next to her sister. Looking at the girls side by side, they appeared to be identical twins. Squatting down, I looked at the first one that I had helped and said, "My name's Darla Anne. What's your name?"

She said, "My name's Melanie and she's Melissa. She's my sister." I noticed that Melanie had a very tiny freckle above her mouth near the outside edge of her nostril. Other than that, the girls were identical.

"Those are really pretty names," I said, "and it's wonderful to have sisters, and you both have each other." They both smiled. Pointing over towards Judy, Mary, and Susan, I said, "Those are MY sisters over there. Would you like to meet them?" They both nodded their heads so I stood up, took each by their small hands and we walked over to the bench. I said, "Mommy, Judy, Mary, Susan. I'd like you to meet Melissa and Melanie. This is Melissa on my left, I held up her hand, "and Melanie is on my right. Girls, this is my mommy and my sisters." Letting go of Melanie's hand and pointing to each as I called her name, I said, "This is Susan, Judy, and Mary." I put my hand down and Melanie immediately grabbed hold of it. I guess they were a little intimidated by all the "adults" standing around.

"Say hello, girls," Mrs. Clark said.

Melanie and Melissa both said, "Hello."

While I had been with the twins my mother had been getting acquainted with Mrs. Clark. She had learned that Mrs. Clark was actually Dr. Clark who had a practice in Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Mother said to Dr. Clark, "I imagine that your practice and the twins keep you pretty busy."

Dr. Clark nodded. She said, "You have no idea." Then looking at my sisters and me, she smiled and said, "I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking. I'm sure that you have a very good idea. Your girls appear to be about a year apart so that means that for a long time you were pregnant while having infants in diapers."

Mother said, "Yes, they kept me quite busy at times, but now they're a treasure. They are so helpful at home that I don't know what I'd do without them."

Dr. Clark said that she looked forward to the day when her girls could give her a hand around the house. She said, "I love them dearly, but right now they keep me running. Today, for example, they've walked my feet off. That's why we had to stop here for a little rest."

"I know what you mean," Mother said. "Listen Anita, how about if Darla Anne takes the girls for a little walk while you and I relax here for a little while. They appear to be getting along wonderfully."

Dr. Clark looked over at the twins who were hanging on to my hands like they owned them. She said to them, "Girls, would you like to go for a walk with Darla Anne?"

The twins, who were getting bored and tired of standing around while all of these adults just talked, said, "Oh yes mommy, please, please, please."

Dr. Clark looked at me, and I told that I would love to go for a walk with the twins.

"Okay," she said. "Girls, you mind Darla Anne now, just as you would me. Understand?"

They both said, "Yes Mommy" and then they started to pull at my hands until I started to walk up the path with them.

Dr. Clark looked at us as we walked away and said to my mother, "She's a lovely child. You must be very proud of her."

Mother said, "I'm very proud of all my children. Girls, why don't you go on to the greenhouse while I sit with Dr. Clark? See if you can find a schedule of events here in the park. Take your time. We'll be here for a little while."

My sisters said, "Okay Mommy," and left for the greenhouse.

Dr. Clark said, "Your girls are all so well mannered, so ladylike and polite. I hope that my girls are like that when they grow up."

Mother said, "I've always believed that if you give them a proper home environment, and lots of love, then you can't go wrong. Since you're a pediatrician, I wonder if you would answer something for me."

"Of course Liz, what is it?"

"I have a friend who is having a problem with her son."

"Medical?" said Dr. Clark.

"Not exactly. Let me tell you the whole story before you say anything. Yesterday, my friend came home from shopping to find that her daughters had forcibly dressed their brother in female clothing. They had put makeup on his face and styled his hair. My friend, feeling in a mischievous mood herself perpetuated the cross-dressing telling the boy that it would be good for him to experience the feminine side of life for a change. He wanted to change into his male clothes but she told him that she wouldn't allow it for the rest of the day. What's more, she redressed him and redid his hair so that when she was done he really looked like a young girl. In a discussion with her husband that night, she managed to convince her husband that it would be good for the boy. He would gain an appreciation for the problems of women and participate in work activities as a woman, to see how much work we women actually do. He had always been exempted from most work around the house while his sisters cooked and cleaned. His father allowed the experiment to continue as long as it would end by Monday morning. The boy finally resigned himself to his fate for the weekend and appeared to actually begin to like the role. This morning, he announced that he was having the greatest weekend of his life, and he didn't want to switch back to male attire on Monday morning. He begged to continue in the female role."

Dr. Clark said, "WOW! Tell me, is there a steady male presence in the house."

"Yes. But his father is self-employed and works six and seven day workweeks. He hasn't taken a vacation with the family in many years. He's a dedicated family man though, working very hard to make a future for his family so that they'll have it much better than he did when he was growing up. The boy spends a great deal of time with his sisters and mother. Also, the boy attends the same parochial school as his sisters. They say that although he gets along fairly well with all his male classmates, he is frequently not allowed to participate in their recess games because of his limited athletic ability. So, he is forever trying to get into the games that the girls are playing. If the supervising nuns are not watching, he immediately joins the girls. At home, he spends all of his free time watching movies on television, or reading books and novels. He reads better, and has a better vocabulary, than most teenagers, and even many adults that I know. There are only a few boys his age in his family's neighborhood. They're very athletic, and shun him when sports are being played. He is a very gentle child and the girls are all friendly towards him and welcome him into their games. Where most boys are competitive and often surly, he displays a very non-threatening attitude towards everybody and always goes out of his way to help people. His face and bone structure is very fine. Very much more like a young girl's than a young boy's. Even without the feminine attire, he has often been thought of as a female by people who do not know him."

"How old is he?" Dr. Clark asked.

"He will be 11 in a few weeks."

"Liz," Dr. Clark said. "Tell me the truth now. Are you talking about yourself? Are you the 'friend'? Be truthful. I can't help you if you're not."

Mother just looked at her for a few seconds, then nodded. "Yes. I am talking about my family, and my son."

Dr. Clark said, "I thought so. Your knowledge of events seemed so complete and your concern so genuine. Well, I'm not a child psychiatrist, but I can tell you a few things from my own observations over the years. If you take your son to a shrink, he will probably be able to set him back on the correct path of gender identity. However, if your description of your son is accurate, he is probably never going to fit in very well in a testosterone society. He will very soon be entering puberty. It normally starts between ages ten to twelve for girls, and twelve to fifteen for boys. His voice will deepen and hair will begin to grow on his face and body where none exist right now. Testosterone may help make him a little more aggressive, but his size and gentle nature will forever be a handicap. Dominant masculine types may make his life a living hell. You should help him select a career path where competitiveness is not an issue. I'd like to meet him sometime. I might be able to suggest something else after I have interviewed him."

"But you've met him already, Anita," Mother said,

Dr. Clark just stared at her for a few seconds, then said, "Are you telling me that one of your "daughters" is actually your son?"

"Yes, I only have three daughters."

Dr. Clark still stared at her, her mouth open now. She turned away and seemed to be trying to dredge up from her memory every detail about the girls. Mother let her sort through her thoughts without interruption. Dr. Clark didn't say anything for several minutes. She simply sat with her mouth agape. It might have been comical if the subject had not been so serious. Finally, Dr. Clark closed her mouth, looked at mother and said, "Susan?"

Mother shook her head.

"It can't be Judy or Mary because they are too old," Dr. Clark said. "You're not telling me it's Darla Anne?"

Mother nodded. Dr. Clark put her hand to her forehead and said, "Oh my……Oh my."

Mother, misinterpreting Dr. Clark's reaction said, "Anita. Please don't be concerned for the safety of the twins."

Dr. Clark turned to look at her and said, "I'm not, it's not that at all. I'm usually an excellent judge of character. I saw Darla Anne's gentle nature from the very beginning. I believe my girls are as safe with Darla Anne as they would be with me, or I would never have let them get out of my sight. No, I'm not worried about them. I'm thinking about Darla Anne. She's pretty enough to win local beauty contests in her age group. Charm radiates from her body. My girls rarely take to anybody the way that they instantly took to her. Did you see them holding onto her hands? She looks like a young lady…. she walks like a young lady…. she talks like a young lady…. she acts like a young lady….. and yet you're telling me that she's a boy. I…I…I…almost don't believe you! And yet I see your concern is genuine, and I don't think that you would lie about one of your children. I'm just floored with this revelation. I can't wait until Darla Anne returns so that I can observe her again."

"Please, Anita," my mother said, "don't let on that I told you. It might cause her great embarrassment and I couldn't bear to see her hurt. I told her that I would do my best to keep this secret in the family, but I was desperate for the opinion of a medical person because, after this morning's declaration, I don't know if I'm doing the right thing."

"I won't say anything to her, or my children," Dr Clark said. "I will be totally discreet. I just want an opportunity to observe her now that I know her secret. I want to see if I can spot any indication of male identity. I still can't believe it. You say that she only wore feminine clothes for the first time yesterday? You're sure that there was no cross-dressing in the past? No experimenting with Mommies panties?"

"I'm more sure of that, than of anything I've ever been sure of in my life," Mother said. "Yesterday, absolutely, was the first time for dressing up. Her gentle nature has been with her, all her life. She dearly loves her sisters and me, and we all love her. Her sisters love having a new little sister."

Dr. Clark, deep in concentration again said aloud, "But to be able to pull off a deception like this, she must be a consummate actress….er.. actor. She has…er HE has, so taken me in that I'm having difficulty even referring to her…him, in the masculine, even for the purposes of clinical observation."

"I know exactly what you mean," Mother said. "Yesterday, we started referring to Darla Anne in the feminine to reinforce the image of her role in our own minds as well as hers. By early evening, we were no longer consciously making the substitution. She had so well adopted the persona of a young girl, that to all of us, she WAS a girl. Her sisters and I treated her, and had come to think of her, as if she had always been a girl. A few times, I had to make a conscious effort to re-establish her male identity in my mind." Mother related the story of my climbing on my father as he relaxed in his recliner. She told her of the tea serving, and of the fake crying afterward. She said, "At some point, Darla Anne BECAME a girl. She shut out her male identity completely and she does not want to switch back. I'm not looking forward to tomorrow. When she has to switch genders again, her sisters are going to be as traumatized as she is. I'm going to be traumatized also. I love having her as my fourth daughter, even though I love her as my son. Oh, I see her returning with the twins. We had better stop talking about this."

Dr. Clark opened up her purse and took out a business card and a pen. She turned the card over and wrote on the back side, then put the pen back into her purse. Handing it to Mother she said, "That's my card. On the back I wrote my home address and home phone number. Please call me tomorrow after the switch is complete."

"I will," Mother said. "It's been so good having somebody to talk to about this. I'm grateful, Anita." Dr. Clark patted her hand.

About ten feet from the bench, Melanie let go of my hand and ran towards her mother when the twins and I arrived back at the bench where Mother and Dr. Clark were still sitting. Upon seeing her go, Melissa let go of my other hand and ran after her. I smiled at their exuberance. They both started shouting, "Mommy, mommy, mommy," at about the same time. A look of concern came over Dr. Clark's face until she realized that the twins were smiling and her face relaxed. Melanie started to tell her about the artist that we had watched for several minutes and the several landscape painting that were for sale. Melissa interrupted to tell her about the enormous sunflowers in a newly planted garden area just over the hill.

Dr. Clark listened intently until they had completed their stories and then said, "It sounds like you had a wonderful time."

They both nodded and then Melissa said, "And Darla Anne didn't get us mixed up even once. She always called us by our right names."

"Well that is a real feat," Dr. Clark said. "I would have to say that Darla Anne is an exceptional young lady."

I noticed my sisters approaching and mother arose from the bench. She said to Dr. Clark, "I'm afraid that it's time for us to be leaving. We still have a full day ahead of us. It's been wonderful talking to you, Anita. I'll call you."

Dr. Clark said to the twins, "Girls, you should thank Darla Anne for taking you for a walk."

The girls came over to me and I squatted down. Melissa hugged my neck, and I hugged her back. She kissed me on the cheek and then I kissed her back. She said, "Thank you, Darla Anne, for taking us for a walk."

"Your welcome, Melissa," I said. "It was my pleasure," and I smiled at her.

When she let go, Melanie hugged my neck and kissed me. I returned her hug and kiss. She said, "Thank you, Darla Anne, for taking us for a walk. I hope that we'll see you again."

"I loved going for a walk with you and your sister, Melanie," I said, "and I hope that I will see you again too." I stood up and realized that Mrs. Clark had been watching me very intently. I smiled at her and said, "They're wonderful and they are so well behaved. It was a pleasure to be with them, Mrs. Clark."

She smiled and said, "I'm glad that you enjoyed your little walk and that they behaved for you, Darla Anne. You're a beautiful young lady and I hope that we will meet again." We all said our good-byes and then Mother, Judy, Mary, Susan, and I returned to our car. Mother seemed very quiet and distracted as we drove home. Judy, sitting next to her, asked if she was all right. She said that she was fine. She was just thinking about several things that she had discussed with Dr. Clark.

I said, "Dr. Clark?"

"Yes," Mother said. "Oh, you were with the twins when Dr. Clark told me about her practice. She has a practice in Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology."

"What are those?" I asked.

"Pediatrics deals with the care of infants and children, and the treatment of their diseases," she said. "Obstetrics pertains to the care of women during and after pregnancy. Gynecology deals with women's physiology and reproductive capability. I think that I may make an appointment with her next week."

"Oh Mother, do you think that you're pregnant?" Judy asked.

"No sweetheart, that's not the only time that you visit a Gynecologist. I may just want to get a checkup. Now, what are we going to have for lunch today?" she asked as she cleverly changed the subject. We then launched into a discussion of what to eat and how long it would take because we still wanted to go to the shopping center, and it was noon already.

As we parked in the driveway of our house, Gina and Maria Marcoti came down from our front pouch where they had just been ringing the doorbell in their search for my sisters. They were approaching the car as we stepped out. When they saw me they stopped dead in their tracks. We closed the car doors and walked towards the Marcoti sisters who stood between the house and us. Mother, seeing the expressions on their faces, said, "Hello girls, you remember Darla Anne, don't you. She's staying with us for the weekend."

Gina and Maria looked at each other and stammered, "Ye.. ye.. yesss, Mrs. Drake, we remember Darla." My sisters and I started laughing. Mother smiled. Gina and Maria relaxed, and, after first just smiling, started laughing with us.

Gina looked at me and said, "Darla, you're beautiful."

I blushed and said, "Thank you, Gina. I guess you haven't seen me properly dressed until now. I think that this dress is much more becoming than that awful school jumper that I wore yesterday when we were dancing."

Mother resumed walking towards the house saying, "Come along ladies, we have to prepare lunch. Gina, Maria, you're welcome to have lunch with us if you like."

Gina came over to me, took my arm, and starting pulling me towards the house. "Come on, Darla, I want you to tell me all your beauty secrets, and I'll fill you in on all the latest gossip from the neighborhood." She was walking too fast, and with the tight half slip that I was wearing, which restricted my stride to short steps, I was running to keep up with her. I had to take two steps for each one that she took, but when we got to the stairs, I was grateful for her arm. I leaned heavily on it as I struggled to climb up to the porch and keep up with her. When we reached the top, she stopped and turned to me. She crossed her arms and spread her legs apart, simulating the typical pose of a disgusted male, and said, "I don't know. You woman with your tight skirts and high heels."

I put on a mock display of indignation and said, "Tch. And you men all love it. You make us dress like this so that you have an excuse to grope us while pretending to help us walk, and climb stairs, and such."

Gina came over to me, put her arm around my waist, pulled me close to her, and bending me back as if she was going to kiss me, said, "I don't need an excuse to grope you, you're my woman, I own you. And don't you ever forget it."

Then she pinched my behind hard, startling me into screeching, "Owww." I pulled away and said, "MEN."

Gina, Maria, and my sisters all started laughing. I couldn't hold my look of indignation any longer and I started laughing too. I rubbed the spot where Gina had pinched me. It had hurt even through the padding of the panty girdle. My sisters and Maria started filing into the house. Gina came over to me and said, "I'm sorry that I pinched you so hard, dear." She embraced me again, reached behind me and, pushing my hand out of the way, starting rubbing my behind where she had just assaulted me.

"It feels okay now," I said. "We'd better go inside the house before somebody drives by, sees us, and misunderstands."

"They wouldn't be misunderstanding," she said, and released me. I turned and walked into the house with Gina holding my hand. I was confused and trying to figure out what she meant, all the while trying to figure out what I was feeling inside.

When we got inside, I put my purse on the table in the hallway. I unbuttoned the only button of the sweater that was fastened. I had been wearing it like a cape all morning. I reached to remove it but Gina beat me to it. She took it from my shoulders, opened the hall closet, and hung it up for me. I thanked her and she smiled at me as we walked into the kitchen where Mother and my sisters were preparing lunch. Maria was sitting at the table watching the activity. I told Gina to have a seat and I jumped into the fray. I got soup bowls from the cupboard and set them on the table. Then I put out spoons, napkins, glasses, bread, butter, and salt & pepper. Susan had made a pitcher of lemonade and she brought it to the table. Judy carried over a soup urn filled with steaming Campbell's Chicken & Rice and took her chair. Mother brought a large bowl of salad and Mary brought a fresh, oil & vinegar dressing. I suddenly realized that I had forgotten the salad dishes so I jumped up, hurried to the cupboard, and returned with a stack of small bowls. As soon as I sat down, Mother said grace.

As we began to eat, Maria kept stealing furtive looks at me. If I looked at her, she immediately shifted her glance elsewhere. Gina on the other hand, stared at me unabashedly. We talked about the beautiful church that we had visited that morning and the stroll through the park. I described the twins that we had met, for Gina and Maria, and then I told everyone about my walk with the two delightful little girls. Mother told the Marcoti sisters that we were going over to the Tri-County Shopping Center and asked them if they would like to go. They immediately said that they would love to go. Mother told them that they must call their mother and get permission first. As we cleared the table, Gina and Maria telephoned their mom, and received permission to go. Mrs. Marcoti thought the world of Mother, and would have withheld permission only if her daughters were being punished, or if they had family plans for the day.

I put on an apron, ran soapy water into the sink, and prepared to wash the dishes. I turned towards the table to see if they had all been carried over to the sink. Maria was standing right behind me and I almost bumped into her.

"Here are the last of the dishes, Darla," she said.

"Thank you Maria," I said. "By the way, I simply love that dress."

"Thank you Darla. My grandma sent it to me for my birthday." She stood there looking at me like she wanted to ask me something else.

I smiled at her, said, "Well, it's lovely and you look go great in it," then I turned back to the sink.

She stood there for a minute as I started to wash the dishes. She finally spoke up, saying, "Darla?"

I acknowledged her call for my attention by saying, "Yes?"

"Are you happy?" I half turned to her, holding my wet, soapy hands over the sink.

I smiled to her and said, "Maria, I'm happier now then I have ever been."

"You like being a girl?" she asked.

"Of course, silly," I said. "It's wonderful. My sisters and I have had such a terrific time this weekend. I wish that this weekend would never end." I turned back to the sink to continue washing the dishes and started telling her about last night's activities. I told her about our dressing up in the bride's maid gowns, with Susan wearing her new prom formal, and of Mother taking rolls and rolls of pictures. As I talked, she moved closer so that she didn't miss a word. Occasionally she would ask a question. I lowered my voice when I told her about climbing up on my father's lap, as he stretched out on his easy chair recliner, because I didn't want Mother or Judy to hear me talking about it. Maria leaned in close and put her hands on my shoulders for support so that she could hear everything clearly. When I finished my accounting of the event she started laughing. I told her not to repeat it to anyone and she said okay. Then as I told her about the tea serving test and she laughed again. I had completed the dishwashing and drained the sink so that I could rinse the soap off of the dishes.

Susan had come over, donned an apron, and started to dry the newly rinsed dishes and put them in the cupboard. When I had completed the story about the tea serving, she said, "My little sister served the tea perfectly. Not a single mistake that any of us could see." Then she told Maria about my acting like a hurt little girl, and my faked crying, when they had laughed at my looking to see if my slip was showing. By now Maria was laughing so hard that she had tears running down her checks. I had dried my hands and was standing with my back to the sink.

Maria took a tissue from her pocket and dabbed at her cheeks and eyes. She leaned over and hugged me, then stepped back, took my hands in hers, and said, "Oh Darla, I wish that I had been here. It sounds like you were all having such fun."

"We all can't believe what a wonderful actress my little sister is," Susan said. "We never suspected that she had so much talent. She's quite a woman."

Mother came over and said, "Okay girls, time to get going if were going shopping. It's one o'clock already."

Judy and Mary, with Gina's help, were just finishing cleaning the rest of the kitchen.

I hurried upstairs to use the bathroom. It seemed to take me forever to remove the panty girdle and then put it back on after I completed my toilet. Susan and Gina were waiting outside the door when I opened it. Rather then touch up my makeup in the bathroom, thereby tying it up, I went to the bedroom to use the makeup table and mirror. Judy, Mary and Gina were all trying to use it at the same time. I went down the hall and peeked into Mother's room, and saw that her table was free, so I ducked into there and did my touch up.

I sprayed some perfume and stepped into the faint mist. Then I walked back down the hall to go downstairs. Because of the tight slip, which restricted my legs, I couldn't lift my feet as well as I should and my heel caught when I was still three steps up from the bottom. I screamed and pitched forward. Fortunately, Gina was standing close-by. She jumped over and caught me. She held me while I regained my footing on the hall floor, and put weight on my ankles to see if I had sprained either. They felt okay and I turned my face up to hers to thank her. As I lifted my face, she bent and kissed me lightly on the mouth. She pulled back and said, "Easy baby, we don't want you breaking that beautiful little neck of yours."

Just then Mother came rushing into the hallway from the kitchen. "What's wrong? she shouted. "We heard you scream."

I told her that I had tripped walking down the steps but that Gina had caught me and saved me from being hurt. Mother bent and checked my ankles while I held onto Gina's arm for support. She had me alternately lift each one, while she asked if it hurt as she pinched and squeezed parts of the one that I had my weight on. Satisfied that there was no damage, she rose back up and hugged me. "Remember to always hold the railing when you're walking down stairs," she said. "Especially in heels. Gina, thank you for saving my little girl from injury." By now everybody was in the hallway, having come in response to my scream.  

"What happened Mommy?" Judy asked.

"Your little sister tripped coming down the stairs," Mother said. "No damage done, Gina happened to be standing near the bottom and caught her. If everybody's ready, we can leave now."

Everyone scurried to get sweaters and purses. I went to the hall closet and took mine from the hanger. As I stepped back, with the sweater in my right hand, putting the hanger back on the bar with my left, I felt the sweater being taken from my hand. Gina said, "Allow me." I closed the closet door and Gina stepped behind me and draped the sweater on my shoulders. Then she pulled me close to her and buttoned the top button while standing behind me. "I love that fragrance that your wearing," she said. Then stepping back, she rubbed her hands over my shoulders and arms as if smoothing wrinkles from sweater. I thanked her and retrieved my purse from the hallway table where I had left it earlier. The hallway started to fill up as everybody prepared to leave so I turned to walk out onto the porch. Gina opened the door for me, saying, "After you."

"Thank you, dear," I said.

"My pleasure, darling," she responded, and we giggled.

We waited on the porch in the wonderful balmy weather as everybody filed from the house and Mother locked the door. She led the way as we started down the porch steps. Remembering my last adventure, I moved over to the railing before starting down. Gina came to my side and took my free arm. I was hoping that she would not pull me along too fast as she had done earlier, but she let me set the pace. She was aware, naturally, that going down stairs in a tight skirt and heels is more difficult that going up. I swiveled my hips and body as I descended the stairs, and arrived at the bottom without mishap.

As we approached the car, I saw that Mother, Mary and Judy were getting settled in the front seat. Susan had slid into the rear seat followed by Maria and they were sliding over to make room for Gina and myself. Gina held my hand as I sat down on the seat and then I swung my legs into the car and slid over. Gina climbed in after me and pulled the door closed. It was a little tight in the rear seat with four of us. Gina was a foot taller than myself, so she raised up her left arm and put it on the seat back behind me. This gave us a little more room and made our seating a bit more comfortable. Mother asked if everybody was ready and if the doors were locked. When we all replied affirmatively, she started the car and we began our trip to the shopping center. As we went around a corner, the automobile tilted a little and the momentum caused us to lean in our seats. Gina's arm dropped to my shoulders for support. When the car resumed a straight path and the center of gravity returned to normal, she started to lift it, and then let it drop again. She left it there for the rest of the trip. I enjoyed the sensation of having her arm around my shoulders. It made me feel warm, and sisterly, as I leaned my head back against her arm.

We arrived at the shopping center and Mother found a parking spot that was really close to the stores. After exiting the car, we anxiously approached the stores. The shopping enter was a new design. In the past, stores were laid out in a long row, one after another, with common walls separating them. Called strip malls, because they were laid out in a strip, they offered only limited protection from the elements. Most malls had a projecting overhang to at least protect shoppers from rain or snow. This new shopping center, or mall as they were becoming known, was laid out in a unique way. Basically, it was 'U' shaped, with the opening of the 'U' faced the parking lot. The main 'anchor' stores, both enormous department stores, were at each end and formed the arms of the 'U.' The area between the two 'anchor' stores was some 300 to 400 feet long. The bottom of the 'U' was constructed like a regular strip mall with smaller stores, who shared common walls, extending from one anchor store to the other. In front of the 'strip', between it and the parking lot, were two clusters of small retail stores. An 'aisle,' some 40 feet wide, ran the whole length of the mall. When you stood in the main 'aisle' at one 'anchor' store and looked down to the other, you saw stores on both sides, except where the openings to the parking lot were. A single roof covered the whole main 'aisle' making the mall seem as if it was totally enclosed. It seemed like it should have been a simple matter to seal the three walkways to the parking lot and make the mall totally enclosed. The construction of the mall made it seem like a small village. Fountains, benches, and potted plants in the main aisle gave the area a comfortable feeling and people would meet with or 'hang' out with friends during mall hours.

We walked into the main aisle and looked around in an effort to decide where we would start our shopping. An array of dress, shoe, jewelry, and two department stores constituted our choices. We agreed to start at one end and work our way to the other until we were done or the mall closed. Barrett's Department Store specialized in clothing and women's clothing comprised the largest part of their inventory. We swarmed into the Girls/Junior Misses department like a swarm of locusts. This was my first clothes-shopping trip and I was a bit overwhelmed with the selections, colors, and fabrics available. I felt sorry for David. He would never be permitted to enjoy this experience. I knew from Susan that my size would be a Girls-12. My sisters, Mother, and the Marcoti girls had all been shopping together before. Since this was my first trip, they seemed to feel that I should receive most of the attention. I became their dress-up Barbie doll for the day. Dress after dress was pulled from some rack or other, and held up in front of me. If two or more of my companions thought that it would look good on me, I was sent into the dressing room to try it on. Usually, the one who selected it would come with me, to help speed my changing. Mother supervised, and sometimes vetoed the dress selections if she felt that they were inappropriate. Each dress was subjected to close examination by the waiting gallery. I was told to turn around, walk to and fro, or stand while my apparel was discussed.

My favorite outfit was a pink darted skirt and rayon blouse combination. I loved the way that it looked on me. Judy liked a floral print dress with a long skirt, tight empire bodice and big puffy sleeves. I thought to myself that all I would need is a parasol and I would look like I just stepped off a plantation in Georgia. Mary liked a creme colored sundress. Susan thought that a soft, green jersey was the best that we had seen. Maria liked an ivory dress with a scalloped neckline trimmed with lace, that Mother liked also, while Gina preferred a salmon, vinyl mini-dress. I loved all of them, and would have bought everything I tried on if I had been able. My sisters and Gina, and Maria all tried on their share of clothes. But I think that I tried on five for each one that they did.

After we had tried on about half the dresses in the department, we moved on to the Ladies department where mother became the model for a change. We scurried around selecting things for her to try on until I think that we made her dizzy. After about a dozen outfits, she said 'enough.' We put back the other dresses that we had pulled from the rack and as soon as she was dressed we moved on. We looked through the lingerie and hose, then spent some time at the makeup and fragrance counter. The salesgirls always smiled pleasantly at us even though our purchases were limited. But secretly, I'm sure that they were happy to see us move on. And so we continued through the mall in this manner. We made it all the way to the other department store before closing time. As we headed back to the car, we were tired but happy.

We chattered on incessantly about the wonderful clothes that we had seen and tried on. I had tried on a pretty pair of pink pumps, with two-inch heels, that would have gone perfectly with the pink skirt that I had liked so much at Barrett's Department Store. It was exciting when the young salesman in the shoe store took my leg in his strong hands and put the shoe on my foot. When I said I'd like to see how both shoes looked, he smiled at me and took my other leg in his hands. He put the shoe on my foot and then as he lowered it down, he lightly ran his fingers up the back of my leg. The sensation I received was like a small electric charge that tingled all the way up to my hip. I smiled at him and then stood up and walked around while my gallery commented on the shoes. I loved them, but had to tell him that they didn't feel right. I smiled at him and thanked him for his time as he took them off my feet. This time he caressed my other leg.

After we left, my sisters chided me for shamelessly flirting with the young salesman. I denied the charge and said that all I did was smile at him in a friendly manner. Mary said that any more friendly and he would have tried to drag me into the back room. I put on an aloof look, stuck my nose up in the air, and said that I really had no idea what they could be talking about. Judy came up to me, giggled at the look on my face, then turned serious. "Darla honey," she said, "we know that you're a wonderful actress. But you don't yet understand the effect that something as simple as a smile can have on a man. You smiled at that young salesman several times. When a pretty young woman smiles repeatedly at a man, who has not said anything witty to deserve it, he may interpret that as an invitation to get "closer." If you then rebuke him, he could get angry and call you a 'tease,' or turn violent. You must be careful with how you interact with men, especially now that you're at an age where sexuality will become an increasingly larger part of your life. Your innocence must turn to awareness. Do you understand, honey?"

"Yes," I said. "I think so. I'll be more careful."

"That's my girl," Judy said, as she put her arm around my shoulders and squeezed me.

It was seven o'clock when we arrived back home. After we exited the car, mother led the way up to the house since she had to unlock the door before we could go in. Because I was wearing the tight slip that restricted my leg movement, I followed up in the rear so that I would not slow everybody down as I climbed the stairs. Gina held back with me and lent me her arm. I really appreciated it because I was tired and I was having trouble climbing the steps. As I stepped up onto each step, I had to swivel my hips and my body to get my other leg up to the next step. When we got to the top, the rest of our entourage had already gone inside. Gina crossed her arms and said, "I don't know. You woman with your tight skirts and high heels and such. You can't even walk unless you have a man holding your arm and practically carrying you."

Remembering the last time we acted out this scene, I backed up, put both my hands on my derriere, and said, "Tch. And you men all just love it, having a helpless female relying on you. And you make us dress like this so that you have an excuse to pinch us while pretending to help us climb stairs, and such."

Gina came over to me, just like she did earlier, put her arm around my waist, pulled me close to her, and bending me back as if she was going to kiss me, said, "I don't need excuses to pinch you, you're my woman and I own you. And don't you ever forget it. Besides, hurting you is the last thing that I would want to do."

Because I was covering my tush with my hands, I felt secure that I would not get pinched again. I was also very off balance, being bent over backwards as I was and holding my hands behind me. I was trying to formulate a response that would not get me pinched again. I decided to act out the scene as if we were in an English medieval setting. I said, "Yes Milord, you own this worthless slave. I won't forget it, Master. How may I serve you."

Gina smiled at me. She shifted her hands where she was holding me bent backwards. I was already holding my arms behind me and she took hold of each of my wrists and pulled my arms into the small of my back. I thought that she was going to pinch me again anyway. I turned my head upwards to ask her not to, and I met her lips coming down to mine. Off balance, with my arms trapped behind me, and being clutched in the embrace of someone a foot taller than me and outweighing me by probably 30 pounds, I had no choice but to submit to a long passionate kiss.

When she pulled back, I said, "Gina, let me go. Somebody might drive by." She released me. Since there were no houses having a view of our front porch, I was not worried about someone seeing us from another house, but there was the danger of being seen by automobile traffic. People might misunderstand two young girls in a passionate embrace on a front porch if they didn't know that they were play-acting. I said, "That was much nicer that being pinched, Milord. Your worthless slave thanks you for not assaulting her posterior. Me thinks that we should enter the castle now before the palace guards lock the gates, Master."

Gina smiled at me and said, "Okay wench, leadith on."

I started to walk past her and she slapped my behind. It didn't hurt and I just giggled and said, "Oh Milord, thou art incorrigible."

We entered the house and removed our sweaters. Gina took mine, saying, "I'll hang it up for you, darling" and proceeded to the hall closet to put both sweaters away. I thanked her and went into the kitchen.

"Darla Anne," Mother said, "would you peel some potatoes please?"

"Yes, Mommy," I answered.

Gina had come in behind me and Mother said, "Gina, call your mother and tell her that we're back. I'm sure that your parents have eaten dinner already so tell her that you'll eat with us."

"Yes, Mrs. Drake," she answered, and then went to the telephone.

I had put on an apron, and retrieved the potatoes, the peeler, and a paper towel. Yesterday, Mother had had me peel over a paper bag because it was my first time using a peeler and expected a mess. I had actually held the potatoes and carrots down inside the top of the bag. But as an experienced kitchen assistant, I now worked at the counter as I had seen Mother and my sisters do.

Susan carried the dishes and silverware to the table where she and Maria set the table. Judy and Mother were preparing a bowl of salad, cutting lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, green bell peppers, cucumbers and onions. Mary was making a fresh vinegar & oil dressing. I finished peeling the potatoes, and cut them up into small pieces. I dropped them into the boiling water that Mary had gotten ready. While they cooked, I got out the mixer and bowl. Susan got out a package of frozen broccoli and prepared to cook it. Judy was now working on making fresh biscuits and Mother was everywhere, supervising the meal preparation like a chef in a fancy restaurant. I took the cooked potatoes, drained the water, and put them in the mixing bowl. With mother giving me directions, I added milk, a little butter, and a little salt & black pepper. Using the mixer, I mashed the potatoes, adding a little more milk, as needed, to make them soft and creamy. Mary completed the Kraft macaroni & cheese that she was preparing, and Mother announced that it was time to eat.

We carried the completed dishes to the table, removed our aprons and sat down to enjoy the repast. After Mother said the blessing, we started to eat. Normally, talking was subdued at our mealtime because Father liked to eat in virtual silence. But since he was working and wouldn't be back until after midnight, we carried on a non-stop verbal dialogue that at times seemed to rival a sporting event for noise level. Seven women can create quite a noisy environment when they all try to talk at the same time. We discussed the day's shopping and the clothing that we had tried on. We each selected an outfit and everybody commented on it. My favorite outfit was the skirt and blouse from Barrett's and the pink heels that I had tried on at the shoe store where I was accused of flirting with the young salesman. Everyone agreed that the skirt and blouse had looked wonderful on me. We all concluded that we had had a wonderful time and wished that we could do it again tomorrow. But tomorrow was a school day. After dinner, we began to cleanup. If four girls make cleanup faster and easier, then six girls should have it done in half the time. Instead it took far longer than usual, but we did have a great time. After we had finally finished, we set up a game of Scrabble on the kitchen table and played until nine o'clock. Mother came in and said Mrs. Marcoti had just called, and that it was time for Gina & Maria to go home. She once again reminded them not to mention anything about Darla Anne's visit.

We girls all walked out onto the porch to say our good-byes. Gina and Maria knew that David was returning tomorrow and this was a sad parting. Maria and I hugged, and kissed each other on the cheek. She said, "Darla, it's been wonderful having you with us the past two days. I feel like I'm losing a sister as well as a good friend. Take care of yourself and I hope that you can come back and visit again real soon."

I told her that I had had a wonderful time and would miss her as well. Gina and I hugged and then she bent me over backwards again as she had done twice before. I immediately put my hands behind me but not quickly enough to prevent her from pinching me. But the pinch was only a mild one and didn't hurt. Still I let out the obligatory "Oooch."

I heard my sisters and Maria laugh. She whispered in my ear, "Remember, you're my woman. I named you, darling, and I own you, my little slavegirl," and she kissed me on the cheek. Straightening us up, she said, "Goodbye Darla, I hope that you can visit us again." Gina and Maria turned and walked down the steps of the porch. They turned and waved as the darkness of the night swallowed them up. We returned their wave and then went back inside the house.

We walked back inside and went into the kitchen to put the Scrabble game away. Mother said, "Okay girls, bedtime. We went upstairs and started our nightly rituals. After we were in bed, Mary turned out the light. We talked in the dark for a while, and then we heard Father get home. He and mother were talking as they came upstairs. You could hear the excitement in his voice. Apparently his meeting had gone well. After they went into their room and closed the door, we could hear voices, but no longer understand anything that was being said. I lay there in the dark thinking about today's events, mostly about Gina.

I slowly drifted off to sleep and began to dream. In the dream, I was dressed in a harem girl's outfit, like you see in the movies, and being held captive in a room illuminated by oil lamps. My hands were chained together behind my back, with a chain running from my wrists to ankle chains that allowed my ankles just a few inches of freedom from each other. A metal collar was around my neck, and another chain led from it to a ring embedded in the wall allowing me only a few feet of mobility. I struggled against the restraints but my weak arms could find no give in the steel bands. Suddenly, the cell door opened and a massive guard entered. Without a word, he took a ring of keys from his belt and unlocked my chain where it was attached to the ring in the wall.

"Follow me, slave," he said, and led me down a corridor. I had to hobble as fast as I could move my feet to keep up with him because of the short chain between my ankles. He opened a door and led me in. The room was sumptuously decorated. There were Persian rugs on the floor and the walls, and tables loaded with dates and fruits, and jewel encrusted chairs lined the walls. The room was lit with a dozen oil lamps. The guard took me over to an enormous pile of silk pillows in the center of the room. He pushed me down onto the pillows and using the lock that he still carried, he attached my chain to a ring in the floor. "Your new owner will be here shortly," he said. "Don't go away." He laughed, and then he took the key ring and put it on one of the tables. I lay there for awhile trying to figure a way to get the keys but with my arms locked behind me, and my 'leash' padlocked to the floor, there seemed little chance. I could barely do much more than squirm a little.

I heard a noise behind me and struggled to see what it was. I saw the edge of a Persian rug push away from the wall and a figure entered from the secret doorway. The figure, which was dressed in a dark cloak from head to the foot, approached me. With the cloak's hood hanging over his head I couldn't discern the identity of the figure. A voice said, "I paid your former owner much gold for you today. You're my slavegirl now and there is no chance for escape. I own you and you will serve me faithfully or suffer the consequences, do you understand?"

"Yes, Master," I said. "I understand that you have purchased this worthless slavegirl from her former owner. She is your property now and she will do whatever you wish. How may she serve you, Master." He approached me and knelt on the pillows. As I lay helpless on the pillows, he lay down on top of me and began to passionately kiss me. I began to get aroused and kissed back. Then, my new master pulled the cloak back from his face. It was… Gina's face. Suddenly, I felt a bright light on my face.

I opened my eyes and realized that I had been dreaming and that it was morning. I thought about the dream that I had just been having. I tried to figure out if it had any meaning, and what the meaning might be.

I became aware that Susan was awake and looking at me. She said, "Dreaming of boys again, I bet."

I looked at her and said, "Not exactly. Why do you always think that I'm dreaming about boys? Is that all you dream about?"

"Pretty much. Don't be embarrassed, sis, all young girls our age, dream about boys all the time. At least that's what I hear. If the other girls at school are any indication, then it's true. Were you dreaming about that cute salesman form the mall yesterday?"

"No. I wasn't dreaming about any particular boy."

"Oh," she said, "a whole lot of boys then. Come on, spill it. If you can't tell your own sister than who can you tell."

I thought for a moment and said, "Okay, I'll tell you, but you have to promise not to tell anyone. I've never had a dream like this before and I wouldn't want anyone to think I'm weird or anything."

"Sis, dreams don't always have to mean something," she said. "They're just dreams. We all dream every night. It seems that when our body goes to sleep, our brain has to have something to do while it's keeping our heart pumping and all the other things that it does. Now, come on, quite stalling. Tell me."

"Okay, I dreamt that I was a slavegirl in Persia or someplace like that. I was wearing a sexy slavegirl costume. My hands were chained behind my back and my ankles were chained also. I had a steel collar around my neck and a palace guard chained me to a ring, mounted in the floor, in the middle of a large bedroom chamber. I was lying on an enormous pile of silken pillows. He told me that my new owner would be there shortly, and then he left. I struggled to get free, but my hands were chained with only a couple of inches between them, and my ankles were attached to my wrists. I could barely move. With my collar chained to the floor, I was totally helpless. Then a tall figure came in and approached me. He told me that he had bought me and he was my new Master. He got down on the pillows with me and started to kiss me. I felt something stir within me and I started to kiss back. Then….. I woke up."

"Wow, that's a great dream," Susan said.

"Then you don't think it's strange?" I asked.

"Strange? Sis, if that was strange then all the women of the world are strange. It's like a the old fairy tale about the princess imprisoned in the tower by the evil sorcerer and the prince in shining armor comes riding up and rescues her. Whether it's being kidnapped by pirates, taken hostage by Indians, locked in a dungeon by a powerful marquis, or sold into a harem in the middle east, we girls always fantasize about strong men dominating us and making passionate love to us. It's what sells romance novels by the ton to women readers around the world."

"But women don't want to be dominated by men anymore," I said, "They want to be free to express themselves and live their own lives. At least that's what I read in a newspaper article recently."

"Don't you believe it, sis, that's a bunch of hooey," Judy said from across the room, "Sorry to eavesdrop but I couldn't help it. I woke up and heard you talking." She got out of bed and came over to get in bed with us. "Some women are saying that nonsense, but most are not. And even the ones that are saying it, they call themselves 'feminists', don't really understand what they want. They all seem to want different things. Basically, things are very confused, and it's probably going to get a lot worse before it gets better. Men and women have to 'play' their roles. These roles incorporate the rules of society and nature. The feminists are trying to change some of the rules of society but will never be able to change the rules of nature. When the rules of nature come into conflict with the societal changes that the feminists want, the rules of nature will prevail. I predict that the feminists will eventually fail in most of their efforts. Nature will dictate how society evolves now that women have the right to vote and we've had half a century to even things out. Men are physically stronger and bigger than we are. We rely on them to do things that we can't do, or don't WANT to do. That is nature giving them a role. We, as the physically weaker sex, are the complement in a union with a man. We are better equipped to rear the children, and run the household. A household, like a corporation, will run best with just one boss. So we women allow our husbands to assume that role. We know that they are no more intelligent than we are, intelligence is not determined by sex. But they are by nature more competitive than we are. So nature wins out again, and we allow them to assume the 'top dog' position. By using our wiles we can usually get them to accede to our wants and desires. We're only submissive as part of our role, and only to our chosen mate. There will always be exceptions, of course. Some dominant women will find submissive husbands, but again there is only one boss. Do you understand, honey?"

"I think so," I said, "You're saying that when I dreamt of being a captive slavegirl, like we see in the old movies, that I was just fulfilling romantic desires. The captivity part is a natural desire to submit to a powerful mate who will love and care for me. It's okay to be submissive to a lover."

"Yes, as Mother says, you have to suppress your own ego in favor of your husband's, and you must be supportive and caring at all times unless your husband shows that he isn't deserving of your support and care. If a husband shows that he isn't deserving, then the relationship has failed and should be abolished. But you must make every effort to make it work up until that point. As an intelligent woman, if you make the right selection in a mate, your union will survive the test of time. We women, by our nature, really control the longevity of a marriage. Men are not very smart about romantic matters. As long as we can keep ourselves interesting and appealing, they will follow us like loving little puppy dogs while believing that they dominate us. If we should start to take that love for granted, however, we will lose them. If a man has a loving spouse at home, and his home is a place of joy and happiness, he will not LOOK for company in the arms of another woman. Some women may try to entrap him, of course. When they see a good 'catch', they will try to steal him away. You must always be aware of these women and don't blame your husband for insignificant dalliances, or they will gain a position to drive a wedge between you. If possible, don't confront your husband when you become aware of these women, confront the women themselves. That's the fastest way to end their flirtations."

"I'm certainly not going to chase after some man after he has cheated on me," Susan said.

"Suz," Judy said, "we all chase after men until the day comes that we let them catch us. If you have found a good man whom you love and who loves you, and you have done your best to make a wonderful home for the both of you, then you're certainly not going to just throw it away because some bimbo envies what you have and tries to steal him away. As I said before, men are not very smart in romantic matters. Their hormones drive them to do incredibly stupid things at times even though they may love us dearly. We women would be equally stupid if we let vanity wreck an otherwise good relationship. That is what the home-wrecker is looking for. She can then pop in and take over our man. If a pattern of such dalliances emerges though, then that is another matter. It indicates that the man is no longer deserving of our support and care, and the relationship should be ended. Be smart, keep your eyes open, and love your husbands with all your heart. In return they will love you and be faithful. Don't get paranoid and look for trouble, but watch out for troublemakers."

The bedroom door opened and Mother came in. "Time to get up girls. Father has already left for work. He has a great deal to do today and wanted to get an early start."

Judy went over and shook Mary gently until she sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Morning already?" she asked.

"Yes," Mother said. "It's time to get up and say goodbye to Darla Anne. She has to leave this morning."

The room went dead silent. I had forgotten about this morning. I sat on the bed and bowed my head. I started to weep. I didn't want to leave. Susan leaned over to me, and hugged me and then started weeping also. I became aware of Judy and Mary joining us on the bed.

"I had forgotten," Judy said. "I'm so sorry that you're leaving. I've loved having a new little sister so much that I can't begin to tell you. I love you Darla Anne and I'll miss you."

"Me too," Mary said. "I wish that you didn't have to go. I'd do anything to have you stay."

Then they too started to cry. Mother let us carry on for several minutes and then said, "Okay girls, pull yourselves together. Save some of your emotion to welcome your brother David back. Now start getting ready for school. Darla, time to go. Come with me."

I got up off the bed, and went over to Mother. I put my arms around her and started to weep again. My sisters all touched my arms and shoulders once more and then Mother led me out of the bedroom. She closed the bedroom door behind us and we walked across the hall to David's room. She opened the door and we walked inside. She took off my nightgown and training bra. She told me to remove my panties and, handing me a pair of David's jockey shorts and an undershirt, told me to put them on. After I had, we sat on the bed and she removed the nail polish from fingers and toes. She told me to lie down on the bed until I felt better, and she left. I went over to the bed and lay down. I missed the bra now that I no longer wore it. It was the first time in two days that I did not have one on. The underwear was coarse and stiff compared to my lovely panties and slips. I turned on my side and started to cry. I cried until I cried myself to sleep.

Chapter Three       Life Goes On

Mother awoke me about an hour later. She said, "Time to get up now, David."

David? My name is Darla. Was she talking to me? Then I remembered that I was supposed to summon David. I looked up at Mother and looked into her eyes. They were a little puffy as if she had been crying. I sat up in bed.

"Breakfast is ready," she said. "Your sisters have already left for school. Come down as soon as you're dressed," and she left the bedroom. I sat on the edge of the bed and visualized myself packing a suitcase and leaving the house. A cab pulled up and David got out. We embraced each other and as we did I became David. Darla Anne got into the cab and I waved sadly to her as it pulled away. Then I walked into the house and upstairs to my bedroom. I changed into my school uniform of dark blue trousers, starched white cotton shirt, dark blue school tie, and white socks with black shoes. I went into the bathroom, washed my hands and face, and combed my hair. I had a bit of trouble with my hair. It was usually straight and hung very flat. Now it had a little curl to it, and the cut made my normal style look funny. I combed it as best I could and went downstairs to breakfast.

Mother greeted me at the kitchen door. She kissed me on my forehead and asked me how I felt. "Okay," I said. "What's for breakfast." She said that she was making French toast. Now that I was downstairs, she would make mine. She went to the stove and I saw her put the bread into the egg and milk mixture, then lift it out and put it into the frying pan to cook. In a few minutes she brought over a plate of three French toast. I took one and poured maple syrup onto it.

She said, "Is that all you're going to have."

"Yes, Mommy," I said. "I don't feel very hungry today."

As I started to eat, Mother said "David, about Darla Anne…" I stopped eating and put down the fork. "How do you feel about her going away?"

"If it was up to me, she would still be here," I said. "I loved being Darla. I had so much fun with you, Judy, Mary, Susan, Gina and Maria. It was the greatest weekend of my life."

Mother looked at me in a wistful way and said, "And we all loved having Darla Anne with us. It was a wonderful weekend for all of us too." The expression on her face changed as she willed away the wistful look. "But now it's time for you to get to school. I called and told them that you would be late, so you won't be in any trouble. Finish eating and get ready. I'll drive you." I ate the rest of my French toast and got up. I started to carry my plate to the sink and Mother stopped me. "I'll take that David, just get yourself ready for school." I handed her the plate, dropped my hands to my side, looked sadly over at the sink, and turned to the kitchen door. I went upstairs to get my schoolbooks and my jacket. I walked down the stairs holding onto the handrail, as I had recently become accustomed. When I reached the bottom, I saw that Mother was waiting on the porch for me. We walked to the car and she drove me to school. When we arrived at the school she pulled up in front and parked. She said, "Are you going to be okay?"

"Sure, Mommy," I said. "I'm fine."

She kissed me on the forehead and I got out of the car and walked into the school. I looked back as the door closed behind me and I saw that she was still watching me.

I walked into the school office to report in with the warden. Mrs. McCloud, the school's ancient office clerk, was there. She saw me and said, "Ah, David. Are you feeling better? You're mother told us you would be late because you had a tummy ache." She leaned over to the intercom and called the principal.  

Sister Mary Frances came out of her office and said, "Hello David, are you feeling better?"

"Yes, Sister, I'm okay now," I said. "Thank you for asking."

"Good," she said, "I'll mark your attendance down. You can go to your classroom now."

"Thank you, Sister Mary Frances," I said, and left for my classroom.

 

Mother had pulled away from the school and returned home. She cleaned up the kitchen and then walked around the house to straighten things up, here and there. As was her custom, and the custom that she was teaching my sisters, she had already made her bed and straightened up her bedroom before going downstairs this morning. She went into David's bedroom and was surprised to see that the bed was made and all his clothes were picked up. She sat on his bed and began to weep. She blamed herself for the pain that he was feeling. She decided that she had to talk to somebody about it so she dried her eyes and went downstairs to call Dr. Clark. Dr. Clark's receptionist put her through after checking with the Doctor.

"Anita," Mother said, "thank you for taking my call. Do you have a minute?"

"Of course, Liz, I haven't stopped thinking of you and the girls since yesterday. How are you doing?"

"Not too well. I dropped David off at school a little while ago. He looked so sad. I feel so terrible about what I did."

"Liz, I'm free for lunch. Can you come over? We'll grab a bite together."

"Yes, Anita, I can make it. What time?"

"How's 12:30 sound? I won't have any more appointments until 4 o'clock so we can take our time and talk."

"Great, Anita, I'll be at your office at 12:30. See you then."

"Okay Liz, see you later."

After hanging up, Mother sat and thought over the events of the last two days. Then she decided to do a load of clothes before getting ready to leave for lunch with Dr. Clark.

Dr. Clark greeted Mother like an old friend. She told her receptionist that they had a lot of catching up to do and that she would be returning late, but in time for her next appointment. She made Mother feel that she could confide in her, with complete confidence that it would never be divulged to anyone else. Once they reached the diner where they planned to have lunch, mother started to relate everything that had happened since they had parted yesterday. Anita Clark sat and listened to everything. Their food order came and Mother halted until the waitress left, then continued. "This morning was as bad as I had feared. When I told Darla Anne that it was time to leave, the girls all broke down and cried. They cried and hugged each other as if they were never going to see each other again. I brought Darla Anne to David's bedroom, took her sleepwear from her, removed her nail polish and toe nail polish, and gave her David's underwear to put on. I told her to lie down until she felt better. I hoped that she would begin to feel better about being David again."

"I went down to prepare breakfast, and found myself crying as I worked in the kitchen. I forced myself to stop when I heard the girls coming down. Their eyes were all red and puffy, and I knew that mine were too. We ate breakfast in silence. The girls hardly touched their food. Judy finally spoke up and said to me, "Why Mommy?" I asked her what she meant. She said, "We've come to think of Darla as our sister. Since Saturday, we stopped pretending that David was a girl and actually believed that Darla WAS our sister. We didn't question her presence, we just accepted her. Why?" I told her that I didn't understand all of it, but that I thought we must have WANTED to believe it. Since Darla was of course their sibling, they were used to her presence and basic appearance. The feminine attire that we had forced her to wear reinforced the image in our minds that Darla was a girl. Then, her marvelous acting ability completed that image. David actually had the ability to transform herself, to THINK herself female. In her own mind, she was a female. As a sibling who is a female, she is automatically our sister, or daughter, as the case may be. They thought about it for awhile and seemed to agree. Susan said, "I wish Darla was my sister all the time." Judy and Mary agreed. They kissed me goodbye, grabbed their books and coats, and left.

I didn't admit to them that I also wished, heaven help me, that David was a girl. After we talked in the park on Sunday, I thought about what you said. David will have a very difficult life as a man. Her gentle nature, soft features, and slight frame, while desirable in a woman, will present many obstacles as a man. Anyway, after the girls left for school, I sat in the kitchen thinking about the weekend for a while, and then went upstairs to get Darla.. er.. David. David had fallen asleep and I had to wake her. Her eyes were all red and puffy from crying. It was all I could do to keep from crying again myself. I told her to get ready for school and come downstairs for breakfast. She came down dressed in her school clothes and I made French toast for her. It's her favorite breakfast food. But she only had one piece. She was obviously sad about not being Darla anymore. While she ate, I asked her how she felt. She said that she wished that she were still Darla. After she ate, I took her to school. Oh Anita, she was so sad. What have I done by extending that stupid game that the girls started? I should have halted it as soon as I got home. I feel that this is all my fault. I've caused my children so much pain. I hope that some day they can forgive me." Mother broke down at that point and started crying. Dr. Clark moved around in the booth to comfort her. The waitress came to see what was wrong but Dr. Clark identified herself as a doctor and told her that it would be okay. When mother stopped crying she apologized to Dr. Clark.

"Liz, you love your children with all your heart," Dr. Clark said. "Don't you think that they know that? They know that you would never do anything to intentionally hurt them. The girls started the game, and they are probably feeling like you; blaming themselves for what happened. You said that David told you that he had the greatest weekend of his life. Do you think that he would wish that it never happened?"

It worked. Mother stopped crying and started to cheer up a little. "Anita, thank you," she said. "Thank you for being here with me and thank you for helping me."

"Liz, I told you on the phone that I was thinking about you, and the girls, ever since we met yesterday. I did a little research last night about your problem. I read some case studies in a medical journal about gender identity problems. The chances are very good that, given David's nature and slim body, he would have experienced some form of gender identity difficulty, at some point in his life. Most likely at puberty, when a young persons body is bombarded with hormones, and they are desperately trying to establish their sexual identity. That is the time when he will need the most guidance and help to find his way in life. He merely had an identity experience a year or so sooner."

"Anita, what do I do now? David is unhappy about returning to being David. How long will it be before she gets over her unhappiness?"

 "Liz, are you aware that every time you have talked about David, you have referred to him as she or her, and never once as he or him."

"Oh my God, Anita, I think that you're right. I'm still thinking of David as a girl, a girl wearing boys clothing."

 

School was letting out while Mother was with Dr. Clark. I had had a miserable day. At noon recess, I found a place to sit by myself. Since the boys were supposed to stay on the boys' side of the playground, and the girls on theirs, and, since I was usually excluded from most of the games, it was easy to be alone. In class, I sat quietly and never raised my hand once. My teacher asked me if I was feeling okay, because it was so unusual for me not to raise my hand at all. I told her that I had been sick in the morning and wasn't entirely better but didn't want to go to the school nurse. She accepted that and continued with the class.

After school, I walked home with my sisters and the Marcoti sisters. We lived about 12 blocks from the school, so the walk was a lengthily one. As usual, the girls gossiped about the other girls at school as we walked. Everything seemed back to normal. I was once again excluded from their world. I trailed behind the little group all the way home. Every once in a while, one of them would glance back at me then quickly turn back when they saw that I was looking. When we arrived at our street, the Marcoti sisters said goodbye to my sisters and turned right to go to their house while we turned left to go to ours. Then Gina called out, "Goodbye David." I turned and saw her and Maria wave at me. I smiled and waved back. I felt much better. We walked the last half block to our house and climbed to the porch. The door was locked and Mother's car was not in the driveway, so Judy got her key out of her purse and let us in. We all went upstairs to change from our school clothes. The girls walked into their bedroom and I walked into mine.

After putting my books on my small desk, I sat down on the bed. All the emotions that I had been holding in while in school let go and I started crying. I cried until I could cry no more. Then I got up and changed my clothes. I hung my school things in my closet and went to my desk. I sat down and did all my homework. When I was finished, I went to my bookcase to select something to read. I had read all of the books there. Many had been read so many times that the pages were becoming dog-eared. I pulled out my copy of "William Shakespeare's - The Taming of the Shrew" and began to read. The concentration required to read the play, and follow it, soon pushed all other thoughts out of my mind. I was returned to reality by Susan's voice in the hallway outside my door informing me that supper was ready. I book-marked the page that I was on and went downstairs to eat.

Everyone was at the table, including Father. As soon as I sat down, he said grace, and then we ate our meal. As usual we ate in virtual silence because Father preferred it that way.

When we were done, Father stood up, kissed my Mom as she sat in her chair and said, "Another wonderful meal, honey. What did I ever do to deserve such a wonderful wife?"

"And I ask myself what I ever did to deserve such a wonderful husband," Mother said.

They kissed again. Father straightened up and said, "David, come into the living room please and then he left the kitchen." I looked at my mother and she nodded in the direction my father has just gone.

I went into the living room where my father was reclining in his favorite chair. I stood at his side and he said, "David, I was talking with a friend of mine today. He and his wife are in scouting. His wife is one of the den mothers of a local cub pack. The cub scouts are open to young boys between the ages of seven and ten. I enrolled you in the pack. Isn't that great? You will have your first meeting tomorrow with Mrs. Robison's den meeting."

"But Daddy," I said, "I'm going to be eleven in a few weeks. If the pack is only open until you're ten, then I could only be a member until my birthday. I don't want to join the scouts for just a few weeks."

"When you reach your birthday, you'll move on to the Boy Scouts of America. Most of the scouts in Mrs. Robison's den are ten, and you'll have them as friends already when you all become boy scouts. You can join the same troop as they will." Then he gave me directions to Mrs. Robison's House and told me that I was expected there at 3:30 tomorrow. Using my bike, I could be there in ten minutes.

"Okay, Daddy," I said, and I went back upstairs to my bedroom.

Mother saw me going upstairs and went into the living room to ask Father what we had talked about. He told her that he had arranged for me to enter the cub scouts, and that my first meeting was tomorrow. They discussed the scouting program, and Father said that he wished that he could have been a scout when he was young. He felt that my becoming a scout was just what I needed, and that spending more time with boys my own age would be good for me. He then told her that he had heard back from Mr. Burn's office today. He had to fly to Chicago on Wednesday morning with his attorney. He wouldn't be back until late Friday evening. They had a lot of work to do on the land development project, but it looked like the basic deal would be sewn up as soon as they worked out some minor points.

Mother bent over and kissed him, "How could I have gotten so fortunate as to marry a genius. And such a handsome one too?"

He pulled her down on top of him, and kissed her, "Just lucky, I guess. I married a genius also. Keeping this family running smoothly, with the financial hardships that we've had at times, took a genius with the wisdom of Solomon. But life is going to be good from now on."

She got up off of him saying that she had work to do, and that they could finish this 'discussion' later after the children were asleep. He slapped her on the fanny, and she jumped, then giggled, then left the room.

When Mother came into my bedroom, I was lying on the bed, reading my book. She looked to see what I was reading and said, "Pretty heavy stuff, honey. That's 12^th grade, or higher, reading material."

I told her that I wanted something to occupy my mind. Shakespeare forced me to concentrate.

"I see," she said. "Can we talk?"

"Sure Mommy," I said as I put the bookmark in and closed the book.

"David, how do you feel about joining the cub scouts?"

"I don't really want to," I told her. "I don't know anybody who is in the cub scouts."

"That's the good part," she said. "You'll get to make lots of new friends."

"That would be nice," I said.

"Well," she said, "after your meeting tomorrow you can tell me all about it," and kissed me on the forehead.

"Okay Mommy," I said as she left my bedroom.

After school the next day, I climbed onto my bike and rode to Mrs. Robison's house. I rang the front door bell and a pleasant looking woman about my mother's age answered it. I introduced myself and she invited me in. "I'm Mrs. Robison. Come on into the living room, I'll introduce you to your fellow scouts." The living room was joined with their dining room and there were eight boys, my age, engaged in various tasks, spread out over the two rooms. Mrs. Robison told me that everybody was working on a project for an upcoming Cub Scout science fair, and it was too bad that I had not been there several weeks ago when the projects were started. She took me around the room, introducing me to the other scouts. Most said "Hi" or "Hello" without ever looking up from what they were doing. When I had 'met' everybody, she said, "Just make yourself at home, honey, I have a couple of things to do." With that she left the room.

I wandered around looking at the various projects. When I asked questions about what they were doing, I either received no answer, or, got a "Go away" response. Apparently, the pressure of the deadline had everybody on edge. Only one scout even tolerated me. Adam told me in twenty-five words or less what he was trying to do with his project. He added, at the end of his verbal dissertation, that he was too busy to go over the whole thing now, because today was the last day that they would be able to work on their projects. They had to be submitted on Friday for next week's judging. I sat down on the couch, and watched everybody running around, borrowing things from each other, as they all worked on their projects. I felt like it was lunch recess at school and I was again the odd man out.

I sat there alone until Mrs. Robison came back in and announced that it was almost five o'clock and they had wrap up their projects. A couple of mothers had come and were waiting to pickup their sons. As things wrapped up and everybody started to leave, Mrs. Robison pulled me aside and gave me a mimeographed sheet. She told me to be sure to give it to my mother, and she would be calling her tonight to talk to her about it. She told me that she hoped I had had a good time today and hoped that she would see me on Sunday. I thanked her and left. After I got outside I read the sheet. It told about a bus trip to a 'western theme' park on Sunday. I folded the sheet, put it in my pocket, and mounted my bike to ride home.

When I arrived home, I went into the kitchen to tell my mother that I was back from the scout meeting. My sisters were all busy preparing supper, and I wished that I could be with them. They were talking and joking around as they worked. I went upstairs and lay down on my bed. I thought about the Cub Scout meeting, and my isolation there. I thought about school the past two days, and my isolation there. Then I thought about the previous weekend. At first the pleasant memories made me smile. Then I started to think about what I had lost, and I began to cry. After I had been crying for several minutes, Mother came in and sat on the edge of my bed. She tried to console me and I slowly managed to get my emotions under control. When I could again talk coherently, she said, "Was it that bad, sweetheart?"

I told what had happened at the scout meeting.

"That doesn't sound so bad that you should be crying about it."

"It isn't that alone, it's everything combined."

She asked what I meant, and I told her that I felt so alone at the scout meeting, just like I felt alone at school every day. They didn't want me there, any more than the boys at school want me in their games. I told her that when I started thinking about how wonderful it had been this past weekend, with her and my sisters, that I just couldn't hold my feelings in anymore and I started to cry.

I asked her if I was ever going to fit in again, like I had felt that I fit in this past weekend. Was I always going to be the odd man out?

She told me that she was sure that I would find my place in life. I just had to be patient, my time would come. I was, after all, just ten, going on eleven.

"I can't wait to be eleven."

"Why are you in such a hurry?"

I told her that once I was eleven, I could no longer be a Cub Scout and would not have to go back to Mrs. Robison's house and try to socialize with all the ill-mannered boys that I had met today. I remembered the paper that Mrs. Robison had given me for her. I took it out of my pocket and handed it to her.

After reading it she said, "Why this sounds like fun. I bet that you can't wait to go."

I rolled my eyes and looked at her. "Mommy, you're joking right?" I said. "You think I would want to go anywhere with those guys? I just finished telling you that I can't wait to be away from them."

"Now David, you just have to get to know them."

"I do know them," I said. "I know that they are just like the guys at school whom I've known for years. They don't want me butting in on their games. Oh, I know them. The harder I try to be friendly, the more they'll reject me. The more that I try to do for them, the more that they'll try to take advantage of me, and still in the end reject me. Oh, I know them."

She looked at me with a sad look in her eyes and said, "I'm so sorry, sweetheart. Your father wants you to try, so give it a try for me, okay? It's only for a few more weeks."

"Okay Mommy, I'll do it for you. I'd do anything for you." She hugged me and I hugged her back. We held each other like that for a few minutes, and then I realized that she was weeping.

"What's the matter, Mommy?" I asked. "I said that I would do it for you."

"I know sweetheart," she said, "that's what I'm crying about. You're doing it for me, even though you hate it. you're so generous and giving. Not at all like most other boys. I wish that there was something that I could do for you."

Without hesitation I said, "Well there is one thing."

"Tell me," she said, "and if it's within my power to do it, I will."

"Let Darla come back again," I said.

"David," she said, "you know that your father would object to that."

"He'll only object if he knows," I said. "Maybe Darla could come back for a visit when he's away sometime. I know that Judy, Mary, and Susan would never tell him." She had, by now, stopped crying.

She looked at me, smiled, and said, "You're as devious as a woman. You should have been born a female. You have a woman's cunning inside that head."

"I wish that I had been born a female. I feel so much more comfortable with girls than with boys. Most girls don't push other girls away simply because they are smaller or weaker then they are. If I were a girl, then I wouldn't be so lonely all the time. Oh I wish that I could be a girl."

Mother gave me that wistful look again that I had seen so much of lately. She said, "It's almost time for supper. I have to fix my face. You wash up and go downstairs, okay sweetheart?"

"Okay Mommy."

My sisters had finished cooking supper and the table was set. Father was due any minute and they were sitting at the table talking when I walked in. They greeted me, then Judy said, "How's the newest Cub Scout in town?"

"I'll bet that she knows the secret handshake already," Mary said.

"Are the other cub scouts as pretty as you?" Susan asked.

I smiled and said, "Fine, No, and, Of course not."

They all giggled and I smiled. We heard the front door and knew that Father was home. Mother had just come downstairs and she greeted him in the front hall. They walked into the kitchen together like newlyweds. Father said hello to us and they sat down at the kitchen table. My sisters jumped up to get the food. I started to rise also, then remembered and sat back down.

When the food was on the table, Father said grace, and then we ate. During the meal, he told us that he was flying to Chicago to close a big land development deal tomorrow. He would be gone for several days and expected us to mind our mother as always while he was gone. We all said, "Yes, Daddy."

He said that on Sunday we would all be going to a 'western theme park.' up in New York. He said that we would be driving in our car, following the bus to the park. I felt better about going to the park knowing that my family was going also. I wouldn't be alone after all.

After dinner, Mother asked me if I had done my homework. I told her that I had been at the scout meeting right after school so I hadn't done it yet. She told me that I should go do it now before any television. I said okay, and went upstairs. After my homework was complete, I decided to read instead of watching television.

At ten o'clock, Mother opened my door and told me it was time to go to sleep, so I put my book away, went to the bathroom, brushed my teeth, and then returned to bed and went to sleep.

Awaking late the next morning, I did my morning bathroom duties, washed my face and hands, and returned to my room. As I was starting to get dressed for school, Mother came in and told me not to dress yet. When I asked why not, she told me that she had made a doctor's appointment for me, for a checkup. She told me to just put on my jeans and come down for breakfast. My sisters were already at the table when I came down. Breakfast today was oatmeal. Mother told us that Daddy had already left for Chicago. My sisters asked why I wasn't dressed for school and she told them that I had a doctor's appointment for a checkup this morning. They finished their breakfasts and left for school. Mother called the school and told them that I would not be in today.

She sat down at the table and she said, "Dr. Clark is expecting us at 10 o'clock so we had better get started. I want you to take a bath so that you'll be nice and clean."

My heart stopped for a second when she said "Dr. Clark." The only Dr. Clark that I knew, was the one that I had met on Sunday, in the park. I said, "Mommy, Dr. Clark met Darla Anne on Sunday."

"That's right honey, and that's who she'll meet again today."

My heart stopped for a second time, "You mean that Darla Anne is coming back?"

"Yes dear, but only for today." I jumped up and ran over to mother and hugged and kissed her.

"Oh Mommy, thank you, thank you."

"Well, I told you that if it was within my power, that I would grant your wish. Since your father is away, and I'm sure that your sisters will keep our secret, then Darla Anne can spend the day with us."

I suddenly realized that Dr. Clark may have been fooled in the park, but would not be fooled when she examined me, and I related this obvious fact to my mother.

"Darla Anne, I told you that we would do our best to see that nobody outside the family learns your little secret, but I felt that it was important to confide in Dr. Clark. She knows because she is a medical doctor and I needed advice. I told her on Sunday while you were taking a walk with the twins. She has promised to keep our secret, and even the twins will not be told. She knew when you came back from your walk. She didn't embarrass you in any way, did she sweetheart?"

"No, Mommy."

"And she won't embarrass you today. Now, we've got a lot to do, young lady. Go upstairs and run your bath."

I hugged her again, and excitedly ran to the door.

"Darla Anne," Mother called. I stopped and turned around. She said, "A young lady never runs in the house."

"Yes, Mommy," I said, then turned and hurried upstairs, but I didn't run.

I ran a bath and used some of the special bath items from the cabinet under the sink. I settled into the warm, bubble bath and after enjoying the sensation for few minutes began to scrub myself from my toes to my head. Mother came in and shampooed my hair. She picked up my clothes and left. I relaxed in the water until Mother came back to the bathroom and told me that she would be ready for me in her room, as soon as I had dried off. She left me a robe and went out. In seconds I was up and drying myself off.

When I got to her bedroom I saw the panties, panty girdle, bra, and stockings that I had worn on the weekend. They had all been washed and they smelled fresh and clean. Mother told me to start getting dressed. I donned the underwear, and she handed me the tight half-slip and a camisole to put on as well. She had me sit down, and she took a curling iron and went to work on my hair. Then she applied just a touch of makeup to my face. I stood up when she was finished, and she went over to her closet. She told out a hanger and turned to face me.

There in her hand was the pink skirt and blouse set that I had tried on in the department store on Sunday. I couldn't believe it and I got so choked up that I couldn't speak. She was smiling at me and she came over to me and said, "Now don't start crying honey, I'll have to do your face all over again."

All I could say was, "How?"

"I picked it up on Monday afternoon," she said, "on the chance that Darla Anne might come back to visit again. Here, you'll need these also," and she took out a box containing the pink pumps that I had tried on in the shoe store.

Words failed me again, and I went to her and hugged her with all my strength. When I could talk again, I said, "I love you Mommy."

"And I love you Darla Anne," she said, "but right now we have to keep moving. Get dressed, dear."

I put on the skirt, blouse and shoes while she put on her makeup. I went to see myself in the mirror on the back of her closet door. I thought that I looked wonderful in my new outfit. I couldn't wait to show it off. Mother handed me a tube of pink lipstick and told me to put it on. She hung the fine gold chain with the small cross, which I had worn all weekend, around my neck. She put the wristwatch on my left arm and two bracelets on my right. She put a ring on each hand and handed me a new pink purse. She said that she couldn't resist buying it for me when she saw it because it went so perfectly with my outfit. She had already filled it with the necessities and told me to put my lipstick in. Then she had me model my new outfit, first by slowly turning around while she looked for loose threads, price tickets, etc., then by walking back and forth a few times to make sure that it was hanging right. I twirled around twice and smiled at her. I felt like I was on cloud nine. She put on her hat, grabbed her purse, and we were off. I picked up the white sweater, which was still down in the hall closet, in case I needed it but the day was warm and bright.

The trip to Dr. Clark's office took twenty minutes. When we arrived, the office looked dark.

"Are we on time?" I asked.

Mother looked at her watch and said, "It's 9:58. We're two minutes early. Let's see if the door is locked."

We parked the car and walked to the door. When mother tried the doorknob it turned easily and the door opened outward. We walked into the dimly lit waiting room. Dr. Clark came out of her office and greeted us.

"Did I get the time wrong, Anita?" Mother asked.

"No, Liz, I don't have regular office hours on Wednesdays. I use the day for special appointments only. Darla Anne, you're looking extremely lovely today; so bright and radiant."

"Thank you, Dr. Clark. Mother bought me a new outfit. I absolutely love it. And it's so nice to see you again. How are your daughters?"

"They're fine, thank you. They're at the day care center today. I'll tell them that you were asking for them. They very much enjoyed their walk with you the other day."

"And I enjoyed it as well. I hope that I get a chance to see them again."

"Liz," Dr. Clark said, "why don't you do a little shopping so that Darla Anne and I have a chance to talk and do the physical? Come back at noon and we'll go to lunch together. Unless you have other plans?"

"No, no other plans. Okay, I'll be back in two hours then." She leaned over and kissed me, and said, "Now be completely open with Dr. Clark, Darla Anne."

"Okay, Mommy." She left and we went into Dr. Clark's office.

"Please sit down, dear. Your mother tells me that you've been very depressed for the past two days, and she's been very worried about you. That's why I suggested that she bring you in for an examination. Will you tell me about what you're feeling?"

I looked at her for a few seconds and said, "My mother says that you're aware of my little secret."

"Yes, she told me all about how your sisters and their friends dressed you up on Saturday, and how she perpetuated the costuming after she discovered it."

"I didn't want to wear their clothes. At least not at first. But we started to have so much fun together that I didn't want it to ever stop. This past weekend was wonderful, from the time that my sisters allowed me to play Monopoly with them, until I had to become David again on Monday morning. I didn't want it to end. I would like to be Darla forever."

Dr. Clark frowned a minute amount. "You know, Darla, that being a woman is not just dressing up occasionally in women's clothes. It is an entire lifestyle. Aside from the physical differences, there are other factors. But we mustn't minimize the physical differences. Over the next few years your body will experience severe changes. A young female would begin to grow breasts, while her pelvis will widen. A young male will begin to grow facial and body hair while his voice deepens. Nature causes our bodies to develop driving sex urges, a need to reproduce. That is nature's way of continuing our species. We begin to become attracted to the opposite sex. Testosterone, in young males, drives them to do many foolish things in an effort to impress young females. This is nature at its best, or worst. As a male you're able to father children with your sperm. As Darla, you would never have the ability to produce children since you were not born with ovaries, eggs, and a uterus. While your external male organs could be modified, with surgery, to appear as a female's vagina, that is not something to be undertaken unless you're very sure of your feelings."

Dr. Clark and I continued to talk for more than an hour. She would ask questions and I would answer without holding anything back. Then she told me to come into the examination room. She had me undress and put on a dressing gown that she handed me. She checked my eyes, ears, nose, and throat. She examined my arms and hands. She listened to my heart, my chest and my back. I jumped when she first put her stethoscope against me. Why are those things always so darn cold? Can't somebody invent one that's heated? She took a blood sample from my arm using some kind of a needle that pulled blood out instead of putting something in. She had me get up on an examination table and put my feet into some kind of holders that kept my legs spread apart, and up in the air. She examined my private area and I couldn't stop from blushing even though I knew she was a doctor. She took my legs down from the holders and examined my legs, ankles and feet. She told me to get down from the table and bend over it, lying on my stomach. She finished by examining my backside. She told me to remain there for a minute and rubbed something first on my left buttock, then the right.

All of a sudden she administered a needle in my right butt-cheek where she had swabbed it. I screamed, and would have jumped, but she had placed her hand on the small of my back and I was pinned to the table. She said, "I'm sorry Darla Anne, but if I told you that I was going to give you a shot you would have tensed up, and it would have hurt more." She removed the needle after the plunger had been fully depressed and the medicine was in my body. She rubbed the spot for me. Then I thought I would go through the roof as she plunged a needle in my left butt-cheek. I should have been prepared since she has swabbed both checks with alcohol. Again, she had put her hand on my back to keep me from jumping up. When she had finished injecting me and removed the needle, my derrière hurt so much that I started to sob. "There, there, dear," she said, "all finished. You can get dressed now. Do you need any help?"

"No thank you, Dr. Clark. Is it okay if I rub my backside?"

"Of course, dear. I'll just clean up and meet you in my office, okay?"

"Okay, Dr. Clark."

After she had left the room, I went over to a mirror and looked at my posterior. There were two tiny red dots where she had administered the needles, but otherwise was okay. I rubbed the two spots. The pain had already started to diminish as I removed the dressing gown and got dressed. Using the makeup that Mother had put in my purse, I touched up my face. When I stepped into the office, I saw that Mother had returned and she was having a discussion with Dr. Clark.

Mother smiled at me and said, "How's my little girl?"

I told her that I was fine except that I was a little sore from the injections that I had received.

"Well, we want to make sure that you grow up to be a healthy young lady, now, don't we?"

"Yes, Mommy."

"Okay, shall we go to lunch, then?" Dr. Clark asked. We agreed, and so we left for a small restaurant down the road.

It was wonderful to be outside in the fresh air, after suffering the medicine smells from the examination room. We had a delightful lunch with Dr. Clark. She regaled us with funny stories from her days at Medical School. After lunch we dropped Dr. Clark off at her office. She said that she wanted to see me again in six months, no more, or if I was feeling ill.

When we pulled away I asked Mother if she knew why Dr. Clark wanted to see me in six months, when usually I only got a checkup once a year. She said that I was at a point in my life when my body would begin to change dramatically; it's called puberty and all young adults go through it. She said that my sisters get semi-annual checkups now and will continue to get them until they've completed their pubescent changes. Then she said that we had some time to kill before the other girls got home from school, so we might as well do a little shopping.

We headed for a nearby department store. We looked at shoes, then at makeup, dresses, and lingerie. Mother had picked up a number of items at the makeup counter. She had loaded my arms with them. Now she picked up an armful of things in lingerie; panties, bras, girdles and hose. As she accumulated them in her arms, I said, "Mommy, those things are the wrong size. Even Susan has outgrown that size."

She looked at me and said, "Why Darla Anne, these things are for you. You can't keep borrowing your sister's things."

I just stared at her for a minute. "But Mommy, Daddy doesn't want me around. He just wants David."

"Oh, leave your father to me. I'll see that you get to visit as often as possible."

I went to her and hugged her as well as I could with my arms loaded. "I love you, Mommy"

"And I love you, Darla Anne. Now let's take a look at the jewelry. She selected several inexpensive bracelets, rings and necklaces. Then she purchased a wristwatch for me. She said that the one that I was wearing was often unreliable and it is important to always be punctual. Then we went to the checkout counter, and, after making the purchases, we headed for home.

We got to the house before my sisters arrived home and we went upstairs to David's room. Mother cleared the bottom drawer of the dresser and put the items that she had bought in there. She said that with the portable mirror, and the cosmetics, I could practice putting on my makeup so that I no longer needed her or my sisters to do it for me. Then we went downstairs to have a cup of tea.

My sisters arrived home from school just as we got to the bottom of the stairs. Judy was the first in, as she was always prepared to unlock the door if they found it locked.

"Darla Anne is here," she said. She, Mary, and Susan rushed in, and they all hugged and kissed me. I hugged and kissed them all back and we all giggled.

"Darla Anne, you look wonderful," Susan said. "Isn't that the outfit we looked at on Sunday?"

"Yes," I said. "Mommy surprised me with it today. I simply love it."

"It was to be a birthday gift but I thought that it would be nice for her to wear it today for her unexpected visit," Mother said.

"Yes, what are you doing here?" Mary asked.  "Of course we love that you are, but we thought that Daddy forbid you to come back."

"Daddy only said that David had to be back on Monday, which he was," Mother said. "Darla Anne asked me if she could visit until tomorrow morning and I said yes. But it would be better if your father didn't know about her visit. Let's just keep it among us girls, okay?"

"Of course Mommy. We'll keep all her visits to ourselves, assuming that there may be more visits," Mary said.

Judy and Susan quickly agreed.

"Okay girls, go get your homework done, and then we will go out for dinner and a movie, in celebration of Darla Anne's visit today.

My sisters went upstairs to change from their school clothes, and do their homework. I went into the living room and sat down to concentrate on my full change to Darla Anne. I hadn't done it earlier because I would have to talk to Dr. Clark as both David and Darla. I visualized David leaving and Darla coming. A little over three hours later, we were on our way to the Pizza Hut in the next town. The restaurant was busier than I would have expected for a Wednesday evening. The booths, around the windows, would have been a bit crowded for the five of us, so we sat at a table in the center of the room. We ordered sodas, and a large mushroom and onion pizza. While we waited, we chatted about the previous weekend, and about the coming weekend, with its trip to the theme park. A group of young boys came into the restaurant and sat down in a booth right next to our table. I watched my sisters as they sneaked quick peeks over at the boys. The boys didn't sneak looks; they stared openly at us, seemingly waiting for some invitation to join us. When our pie came, we all dug in. They had cut it into ten slices, as we had requested, so we each got two. By the time we had finished, the boys had gotten their pie, so they were no longer staring at us. I had an opportunity to look at them without appearing to signal an invitation. The four appeared to be about fourteen, or fifteen years old. They were all cute, if not handsome, and they were all wearing sweatshirts from the local junior high school. As we got up to leave, I could tell that they were once again staring at us. I recalled Dr. Clark's telling me of the driving sex urges of puberty. I felt that, if we had asked them to, these young boys would all roll on the floor and bark like dogs, just to win a smile from us. Mother paid the bill and we headed for the movie theatre. We thoroughly enjoyed the movie, and arrived home about 9:45.

Mother said that it was late, and since tomorrow was a school day, we should start getting ready for bed. I hated to see the day end. Tomorrow morning, David would return and I would have to leave again. We went upstairs and began the nightly ritual of cleaning, bathing, and general maintenance. We talked about the day. I told them about my checkup and about shopping afterwards with Mother. They were, of course, envious that I had been shopping while they were in school. But they said that they would rather be in school, than receiving needles in their backsides. Then they told me about their day, and the gossip that they had learned at school.

Eventually, talk turned to the four boys at the Pizza Hut.

"The tall one kept staring at Judy," Susan said, "and the cute one with the blond hair kept staring at Darla Anne."

"Well, the one with the light brown hair and hazel eyes kept staring at you Susan," Mary said.

"And the one with blue eyes and brown hair kept staring at you, Mary," Judy said.

I marveled that my sisters had noticed so many details in their quick peeks at the boys.

"How about it Darla Anne, would you go out on a date with that boy if he had asked you?" Susan asked.

"Susan, you know that I'm too young to date, but I'll go out with him if you double with hazel eyes."

Judy laughed and said, "Both of you are too young to date. You know the rule, ladies. No dates until you're thirteen. Susan has less than a year, but Darla Anne has to wait a year and two weeks. So hold yourself in check, girl. Your first petting session with a boy will come soon enough."

Mary said, "I think that they were all cute. I would love for us to all go out on a date together. If Mother hadn't been with us, I would have invited them to join us."

"Mary," Judy scolded, "that wouldn't have been proper. We don't know them or anything about them."

"One way to learn," Mary said.

"If you keep talking like that, you'll get a reputation. And then no nice boy will want anything to do with you," Judy said.

"I can think of several things that they would want to do with me if I had a reputation."

"Mary, stop that right now," Judy scolded. The silence was deafening for a moment, and then we all started laughing so hard that we had tears running down our cheeks.

Mother came in and said that she was glad to see us all having such a good time, but it was time to go to sleep. We climbed into bed, and she turned off the light, then left, closing the door behind her.

Susan found my hand in the dark and said, "I'm really glad that you came to visit again. We have so much fun every time you're here. I'm like Mary. I would love for all of us to go out on a date together. Sharon Kelso from school has two cousins that sound really cute. They're twins. When we're old enough, I bet she'll fix us up and we could go out with them. Mary and Judy can get their own dates."

I squeezed her hand and said that that sounded wonderful. I fell asleep dreaming about going out on my first date.

  

The sun, on my face, woke me up. Susan was just waking up also. We said "Good Morning" and lightly kissed each other as we got out of bed. Judy was stirring as we went to the bathroom. Susan used the toilet as I washed my face and started to brush my teeth. She joined me at the sink after she peed, and she washed her hands. While she brushed her teeth, I sat on the toilet and peed. Then I washed my hands and we went back to the bedroom. Judy was up and Mary was standing there rubbing her backside. Judy had apparently again employed the most effective way to get Mary moving in the morning. Mary was definitely not a morning person.

Mother came in and said, "Darla Anne, time to leave sweetheart. I'm sorry."

I could see from the look in her eyes that she really was sorry. My sisters gathered around me and said, "Good-bye. See you again soon." We all kissed and I left with Mother. The parting wasn't nearly as bad as the last time. We just had to hope that Father continued to take trips occasionally.

I went into David's room with Mother. She said, "You know how to remove the nail polish now, dear, so you can get ready by yourself. Dr. Clark gave these to me yesterday for you. Take one each morning. There are enough here for a month. She will send another bottle in a couple of weeks that will contain enough to last until your next examination."

"What are they, Mommy?"

"Special vitamins to give you strong bones, clear skin, and a healthy body, dear. They are special so don't share them with your sisters. They could make THEM very sick. Okay?"

"Yes Mommy." I took one of the pink and yellow capsules and popped it into my mouth, and swallowed. There was no taste. I assumed that was because of the plastic-like surface of the capsule. I sat down on the bed and removed the nail polish, then the silky nightie, bra, and panties. I folded them and put them on my dresser. My backside was still a little sore from the needles that I had received yesterday at Dr. Clark's office.

I lay down naked on David's bed and visualized walking out the front door in my new pink outfit. David arrived in 'our' cab and we embraced as he stepped out. I watched as Darla got into the cab. She looked exquisite in her new outfit. I waved as the cab pulled away. I walked into the house and upstairs to my bedroom. I changed into my school clothes and went downstairs for breakfast.

Susan saw me first and said, "David's back. Hi David." I said "Good Morning" to her and my other sisters and sat down. After breakfast, we all left for school.

Three days later, I was on a bus headed for 'Dodge City' theme park. When the bus pulled into the parking lot of a rest area along the New York State Thruway, the driver said, "Fifteen minutes folks," and then bounded off the bus running towards the restaurant and rest rooms area. I had to wait until the bus had pretty much emptied since I was seated in the rear. Some people chose to stay aboard. I walked to the line of cars behind the bus, intending to ask my father if I could ride the rest of the way with them, since I was seated alone in the bus, but our car was not with the others that I recognized from the Church parking lot. Mr. Robison was standing nearby talking with one of the drivers.

I walked over and stood there, looking at him until he acknowledged my presence, and then asked if he knew where my parent's car was. He looked up and down the row of autos and said, "Come with me, Davy. We'll find them." He walked along the row of cars, talking with every driver until he found one that remembered seeing my parent's car.

"Yeah," the man said, "they were right in front of me. When the bus and everybody else pulled into the rest area, they continued driving on the Thruway. They probably didn't feel the need to stop. I almost did the same thing, but my wife wanted to use the restroom."

Mr. Robison thanked him and walked back to the bus with me. He said," I guess that you'll have to wait until we get to the park, Davy. We only have about another hour. Okay?"

"Sure, Mr. Robison. Thanks."

I went aboard the bus and returned to my seat. I sat there staring out of the window as people returned. Then the bus started moving and we returned to the highway for the final leg of our trip.

We pulled into the parking lot of the 'Dodge City' theme park. Again I had to wait until everybody was off the bus. I climbed down and looked at the crowd gathering at the ticket office. I scanned them looking for my family. They were not among the assemblage. So I started running up and down the rows of cars in the parking lot. When I had covered the entire lot and had not found my parent's car, I ran back to the ticket office area. Most of the crowd had filed through the gate. Mr. Robison was standing there checking off names on a clipboard as people passed him. I waited until everybody was through before I approached and told him that I still could not find my family. He looked at his clipboard and said that they had not gone through yet unless they had purchased additional tickets. I told him that I had run through the parking lot and our car was not here.

He looked at me and said, "You ran through the ENTIRE parking lot?"

"Yes," I said. "I looked at every single car. Ours isn't here."

He chuckled and said, "We're going to be able to use you in the marathon at the Scout Olympics. Well, let's go into the park. I'll be leaving my list at the gate so that your family and a couple of others can get in when they get here." With that he checked off my name and ushered me through the gate.

I stood there unsure of what to do. After he had spoken with the officials at the gate, he saw me still standing there and smiling, said, "Well, don't just stand there. Have fun." He pointed to a group of scouts and told me that I should go join them. I walked over and stood with the group. I recognized two of them from the den meeting. I said hello and got the same response as at the den meeting. They totally ignored me as if I wasn't there. I tried to make the best of it so I tagged along with them hoping to gain some acceptance, as they became familiar with my face and presence. We watched a shootout in the street, following a staged "bank robbery." The good guys won of course. There was a horse race on the main street and every once in a while a stagecoach would come rumbling through. There were cowboys and dancehall girls walking around. A western event was staged somewhere in the park about every half-hour. I continued to watch for my parents. When the scouts that I was tagging along with stopped to eat, I split off and went back to the gate. I didn't have any money to buy food.

I asked the official at the gate, if my family had come through. He checked the list and replied that everyone had shown except them. I walked back to the main street and started a solo tour of the town. I walked into every building that was open to the public. I wandered over to an area where a crowd had gathered. It was, by now, about three o'clock in the afternoon. The town sheriff had a cattle rustler in custody and was asking the crowd if they should put him in jail or dunk him in the pond. The crowd screamed "DUNK HIM," so they put him in a chair that was attached to a long pole and swung him out over the pond. Then they dunked him in the pond. The crowd roared each time that he hit the water. They would raise him up, dripping and sputtering, and say, "Should we do it again?" The crowd would scream "AGAIN." After three dunks, the crowd wanted more, but the sheriff said, "I think that he's learned his lesson, folks. We'll let him go. He won't do it again." I thought to myself, 'At least not until the next show.' It was still only April and despite being a warm day, I felt sorry for the poor employee who had to get dunked in that pond. I bet that the water was pretty cold.

Mrs. Robison spotted me and came over to where I was standing. She said, "David, why are you walking around alone."

I told her that I had just come from the ticket office, because I was checking on my parents.

"You're parents aren't here yet?" She said.

I shook my head. We had now been at the park for five hours.

"Have you had anything to eat?" she asked.

I shook my head again. She said, "Oh, you poor dear," and gave me two dollars to get a couple of hot dogs, a soda, and a bag of chips. She said that she didn't want me riding back to New Jersey with an empty stomach.

I hadn't realized how hungry I was until I started eating. At four o'clock the loudspeakers announced that the Cub Scout tour group was leaving and that we should board our bus. I walked to the bus and climbed aboard. My parents had not come yet and I couldn't imagine where they had gone. Three hours later we pulled into the church parking lot. The parents that had not accompanied their sons were there to pick them up. Within ten minutes, almost all the cars were gone, and the bus had left. The Robisons were there, along with another scout leader's family. My family was still absent.

Mr. Robison came over to me and said, "Your folks must have gotten their signals crossed somewhere about the pickup time, but we can't just leave you here. Come on. We'll take you home." So I climbed into their car's back seat with their son, Adam, and they drove me home.

When we got to my house, the house was dark, and only my mom's car was in the driveway. I got out of the Robison's back seat and thanked them for the ride home. I told Mrs. Robison that I would bring the two dollars, which she had lent me, to the next den meeting.

"It doesn't look like your folks are home, Davy," Mr. Robison said.

"That's okay," I said. "I'll just wait for them here. I'm sure that they won't be much longer. If they are, I'll just go to the Marcoti's house up the street."

I didn't want to spend any more time with Adam Robison. He was outwardly unfriendly to me as if I had done something to him, even though I had only met him less than a week before. The Robisons told me to call them if my parents didn't show up by nine o'clock. It was now about seven thirty. I said that I would and they left.

I went up the front stairs and sat on the top step. Only Judy had a key, other than my parents of course, so I couldn't get into the house. The day had been an exhausting one and I was feeling sleepy. I stepped into the vestibule and closed the doors. Laying down on the carpet, I closed my eyes. In a matter of minutes, I was fast asleep. I was awakened by a rapping noise. I opened my eyes and looked into the bright light of a flashlight being pointed at my face.

I heard someone say, "Here he is. I found him." I groggily sat up so that the vestibule doors could be opened. When I stepped out onto the porch, I found that a policeman was wielding the flashlight.

"You're David Drake, aren't you?" he asked.

"Yes, Sir," I responded. At that moment, Susan and Mary came running up the stairs. They grabbed hold of me and hugged me for all I was worth. They were crying loudly. I asked, "What's the matter? I'm okay. I just fell asleep."

Susan stopped crying for a second and said, "Oh David, it's Daddy. He's dead. And maybe Mommy too," and then she broke down into incoherent crying again.

Chapter Four     Despair & Hope 

I was sure that somebody had just punched me in the stomach. I couldn't get my breath. I got dizzy. I would have fallen but for my sisters holding onto me long enough for the police officer to reach me from where he had been standing a few feet away. I thought, 'Daddy dead. Mommy dead also, maybe?' The world started to spin. The police officer picked me up and carried me to the police car. He set me in the rear seat and went around to the back of the car, then returned with a green cylinder that had a mask attached by a small hose. He put the mask over my face and told me to breathe slowly. In a few minutes everything returned to normal. I thanked him and he stood back so that my sisters could get in the back of the car with me. "What happened?" I asked.

Mary, in between sobs, told me that they had missed the exit, and then gotten a flat tire before they got to the next exit and could turn around. While Daddy was changing it, a truck ran into the back of the car. Daddy was kneeling in front on it, lowering the car back down with the jack, when it was hit. Mother was in the passenger seat and was thrown from the car by the impact. Because it was a warm, sunny day, the car was heating up as it sat next to the highway. My sisters had all gotten out to stand under a nearby shade tree until the tire was changed or they would have been injured, and possibly killed, as well. Just minutes before, a state police car had stopped to check on why they were stopped on the Thruway. He had passed, then pulled over and backed up. He had determined that they didn't need a tow, and was preparing to leave when the truck hit my family's car. My father was instantly crushed between the two cars. The state police officer just narrowly missed being crushed as well. The front passenger side door was open and Mother was thrown about thirty feet. Her broken and bloody body landing not far from my sisters. They ran to her but were afraid to touch her for fear of injuring her more.

The police officer used his still functioning radio to call the accident in, and other police cars started arriving within five minutes. Two ambulances came and the attendants all worked at stabilizing my mother and preparing her for transport. My father had been killed immediately and there was nothing that they could do for him except cover his body. The truck driver staggered from his cab and the police officer had gone to find out the extent of his injuries. Upon finding that the man had no injuries at all, but could not stand up without holding onto something, he arrested him for driving while intoxicated. With his hands handcuffed behind him, the driver was left to sit off the side of the road until a car was available to transport him. Within minutes, my sisters said, he had fallen asleep and was snoring as he lay on his side in the dirt.

 Mother was transported to a nearby hospital and my sisters were taken there by a state police officer. The police officer filled out a report as soon as my sisters were coherent enough. Since Father was an only child and both sets of grandparents were deceased, our only living relative is Mother's sister Katherine, who lives somewhere in Texas. Mrs. Marcoti had been contacted, since my sisters had named her as the nearest family friend. Mrs. Marcoti and her husband immediately left for the hospital, while Mrs. Marcoti's sister came over to stay with Gina and Maria. The trip to the hospital in upstate New York took three hours. When the Marcotis' arrived, my sisters again broke down as they recounted the tragedy. After several more hours, someone thought to inquire about my absence and a plan was adopted to find me with the help of the New York and New Jersey State Police agencies. My two younger sisters were transported to a NJ Police Barracks and then to my home to find out if I was there. Judy remained with the Marcotis' until they learned Mother's status. The state police officer took us to the Marcoti's house to await the news after Mrs. Marcoti's sister was notified that we would be coming. The New York State Police said they would locate my Aunt Katherine and inform her of the accident.   

I was still in shock as we were led into the Marcoti's house. Gina and Maria kissed and hugged Susan, Mary, and I, and then we all cried together. The State Police officer had left after talking with Mrs. Marcoti's sister briefly. My sisters, the Marcoti girls, and myself sat up all night, sobbing and crying with one another. Mrs. Marcoti's sister wisely did not try to force any of us to go to sleep, but went into her sister's bedroom to take a nap herself. Eventually, we all fell asleep in each other's arms during the night and we slept fitfully. The next morning, we sat around spiritlessly waiting for word of Mother's condition. Around noon, Mrs. Marcoti called to say that Mother was in critical condition in the intensive care ward, but the doctors were optimistic that she would live. They would know for sure within 48 hours. It would be that long before anyone would be allowed to see her, as she was heavily sedated following the hours of operations. For that reason, she and Mr. Marcoti were returning home, with Judy.

The news that Mother was alive and would probably recover was welcome indeed. We would now begin to grieve over Father, whose death had taken a back seat place to Mother's condition. It wasn't that we had forgotten about Father, rather the condition of the living, remaining parent had taken an uppermost place in our minds. In spite of the grieving that we were enduring, fatigue caught up with us and we were forced to go to sleep. My sisters and I lay down together, fully clothed, in Maria's bed while Maria shared Gina's bed.

When we awoke, Mrs. Marcoti and her husband had returned. It was six o'clock Monday evening and we awoke to the aroma of pasta sauce cooking in the kitchen. I had not eaten since the 'Dodge City' hot dogs, and my sisters hadn't eaten since Sunday breakfast. We pulled ourselves together and went downstairs to find out what was going on. Judy was asleep on the couch in the living room. We went into the kitchen and Mrs. Marcoti walked over and embraced us. She said that they had arrived home several hours ago but did not want to wake us. Mr. Marcoti had gone out to get some milk and things and should be back any minute. As she finished, the front door bell rang. She said that her husband must have forgotten his key again. She asked me to please let him in. I went to the front door and pulled it open. There, in front of me, stood my mother.

"Mommy," I shouted and jumped to embrace her. Then I stopped when I realized that it wasn't her. The woman in front of me looked just like her but the hairdo was different and she looked a little younger.

The woman gave me a sad smile and said, "Hello, David."

"Aunt Katherine?" I asked meekly.

She nodded and stepped forward with her arms out. I went into her arms and hugged her while she hugged me. My sisters had heard me when I shouted and had come running. They saw me hugging my mother's look alike and ran up to us. They realized as quickly as I had who it was. We had never met our aunt before, but there was no doubt as to who she was. Mrs. Marcoti had come out of the kitchen, and now Mr. Marcoti returned from the store. My sisters had joined us in the embrace.

"Welcome to our home, Mrs. Bliss," Mr. Marcoti said. "Let's get inside and we'll do proper introductions."

 Judy had awoken with all the commotion, and Gina and Maria had come downstairs. They now joined the crowd as everybody was introduced.

After kisses, hugs, and a little more weeping, Mrs. Marcoti said, "Dinner is ready. Everybody into the dining room. There's no food worse in this world than over-cooked pasta."

Over dinner, my sisters related the events again. They sobbed as they told the story. In spite of the solemnity, they ate their meal in order to satisfy the pangs of hunger, which resulted from a day and a half without food. Aunt Katherine listened in silence. When they finished, Mrs. Marcoti filled in what she knew of Mother's current condition. Then, Aunt Katherine indicated what she would like to do. We should return to our house and get cleaned up and organized. First thing tomorrow we would drive up to the hospital to see Mother and talk with the doctors. There were other things to do such as talking to our school, and the police, and making…. Funeral arrangements.  Mr. Marcoti gave her directions to the hospital and the State Police Barracks. We finished eating and Aunt Katherine said that we should be going. We all thanked Mr. and Mrs. Marcoti for all that they did to help us. We said goodbye to them, and to Gina and Maria, and left after promising to keep them informed about Mother's condition and the other matters.

It was good to get home. Being back in comfortable and familiar surroundings helped to reduce the anxiety that we were feeling. It didn't diminish our grief, but it did help us to deal with it a little better. We were able to clean ourselves up and change our clothes. Once we finished, we all sat down to talk with Aunt Katherine at the kitchen table. This was the first time that any of us had met her, but it turned out that she would have instantly recognized any of us. Mother had been sending her pictures of us since we were born. I couldn't help but grin a little when she said that it was nice to see that I had finally grown some hair. I knew she was trying to lighten the conversation a little by referring to the old B&W pictures of me where I looked bald because of my short light hair. I asked why she had never come to visit us. She said that it was a silly reason and now she regretted it more than ever. Prior to Mother's marriage, she had gotten into a terrible argument with Father. She vowed never to visit while Mother shared a roof with Father. She advised Mother to break her engagement because Father was a ne'er-do-well who would never amount to anything. Mother was heartbroken when she even refused to attend Mother's wedding fifteen years ago. But in spite of Aunt Katherine's dislike for Father, she and Mother maintained a close, sisterly relationship over the years through the post. Father refused to allow any mention of her name in our house.

Aunt Katherine told us that she regretted her words, and although Father had proved her predictions to be wrong, her stubborn pride had prevented her from trying to mend the broken fences. She said that father had shown himself to be a good and dependable husband, and father. She was sorry that she was not able to tell him, and apologize for those words spoken in anger so many years ago. As she talked, we began to see how very much like Mother she was.

At ten o'clock, Aunt Katherine told us that it was time for bed. We had a busy day ahead of us tomorrow. We all went upstairs together, prepared ourselves for bed, and retired for the night. Aunt Katherine would stay in Mother's room. I lay awake for sometime thinking about the events of the past two days. I wept again when I thought how I would never again talk with Father. And I wept as I imagined my mother's broken body on the highway. I wanted to be brave tomorrow, so I was hoping to get cried out tonight. I finally drifted into a fitful sleep. I dreamt about trucks crashing into our car, and our bodies flying through the air to land broken and bloody. I woke up very early, my pillow and sheets soaked from sweat. I got up and went into the bathroom to take a bath, where I allowed myself to soak in the warm water. It relaxed me after the tense night of constant nightmares.

When I got out, dried off and dressed, it was still dark outside, so I went downstairs. I made a cup of cocoa for myself and sat in the dimly lit kitchen to drink it. Susan came in just as I was about to take my first sip. I asked her if she'd like some and when she said yes, I got another cup out of the cupboard and divided it up between us. I had brought down two of my new vitamin capsules since I had not taken one yesterday. Susan asked me about them and I told her what they were. She asked if she could try one. I told her that Mother had made me promise not to share any as they could cause her, Judy or Mary to become very sick. "You know that I would give you anything that I have," I said, "but I don't want you to get ill." We sat there in silence, holding hands, and sipping our cocoa, until the first rays of the sun peeked into the kitchen window.

Judy and Mary came into the kitchen to find us still sitting there. They came over to us and we embraced as a group.

Aunt Katherine walked in to find us like that. "Good morning children. It looks like it will be a beautiful day for our drive to visit Liz.. er, your mother."

"Good Morning, Aunt Katherine" we all chorused.

 My sisters unlocked from our embrace and began to prepare breakfast. A whirlwind of activity produced the meal in record time. Aunt Katherine busied herself with the telephone. She carried a book, about the size of a diary, but many times thicker. As she spoke on the phone, she made constant notes. I heard her call our school and inform them of the events, and she told them that we would be out for the remainder of the week. She requested that copies of homework assignments be given to Gina Marcoti so that we could keep up with our schoolwork. She called the car rental agency and arranged for her car to be picked up, as she would use mother's car for the duration of her stay. She was incredibly organized and each call lasted only long enough for the purpose to be achieved. She didn't employ any of the chitchat and social pleasantries that Mother always used when making calls. When breakfast was ready, Judy called to her and she joined us.

While we sat and waited for her to say grace, she started to munch a piece of toast and look at her notes. She suddenly realized that we were staring at her. She stopped eating, and noticing our hands on the edge of the table, put down the toast and folded her own hands. She said, "I'm sorry, too many years of living alone. Judy, would you give the invocation."

 "We thank thee Lord for this thy bounty," Judy stated, then added, "We would like to ask that you look after Mother and speed her recovery, and please look after Daddy. He's with You now. Amen."

"Amen," we all echoed.

As we started to eat, I asked, "Aunt Katherine, I thought that you were married, but you just said that you had spent years alone?"

 "Yes, David. Do you remember about five years ago, that your mother came to visit me for two weeks?"

 "Yes."

 "Well, that was when my husband passed away. I know that my stupid feud with your father prevented any contact with all of you, or even of my name being mentioned openly in this house. It is my own fault and I don't blame your Dad. Anyway, my husband, Gregory Arthur Bliss, 'Gabby' to his friends, because of his initials, not because he talked too much, passed away after being injured at an oil drilling site. Your mother flew down immediately to help me through that darkest period of my life. I loved Gabby fiercely, and have not remarried. I run our little oil drilling company and that keeps me pretty busy."

"How long can you stay with us, Aunt Katherine," I asked.

"I am here to help get you through this terrible chapter in your young lives. We're family and family does for one another. I hope that we can become good friends now that we have been brought back together by this unhappy circumstance. I don't want you to worry. I'll take good care of you until your mother is able to resume the job."

I got up from my chair and went over to her. I put my arms around her neck and hugged her saying, "Thank you, Aunt Katherine, I'm glad that you're here. We need you."

My sisters all came over and joined us in the embrace. When we had straightened back up and returned to our seats, I noticed that Aunt Katherine's eyes were a bit misty.

She took a tissue from her pocket and blew her nose. "It makes me sad," she said, "when I think of what my stubborn pride has kept me from enjoying all these years."

I understood, at that moment, that Aunt Katherine had intense feelings of loneliness in her heart. They were feelings that I recognized well since I shared those same feelings. I felt even closer to her now.  

Within an hour we were on our way to the hospital where mother was. Once there, we were able to look into her room and see her prone form on the bed, but only Judy and Aunt Katherine were permitted inside the room. The nurse said that she was still 'doped up', and would probably be kept like that for several days. She directed us to a small waiting area, and told us that a doctor would be with us shortly. When the doctor arrived, we sat quietly and listened as he talked with Aunt Katherine. He said that the prognosis was good at this time. He firmly believed that she would, in time, make a full recovery. Her broken legs and broken arm should mend properly. The breaks had, fortunately, all been 'clean.' The internal bleeding had been stopped. There did not appear to be any permanent damage to the spinal cord or cranium. Her broken ribs had punctured one lung but it had been re-inflated without difficulty and the ribs would mend. The lacerations had all been treated, many requiring stitches. It would be many days before all the swelling went down and other tests would have to wait until then. Since she was still young, the doctor felt that her basic recovery would be fast, and if no complications arose, she could have visitors in about 5 to 7 days. Full recovery would be at least a year. There would, of course, be scars. But even they were not so bad that a decent plastic surgeon would have any difficulty in making them all but invisible on face, arms, and legs.

We were all very relieved and thanked the doctor. Aunt Katherine asked how long it would be before Mother could be moved. She said that she was sure that Mother was receiving the very best of care, but since we were from out of state, and the trip was a long one, it would be easier on the family if she could be transported to our home town hospital, as soon as it was safe and reasonable. The doctor said that he understood completely and that she could be safely moved in about two weeks, barring any complications of course. Aunt Katherine thanked the doctor, and told him that Mother should receive anything she required. Money was no object; Mother must have the best care.

We drove to the State Police barracks after leaving the hospital. Aunt Katherine had a conference with an investigator while we sat in a waiting area. When we left, she told us that the drunk that had rammed the car was still in jail because he was unable to make the bail that had been set at a hundred thousand dollars. Our car, the trooper car, and the truck, had all been taken to an impound lot as evidence. Since a State Trooper witnessed the accident, and the man's blood alcohol level was three times the allowable limit, my sisters wouldn't have to testify because of their ages. Conviction was, of course, certain. Father's body would be sent to a funeral home in our hometown today in preparation for burial. The funeral home would make most of the arrangements. The obituary would appear in this evening's paper although everybody in town already knew about it. Because of the 'sensational' news of the crash, pictures of the accident scene had appeared on the front page of our hometown paper.

The wake for Father was held the next day in two time periods. In the afternoon from one o'clock to three o'clock, and again from seven o'clock to nine o'clock. We, of course, attended both sessions. The number of people who showed up for the afternoon viewing astounded me. The sensational headlines must have reached everybody who had ever purchased a house from father, or had construction work done by him, because I didn't recognize most of the people even though they spoke glowingly of him. The evening viewing looked like a rock concert attendance. I recognized father's employees, and many of his fellow tradesmen, architects and contractors. Aunt Katherine spent a great deal of time talking with people and collecting business cards.

 The next day, we attended the funeral mass, and the church was filled to overflowing. The Thursday service was reminiscent of a holiday service, where everybody makes a point of attending even though they may not go every Sunday.  Father John spoke so well of my father that I started to weep again even though I had thought my tears to be ended by now. He told of construction work that Father had performed for the church over the years at no charge, and what a fine man, good husband, father, and friend he had been. He said that his passing will leave a large void in our community, but he knows that father is with God now and we will all carry on until we join him again someday. The funeral procession to the cemetery must have stretched out for a mile. After the burial, we returned to the house. Family friends flocked back with us bringing assorted dishes of food. For the next several hours, the house was filled with visitors, then all had departed and the house returned to silence once again.

On Friday, we somberly settled into a kind of limbo. Gina Marcoti had brought our homework assignments and we spent the day studying and catching up. It was good to get our minds off the events of the past week. Aunt Katherine left in the morning and said that she would return at dinnertime. She had to meet with a lawyer and tie-up a number of loose ends. My sisters prepared dinner that evening, and all was ready when Aunt Katherine got home. The timeliness and quality of the food preparation surprised her. Judy explained that on weekends, the sisters always cooked the meals and cleaned the kitchen. After dinner, Aunt Katherine rose to assist with cleanup but my sisters shooed her and I out of the kitchen. This was their job and they were sure that we had other things to do. Aunt Katherine went into the living room and started working on papers that she was carrying in her briefcase. I went upstairs to read.

I chose 'Hamlet' thinking that it would take my mind off things, but the violence in the book repelled me. I went to my bookcase and scanned the titles. I was aghast. I had never before realized how much violence was recorded in my small library. All the 'classics' were ripe with violent episodes. I finally settled on a non-fiction book about whales. But in the first chapter, they showed pictures of the 'gentle giants of the deep' being harpooned and ripped apart for oil and other products. I put the book back in the bookcase and took out my chessboard. I set the men according to layouts in a book that I had about famous chess games and then worked on solutions by trying different moves. A knock at my door interrupted my thoughts and when I said, "Come in" Aunt Katherine appeared.

At my invitation, she sat on my bed. She looked around and said, "It looks like you got the smallest bedroom."

"Well, since I don't have anybody to share it with, it makes sense that the larger rooms would go to my parents and sisters."

"David, I hope that you can come visit with me, for a while, in Texas. Would you like that?"

I thought about it for a few seconds and replied, "Yes, Aunt Katherine, I'd love to come visit you sometime."

 "That's wonderful, honey. I spoke with your teacher today. She told me what a wonderful student you are. Almost straight A's in all your subjects. Just a B+ in history, but your recent work and weekly test scores have raised that to an A even though it will not be posted until final report cards. She said that under the extenuating circumstances, she would go along with a recommendation to allow you to finish the school year a little early and still receive all A's on your final report card."

"What do you mean a 'little early.'"

"Well, normally you finish around June 20^th. Instruction is actually completed by mid-May with the rest of the time allocated to review, testing, grading, and end-of-school-year activities such as graduations and things. Your school has said that because of your excellent academic record you could leave on May 20^th with a final grade of all A's. Isn't that wonderful?"

"Yes. I guess so. But why would I want to leave early?"

"So that you could come with me to Texas."

I stared at her for a minute, and said, "I thought that you were going to stay until Mother had recovered?"

"Sweetheart, I said that I am going to take care of you until your mother is able to resume the job, but that won't be for about a year. Maybe less, but maybe more. I have a business to run just like your Daddy had a business, and I have to get back to tend to that business. I just can't stay for a year, much as I would like to. Now, what I would like to do is spend the next several weeks getting your Daddy's business affairs taken care of. Since there is no one in the family to take it over, the best thing to do is sell it while it is still a viable commodity with a staff of employees. Do you agree?"

I thought it out and had to concur. There was nobody to run the business now. It was best to sell it as a going company. I nodded.

"Then if your sisters agree, we'll do it. We don't want to bother your mother with such matters, and I know that she'd agree anyway. Then, in three weeks, you and I will travel to my home in Texas."

"What about my sisters?"

"I'm getting to that, sweetheart. Mr. & Mrs. Marcoti have agreed to let the girls stay with them for a month until the end of school. Then they will join us in Texas. About that same time, your mother can be flown down to a local hospital. By then she'll be strong enough to make the trip. That way, we'll all be together and you can all be near your mother while she recuperates. How's that sound?"

The last part sounded terrific. "Why can't I just stay here until my sisters go down?"

"The Marcotis would love to have you but their house is a bit small. Since you're a boy, it would impose too many difficulties. They're very sorry. They don't want to see you four split up as they know how close you all are, but it will only be for a month. Think of it as a trip to camp. And you'll still have your Aunt Kathy nearby."

I knew that Aunt Katherine was doing the best that she could for us. We had to understand that she had duties and obligations other than us. I told her that while I wished I could stay, I understood the reasons for what she was saying, and I would go with her, as she was requesting.

She hugged me and said, "I knew that you would agree, your mother always tells me how bright and supportive you are. I am just trying to do what's best for all of us. Let's go talk to your sisters now. I wanted to discuss it with you first, because it will have the biggest impact on you."

My sisters were reluctant at first. Having just lost my father, and with Mother in a hospital, the further erosion of the family frightened them. But my agreement with the plan ultimately swayed them. They realized that it would not happen for three more weeks and there would only be about a month of separation before we were all reunited.

That weekend we traveled up to New York and got motel rooms near Mother's hospital. Mother was still taking heavy pain medication but was awake. When she saw us come into her room, she started crying and we started crying too. We wanted to hug and kiss her but had been warned in advance that her broken ribs would not permit it. We had to settle for lightly kissing her face and squeezing her right hand. Her other arm had been broken and was in a cast. She was physically a mess, but we told her she looked wonderful to us. We were being sincere, as we had thought a week earlier that she might not live.

The hospital staff had filled her in on what had happened. Aunt Katherine had been calling every day and leaving encouraging messages and passing on get-well sentiments from friends. Mother's private room was filled with flowers and get well cards. She started crying again when we told her about the wake and the funeral. She had not yet fully come to grips with Father's death. We tried to do what we could to cheer her up. When the nurse came in and said that the time was up, Aunt Katherine asked us to step outside so that she could discuss a few important matters with mother. She had her briefcase with her, and after we said goodbye to mother and told her that we would return tomorrow, she opened it as we walked out of the room. We waited outside until Aunt Katherine came out. We left the hospital and looked for a restaurant. We ate dinner in silence. It had only been six days since the accident, and seeing Mother's condition had brought the memories of it flooding back into our minds.

After dinner we returned to the motel. In Aunt Katherine's room, we held a family meeting. She told us that Mother had signed a 'power of attorney' naming her as agent in all legal matters on mother's behalf. An attorney had drawn up the papers. Over the next several weeks, she intended to sell all the assets of father's company and the company itself. I asked her if she was aware of the big land deal that father had just arranged. She said that she was. Father had left very good notes and she'd found the contracts. She had also spoken with father's attorney about the matter. In addition, she had found numerous deeds and contracts in Father's safe at his office. A number of contractors had left their cards with her at the wake and she intended to invite them to tender offers for the company, land deals, and building contracts. She would also solicit offers from other large construction companies on the East Coast. After we moved out of our house it would be placed with a realtor to be rented out until Mother decided its disposition. A very good law firm had been engaged to file suit against the company that owned the truck, their insurance carrier, and the drunken driver himself. Aunt Katherine had been busy and she appeared to have matters well in hand. The next day, we returned to the hospital and were able to spend a full hour with Mother before being chased out by the nurse. We told her that we would be back next weekend, kissed her, squeezed her hand, and left.

Mother was transported to nearby St. Augustine's Hospital on Tuesday May 3^rd. We had seen her on Saturday and Sunday again and now would be able to see her every night. The doctor told us that we were the best medicine for her. So every night, at seven o'clock we walked into her hospital room. Since her friends wanted to visit, and only so many were allowed at a time, she told everybody else that evenings were only for her children and sister, and begged them to come during the afternoon hours. One of her visitors was Dr. Clark, who had been away to a medical conference the weekend of the accident and had only learned of it when mother was admitted to the hospital. She visited Mother every time she was in the hospital, which was about five times a week. Because she was a doctor, she could visit during non-visitation hours when there was no competition for Mother's attention, and her time with Mother draw them closer in friendship. Mother told her that I would be traveling to Texas in a few weeks and would not be here for the six-month checkup. Dr. Clark asked her to have Aunt Katherine bring me in just before we left, for a quick checkup.

May 4^th was my birthday and we brought a small cake to the hospital so that we could celebrate with Mother. After I blew out the eleven candles, Mother gave me a small package that Judy had wrapped. When I opened it, I saw the small gold cross and delicate chain that Mother had lent to Darla Anne to wear. She said, "I haven't been able to do much shopping lately. I'm sorry but this little token is all I have to offer for your birthday."

"I love it," I said. "I can't imagine a nicer present. Thank you Mommy, I love you."

"And I love you honey. Happy Birthday. I promise that for your next birthday I'll be up and walking around."

"That would even be a better present that the one that you've given me today." Then we all had a piece of the small cake.

The next weeks were a blur of activity. I studied extra hard to make sure that there wouldn't be any problems with my final grades. We chose to pack up all personal belongings in the house and ship them to my aunt's home in Texas. We expected to be there for at least a year and wanted our things around us. We packed all of Fathers things so that Mother would be able to decide what she wanted to keep or discard, when she was fit again. When we were done, the house was stripped of personal items except for the clothes and things that my sisters would require for their final month here. Rather than tax the limited space at the Marcoti's house, many of the remaining possessions would stay here and the girls could come retrieve it as it was needed, and leave items that were not needed. It was like having an enormous suitcase that you could pop under the bed when you were through. A shipping company would pick up the few remaining boxes just before the girls left to join us in Texas. The already packed items would be picked up a week before Aunt Katherine and I left, so I had to keep a week's worth of clothes out when we finally sealed the boxes. 

On Monday, May 16^th, the shipping company picked up our boxes of possessions. Friday was my last day at school so I went around at recess and said goodbye to all of my classmates. The yard warden even permitted me to walk around, unrestricted, on the girl's side to say goodbye to my female classmates. When school let out, I stayed behind, while my sisters waited outside the school, to say goodbye to my teacher and thank her for her considerations. She said that I had earned everything I received as grades and that she, and my past teachers, had been lucky to have such a wonderful pupil in their classes. We hugged and parted. She wished me good luck in all my studies, and in my life. I joined my sisters and we walked home. It was our last walk home together from St. James School and we thought of it as a sad journey. They would be walking this route for four more weeks, while I would be in Texas.  

The next day, Aunt Katherine took me to see Dr. Clark for my checkup. Dr. Clark ushered me in after greeting me as David. This was the first time that I had appeared as David to her. She had me strip down and began to fill out a form. She weighed me, measured my height, head size, neck, chest, waist, hip, and foot size, recording all measurements on her form. She listened to my heart and lungs. Looked into my eyes, ears, nose, and throat. Then she took another blood sample, before telling me to get dressed. As I dressed she asked me if I had been taking the pills each day.

 "Yes, Dr. Clark," I said, "but I'm almost out."

 "That's Okay David, I have a new supply for you. I was going to mail them but after I spoke to your mother and arranged for you to come today, I decided to give them to you while you were here. All dressed? Come sit down with me."

 I sat on a stainless steel stool across from her chair.

"How have you been feeling? I mean physically, not the sadness of your parent's accident."

"I feel fine, Dr. Clark; aside from the depression of my life being turned upside down."

"You've grown about ¼ of an inch and put some weight on in your bottom since you were here five weeks ago."

"I haven't been getting much exercise lately. Just studying and sitting around too much I guess."

"David, has Darla Anne visited lately?"

"No, Dr. Clark. Not since my last checkup."

"Do you still wish that she could stay permanently?"

"Oh, yes. But until Mother is well, I guess that she will have to stay away because Aunt Katherine…. has never met her."

"I see," she said, then looking at her watch, "Well, time for my next patient. Let's go into the office." She gave me a box, which contained my pills. "Your mother and I have become close friends. I'll continue to look in on her at the hospital at every opportunity. Her progress has been wonderful. She'll be ready to travel to Texas as soon as your sisters are finished with school. Take care of yourself, Darla Anne, I hope I get to see you again."

 I smiled at her use of 'Darla Anne.' I told her that I too hoped we would meet again, and I hoped to see her two beautiful daughters again also. We walked out into the waiting room and she said goodbye to Aunt Katherine. She added that the family resemblance between Mother and Aunt Katherine was striking, and beauty must run in the family because all the Drake women were beautiful. She winked at me and I smiled. Her next patient arrived, and we left.

 Aunt Katherine asked me what was in the box and I told her that it was just my vitamins. We drove back home and arrived in time for lunch with my sisters. Gina and Maria Marcoti were there and we invited them to stay for lunch. Meals were a bit limited since most of the kitchen items had been packed and sent to Texas, but we made out. After Aunt Katherine and I left tomorrow morning, my sisters would pack up the rest of the kitchen and take their meals at the Marcoti house. We spent the afternoon together with Gina and Maria. Aunt Katherine was taking us out to dinner so we said our good-byes when the girls left at 5:30. I hugged and kissed Maria and told her that I would miss her. Then I hugged and kissed Gina and told her the same. She bent down and whispered in my ear, "You're my woman. I own you, and don't you forget it." Then she kissed me on the lips and smiled.

I smiled back, and said, so that only she could hear, "Oh Milord, thou art incorrigible." We both giggled and then they left.

The next morning was hectic. We had to finish packing for the trip and rush to catch the plane. Extra clothes, that I would not need right away, were packed to go with the shipper. The goodbye was tearful but we knew we would be together in one month. We left mother's car in the driveway and took a cab. The dealer, who had purchased it, would pick up the car on Monday. My sisters would close up the house and move to the Marcoti's house this afternoon.  I waved to my sisters as the cab pulled away from the house. It reminded me of the times that David had left to take a trip while Darla stayed.

The airplane trip was exciting. We rode on a brand new Boeing 707. It was an enormous plane, and the trip only took a little over four hours. It was still morning in Texas when we arrived and took a cab to the downtown area. It dropped us off at a parking garage. We walked inside and Aunt Katherine led the way to a light blue Cadillac. She opened the trunk and we put out suitcases in. She slammed the lid and we got inside the car. She waved to the attendant at we exited the garage, and he smiled and returned the wave.

We drove for about 30 minutes, then turned into a gated driveway. Aunt Katherine said, "We're here. Home Sweet Home!" I couldn't see a house, but she said that it was just out of sight on top of the mesa. When we reached the summit, the largest house that I had ever seen came into view. It looked more like a hotel, then a home. It was a two story wood frame house with a roof that looked like it housed another story.

We stopped in front, and I half expected to see a staff of servants come running down to the car to greet us. When none came, I asked, "Do you live here all alone?"

She smiled and said, "Yes. Since Gabby passed away. I hire daytime servants as needed. My cleaning lady left just two days before I was summoned to New Jersey. I had just started to interview new help. We'll have to find someone now that we are back."

"Why do you live in such a large house," I asked.

"It was Gabby's inheritance, and we wanted to have a large family, but it wasn't meant to be. We entertained quite often back then, so a large house was nice. We completely gutted the house and remade it inside. We could have visitors stay without being cramped. Come on, I'll give you the tour." We walked up the steps of the enormous porch and while she unlocked the door, I looked at all the rocking chairs, and other furniture arrayed along the porch which ran the length of the house.

As soon as we were inside, she turned to a keypad and punched in a code. Several seconds later the phone rang, and she said, "Yes, I've just returned," into the receiver after she picked it up and listened for a second. "Thank you for checking."

We were standing in an enormous foyer. We put down our suitcases and she led me around the downstairs areas. She showed me to an enormous kitchen at the rear of the house. Many restaurants would be envious I thought. There were four stoves, side by side, in the center of the room, with an enormous hood over them. I saw a walk-in refrigerator, a walk-in freezer, a walk-in pantry, and work counters, with mixers and other devices, ran around all of the walls. This would be heaven to a cook.

Exiting the kitchen through a side door, we walked into a dining room. Six very large, round tables, each with eight chairs, occupied the room and a head table with ten chairs reigned over the area. A quick count told me that a party of fifty-eight could be seated very comfortably, and many more if other chairs were added.

Off of the dining room was a sitting room that contained half a dozen couches and two dozen chairs, in intimate clusters.

A ballroom, complete with a small stage, came next.

We crossed the foyer and entered a barroom that had a twenty-foot mahogany bar, and a back bar with full mirrors and shelves full of different liquor bottles. Beer taps stood prominently mounted on the back of the bar, waiting to serve patrons with three different brands of beer. Half a dozen poker tables filled most of this room. There was a regulation-sized pool table as well.

She led me down a hallway and showed me a sewing room that resembled a tailor's shop, an office with a copy machine, conference table, and two desks holding a half-dozen telephones, and then an enormous library filled with wall-mounted bookcases that extended from floor to ceiling. The bookcases were filled with books. My eyes glazed over a little in ecstasy as I scanned the titles. This library rivaled the ones found in some small New Jersey villages. She said, "Well that's the highlights for this floor. Let's go upstairs."

We returned to the foyer and walked up a large circular staircase. At the top, halls extended in three directions. We walked straight ahead and turned into the first doorway on the left. We walked in and I saw the boxes that I had packed with the things from my bedroom. Aunt Katherine said, "I instructed them to put your things in here for now. I'm sorry, this is one of the smaller bedrooms, but it is the only one that is somewhat masculine. I'm afraid that I have decorated most of the bedrooms with a feminine look."

One of the smaller bedrooms, I thought to myself. This bedroom was as large as my sisters' bedroom, my parent's bedroom, and my bedroom all put together. I walked around and spotted another door. I thought that it probably led to an adjoining room, like they do in hotels. But instead I found a full bathroom. Just inside the door of the bathroom, was a door to a clothes closet that was larger than my old bedroom. I walked back outside and said "Aunt Katherine, it's wonderful. Thank you."

She smiled and said, "Good, I'm glad that you're happy with it. Would you do me a favor?"

"Anything," I said.

"Please stop calling me Aunt Katherine. I think that we've become close enough to be a little less formal."

"Of course. What would you like me to call you?"

"How about 'Aunt Kathy' or just 'Auntie.'"

"Okay, Auntie."

"Much better. Now come on, I'll show you the rest of the floor."

She put out her hand for me and I took it. She led me back into the hallway and we retraced our steps, and walked into the hallway that's on the left when you get to the top of the stairs. There were five doors in this wing. We stopped at the first door on the right. When she opened it, I saw a bedroom even larger than mine. It was decorated in a feminine motif as she had indicated. The next door on the right opened to a similarly sized bedroom but with a different color scheme. Then we walked directly across the hall from that bedroom and she opened the door to another bedroom. This one was feminine to the extreme. We entered and walked around. She had a sad and wistful expression on her face so I knew that this room was special.

"It's absolutely beautiful, Auntie," I said. "Did you decorate it yourself?"

"Yes, I had hoped that I would have a daughter. It was to be for her. I would have given you this room, but I thought that its feminine look would probably upset you. Gabby hated anything feminine. The bar downstairs was his idea of the perfect room."

I smiled and she smiled back. I walked over to a door that I assumed to be the bathroom and opened it. It was a hallway. On the left was another door and upon opening it I found a walk-in closet almost as large as my new bedroom. In fact, closet did not really describe it; it was more like a clothes room. Clothes racks and shelves lined the walls and two rows of clothes closets and shoe closets extended from floor to ceiling, in the middle of the room. If anybody had enough clothes to fill this place, then they would never have to wear the same outfit twice. The other door in the hallway led to the bathroom, and what a bathroom. A circular tub that could almost be considered a small swimming pool was the highlight of the room. A double sink counter, shower, toilet, bidet, makeup counter, and a couch filled the rest of the room.

 I walked back into the bedroom and looked at Aunt Kathy, "This would have made your daughter very happy. Any girl would feel like a fairy princess in this bedroom. It's wonderful, and you've decorated it so beautifully." I walked over and ran my hand over the bedspread on the king-sized canopy bed.

Aunt Kathy looked at me and said, "Do you really think so?"

"Absolutely, if Gabby didn't like then it was his loss."

"Thank you David. I put my heart and soul into designing and decorating this room. You're one of the few to even see it since it was completed. I come in here sometimes to just daydream about what might have been. I so badly wanted a daughter to share things with. Your mother has been so fortunate to have you children. I have been so envious, for such a long time." She walked over to me and hugged me. "I'm really glad that you're here now. I've been so lonely out here. Thank you for coming."

"It's me that should be thanking you. You dropped everything and rushed to help us when we needed you. Thank you, Auntie. I love you."

She took a tissue out of her pocket and dabbed at her eyes. "Come on, on with the tour."

The next door in the hallway was a large walk-in closet with cleaning supplies and clean towels and linen. At the rear of the closet was another door. I asked where that went, and she said that it was the access to the attic. "A lot of dusty memorabilia and old clothes. It was Gabby's ancestor's old stuff." The last door in the hallway was her bedroom door. When we entered, I felt like we were in a small auditorium. The giant circular bed was lost in the beautiful bedroom, which was wonderfully feminine and soft in its decor. Several couches, chairs, and tables were scattered around the room. Her bathroom and closets dwarfed the ones that I had just looked at. The old cliché about everything being bigger in Texas were certainly true in this house.

We walked down the hallway and she showed me the rooms in the other wings. The first room, in the wing on the right, was an eat-in kitchen. Much larger that our kitchen at home, it was but a miniature of the one downstairs. It was fully stocked with food including fresh fruit and vegetables. She said that this was where she ate and prepared her meals. The one downstairs was really only for parties, except for when she really felt in a mood to cook. Her secretary had brought fresh food when she had come to let the shipping company move the boxes in. Next in the hallway was a set of double doors. I assumed it to be some kind of closet but when she opened them I saw a full sized elevator. She said that she rarely used it, but was inspected once each year to keep it in good working condition.

The rest of the floor was dedicated to bedrooms. They were all about the size of the second and third rooms that we had looked at, and each having a private bath. The exception was the end room in the right wing. That was the one at the opposite side of the house from Auntie's. That room was double the size of the others. I counted a total of eight separate bedrooms, in addition to the four in Auntie's wing. Auntie said, "Well that's it, except for the basement, garages, stables, and aircraft hanger. The ranch is comprised of about ten thousand acres. We are at the front of the property here. The road that we came on is our boundary."

"Ten THOUSAND acres?" I asked.

She looked at me and said, "Oh David, out here that's a hobby ranch. And I lease most of it to my neighbors for their farming and ranching operations. We only have about a thousand for ourselves. The rents pay for all the taxes on the property and give us a decent profit too. Well, I have to put the car away. The sun is murder on paint finishes down here. Then I'm going to take a nice hot bath and soak for a while. Why don't you start unpacking some of your stuff and organize your room? Feel free to move the furniture around to suit you if it's not placed to your liking."

"Okay, Auntie. Thank you."

She left to move the car and I went to my bedroom. 

I started carrying the boxes into my walk-in closet. When they were all arrayed along the walkway, I started to open them and store the contents. Hanging clothes were hung on the racks and folded clothes went into the built in drawers. I put my games, and books on the shelves. One box contained the feminine clothes that Mother had given me. I put all those things in the bottom drawer furthest from the door, along with my makeup and jewelry. My pink skirt & blouse were concealed inside a winter coat that was zipped up. The only clue was the extra hanger that hung over the bar and disappeared into the coat. I wore the delicate gold chain around my neck. Since Auntie had already seen it, there was no need for concealment. After storing everything, I cut the tape on the boxes and folded them flat, like they had been when we had picked them up from the shipping company.

I walked down to the kitchen and got an apple. I munched on it as I retraced much of our earlier tour, bypassing Auntie's rooms, of course, so that I would not disturb her in her bath. I again explored the beautiful rooms that Auntie had intended for her daughter. I marveled at the workmanship in the clothing room. The built in racks for shoes, boots, and hats intrigued me. I looked at the shelves that extended all the way to the ceiling. A ladder like the one that you see in libraries, ran along a rail mounted a couple of feet below the ten-foot high ceiling. All the rows were equipped with the rail and the ladder could be lifted off and put on any of the others. There was a full-length mirror mounted on one wall that opened to reveal another panel that contained a mirror. When that was opened, three full-length mirrors allowed someone to view himself or herself from almost any perspective. The mirrors that swung out were like wings and could be set to any angle.

I left the clothes room after learning most of its secrets, and walked into the bathroom. I had heard of bidets but had never seen one, so I spent a few minutes examining this one. The bathtub was marvelous. There was enough room for an adult to stretch out on the bottom without touching the sides. I resolved to ask Auntie, after we had lived together for a while, if I could try it out. The makeup table had rows of lights around the mirror. A switch on the side of the table turned them on. It wasn't actually a table. It was more like a desk. It had a row of drawers extending down either side of the leg opening. The drawers were only about five inches high and there were six of them on each side. When I opened them I was surprised to find them filled with makeup. Lipsticks and nail polishes of every imaginable color. Foundation, blushes, mascara, cremes, and facial items filled the drawers. I found nail clippers, files and emery boards, tweezers, and eyelash shapers. In short, everything that a girl would need to get made up. I turned off the light, and went to the sinks. There were two sinks mounted on one counter so that two people could wash at the same time.

 I turned off the lights and left the bathroom. As I exited the short hallway into the bedroom, I saw Auntie coming into the bedroom. I thought that she might be upset about my invading this special room so I said, "I hope that you're not too angry, Auntie, I was just looking around again."

 "Oh David, I'm not angry. I was coming in because I thought that I may have left the lights on earlier. This is your home now too. You can go anywhere in it. I do expect you to respect the privacy of my bedroom, and I will respect yours as well."

"Of course, Auntie."

Spotting the apple core in my hand, she said, "I see that you've been eating. Are you still hungry?"

"Yes Auntie, I only had one apple."

"Come on then, I'll fix us some lunch."

We walked to the second floor kitchen and I sat at the table while Auntie made some ham and cheese sandwiches. She brought them over, along with a container of milk and two glasses. We talked the whole time that she was preparing the food, and in between bites and drinks. She told me about her and Mother growing up. I had never heard the stories, since Mother was not allowed to mention her name in our house. It was the only thing that I ever knew Father to be totally unreasonable about. I repeated this thought aloud to Auntie.

"I have to take most of the blame, David," she said. "I really caused the argument when I told your mother that your dad would not be a fit husband. I even tried to split them up. I was convinced that your dad would never be a good husband, father, or provider. I was totally wrong on all counts and I am very ashamed. I further compounded the error by refusing to attend their wedding. It hurt your mother deeply. She wanted me to be her maid of honor. Your father took it as the final insult, and forbid your mother to ever mention my name in their house. When their marriage proved successful, I should have swallowed my pride and begged his forgiveness. But I kept procrastinating, and wound up cheating myself out of a relationship with a beautiful and loving family. I am so sorry that I can't fully put it into words. Your mother and I corresponded regularly, and she sent me pictures of you children growing up. I'll show you the albums sometime. I would occasionally dream that it was my family. As I told you before, I have been very envious of your mother at times. I'm so happy that you're here with me now. And soon, your sisters and mother will be here. This old house will finally have a family in it again. At least, for as long as it takes for your mother to fully recuperate."

"I am very happy to be here Auntie. I too, am sorry that you were absent from our family for so long. Daddy was a good father. My sisters and I loved him with all our hearts. The love that he shared with Mommy was obvious. They were always kissing, hugging and joking around. We shall miss him tremendously."

"You're father was also an acute businessman, David. The deal that he put together just before the accident, will bring in a substantial sum of money. With the sale of his business and the other assets, your family will be secure for life. A father could not want for more than to make sure that his family was provided for in the event of his death. The lawsuits against the drunk driver, his company, and the insurance carrier should easily pay for all of your mother's very considerable health expenses." She changed the subject then to avoid our getting too melancholy, and told me story after story about her short life with Gabby. He sounded wonderful, and I was going to say that I wished I could have met him but decided against it because it would lead to thoughts of lost family years again. Instead I told Auntie stories about we kids growing up. It turned out that she had heard many of them already. I had had no idea that she and Mother had been in such close communication over the years.

After several hours of talking, we walked downstairs. She said that she had a surprise for me. She took me into a room, next to the barroom, that we had not seen earlier. It looked like a small movie theatre, and she said that that was exactly what it was. It could also project television images onto the screen. So she turned it on and we watched some local programming. At six o'clock, we called the Marcoti's and spoke with my sisters to tell them that we had arrived safely. I told them about the plane ride and about the beautiful home than Aunt Kathy has. After spending twenty minutes on the phone with them, we wrapped up our call by telling them how much we loved them and wishing them good luck with their schoolwork. Then we called mother's hospital room to tell her of our safe arrival. Aunt Kathy and I spent another twenty minutes talking to her before we expressed our love, and our desire to be together again soon, then hung up.

Auntie prepared a dinner for us, and after she cleaned the kitchen we went to the little theatre and she showed me how to put on a 16mm movie. We watched an Alfred Hitchcock movie about a man who, quite innocently, got tangled up with spies and almost wound up falling off of Mount Rushmore. It was a great movie, full of romance, suspense, and action. We rewound the reels and stored the movie, then headed up to bed. At my door she kissed me on my cheek and said that she just wanted to tell me again how happy she was to have me there. I hugged her, kissed her and told her how happy I was to be here. Then we retired to our bedrooms. I guess that I was really tired, because I had almost no sooner climbed under the covers then I was asleep.

I slept soundly that night. In the morning I couldn't recall any dreams. That was most unusual. I arose from bed, went to my bathroom and took care of urgent business, then washed, brushed, and dressed. Auntie was in the kitchen when I walked in. She was cooking bacon and eggs. She brought me a plate and some toast, and I dug in. After breakfast she told me that she had to go to her office, and asked if I would be Okay by myself. I said that I would be fine. She gave me the telephone numbers of her office and her car phone, showed me the codes for the security alarm, and how to summon help in an emergency. Then she kissed me goodbye, said that she would be home at six o'clock, and left.

I wandered around the house again, exploring the first floor. When I had finished, I felt that I had a good feel for the layout. I went to the library and spent some time looking at the titles. After a couple of hours, I started to feel a little bored and lonely, so I went up to my bedroom. I lay down on the bed and thought about what I should do. Then I remembered the makeup supplies that Mother had given me. Since Aunt Kathy would not be back for hours, I decided to experiment. I took all the facial makeup and went into the princess bathroom. I started practicing applying the makeup. At first, the results were terrible. I wiped it off and started again. Then again and again and again. By late afternoon I had started to get the hang of it. I took it a step further, and borrowing some things from the makeup desk, I worked on my eyes. Mother had said that a young girl does not wear eye makeup but I saw no harm in practicing its application. After a number of attempts, my work started to look passable. I was very pleased with the face that looked back at me. Glancing at the time, I realized that I must start to clean up. Auntie would be home within an hour. I removed all vestiges of the makeup and put everything away. Then I double-checked to make sure that I did not leave any sign of make-up on my face, neck, ears, or hair. I lay down on my bed and started looking through the book that I had brought up from the library.

Auntie arrived home at exactly six o'clock. She immediately started supper and called me when it was ready. She had stopped and picked up a cooked chicken, and then cooked a package of frozen peas and frozen french fries. The chicken was rubbery, but edible. As we ate, she told me about the things that she had done today and whom she had seen. I was amazed at the number of things that she had accomplished. She asked me about my day. I told her that I had explored a little and now felt comfortable that I knew the layout of the house. Then I told her that I had spent some time in the library and I told her about the book that I was reading. After she cleaned the kitchen, we went downstairs and watched some TV until bedtime. When we later climbed the stairs to the second floor, she kissed me goodnight. I reciprocated and then we each went to our bedrooms. I brushed my teeth and examined my face. I saw that I would have to pluck my eyebrows again. They had not been done in the weeks since Susan had done it. I went to the princess bathroom, got a tweezer, and returned to my bathroom.

I wanted to pluck them tonight so that the redness would be gone by morning. After I was finished, I examined the job, and satisfied, I went to bed.

The next morning I arose and went to the kitchen after taking care of my bathroom needs. Auntie was there already, dressed for work, and making pancakes. As I started to eat, she said that she had a very early appointment. She told me just to leave my dish in the sink and she would clean up when she got home. She kissed me and hurried out. I heard the front door close a few minutes later. I finished my breakfast and put my dish in the sink. Then I stopped and looked at it. I thought that since I had nothing to do, I might at well wash the dishes and clean the kitchen. As I started to put on an apron, I decided that Darla Anne would be better doing this 'women's' work.

 I went to my bedroom, got my clothes and cosmetics, and went into the princess bathroom. I took a bubble bath and shampooed my hair.  I felt wonderful when I started to get dressed. I put on a new pair of the panties that Mother had purchased for me, then the panty girdle to hide my little secret. The girdle was tighter than I remembered, then I thought about my last checkup. Dr. Clark had said that I had put on weight in my bottom. After I hooked up the waist nipper part of the girdle, I looked at myself in the mirror. The extra weight that I had put on gave me quite a shape when added to the special padding of the girdle. My bigger hips made my waist appear to be smaller. I put on the padded training bra and reached my arms behind me to clip it. I looked at myself and saw that my lack of exercise was giving me a flabby chest as well as a bigger bottom. The excess flab was being squeezed into the cups of the bra giving me the appearance of tiny, budding breasts. After rolling a pair of nylons up my legs and attached them to the garters, I put on my tight half-slip and camisole, then slipped on my pink pumps. I looked at myself in the mirror and thought, so far, so good.

 I used the curling iron that I found in a makeup table drawer to curl my hair as Mother had done for me. Then I applied my makeup and applied my pink finger nail polish. After two perfect coats and a clear coat had dried, I examined my nails. They looked quite good. In the five weeks since my sisters had first worked on them, I had let them grow and been careful not to break them or damage them. Also I had continued to file and shape them with a file that Susan had given me. I got up and put on my blouse and skirt, applied my pink lipstick, and let my gold cross and chain dangle outside my blouse. Then I stood up and went into the clothes room to look at myself in the triple view mirror. I looked at myself from every angle and said, "Darla Anne, you are one hot looking girl." I giggled to myself for my lack of humility. Then I went back into the bathroom and picked up my wristwatch and bracelets. I had not put them on yet because I was going to be washing the dishes. I had found some bottles of perfume in one of the drawers so I sprayed a little and walked into it.

I walked to the kitchen, donned an apron and washed the dishes. Then I cleaned the table and wiped down the chairs, and finishing up by sweeping the floor. I looked around and was pleased with the tidiness of the room, so I removed the apron and put on my wristwatch and bracelets. I went down to the library and selected a romance novel that had caught my eye yesterday, Taking the book, I went to the sitting room where I curled up on one of the couches beneath a window and read for several hours, until I started to fell hungry. I looked at my watch and seeing that it was noon, I went to the kitchen and fixed myself a lettuce sandwich. I was concerned about the flab that I was developing, so I contented myself with just the sandwich and an apple.

After lunch I returned to the sitting room and read until four o'clock. I book-marked my page and got up to go upstairs to change back to David. Aunt Kathy would be home in two hours and it would take me at least an hour to clean up and change. I left the sitting room and walked to the foyer to climb the circular staircase to the second floor. As I reached for the stairway railing, I realized that I was not alone. Aunt Kathy was standing by the front door, eyeing me warily. With a sharp edge in her voice she said, "Who are you and what are you doing in my house." I didn't know how to respond, and I just stood there trembling.  She said, "Speak up, I say. Who are you? Where's my nephew?"

"It's me, Auntie."

Her jaw dropped when she heard my voice. Her hand flew to her mouth. After a minute of staring at me she said, "Come into the parlor," and she led the way to the room that I had been calling the sitting room.

She walked over near a window and turned to watch me as I walked towards her. I hung my head as I stopped in front of her. She walked all around me as I stood there. She touched my hair, waist, and hips, and then put her hand on my back and felt the bra straps. She said, "Walk over to that end of the room and then back." I did as she instructed. "You not only look like a women," she said, "you walk like one as well. I'm surprised that I didn't notice it before. Now sit down and tell me why you're wearing your sister's clothes. She indicated a chair that I should sit in so I walked to it, smoothed my skirt, sat gently down, and crossed my legs. She sat across from me. I launched into my story, telling her of the Monopoly game and how my sisters had dressed me in their clothes. I told her about mother finding me like that and carrying on the game for the rest of the day and into the next. She interrupted then saying, "Okay, your sisters dressed you and your mother got mischievous and extended it for the weekend. Why are you dressed like that now, your sisters are two thousand miles away?"

"Well… that was the best weekend of my life. Daddy was still alive, Mother was healthy, my sisters had a lot of fun playing dress-up with their live doll, and I got more attention than I had ever had before. I loved being one of the girls. But Daddy said that I had to be back as David on Monday morning. Before then, my parents had had each other, and my sisters had each other, but I didn't have anybody. I mean, I had my parents and my sisters, but nobody to really share things with. Do you know what I mean? In a house full of people, I felt lonely. I know that you know what loneliness is. I've seen it in your eyes.

"Anyway, being alone today, I wanted to relive those happy days of being with my sisters and mother. I didn't expect you to come home so early."

"I'm not early. It's 6:15."

I looked at my wristwatch. I said, "My watch says 4:15." Then we both realized my mistake at the same time. When I had adjusted my watch for the time difference, I had set it wrong. I was thinking that this time zone was two hours less that East Coast time, so I had set it two hours less then the clock on the wall. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. I said, "I guess that it's true what they say about us blondes."  I started laughing at my mistake and this caused Auntie to laugh as well.

Just then the front doorbell rang. Auntie got up and said, "Wait here, I'll see who it is." She was gone for some time. I heard voices in the hall, and after about a half an hour, Auntie came walking in to the parlor with a much older woman. She was saying, "why don't you have a seat. I'll just put some water on for the tea."

The older lady spotted me immediately and said, "And who is this pretty, young lady?"

Aunt Kathy turned suddenly to look at me. She had apparently forgotten that I was in here. She stammered out, "P..p..pretty young lady? Th.. This is my ……niece."

I stood up and said, "Hello, I'm Darla. Darla Anne Drake. I'm visiting Aunt Kathy."

"Uh, Darla, this is Mrs. Moore," Auntie said.

"Mrs. Moore, I'm very pleased to meet you."

"And I'm pleased to meet you Miss Drake."

"Darla Anne, please"

"Very well, and you must call me Mabel."

"Thank you, Mabel."

"Kathy, why didn't you tell me that you had such a charming niece. Shame on you for keeping her hidden away up here in this monstrosity that you call a house."

"Now Mabel, you know that my little house is like a cottage compared to yours." They both laughed. I just smiled. Since I had never seen Mabel's house, I did not have a point of reference.

"Why don't I put on the water while you two talk," I said. "Excuse me for a minute." I walked into the large kitchen and in a few minutes had located the teakettle and had it heating on the stove. I then found the tea, honey, milk and some sugar cookies. I also located a teapot, tray, cups, saucers, spoons and a small dish for the cookies. I arranged the cookies on the dish, and waited for the kettle to finish heating. As soon as it started to whistle, I made the tea. I put the teapot on the tray with the other things, and carried it into the parlor where I placed the tray on the coffee table near Auntie and Mabel. I poured the tea and handed each a saucer with a cup and spoon. I placed the milk carafe and honey container where they could use them, and put the cookies within reach.

"Thank you, dear," Mabel said. "Come sit down with me and help me convince your Aunt to join our cause." I smoothed my skirt as I sat on the couch near Mabel. I leaned back, crossed my legs, and put my hands on my lap. I know that Auntie was watching me closely.

"Mabel," Auntie said, "You know that I agree with the basic premise of your group. But some of your members are a little too fanatical for my tastes."

"Darla Anne," Mabel said, "I belong to an organization that wants more consideration paid to the environment here in Texas. Too many farm owners, oil producers, and ranchers have little or no regard for the land, even though that land gives them their living. They plunder, pillage and destroy the very resources they seek to profit by. It's done out of stupidity and greed. We're having a fundraiser to send a delegation to Washington to see about getting some reform laws enacted. If the wrongdoers won't take care of the land voluntarily then we will legislate them into taking care of it."

"Mabel, I can't openly join your group because of the circles that I do business in, but I will support your platform as best that I can from behind the scenes," Auntie said.

"Well," Mabel said, "not what I was hoping for, but I understand your position. We know that you're one of the 'caring' oil drilling companies, and that you work hard to avoid unnecessary damage to the land that work on, so our members will support you as well."

"Thank you," said Auntie, "I'm still interested in those oil rights on your big ranch upstate."

Mabel laughed. "Maybe one on these days, Kathy" she said.

Changing the subject, she said to me, "Darla Anne, tell me about yourself. Where do you live? How old are you? That sort of thing."

"At the moment," I said, "I'm living here, but I come from New Jersey. I'm eleven years old."  I paused for a few seconds while trying to decide how much I should say.

"Darla Anne's parents, my sister and brother-in-law, were involved in a terrible accident several weeks ago," Aunt Kathy said. "Her mother is hospitalized, and will be for some time, and her father was killed. They were the victims of a drunk driver." She went on to tell Mabel all the details of the accident.

I began to weep as I relived the tragic day. I hadn't thought about it for several days, and now the emotions came flooding back. Mabel slid over to me and hugged me, saying "Oh, you poor dear. So young to have such tragedy in your life."  She held me and gave me a tissue that I used to wipe away my tears.

Then she pushed me away to arm length and said, "Do you know what I do when I'm sad, I pamper myself. I have an appointment at my hairdresser's tomorrow morning and I want you to come with me. You really do need a haircut. You have such beautiful hair, just like your Aunt's, but it's cut all wrong for your face.  A girl's hair should reflect her personality and announce that you're a woman. I know that Janet will fit you in. I'll call her as soon as I get home. Kathy, can you drop Darla Anne off at Janet's tomorrow on your way to work?"

"Mabel," Auntie said, "I don't think that Darla Anne wants to have her hair cut."

"That right," I said, "my sister wants it to grow out so that we can put it up in braids."

"Ugh, braids. They'll make you look like an Indian squaw. But Janet won't shorten it, just style it. Okay, it's all set. I'll meet you at Janet's tomorrow. Now, I have to run. I have a few more people to call on yet today. Kathy, I appreciate your support even if you can't come out in the open with it." As she talked, we had walked towards the front door. I was desperately hoping that Auntie would find an excuse to relieve me from having my hair cut. Then Mabel was gone and I had a beauty salon appointment for tomorrow.

"Well, that's Mabel Moore," Auntie said, "I've been trying for seven years to get her to let me drill her big ranch, but so far she's resisted. I want to thank you for not refusing her outright. If she gets angry at me, then I'll never get those drilling rights."

"Are they that important?"

"The land that we're talking about has been in Mabel's family since before people looked for oil. Nobody has ever been able to convince the family to allow drilling because they're afraid of the damage it might cause. They raise cattle and don't want to do anything to endanger the health of their herds. I take pride that my drilling operations do as little damage to the land as possible and we clean our site completely when the well comes in. It costs a lot more than leaving it a mess like some do, but I sleep real good at night because of it."

"Do they have a lot of cows?"

"Honey, if you've ever eaten a steak or a hamburger, then chances are that it came from one of Mabel's ranches. They also have cotton farms and mills. And up in the Northwest, they have huge logging operations and processing plants. Chances are good that you father used a lot of their lumber in his homes. We have a saying in Texas, "Mabel Moore has 'moore' money than the Almighty." 

"In a week, she'll be leaving for her summer house in Europe. This environmental cause is just one of her latest fads. She'll throw a bunch of money at it and then turn it over to somebody else to follow through with it. She spends every summer in Europe. This is the first time that she has even stayed here in three years. She spends most of her time at her other homes. We could call her in the morning and tell her that you're not feeling well, but knowing her, she'll come over to nurse you back to health. Do you think that you could stand to have your hair cut? It would mean a lot to me. It might help me get those oil rights some day."

"If you want me to, then I will be happy to do it, Auntie. I'm sorry to have caused you so many problems."

"No real problems, honey. We'll just humor Mabel until she leaves. Do you think that you can stand to be Darla Anne for one more day?"

"For you, anything," I said, inwardly smiling to myself.

"Okay then, today is Tuesday. Until Thursday, you're Darla Anne Drake. So that we will both feel comfortable with you in the disguise, and to help us avoid any slip-ups in the presence of others, I shall only refer to you by that name and shall talk to you and treat you only as a young lady. I love that name by the way. Did you just come up with it on the spur of the moment when you saw Mrs. Moore."

"No, it's what my sisters and the Marcoti sisters named me when they dressed me up. Mother liked it too. It uses the same initials as David's name."

"Well, it's time to start dinner if we ever want to eat tonight."

"I'll clean up the tea things down here," I told her.

"Okay, I'll start preparing dinner, come up when you're done," she told me.

I went to the sitting room before starting to clean up. I smoothed my skirt and sat down to concentrate for a minute. I visualized myself as David leaving, in a cab, for the airport, and then myself as Darla Anne coming back into the house. To pass muster in a beauty salon full of women, no trace of David may appear. Now that he was gone, I rose and carried the tea service to the kitchen. I removed my wristwatch and bracelets. I found and donned an apron, then washed everything. I found the dish towels, dried everything and put it all away. I glanced around to make sure that everything was done, and then walked upstairs to the small kitchen. I had left my apron on since I thought I would still need it.

Auntie was busy washing a chicken for roasting. I was glad that we would not be having another rubbery meal like last night. She had washed several potatoes and placed them on the table, where she would peel them and cut them up so that they could be put in the roasting pan. I sat down, and without asking began to prepare the potatoes. She finished washing the fowl and placed it in the pan. Then she put several pats of butter on it and turned to the table where she saw me peeling the potatoes. She came over and said, "Thank you for washing the breakfast dishes. It was a pleasant surprise. That's a pretty skirt and blouse that you're wearing today. Whose is it? Susan's?"

"No, it's mine. Mother bought it for me."

"Yours? Do you have any other clothes?"

"No. No other skirts or dresses, just my undies. I just wore Susan's old clothes."

"Well, you can't wear that skirt again tomorrow. We'll have to look through Susan's things to find something for you to wear."

"There's a pretty, white dress that I've worn. It looks good on me and fits fairly well."

"Okay, while dinners cooking we'll find it and press it." I finished with the potatoes, and she took them and placed them in the pan. Then placed the pan in the oven and set the timer for 45 minutes.

We walked down the hall to a bedroom where boxes had been stacked. We started at one end and worked our way down the line until we found the dress. It wasn't too badly wrinkled. Aunt Kathy took it and held it against me. "Yes. This will look quite nice. Okay, Darla Anne, I'll go iron it while you make a salad for us and set the table."

"Alright, Auntie."

I returned to the kitchen and completed my tasks. There was still about ten minutes left on the timer, so I cooked a package of green beans to go with the meal. Auntie returned just as the timer buzzed. I took the potholders and removed the pan from the oven. I cut into the chicken between one of the legs and the body to see if I could spot any blood, but it was well cooked. I put the potatoes in a serving dish and did the same with the chicken after I cut it up. Auntie had prepared a fresh oil & vinegar dressing for the salad. We sat down, said grace and started to eat. Auntie commented on the salad that I had made. She was surprised that I had cut up cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, and a green bell pepper to add to the lettuce. "Usually, a salad, in this part of the country is just lettuce," she said.

"I'm sorry Auntie, I won't do it again."

She started laughing, "Oh Darla Anne, I wasn't criticizing honey, just commenting. I love your salad." She smiled at me and I smiled back.

"I'm glad. This is the way that I like it," I said.  We chatted all through supper. I told her about the books that I had read, and which were my favorites. She told me more stories about her and Gabby. She told me about how broke they were in the first couple of years. This house was in Gabby's family for generations but had lapsed into total disrepair. After they got their first big strike, they totally renovated it. Gabby had planned the first floor and let Aunt Kathy do the second floor, hence the feminine motif throughout. I could see how much she had loved her husband from the way that she talked about him. She had a far away look in her eyes when she said, "A good man is hard to find Darla Anne. When you find the right one, hang on to him and fight to keep him if necessary. I meet so many stupid women. They drive their men away and then cry about how their husbands left them. Men may not be the smartest critters that God put on this earth, but even they will eventually bolt if you dig your spurs into them enough. I just wish that I had had more years with my Gabby…. My, that was a delicious meal."

We put the leftovers away, washed the dishes, and cleaned the kitchen. Auntie said, "lets go try on that dress while there's still time to find another if we need to." We walked out into the hall and turned right. I started to turn into the rear wing but Auntie stopped me. "No, Darla Anne, that's David's room down there. I put your dress down here," and she led me to the large princess bedroom. The dress was lying on the bed. We walked over to it and I unbuttoned my blouse, removed it, then stepped out of my skirt.  Auntie commented on my tight half-slip. I told her that I have a tendency to use long strides and this forces me to take more dainty steps. I put the dress on over my head and let it fall in place. Auntie zipped it up for me then told me to walk around the room. I walked, turned, and twirled. She had me stand in front of her while she pulled at the sleeves, bodice, and waist. She smoothed the skirt portion over my hips and derriere, then checked the length against my legs. Finally she said, "It's a little big in the shoulders, but it will have to do." I took it off and put it on the hanger that she handed me. She carried it to the clothes room and hung it on a rack while I got dressed again.

I went into the bathroom and sat at the makeup table. I touched up my makeup and lipstick. Auntie had come in and stood behind me, watching me, until I was finished. You're quite adept at putting on your makeup."

"Mother made me practice, over and over again, until I could put on lipstick without thinking. I practiced by myself with the makeup until I felt comfortable with the look."

"We'll just call this Darla's bedroom for now. Do you have any sleepwear with you."

"No. I don't have any."

"Let's go into my bedroom, I think I can find something for you." We walked into her bedroom and then her clothes room. She looked in several drawers, then found what she had been searching for. She pulled out a beautiful sleepwear set. It was pink satin and appeared to have never been worn. She said, "I received this at my wedding shower but it was much too small for me. I think that it would look darling on you. Why don't you go put it on and we'll watch some television until bedtime. I have a nice beige set that I will wear. Here are some slippers to go with it." She handed me a pair of pink mules.

I returned to the princess bedroom next door, and got undressed. I hung my skirt and blouse in the almost empty clothes room, put my shoes in the shoe rack, and went into the bathroom to remove my makeup. I cleaned my face and examined it. Then I removed my camisole, half slip, nylons, girdle, and panties and bra. It was great to be naked for a few minutes. I scratched and rubbed everywhere that I itched. The only thing I left on was my necklace. Then I pulled on the panties from the sleep set and let the spaghetti strapped, full-length gown fall over my shoulders. I put on the silken kimono that was part of the set and slipped into the mules. It felt heavenly, and fit well, if just a little large. I brushed my hair and went to Auntie's room.

 When I knocked at the knock, she called me to come in. She was just finishing her nightly 'ritual' and stood as I came in. Her sleep set was gorgeous. A silk, full length gown with matching dressing gown and beige slipper mules.

"You look wonderful, Auntie."

"You too, Darla Anne. Come over here to the mirror." I walked over to her and we stood, side by side, in front of the mirror. "Look," she said, "with our same hair color and facial features, people will think that you're my daughter."

"Or your younger sister," I added.

"Oh, Darla Anne, don't be silly."

"You're younger than Mother even though you look almost enough alike to be twins. If you were to dress with a younger style, and I made myself up to look a little older, people would think of us as sisters."

"You think I dress too 'old.'"

"I'm sure that in the business world, you want to appear older so that you get more respect, but you're not that much older than I am, AUNTIE."

"Darla Anne, I am thirty. That's almost three times your age."

"You make it sound so terrible. I prefer to think that you're only 19 years older. I'm sure, that with only a little effort, and the right clothes, you could pass for say, 23. You have beautiful skin, a wonderful figure, and a gorgeous face. I could pass for fourteen, maybe fifteen, with the proper makeup, and stuffing up front. There are lots of sisters that have an age difference greater than 8 years."

"Do you really think that I could pass for 23?"

"Absolutely, but you'll need to get some new clothes. And maybe a newer hair style."

"Oh, I don't know about that. I've worn my hair like this for years."

"Exactly, if you were 23, you would NOT have worn your hair in the same way for years. You have to start thinking a little younger too."

"You're right. I have been thinking like an old lady. Oh Darla Anne, thank you. You are a dear. It's so good to have another woman around. This coming weekend we can do a little shopping and I'll get some newer style clothes. Then we can put your idea to the test and see whom we can fool. Come on, let's go see who's on the boob tube tonight." We walked arm in arm to the theatre and watched TV for about 2 hours, and then retired for the night. I slept in Darla's bed that night and felt every bit like a fairy princess.

 As Susan had told me, there are a number of fairy tales about princesses being rescued by princes and that's what I dreamt that night. An evil sorcerer who was attempting to force my father, the king, to relinquish his throne, had locked me in a tower. A handsome and charming prince from another kingdom, came and slew the evil sorcerer. With his sword, he broke the chain from the wall to which I was attached in my tower cell, and carried me off on his white steed. As we rode off, the chain from my iron collar dangled against the horse's neck. The prince cradled me in his arms and bent to kiss me.

"Milord," I said, "my hands are still chained behind me and my ankles remain chained. Won't thou remove my bonds?"

"You have no need for your hands or legs right now," he said. "We'll find a blacksmith soon enough." Then he pulled me closer and kissed me in a long passionate kiss that seemed to last forever. He said, "You're mine now. I own you." I woke up startled. I looked around at my surrounding unsure of where I was. My arms were no longer fettered. Then I realized where I was, and that I had been dreaming.  

Chapter Five       Grandma 

The first rays of dawn were peeking into the windows when I got out of bed to take a wonderfully warm bubble bath. I got dressed, applied my makeup, and brushed my hair. I walked down to the kitchen and started preparing breakfast. I squeezed some oranges, and brewed a pot of tea. I found some porridge in the cupboard and after reading the cooking directions, prepared enough for Auntie and myself. I set the table and then remembered my vitamins. I walked down to David's room and got the new bottle that Dr. Clark had given him for me. I had finished the old one yesterday. I took the new bottle into my bedroom and put it into a drawer in my clothes room, but not until I had extracted one of the capsules. When I had returned to the kitchen, I found Auntie there. We sat down to eat and I looked at the capsule in my hand. It was different than the last bottle. The old ones had been pink and yellow. This one was pink and green. I trusted that Dr. Clark had not made an error and popped the capsule into my mouth and took a sip of OJ to wash it down. Auntie commented on how nice it was to sit right down to a hot breakfast, and told me that if I weren't careful, I would end up spoiling her. I smiled and said that she would still have plenty to do in this big, old house.

We chatted on about hair styles and clothes and then she asked me for a favor. She had decided to change her hairstyle as we had discussed last night. She wanted to know if she could take my early appointment because she had a lot of things to do. I could wait until the next free time slot and then she would come back and pick me up. I agreed to that. I had nowhere else to be and would love to see her with a new hairdo. We finished breakfast, cleaned the table, and I washed and dried the dishes while she finished getting ready and went to get the car form the garage. I got my purse, put on my wristwatch, with the time corrected now, put on my bracelets and went to the front door. Auntie was just pulling up in front of the house. I stepped to the hall mirror, checked my hair and refreshed my lipstick, then entered the code in the alarm keypad. I stepped out onto the porch and locked the door with the key that Auntie had given me. I felt so grown up having my own key. I had always had to rely on my parents or Judy before to let me in when the house was locked.     

We drove down the long driveway and turned towards the city. The beauty salon was on the outskirts and we were there in twenty minutes. Mrs. Moore had just arrived and was talking with a woman wearing a blue smock. They came over to us and Mrs. Moore handled the introductions. Auntie knew Janet already, as she had been a customer for years. Mrs. Moore pulled me against her side and said, "And this beautiful young woman is Darla Anne. You MUST do something with her hair. It's such beautiful hair but this cut is absolutely wrong for her."

Janet nodded and said, "You do have beautiful hair, my dear, it just needs a little styling."

Auntie spoke up and told them what we had discussed about her going first. Janet said that it was no problem. She only had a few appointments for the day and she would get me very soon after Auntie. Auntie and Mrs. Moore went into a changing room and returned wearing pink smocks, then they both sat in the only two salon chairs and chatted as they waited for Janet.

I went to a chair in the waiting area of the room and began to look through the magazines on a table there. A good selection of teenage magazines showed the latest fashion styles in hair and clothes. The time flew as I read one magazine after another, and before I knew it, Auntie was finished and standing in front of me.

I stood up at looked at her as she turned to show me her hair. "Absolutely fabulous, Auntie. And it makes you look like you're 21 again. Janet did a beautiful job."

"Oh, Darla Anne, you are so good for my ego. And I do like it. I'm so glad that you talked me into it last night. I even feel younger. Honey, I have to run. I'll phone before I'm leaving to come get you."

"Okay, Auntie. See you later."

"Bye," she said as she left to meet her business appointment. 

Janet came over and told me I should go into the changing room, remove my dress and put on a smock. I should use a "petite" because of my slight build, then come sit in the salon chair that Kathy had been using. When I was seated, she said, "What would you like done?"

"Is it long enough to be done like my aunt's? I think that you did a marvelous job on her hair."

"No, we can't do that yet. It has to grow out some more. But we can do something similar that would look very good on you."

"Excellent, lets do it," I said.

Janet's assistant was just finishing Mabel. She came over and said, "Kathy looked wonderful. She told me that you talked her into changing her hair style last night."

"I only made a suggestion. The decision was all hers. And I agree the hairdo looks awesome on her. Janet is going to do something similar for me."

"That's marvelous," Mabel said. "Let me see your nails, honey. Tch, they need some work. Sweetheart, do you trust me?"

"Of course, Mabel."

"Okay, I am going to direct your make-over. Janet, Adele, lets talk."

They spoke in low tones. I heard Janet say, "No problem, Mabel. I don't have anybody coming in for several hours." They broke the huddle and Janet attacked my head while Adele tackled my hands and feet. I had my face rubbed, poked and prodded. After all my makeup was removed, something was smeared all over my face. The chair was dropped down in the back and my head was over a sink. My hair was then rinsed, shampooed and rinsed. The back of the chair was raised, and Janet cut my hair. Then she rolled my hair in curlers and squeezed some foul smelling stuff in it. She rolled a dryer behind me and turned it on. Adele had finished the pedicure and was starting on my hands. When Janet decided that my hair was dry, she turned off the dryer and rolled it away. She removed the curlers and combed, then brushed my hair. As she worked, she would use the scissors a little here and there. When she was satisfied, she put her implements away and worked on my face. She peeled the dried substance from my face. She plucked at my eyebrows a little and then started to makeup my face. After fifteen minutes, she announced that she was almost done.

Adele had finished with my hands, and I was admiring her handiwork when I felt a sharp pain in my right ear. I uttered a sound of pain and Janet said, "It only hurts for a second, honey."

Then I felt the same pain in my left ear. "What are you doing," I asked.

"Just piercing your ears, honey, we're all done."

"Oh," I said. It was too late now to object. Janet swabbed my ear lobes with something that stung a little, then pushed tiny studs into the holes telling me that if I stopped wearing earrings, the holes would close up and I would have to have them pierced again. After Janet had finished with the studs, she turned me around so that I could see myself in the mirror. I looked phenomenal. There was no doubt now that Darla Anne was a woman. The hairdo was as feminine as it could be. Janet was an artist with makeup too. With my manicure and pedicure, I felt like a woman from head to my toes. "What do you think, honey?"

"Janet, it's fantastic. I simply love it. You're an artist. I can't believe it's me. I can't wait until Aunt Kathy sees me. I'm speechless."

She laughed. "Honey, you look beautiful, but you're anything but speechless." I laughed also.

Mabel came over and said, "Darla Anne, you're lovely. Every young boy in the county is going to be chasing after you." I got out of the chair and hugged her.

"Thank you, Mabel, for suggesting that I come here today and for directing my makeover."

"You're most welcome, honey. Now why don't you get dressed." I went to Adele and thanked her then thanked Janet again.

As I stepped into the changing room, Janet's next appointment came in. I hung the smock up and put on my dress. When I exited the changing room, Mabel waved me over to where she was sitting. Kathy hasn't called yet, so I'll wait with you until she comes.

"I appreciate everything that you've done," I said, "but that's not necessary. I'll be fine here alone."

"Oh I know, honey, but I don't have anywhere to go today, so I'd like to visit with you for a while, rather than going back to that big empty house."

"Well, that's different," I said, "I'd love to visit with you. As long as I'm not keeping you from something else."

"Tell me about New Jersey," she said.

I must have talked for over an hour. I told her about my hometown, my school and my family. I told her about my three older sisters, how beautiful they are, and how much we love each other. I told her how Father & Mother had scrimped for years to build the construction business, and just when all their work was about to pay off, the accident occurred.

 "It's just not fair. Daddy worked so hard all those years. He always believed that people would pay a little more for quality homes so he only built that way, and people came to him because they trusted him, and his craftsmanship. He treated them honestly and fairly, while some other contractors cut corners and did shoddy work. For that reason, Father never lacked for customers for his homes. To build the business, we scrimped and saved and did without. Clothes were passed down to the next girl, as they were outgrown to save money. At least Daddy can rest easy that we'll be provided for. Aunt Kathy says that selling the business should secure our futures." I finished up by telling her about Mother's present condition and about my birthday party at the hospital. I showed her my new gold cross necklace.

 "Stand up, honey," she said to me. I looked at her quizzically, then stood. "Take a step back. Now turn around. I bet that's one of your sister's dresses."

I nodded. "Susan's," I said.

"I thought so, it's still a little big," she said, "What do you say that we go shopping and get you a new dress to go with that new hairdo."

"Thank you, Mabel, but I think that I should stay here and wait for Aunt Kathy."

"Oh don't be silly, Kathy won't mind."

"I'm afraid that I don't have any money for shopping."

"Honey, the last thing in the world that I'm worried about is money."

"I couldn't possibly let you buy me a dress, but thank you for offering."

"I won't take no for an answer. It's settled. Come on now. Come on." I followed in response to her steady gesturing. "Janet, when Kathy calls, tell her that Darla Anne and I have gone to Xavier's. She can reach us there." We waved to them and they returned our waves.

"Okay Mabel," Janet said. "Goodbye Darla Anne, come back again soon."

"Thank you, I will," I said.

We walked outside and Mabel gestured to a brand new Cadillac. As I got in I could smell the new car smell. We drove towards the city. Well, at least it's closer to Aunt Kathy's office and she can't be angry for having to go too far out of the way. Mabel said, "I hadn't realized yesterday that you have three sisters. How come they're not here too?"

I told her that my grades were a little bit better. "Since I couldn't improve over straight A's and it was highly unlikely that the final exam could pull down my average, the school allowed me to finish early, so that Aunt Kathy could come back to attend to business. My sisters were staying with family friends and it would have been more of a burden to have all four of us there."

"You must miss them very much."

"I do. But they will be here next month when school is over. And maybe mother if the doctors think that it's safe to transport her to a hospital here." 

"I'll pray for her speedy recovery."

"Thank you, Mabel."

"Ah, here we are," she said. 

Xavier's appeared to be a very upscale clothier. Mabel parked the car and continued to sit in the driver's seat. She seemed to be thinking about something. I said, "Are you alright, Mabel?"

"Yes, fine, dear…. Darla Anne?"

"Yes, Mabel."

"You understand about appearances and proprieties, don't you?"

"I think so, Mabel."

"Good. It would not appear proper to some people, for an older woman such as myself, to go shopping with a younger woman, such as yourself, without being related. And some people would not consider it proper for a young woman, such as yourself, to call an older woman, such as myself, by her first name."

"I understand, Mabel. Should we go back to Janet's?"

"Heaven's no. I promised you a new dress and you shall have it. I would just like to ask a favor of you."

"Anything, Mabel."

"May I refer to you as my granddaughter, and would you call me Grandma?"

I thought for a second and said, "I would be honored, Grandma."

"Thank you, Darla Anne. You are such a dear. I wish that you really were my granddaughter. My own daughter died in childhood, so I have no grandchildren."

"Well, you do now Grandma. My grandparents all passed away before I was born so I love having a new Grandma. From now on, I shall think of you that way." I reached over and squeezed her hands where she was holding them on her lap.

She put one of her hands over mine and squeezed me back. "Okay, Granddaughter, let's find you the prettiest dress in that store."

"Right, Grandma." We smiled and giggled, then stepped out of the car and walked into Xavier's, arm in arm.

A woman greeted us as soon as we stepped inside the door. "Hello, Mrs. Moore. It's so nice to see you again. How may we serve you today?"

"Hello Nancy, I want to find something nice for my granddaughter. Nancy, this is Darla Anne. Darla Anne, this is Nancy, the store manager." We exchanged greetings.

"Did you have something particular in mind?" Nancy asked.

"No, I promised her a new dress. She can have anything that strikes her fancy. Why don't you show us the latest fashions."

"Of course, come this way please." We walked to the rear of the store, and it WAS a walk. The store did not appear this large from the outside. A woman was summoned to measure me. Wearing the panty-girdle hid all trace of my little secret. So the woman who took my measurements never suspected it tucked back between my legs. In fact, I hadn't even thought about it anymore since David had left on his trip. The panty-girdle was just something to help my figure. The woman measured me in every way that you can be measured, and wrote down all the measurements on a form with my name at the top.

Over the next few hours, I must have tried on twenty-five dresses. I loved them all, and grandma appeared to be having a good time just watching me enjoy trying on all the beautiful clothes. Grandma had me stand, turn and walk in all of them. Along with each dress a clerk brought accessories such as shoes, purses, hats and gloves. I felt like a model at a fashion show. No sooner was one dress lifted off of me, then another was pulled over my head. Then Grandma had me try on skirts, blouses, and sweaters. Nancy, the store manager, came over to talk to her for a minute then left. When I modeled the next outfit, Grandma said, "Kathy called looking for you. I said that we would wait here for her. Oh, that outfit is delightful. Try on this other one that I selected."

Several outfits later, Auntie came in and was with Grandma when I came out of the changing room. She looked at me and smiled, "Darla Anne, you look beautiful. I love the new hairdo, and the outfit."

I smiled, "Thank you, Auntie. I asked Janet if she could do my hair like yours. She did the best that she could even though it wasn't really long enough to be just like yours. I love it though."

"Darla Anne, turn around and walk for me."

"Yes, Grandma" I noticed that Auntie raised an eyebrow when I said "Grandma" but I didn't say anything. After two more changes and my runway modeling for Grandma, Auntie said, "that's enough, Darla Anne. Make a selection. We have to be going. The store will be closing soon." I had tried on so many beautiful things that it was difficult to decide but I had particularly liked a mauve party dress. Grandma had the clerk retrieve it along with shoes, purse, gloves, and hat. I put it on again and modeled it for Grandma and Auntie. They both nodded their approval of my selection. Grandma asked if I would like to wear it home and I quickly said yes. The clerk wrapped my other dress and shoes and handed me the box. We walked to the front door together but Grandma said that she had to pick up something else before we she left, so we parted at the door. I hugged her and kissed her and said, "Grandma, thank you for the beautiful outfit and the wonderful day. I shall never forget it."

"Your most welcome my dear. You know that you're my favorite granddaughter." We smiled at the inside joke, kissed again, and then Auntie and I left.

As we drove away, Auntie said, "Grandma?"

I looked at her and told her what Mabel had said in the car before going into the clothier. "She's been so wonderful to me, I feel like she's my Grandma. It feels natural calling her that. And if it makes her happy, then it makes me happy."

"Darla Anne, only you could win the heart of Mabel Moore in just one day. 'Grandma' it is then. You don't suppose that she'll want me to call her 'mother' do you?" We both giggled.

When we arrived home, Auntie thought that I should change out of the party dress. I loved it so much that I didn't want to, but I knew that she was right. I would want it to remain perfect for a special occasion. I changed into my pink skirt and blouse outfit. While I was changing, I sat at my makeup table and studied my face. I tried to remember everything that Janet had done to my face with makeup, so that I could repeat it, since she had done such a wonderful job. I completed changing and went to the upstairs kitchen.

Auntie was browning ground meat when I entered the kitchen. She said that she had developed a 'hankering' for good old Texas chili today. "If you going to live in Texas, you have to know how to cook a good chili," she said. "My Gabby loved my chili. Every gal in Texas has her own special recipe for chili. I'll show you mine, and then you can experiment with different ingredients until you find a recipe that suits you. When you get married, your husband will probably want you to make his mother's recipe, unless he thinks that yours is better. But that hardly ever happens, because he grew up with hers and he's used to it. So what you do is take her recipe and very slowly change it over several years until you're back to your own recipe. Your husband will never know the difference if the change is gradual enough. Of course, your husband may have his own recipe. Chili is one thing that our men don't mind cooking; that and barbeques. The rest of the time though, they figure that cooking is woman's work.

She showed me the spices that should be added, and told me the proper quantities of them, and the other ingredients. I carefully followed her directions as she stood at my shoulder the entire time. When we were finished, we put the pot on a trivet which had been placed in the center of the table, and sat down to eat. The chili was no less than fantastic. I told her that I understood why Gabby had loved it so. I told her that she should can it and sell it around the world. She laughed and said that that was high praise indeed. I told her that I would love to eat more but that I was afraid that I would not fit into my new dress anymore. She said that it was Okay because her chili was even better when reheated. We put it in plastic containers and stored them in the refrigerator's freezer for another night. We cleaned the kitchen and put on our nighties before going down to the theatre. There wasn't much on TV that night but we watched for an hour before deciding to retire. We walked upstairs together, with our arms around each other's waist, kissed cheeks and said goodnight as I entered my bedroom and she continued down to hers.

 That night I dreamed that a pirate captured me as I traveled to the Caribbean. He killed everyone on the ship on which I was a passenger except me. I struck at him when he tried to kiss me, and I kicked him when he laughed at my feeble blow. He grabbed me, tied my hands behind me, and tied my ankles so that I couldn't kick him any more. Then he took me to his cabin and tied me to a support post. He said that I would stay like that until I willingly submitted to him. I uttered an oath, and spit at him, and so he gagged me. He lay down on his bed and slept as I hung in my bonds. The next day, a canon sounded, and within minutes a pitched battle was under way. A British man-of-war defeated the pirate ship. As the pirate ship started to sink, a young British officer found me and cut the ropes that held me to the support post. I fell into his arms, and he tossed me over his shoulder, still bound and gagged. The ship was going down fast, as he grabbed a rope and swung us across to the British ship. When we were on the deck of the man-of-war, the captain approached and the young officer saluted him and said, "I recovered a captive, sir."

"Very good, Mr. Booth. Take her below."

"Aye, aye, captain."

Once again I was thrown over his shoulder, like a sack of potatoes, and taken below decks to a cabin. He laid me on the bunk, and got a pan of water and a washcloth. He began to gently wash my face and neck. I just lay there as he worked. When he was done, he sat on the edge of the bunk just staring at me, and telling me how beautiful I was and how lovely my hair was. I mewled though my gag until he removed the sash that had been wrapped around my head and the sopping wad of cloth that had filled my mouth. I worked my mouth to get some feeling back into it. I said, "Mr. Booth, will you untie my hands and ankles, please."

"There's nowhere to run to, and you have no need for you hands right now," he said. "Aren't you going to reward me for saving your life?"

Then he lifted me partially up and bent to kiss me. I awoke and found myself once again in my own bed and completely unfettered. I thought about this dream and the others that I had been having. I wondered if there was a deeper meaning. Susan and Judy had told me that most girls have such dreams, but wasn't I ever going to get to enjoy the kiss without waking up. "Well, maybe next time," I said to myself. "I can hardly wait," I added, then giggled.

I saw from the clock that it was almost time to get up. I went to the bathroom and ran a bath. While the tub was filling, I made my bed and I got out the white dress that I had worn yesterday. I still only had three outfits, my pink skirt and blouse, Susan's white dress, and the new mauve party dress. I had washed my undies last night and hung them in the clothes room to dry. I slipped into the bath and luxuriated in the warm water for a while, then washed myself before exiting the tub. I dressed and put on my makeup. I managed a better job than before by incorporating the tips that I had learned from watching Janet. I brushed my hair and it sprang into place almost immediately. I sprayed some perfume, stepped in it, and I was ready to greet the day.

I went to the kitchen, squeezed some fresh orange juice, made a pot of tea, mixed a bowl of pancake batter, cut a cantaloupe into slices, and put a frying pan on low heat in preparation for making the pancakes. I set the table, put the cantaloupe on it, and added maple syrup to the condiments. Then I sat down and read one of Auntie's women's magazines until she came in. I turned up the heat on the frying pan and in a minute it was ready to cook the pancakes. I poured the batter, waited until the bubbles formed and popped, then flipped them over until they were a golden brown. I made three pancakes for each of us, then turned off the stove and carried the dishes to the table. Auntie was just finishing her OJ as she checked over her schedule for the day. She said that she had been able to do a lot of catching up over the past three days, so her schedule would start to be a little bit more relaxed now, and within two weeks should be back to normal. We ate the pancakes, munched on the cantaloupe, and drank a final cup of tea. She was about to get up to leave when the front door bell rang. She looked at me and said, "I wonder who that can be at this hour?"

We walked downstairs and answered the door. A deliveryman was standing there. "Bliss Residence?" he asked.

"Yes," my aunt said. "I have a delivery for Darla Anne Drake."

Auntie looked at me and I shrugged my shoulders while raising my forearms, palms up, in a gesture to show that I didn't know anything about it. She looked back at the deliveryman and said, "Who is the shipper?"

"Xavier's Clothing Store."

"Okay, I'll take it for her. Where do I sign?"

"Right here, Mrs. Bliss."

After she had signed, he took the clipboard, and asked, "Where would you like it put?"

"I'll take it."

"It's rather large, Mrs. Bliss."

"Very well, up the stairs, turn left, then the first room on the left."

"Okay, Ma'am," he said and walked out the door.

A different deliveryman wheeled in a handcart with an enormous box. Another deliveryman walked behind him and together they struggled to carry it up the stairs. We walked behind them up the stairs. Auntie said, "It looks like "Grandma" selected a couple of other things for you after we left." They carried the box into my bedroom and put it against the far wall. I thought it a little strange that with the entire room to put it in, they should put it so far out of the way. Then two more deliverymen carried another box in. Then two more with another box. Then the first two were back again. Auntie just stood there with her mouth open as box after box was brought in until more than a half dozen of the enormous boxes, and several dozen small ones were stacked up in the room. Auntie got her wallet and gave a generous tip to each deliveryman.

The head deliveryman handed me a card and said, "Compliments of Mrs. Moore."

"Thank you," I told him and smiled at him.

He smiled back and said, "My pleasure, Miss. If you'll just call the store when you've unpacked, we'll be happy to pick up the empty cartons. Good day!"

"Good day!" we said, and then they were gone.

I opened the card and read aloud, "You looked so lovely in all these outfits that I just couldn't resist getting them for my favorite granddaughter. Signed, Grandma.  P.S. I added a few incidentals to round out your new wardrobe."

"Did I say, 'win her heart' yesterday?" Auntie said. "Obviously, I was understating the affection that she seems to feel towards you."

"She told me that she's lonely in her big, empty house."

"I can certainly understand that. Her husband passed away many years ago, and she has no children."

"She told me that her daughter died in childhood."

"That I didn't know, but then I've only known Mabel for about 8 years. She appears to have opened her heart to you quite a bit."

"We had a long talk yesterday at the salon. I was afraid of boring her but she kept encouraging me to talk, so I did."

"Whatever, you said, she apparently took a real liking to you. This is a substantial wardrobe. Do you feel that you should accept it?"

"No, much as I would love to, I wouldn't want to take advantage of her friendship."

"Let's call her then and tell her that we have to send it back."

 We went into Auntie's bedroom to place the call. As she dialed, Auntie said, "We'll have to put a phone put in your room. The connection is already there; it just has to be plugged in. Hello, Mrs. Moore please, Katherine Bliss calling….  The housekeeper is seeing if she's awake yet…. Good morning Mabel, your 'little' surprise just arrived. Yes, she's overjoyed with the gift but she doesn't feel that she can accept it. It's too much. Uh huh….. uh huh….. uh huh…. Oh Mabel, are you really sure?….. Very well, Mabel……Of course……. When?…. Tomorrow?…. Noon?….. Okay Mabel, we'll see you then. Goodbye, Mabel."

Auntie put down the phone and said, "She absolutely refuses to let the clothes be returned. She said that you both went through too much work to select them, and she insists that you keep them. Besides, some of them have been altered already to fit you. So I guess that you're "stuck" with them, sweetheart. Also she wants us to come for lunch tomorrow, and she told me to bring the contracts that I been trying to get her to sign for the oil drilling rights on her big ranch. Darla Anne, if she signs them, then the credit all goes to you.

I put a pouty look on my face and said, "I guess if I am stuck with all those clothes, I might as well make the best of it."

Auntie looked at me with a sly smile and poked me in the ribs, "You little minx, go put your clothes away. I have to go to work. If I'm going to be at Mabel's tomorrow, I have to shuffle my schedule and get everything done today. Plus I have to have the oil drilling contracts prepared with the proper dates. Can you clean the breakfast things, honey?"

I nodded and said, "Of course, Auntie. I think of that as my job now. You can't do everything. I'll help out in any way that I can."

She hugged me and said, "You're wonderful. It's so clear why Mabel took a shine to you so quickly. I love that you're here with me. It's so nice to have another girl to talk to, and work with. I should be home about 6 o'clock. There's a roast in the fridge if you think that you're up to trying your hand at cooking it. I've been very impressed with the cooking skills that you've displayed so far. Many girls your age have trouble boiling water. Have to run, honey. See you tonight." She had been getting ready as she talked. Now she grabbed her purse and ran out the door, blowing me a kiss as she left. In a few minutes I heard her car as she roared down the driveway.

I went to the kitchen and put on my apron. Then I cleared the table, washed, dried and put away the dishes and cooking utensils, and swept the floor. A quick glance around told me that all was in order. Then I walked into my bedroom to begin the task of putting my new wardrobe in my clothes room.  The very large boxes had a piece of tape holding them closed along one corner, from top to bottom. I cut the tape with a pair of cuticle scissors and found that the front flap opened like a closet door. Inside was a wood bar, like in a closet, and everything was arranged on hangers. This made it exceedingly easy. I simply lifted the clothes off the bar in small groups and carried them into my clothes room and hung them on a rack. As I put them away I organized them by type. In no time, I had emptied the large boxes, and, several of the racks in my clothes room contained hanger after hanger of plastic bag covered clothing items. With the clothes removed, the boxes were manageable, so I dragged them down to the empty bedroom across from the kitchen for temporary storage. This gave me a lot more room to move around in my bedroom.

Then I began to work on the smaller boxes. Box after box opened to reveal their wonderful contents as I used my tiny scissors on the tape that held them closed. Boxes of accessories, such as gloves and hats, I placed in one area. Lingerie, hose, and sleepwear went in another. Shoes and boots went in a third area of the bedroom. One box contained a large jewelry case filled with rings, broaches, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets. Nothing super expensive, but certainly not cheap costume jewelry like they sell in the five and dime. With all of the boxes open I began to put the items away, in my clothes room. When I had emptied all of the boxes, I carried them to the same bedroom where I had stored the large ones. The hallway was a mess from all the traffic and dragging the boxes, so I took the vacuum cleaner and cleaned the hallway, stairs, and my bedroom. It was lunchtime, so I fixed myself half a sandwich, ate an apple and cleaned the kitchen. With the cleaning chores done, I decided to try on some new clothes.

I had worn many of the things yesterday, but Grandma had added much more that I had not seen. There were not many more dresses but there were a lot more skirts and blouses. I removed my dress and hung it up. I took off my camisole and bra. I decided to put on one of the new bras since the old one that I had been using was starting to irritate my skin. My nipples had become red and slightly swollen over the past week. They were also very sensitive to my touch. The new bra was not padded like the old one so I used some tissues to 'puff' up just a little. I replaced the camisole and starting trying on outfits. They were all wonderful.

Over the next four hours, I tried on every outfit that I hadn't tried on in the store, and most of the shoes. It was getting late and I had to start dinner soon so I looked around to decide what to wear. There were number of Denim skirts. They reminded me of jeans, the standard in work and play clothes, so I selected a full length, faded denim, prairie skirt, and a gingham blouse. The skirt dragged on the floor. It was very full so I first put on a layered petticoat, which pushed it up and away from my body. After I was dressed, I made sure my gold cross necklace hung outside my blouse. I never took it off any more. I removed my ear studs, swabbed the holes with some of the antiseptic that Janet had given me, and selected a pair of dangly earrings. I brushed my hair, touched up my makeup and lipstick and went to select a pair of shoes. I picked out a pair of beautiful, black, cowgirl boots with thick high heels and slipped into them. They fit perfectly. I looked at myself in the mirrors, turned, and twirled. The skirt was about three feet across, and with the three-inch heels of the boots, was only about an inch from the floor when I stood still. When I twirled, it stretched to about six feet. Satisfied with my appearance, I went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

I looked through Auntie's aprons until I found one that would fall just short of the floor so that it would cover my skirt. I got the pot roast out of the fridge and removed the wrapper. I had watched my mother prepare one many times, even though I had never participated in the cooking, and they hadn't seemed to be that difficult to cook. I put the oven on to preheat as she had always done, then taking aluminum foil, I lined a roasting pan, leaving enough hanging over the edge so that I would be able to enclose the pot roast. After placing the roast in the center of the pan, I coated it first with a can of Campbell's mushroom soup, then with a package of Lipton's onion soup. The mushroom soup was so thick, without any water having been added, that the onion soup stuck like it was glued. As the roast cooked, the steam from the meat would cause the two soup mixtures to drip over, around, and through every part of the meat. Then I closed the top by bringing the long ends of the aluminum foil together and sealed them like a tent. This would keep all the moisture sealed inside. When it was sealed, I put the roast in to cook.

 Next I cleaned several potatoes, peeled and cut them up, and put them on to boil. By the time I had finished making a salad and a fresh dressing, the potatoes were cooked so I turned off the burner. I found a box of Bisquick, and since the mixing directions were so simple, I prepared some for biscuits. I set the table after placing a clean tablecloth on it. I put the salad, dressing, and the condiments on it. I took a package of frozen corn from the freezer and dropped it into some boiling water. I put the cooked potatoes into a bowl, added milk and butter and started mixing them, adding milk as I controlled the consistency. When the potatoes were completely mashed, I put a hunk of butter on top and placed the bowl on the table, with a dish on top to keep in the heat. The corn was ready so I drained the water, put butter on top, and put the cover on the pan to keep the heat in. It was almost six o'clock so I placed dollops of Bisquick on a cookie pan. I heard the front door, so I took the roast from the oven, and put the biscuit pan in. I carefully opened the aluminum tent so that I would not burn myself from the steam. While it cooled a little, I put the corn into a serving bowl and placed it on the table with a dish cover. I put the milk and butter on the table, then turned to the task of carving the roast.

 While I wielded the knife in my attack on the roast, Auntie came in after having put her things in her bedroom. She came over to me, kissed my cheek, glanced over my shoulder, and said, "Hello honey, gee that smells good."

"Hello Auntie, dinner will be ready in a minute."

"What can I do?"

"Everything is done. Just take a seat."  I carried the slices of meat that I had carved to the table, returned and filled a gravy boat from the pan, and checked on the biscuits. They were just turning a golden brown so I removed them from the oven, placed them on a dish, and added them and the gravy boat to the food on the table. I took the apron off, and walked over to where Aunt Kathy was seating. I put my arms around her from behind and kissed her cheek. "I am sorry that I didn't greet you properly, I didn't want to turn to kiss you while I was carving with that big knife. That's how accidents happen after all."

"You were quite right, dear. I like my ears just fine where they are."

I giggled and sat down, and Auntie said grace.

"Darla Anne, you're a marvel. I never expected to find dinner all ready to sit down to."

"I'm glad that you were right on time. It makes it a lot easier to have a hot meal ready when you can plan the completion time of the cooking."

"And everything smells so good. Let's eat." We ate a salad and filled our plates with the meat, potatoes, and corn. As we ate, Auntie kept complimenting me. "You're really spoiling me, honey. A ready breakfast this morning and now a ready dinner. And both so delicious. I had no idea that you were such an accomplished cook, and I've been trying to give YOU lessons."

"I didn't know how to make chili, Auntie. You taught me that."

"This pot roast is delicious. Wherever did you learn to cook it like this?"

"From watching Mother prepare one. I only know how to cook what I was able to see her make as I was growing up."

"Darla Anne, you're going to make some lucky man a wonderful wife. Beauty and cooking talent is an unbeatable combination when you're looking for a husband. I love your outfit, too."

"Thank you, I really like it also." I got up and walked around the table so that I could model it for her. I turned around, then twirled around, stopped and lifted my skirt so that she could see the petticoats, then lifted them so that she could see my cowgirl boots.

"You really look like a Texas gal now. That outfit could be right out of the turn of the century. All you need is a corset to complete it."

"What would a corset do to complete it?"

"At the turn of the century, almost all women wore corsets. They trim the waist and push up the bosom. They give you an hourglass figure."

"I think that I'd like to try one."

"Oh, Darla Anne, they are most uncomfortable, and you can't just put one on and expect to have an hourglass figure. You have to train your waist over a period of time. When you first start wearing one, you can only wear it for a short time. You gradually increase the time until you can wear it for long periods. They have special sleeping corsets and there are several different kinds of corsets also."

"How small would it make my waist?"

"A grown woman can usually achieve an 18 or 19 inch waist with long term training. Some women go to 17 inches. A young girl like you would have little trouble getting to 16 inches."

"That's seven inches less than I am now."

"You wouldn't be able to achieve that right away. Initially, you would only get about a 3 or possibly a 4 inch reduction."

"Auntie, could I try one to see if I might want to start training my waist."

"If I can't talk you out of it, yes, you can try. You're almost the right age to start the training. When corsets were in fashion, ages 12 to 13 were the average starting age. It's easier to train your waist as your body changes than to get your body to conform later on. I will have to look for it, but I had one years ago. I tried to train my waist but it was too difficult and I couldn't stick with it. Of course, if you get serious about it, then you will have to have custom corsets made to fit your body exactly. You should have three or four so that you can rotate them. I'll look right after dinner."

"Thank you, Auntie."

We finished dinner, while Auntie told me about her day at work. I was starting to recognize names and places from having heard them before. I was also starting to pickup an understanding of the terminology used in the oil drilling business. Auntie was pleased with my questions. She remarked how perceptive they were. She said that she had prepared a new set of contracts for Mabel. If Mabel signed, then both parties stood to both make a great deal of money. Since she thought that I was chiefly responsible for Mabel's change of heart, then I should get a reward when the contracts were signed. She asked me what I would like.

"I always wanted my own horse," I said, "and we do have a stable here."

"You can't ride a horse dressed like that."

"I'll go side-saddle," I said.

She laughed and said, "Now that's a sight I'd like to see. I can picture you now with your full length riding habit, complete with corset, riding side-saddle, to the hounds, like in the old British movies." We both laughed.

I put on a British accent and said, "My dear woman, I'll have you know that a true lady would never ride any other way. The queen would have a seizure if one of the nobility ever hitched up her skirts and rode like a man. Simply unthinkable. It would absolutely cause a scandal from London to Wales."

She started laughing from the moment I started and laughed so hard that tears started to roll down her cheeks. I stopped my play-acting and she wiped her eyes with her napkin. "Oh, Darla Anne, you're wonderful. I haven't laughed that hard since Gabby passed away. Beauty, an excellent cook, a good listener, and now a comedienne and actress. The man who gets you for a wife is going to be a lucky man indeed. Let's cleanup and I'll go look for my old corset."

I put on my apron and started to clear the table. With two of us working, we were finished in no time. When I took off my apron, Auntie hugged me and said, "Thank you for a wonderful meal. It's been a long time since I've felt so pampered. I just want you to know that I will not be upset with you in any way if Mabel doesn't sign tomorrow. I've been chasing after her for years. A little longer won't make any difference. And I'm going to get you your horse anyway. We'll call it a belated birthday present. I never got you anything back in New Jersey."

"Auntie, you've done so much for me, for all of us, I don't need anything more."

"Darla Anne, I want to do this. Please don't stop me."

"Okay, Auntie, I really would love a horse."

"Good." She smiled mischievously at me and added, "And a side-saddle for milady." We both laughed. "Now, come with me young lady and I'll show what a feeling of constriction REALLY is."

We went to her bedroom and then to her clothes room. She walked over to several rows of drawers, and started to look through one at a time until she located the corset. It was rolled up like an old newspaper with strings around it. She said, "You should use the bathroom now before we put this on you." I left and used my bathroom as she suggested. When I returned she told me to remove my skirt, blouse and petticoats. She put the corset around me with the laces in the back. In front were two steel bars that hooked together and closed the corset. She called it a busk. Once it was closed she walked behind me and started working on the laces. "This is a twenty-two inch corset. That means that the waist will close down to 18 inches when fully tightened." She began to tighten the laces and I began to learn what she meant by "a feeling of constriction." After the initial slack was taken in, I was still feeling fine. Then she started to tug on the two laces where they met in the middle of the corset. When she had reduced my waist by two inches, she halted and said we should stop for a couple of minutes to get used to this level. It felt very tight but I wasn't having any difficulty breathing or anything.

 After a few minutes, during which we talked about women's fashions and corsets, she resumed the lacing. She took in about another inch. My waist was now about 20 inches. Breathing was a little difficult if I tried to take a "full" breath, but was fine for normal breathing. After another five minutes she took in another inch. The corset was more than molded to my body now; it was molding my body. She told me to just stand where I was and concentrate on breathing properly and evenly. After awhile, I found that my breathing was normal and somewhat comfortable. She had put the corset on over my camisole, so she went to my bedroom and got a slip. She put it on me and then put my blouse on me. Then my petticoats and skirt. The waist of the skirt was loose but my hips kept it up. They had expanded, as had my bosom. Dressed again, she asked me how I feel.

"Constricted," I answered.

"Do you want out?"

"No. I'd like to try to wear it for a while." I walked over to the mirror and looked at myself. There was no denying the effect that it had on my figure.

"Would you like to watch a little television," she asked. I answered,

"Sure, if you'll help me get downstairs."

"Of course, sweetheart. Here, take my arm."

When we were in the theatre downstairs, I let go of her arm. I said that I wanted to try to sit by myself. She took her seat and turned on the TV. I went to my customary chair and slowly lowered myself onto its edge. I found that I must sit with my back ramrod straight. Judy would not have to scold me for slouching while I had this corset on. We watched TV for about 2 hours then decided to go to sleep. I rose from my chair, where I had been sitting very uncomfortably, on my own. Auntie offered me her arm, and I gratefully accepted it. We climbed the stairs and entered my bedroom. Auntie undressed me far enough to get to the corset. She untied the laces where they had been secured around my waist, then started to loosen them at the eyelets. When they were loose enough she stepped around me and unhooked the busk. I took my first full breath in two hours. Then I rubbed and kneaded the flesh where the corset had covered me. I discovered that the best part about wearing a corset is when you take it off.

"Well, what do you think?" Auntie asked. "Had enough of corsets?"

"I think that I have to give it more time. I was starting to get used to it a little. It's only been two hours. I don't want to give it up yet. I loved what it did for my figure."

"Okay honey, it's your choice. Two hours for your first time is a good start. Remember though, for truly serious training you will have to wear one almost 24 hours a day. Good night, dear."

"Good night, Auntie, thank you." She smiled and left. I took the corset into my clothes room and hung it up so that it could "breathe" overnight as auntie had instructed me. After hours on my body, it might have absorbed moisture. I finished undressing and washed my underthings. I removed my makeup, removed my earrings and put the little gold suds in, performed my nightly rituals, then put on my nightgown and climbed into bed. I thought about the corset and how it constricted my movements and shaped my body. I knew that I would definitely wear it again.

That night I had the same dream about the pirate and the British officer except that this time I was wearing a corset during the dream. It caused me great discomfort when I was tied to the support post and when I was tossed over the officer's shoulder, but I looked absolutely gorgeous in my dress when I had the corset on. I woke up again as the officer lifted me slightly to kiss me. The first rays of the dawn sun were coming in my window as I arose, bathed, made up my face, and put on a knee length denim skirt, a white, western style blouse with a short fringe on the front and across the shoulders blades on the back, and a pair of white cowgirl boots. I removed the studs from my ears and swabbed the puncture holes again with the antiseptic, then selected a pair of earrings that had little prairie schooners dangling from the ear studs. I brushed my hair and put on some perfume. Then I went to the kitchen.

I made the fresh OJ, mixed up some cornmeal for muffins, cut up a cantaloupe and washed some strawberries. We had been here for five days now and we would have to shop soon. I made a pot of tea and got the bacon and eggs from the fridge. I set the table, put a pot of water on to boil, and fried some bacon for Auntie. As I was taking the muffins from the oven, Auntie came in. I put the muffins on the table, kissed auntie, and exchanged morning greetings. I asked her, "Fried, soft boiled or poached?"

"Fried."

"Scrambled, sunny side, or over-easy?"

"Over-easy."

"Rye, Pumpernickel, whole-wheat, or white?"

"Pumpernickel."

"Coming up." I popped two slices of pumpernickel in the toaster, removed the bacon from the pan, cracked four eggs into the frying pan, and turned the pot of water off now that we wouldn't need it. The toast popped up and I put in two more slices. The eggs were almost ready to turn, so I got two dishes ready and stood by with the spatula. When they were exactly right, I turned them carefully, counted to five, scooped them up carefully, and placed two on each dish. I put several slices of bacon on Auntie's dish as the toaster popped again. Two slices went on each plate and I carried them to the table. I put Auntie's in front of her and carried mine to my place.

Auntie said grace as soon as I was seated. "These muffins are wonderful" she said.

"Thank you. We'll have to go shopping soon, we're running very low on fresh vegetables and fruits, plus the other usual items."

"Make a list and we can stop this afternoon or tomorrow. I don't know how long we'll be at Mabel's."

"Is lunch today, formal, semi, or informal?"

"Informal."

"Then the outfit that I selected will be Okay?"

"Yes. I think that it's very cute. I like those earrings."

"Yes? I do too."

"No corset today?" Auntie asked.

"I didn't want to have to change again before we go to Grandma's and I wasn't sure how she would react, so I decided against it."

"I agree with your decision. Do you know what kind of horse that you want?"

"Uh, A white one?"

She laughed. "No, I mean what breed?"

"I don't know. I never really expected to have one so I haven't done any research. I'll look into it. I assume that there are some books in your wonderful library."

"I'm sure that there must be something. Gabby told the designers to make sure that it was complete."

"Gabby wanted the library?"

"Yes. He felt that every quality home should have one. He was a bit of a roughneck but he wanted to be accepted in society circles. When we got our first big strike, we found that having tons of money was all it took these days. But he had already planned a library, and he was consistent in everything that he did."

"I'm glad that he did. It's a wonderful library. I've only sampled a small part so far, but it's marvelous to have it available." We finished our eggs and then munched on some fruit. Auntie took some papers out of her briefcase and started reading them.

I cleared the table as Auntie had another cup of tea. I washed the dishes and cooking utensils and then dried them and put them away. I wiped down the counters and refrigerator, then sat down at the table, to enjoy another cup of tea while I prepared a grocery list. Auntie had been reviewing the oil drilling contracts that she was to give to Grandma. She finished her review and put the papers back in her briefcase. She had been so absorbed in her review that she had not realized that I had cleaned the kitchen. "Darla Anne, why didn't you wait for me to help you?"

"Auntie, I've told you that I consider it MY job. You have so much to do. I need to feel useful too."

She looked at me and said, "Yes, I understand. We all need to feel useful, needed, and loved. Well, let me assure you that you are. I'm beginning to wonder how I got along before you came. You've shown me how empty my life was. After I lost Gabby, I knew that my life was empty and I filled the void with work, convincing myself that I was happy. But work doesn't make you feel needed or loved. You have done that for me."

I walked around the table and we embraced and cheek kissed. "I do love you Auntie."

"And I love you Darla Anne."     

We separated and Auntie looked at her watch. We have three hours before we're due at Mabel's. What shall we do?"

"We could do the grocery shopping if it's not too far."

"It's always 'work before pleasure' with you. You're a girl after my own heart. I can really see your mother's influence in you. Very well, grab your hat and purse, and we'll pick up some supplies."

I went to my bedroom, selected a purse, and transferred the contents from my last one. I was about to go when I thought about a hat, so I went to my closet and selected a cowgirl hat that seemed to go well with my outfit. I put it on and stepped into the hallway as Auntie came from her bedroom.

She said, "You look like you're on your way to a hoe-down."

I pointed to the hat, "Too much?"

"Heavens no, it's perfect. Nobody would ever think of you as a girl from New Jersey dressed like that."

"That's nice. I want to fit in."

"Everybody who sees you will be certain that you're a born and breed Texas filly. As long as you don't talk too much. You still have a New Jersey accent."

"Shucks, ah can drap that any time I wont to. Y'all know that we Texas gals can't keep from talkin' fer very long. The words'll just keep pourin outa me," I said in my best Texas drawl.

Auntie just stood and stared at me. "Young lady, you never cease to amaze me. You have an uncanny ear to have picked up our accent so quickly. Just talk like that and everyone will swear that you were born and reared in this state."

We set the intruder alarm and walked to the car. The ride to the supermarket took all of fifteen minutes. I had always hated going to the market with Mother. But now it was different, I was selecting food items and not just walking along with the shopping cart, like a pet. The involvement in the purchasing made all the difference. We spent a lot of time in the produce department selecting fresh vegetables and fruit, then almost as much in the meat department. After that we whisked through most of the aisles until we got to the feminine hygiene products aisle. Auntie spent a lot of time reading labels and selecting products there. She picked up a box of tampons and said to me, "Have you started to menstruate yet?" I shook my head, and she continued with her next selection. After we finished in this aisle, we zipped through the rest of the store selecting frozen food, and dairy products last. We had filled two shopping carts but except for fresh produce and dairy, we would not have to shop for a month.

We went to the checkout and put our selections on the conveyer belt so that the clerk could ring them up. A bag boy placed all of our things in large brown bags, the type always found in supermarkets. I had been the first through the checkout aisle, ahead of Auntie, and the bag boy, his lapel name tag said "Scott," stared at me whenever he didn't have to watch where he was putting something. He was cute and looked to be about 16. I glanced at him once and he flashed me a big smile. I allowed myself a small smile and nodded at him merely to acknowledge him. I remembered what Judy had told me about the dangers of flirting. When he was all done bagging, and while Auntie was paying the clerk, I thanked him for his work. He smiled broadly and said, "You're most welcome miss. My name is Scott. Y'all come back any time."

"I'm sure that we'll be in again, Scott. Goodbye." When I said his name, his face lit up even more. Then I began to push one of the carts as Auntie had finished with the clerk and come up behind me.

As we pushed the carts through the parking lot, she said, "It looks like you've met a new friend. He couldn't take his eyes off you."

"Oh, you know teenage boys. Anything in a skirt, and their hormones start raging."

"Darla Anne, it sounds like you've already learned the basics of boy/girl relationships, so I won't bore you by repeating all the do's and don'ts. But I want to remind you that all boys, and many men for that matter, only want one thing. In spite of how we feel, we women must keep our legs together and our skirts down, until we find a husband, if possible."

"I know, Auntie. Mother has told me the same thing."

"Your mother has done a good job of raising you. I'm proud to be your aunt."

"And I love having you for an aunt, even though you look more like my sister now, with your new hairdo."

"Oh stop it. Nobody would buy that."

"I bet that we could pull it off without any trouble whatsoever. Would you like to try this weekend?"

"You're on," she said, and we both giggled. 

We drove home and carried the bags to the elevator, then into the kitchen. I put things in the refrigerator while Auntie packed the pantry. When I could get no more in, I still had a number of frozen foods left. Auntie told me to take them downstairs to the big walk-in freezer. When I walked into the freezer I was astounded. It looked like a supermarket's freezer in there. I stored the extra items and ran out to get warm again. Next time I go in there, I'm bringing a coat, I thought to myself. Auntie had finished filling the pantry when I went back upstairs. I said that I didn't know that she had so much frozen food in the house. She told me that it was kind of like emergency rations. She rotated it every so often but liked to keep enough on hand to handle any emergency. I said that that was fine as long as the power doesn't go out too. She told me that there is an emergency generator in the garage building that runs off a propane tank. The enormous tank was buried for safety. The generator was old military surplus that Gabby had picked up somewhere. It could handle the entire house and outbuildings for 30 days. The same company that services the elevator fires it up once a year to test it. The house was built on this hill so that we were safe from floods. Half the state of Texas would have to be underwater before the water got as high as the bottom of the cellar floor. There was no way of protecting against twisters though, other than to head to the cellar and wait them out. She said that it was getting late and we had to be going, so we touched up our makeup and headed for Grandma's house.

Grandma lived about 25 minutes away. When we entered her estate, you knew that this was wealth. After driving for about two miles, we came to a house that looked like something you would find in England or Europe. It was a massive three story stone structure that was reminiscent of Buckingham Palace. When we knocked at the door, a butler opened it. A real butler. He escorted us in saying that, "Madame is expecting you. She's on the veranda. This way please." We followed him through the house to the back yard. Grandma was sitting at a large circular patio table reading through some papers. The butler announced us. "Mrs. Bliss and Miss Drake have arrived Madame." "Thank you Charles." He turned and left as Grandma rose to greet us.

I ran smiling, into her arms and squeezed her. "Oh, Grandma, thank for all the lovely clothes that you sent. I don't know how to thank you."

"Your smile is thanks enough, sweetheart. That outfit is very becoming. And very Texas. Hello Kathy."

"Hello Mabel."

The other woman was looking at us and Grandma said, "Kathy, you know Mrs. Prescott, don't you?"

"Of course I do. Hello, Edna, how have you been."

"Hello Kathy. Quite well thank you."

"And your husband, Bill, and your family."

"All well, thank you."

"That's wonderful."

Grandma spoke up, "And this is my granddaughter, Darla Anne." "I'm very pleased to meet you, Mrs. Prescott."

"And I'm pleased to meet you Darla Anne. Mabel, I don't recall you ever telling me that you had a granddaughter. She's very pretty."

Grandma said, "Yes, she's beautiful. She's been living back east until now. Kathy, Darla Anne, please, sit down." We sat where she indicated. She placed me on her left, with Auntie to my left.

Grandma said, "Would you care for some tea?" and indicated a pot on the table. We both said yes, and I moved forward to pour a cup for Auntie and myself. Grandma waited until we had put in our milk and honey, and I had sat back, then said, "Kathy, Edna and I have discussed our environmental concerns at great length. You have a wonderful reputation for taking care of the land where you drill. Darla Anne and I talked together for quite a while yesterday, and she suggested an idea for how we can both benefit. We know that it costs substantially more to run an "environmentally sound" drilling operation then the way that some other drillers operate. This effort should be rewarded in order to encourage others to follow suit. Therefore, we want to name your company as number one on our official list of recommended drillers. At present, you will be the only one on our list. We hope that other drillers will see the economic advantages of being a recommended driller and will want to be added to that list. Of course, they must pass a stringent examination of their practices to be on it, and periodic review to remain on it. We know that you can't openly join our group but you do espouse our views.

"I will sell you drilling rights to all my properties where you wish to drill. Edna will encourage her husband to do the same, which basically means that you will have the rights. He runs the company but the ranch land is in her name. I believe that some of our other members may be encouraged to sell their drilling rights to you. There are lands all over Texas and Oklahoma that have never been touched by a drilling rig because people didn't need the money bad enough to ruin their land. We'll work to get YOU those rights. Darla Anne was right about people willing to pay a little more for quality. Or in this case, getting a little smaller return on their oil to preserve their land and save their heritage."

"I'm honored by the confidence that you're showing in me," Auntie said, "and I promise that I will not disappoint you. I brought the contracts for your big ranch with me. I will leave them for you and your attorney to review."

"Fine, I have received proposals from every driller in Texas so I am familiar with the standard forms."

"These are a little different. My company makes explicit promises about our environmental efforts to preserve the land. I hope that they will satisfy your concerns."

"Wonderful. We'll review them and get them back to you early next week. Now, let's have lunch. Edna, can you stay?"

"I'm sorry, Mabel. I'd love to, but I have to get back. Bill and I are flying up to Chicago to the meat-producers convention."

"Oh yes, several of my VP's are going as well. Have a safe trip and I'll see you next week."

We all said goodbye and Mrs. Prescott left. 

Grandma rang a small bell that was on the table and Charles appeared. "We're ready to eat now Charles."

"Very good, madam."

He disappeared, and reappeared several minutes later carrying a tray, and then proceeded to set dishes and silverware in front of each of us. A maid, or cook, appeared a few seconds later carrying another tray, which she set on a side table. Charles served us french onion soup, then when Grandma rang again, he brought out a tray with platters of Lobster and Prime Rib. Being a Roman Catholic and forbidden to eat meat on Friday, I chose the Lobster only. It was delicious when dipped into the melted butter. For desert, we had a kind of custard pie with berries and whipped creme. Everything was delicious and I was really glad that I had not worn the corset. I would not have been able to enjoy much of the wonderful meal.

 After lunch, Grandma took us on a tour of the house. She told us her grandfather had built the house after he took a trip to Europe in the late 1800's. Pride in her family's heritage is the only thing that kept her here. "It's too big to be comfortable in. I only use a small section for my living quarters, and the quarters of my servants. When I'm gone, the place will probably fall down. It's too far from the city to have any real commercial value."

"That's sad," I said, "it really is a beautiful old house. Just like the ones that I see in the pictures of the ones in England."

"Grandfather got the plans from an architect in England whose firm had built this identical house over there in the 17^th Century. He was told that that house had been destroyed by fire, so we can't compare it to theirs." We completed our tour and then returned to the veranda to talk.

 I learned that Grandma had just four servants; a cook, Charles her butler, a housekeeper, and a secretary. When she was not in residence, a groundskeeper stayed in the house while her three servants traveled with her. We had a wonderful afternoon. I told her all about unpacking all the wonderful clothes and how I had spent all afternoon yesterday trying on the outfits that I had not already worn. I told her of wearing the corset that Auntie had loaned me. Rather than being put-off, she thought that the idea was 'charming.' She told me that as a young woman, she had worn one for many years, but had discarded it when they went out of fashion. She remembered how most of the women had such beautiful shapes back then, when "Men were men, and women were women." She said that they had made a small sort of comeback with the wasp-waisted suits of the fifties and asked if I was going to continue with it. I told her that I really liked what it had done for my figure, and that I was going to see if I could bear it. I told her how I'd had to sit rigidly upright and I thought that it would be good for my posture if I could stand it. She agreed, saying that too many young girls slouched these days, like boys. I commented that she had perfect posture, and she said that it was the result of early training, including the corset training. In addition to the corset, she had worn a posture harness. It was a sort of strap that pulled your shoulders back and forced you to have correct posture. It had been very uncomfortable at the time but she didn't regret how it had helped her.

As the afternoon shadows started to lengthen, Charles came out on the veranda and said, "Madam, I just wanted to remind you that you have a dinner engagement in the city tonight."

Looking at her watch she said, "Oh heavens. Yes, thank you, Charles." She stood up. "Kathy, Darla Anne, I'm sorry, but I've been having such a wonderful time that I've lost all track of the hour. I hate to end our visit but I must get ready to leave. I've loved having you both here today. I hope that we can get together again very soon. Charles will show you out." She rang her little bell and Charles came out onto the veranda. "Charles, in the future, will you please announce Miss Drake as my "granddaughter" when she comes to visit." 

Without the slightest hint of surprise, he said "Very good, Madam."

"And now would you please escort Mrs. Bliss and my granddaughter to the door." I went to Grandma and we embraced and cheek kissed.

"Thank you again for the lovely clothes, Grandma."

"You are most welcome, my dear. Kathy, I'll be in touch about those contracts very soon." We said good-bye and Charles showed us the way out.

As we drove away, Auntie said, "WOW, what an afternoon. It looks like our little oil drilling company is going to grow up very fast. The other lady, who was there today, Mrs. Prescott, is the wife of William Prescott. He's the chairman of Westtex Foods. They have ranches and farms all over the Midwest and southwest. Cattle, grains, vegetables, and processing plants for all of it. Their properties alone could keep me busy for years. And I owe it all to you, Darla Anne."

"Auntie, I haven't done anything. You conscientious treatment of the environment is responsible for getting you the oil rights."

"To a degree, sweetheart. But Mabel's adoration of you is what's driving all this. You should see how she looks at you, and hangs on your every word. She acts like she really is your grandmother, and that you're her favorite granddaughter." 

"I think that she's wonderful, and I meant it when I told her that I would think of her as my grandmother. Since yours and Fathers parents all passed away before I was born, Mabel is the only grandmother that I have ever known."

We arrived home a little earlier than our normal dinner hour of 6 PM. While Auntie made a salad, I broiled a swordfish steak in butter and made some fresh biscuits. During dinner, Auntie and I talked about oil drilling. She started to educate me about the different types of wells and drilling techniques. I learned that Auntie had earned a college degree in geology. At 7 o'clock, Auntie suggested that we call my sisters. We left the dinner dishes on the table and we went downstairs to the office. Because of the two hour time difference we wanted to call before it got too late, and we had gone to the office because it had a speakerphone.

 Auntie dialed the Marcoti's house and Gina answered the phone. Auntie recognized her voice and said, "Hello Gina, this is Katherine Bliss, how are you?"

"Oh, Mrs. Bliss, I'm fine, thank you. Hold on, I'll call the girls." She must have cupped her hand over the receiver because we could only hear muffled noises for a few seconds, then Judy's voice came on the line.

"Aunt Katherine?"

"Yes, hello Judy, I'm here with Darla Anne. We're on the speakerphone so we can both talk and hear you at the same time."

I heard her say, "Darla Anne? Darla Anne is with you NOW?" 

I said, "Hello Judy, it's Darla Anne. I'm so glad to hear your voice. I've missed you. I've missed you all so much."

"And we've missed you. Susan and Mary just came in to the room. Hold on. It's Aunt Katherine and… Darla Anne calling. They can both hear and talk at the same time."

Susan got on the phone. "Hello, Aunt Katherine."

"Hello Susan. How have you been?"

"Fine, Aunt Katherine. Judy said that Darla Anne is on the phone also?"

"Hi, Suz. It's Darla Anne. I've missed you."

"And I've missed my little sister. Hold on Mary wants to say Hi."

"Hi, Darla Anne."

"Hi, Mary. It's good to hear your voice. I've missed you. Aunt Katherine is here with me. We're are on the speakerphone so she can hear and talk at the same time as me."

Aunt Katherine spoke up, "Hello Mary, I hope that you're well."

"We're all fine Aunt Katherine, we just miss you and Darla Anne. We wish you were both here."

"As do we," Aunt Katherine said, "but you'll be down here soon enough. Less than a month from now, we'll all be together.   

We talked in the "round robin" phone call arrangement for about an hour. My sisters kept passing the phone around every couple of minutes. Even Gina and Maria got on at least once. I learned that my sisters visited my mother every single day. Mother was improving and should be well enough to be transported to Texas near the end of June. My sisters were starting the semester review process in preparation for their final exams. When it came time to end the call, I was sad. We said our good-byes and hung up. I knew that we would be together again in just four weeks, but I wanted to be with them now. But I had to settle for phone calls for now. From that day on we talked every few days, for at least a half-hour, until we were re-united. It was too late to call the hospital and speak to mother, but Auntie said that we could call her on Sunday.

Auntie and I climbed the stairs to the kitchen and cleaned up.

We sat at the table after we finished. I had made a pot of tea and we enjoyed a cup in silence, with our thoughts. Then I asked a couple of questions about oil drilling and, for the next three hours, Auntie instructed me in the intricacies of the oil business. It was after eleven when Auntie said that is was past my bedtime. I had become so absorbed in our discussion that I hadn't realized the time. We washed the tea things and went to bed. I was tired and fell asleep almost as soon as I lay down.

That night I dreamt that I was an English noblewoman, out riding on my father's vast estate when I suddenly realized I was lost. I rode for hours trying to find my way back. Ultimately I came upon a small cottage and dismounted. There didn't appear to be anybody around so I went to the well to get a drink. As I started to drink, a dirty and smelly peasant emerged from the nearby woods.

He came over to me and said, "Stealn warder snot loud round ere. You LADIES n GENTS thinks you owns the ole world. I'll show you ow we treats thieves ere."

I was going to offer to pay for the water but he pounced upon me and in short order had me bound hand and foot. I tried to scream but my corset prevented me from filling my lungs sufficiently to really let loose. He dragged me to the cottage and pushed open the door. Then he dropped me unceremoniously on a pile of straw that I assumed to be a bed. As he started to remove his shirt, the door burst open again and a tall nobleman strode in and, quickly sizing up the situation, swung his cane as the peasant charged. The peasant dropped like a rock as the cane came into contact with his head.

The nobleman approached me and said, "Lucky that I was near enough to hear your screams, Milady." He bent down over me and I thought he was going to untie me but instead he picked me up in his arms and said, "Your father has put out an alarm that you're missing. My hunting party postponed our hunt so that we could join in the search. I am very glad now, that we did."

As he started to carry me outside, I said, "Sir, I thank God that you arrived when you did. But if you will untie me I can walk unaided."

"That's quite all right milady, I am not having any difficulty with your slender form. I consider the opportunity to carry you part of my reward for saving you."

"Only part of your reward?" I said as we reached our horses.

"Yes, here's the other part," he said just before he lowered his head to my lips and kissed me passionately. I started to react to his kiss as he tightened his embrace.

Suddenly, I was awake and back in my own bed. I lay there thinking about the dream. The recurring theme of being helpless, while strong, handsome men kissed me started to worry me. I would have to ask Auntie about it. I remembered what my sisters had said about all girls having this kind of dream, but why almost every night?

As it was almost dawn, I arose and prepared myself for the day. After my bath, I examined myself in the mirror. My chest was still bothering me. My nipples were still very sensitive and the whole area was swollen. Maybe I was reacting to the soap that I was using to wash my bra. I would buy a different brand at my next opportunity. If it didn't improve soon, I would have to mention it to Auntie. I would hold off as long as possible though, because I feared that she might want me to leave and let David come back. I loved it here and I didn't want to leave. Auntie seemed to have totally forgotten all about my brother, the same way that my mother and sisters forgot about him when he was away on one of his trips. I was only supposed to be here until Thursday, but here it was Saturday, and Auntie had not even suggested that I contact David about returning. I resolved to stay as long as I could, and not bring up anything that might make her think of David.

I selected a dark blue a-line skirt and satiny, floral print blouse and I made myself up to look as old as I could. Normally, my makeup was very subdued because I was, after all, only eleven and Mother had limited its use. But today, Auntie and I were going to try to look like sisters, so I wanted to look as old as I could appear. I used eye makeup for this special day. I "puffed" up my bra with tissues, carefully tucking them into my bra over my very sensitive breasts. I dressed after selecting dark nylons instead of my normal neutral color. Most eleven-year old girls did not wear nylons, but I had been allowed to wear them since Mother had first permitted it weeks ago. Auntie never objected, and I loved the sensation, so I would continue until forbidden to wear them. When I was dressed, I went to look over my shoes. Only my boots had heels higher than 2 inches. I wanted something a little higher to wear today so I finished my preparations, and walked down the hall to the room where my sister's clothing was stored. I found the box that I had seen the other day, which contained Judy's shoes. I selected a pair of black, single strap heels. Judy's very petite foot wasn't much larger than mine was so the fit was comfortable and the strap would insure that they would not fall off. I walked around the room a few times to re-acquaint myself with walking in narrow, high heels as I had not done it since I had worn the bridesmaid dress many weeks ago. I began to feel comfortable in only a few minutes, so I left the room and walked to the kitchen.

I put on my apron and squeezed fresh OJ after setting the table. Then I cut a grapefruit in half and loosened the sections with the special knife. It squirted at me but my apron intercepted all the juice. I put a halved maraschino cherry on each and placed them on the table. I cut up a cantaloupe and a small dish of strawberries, and made a pot of tea. Then I put the frying pan on to slowly warm while I took eggs, milk, and cinnamon and made my French toast mixture. I got out the white bread and the maple syrup and sat to wait for Auntie. I looked through a cookbook that I had found in the pantry while I waited. I had a lot to learn and was looking for ways to improve my cooking skills. So far I had prepared only basic and easy dishes.

Auntie came in, still wearing her nightgown, and I rose to greet here. She immediately noticed my increased height and eye makeup. I told her that they were Judy's heels, and reminded her that today we were going to try to fool people about being sisters.

"That's right," she said, "I had forgotten. I'll get ready after breakfast and we'll go shopping. Now what shall we have for breakfast today?"

"Breakfast today is fresh orange juice, half a sectioned grapefruit, fresh cantaloupe with fresh strawberries, and cinnamon french toast. Beverages are milk or tea. May I take your order for the French Toast, Miss Bliss?"

She laughed, and looking at the food waiting on the table said, "I'll start on the French toast."

I said "Oh, Mademoiselle, ze cook has already prepared everyzing for ze toast. We only need to know how much slices you would like and ze ordah will be delivered to ze table in moments."

"Very well, then. Two."

"Ah, bon." I pulled out her chair and beckoned her to sit down. I went to the stove and put four slices of bread into the mixture that I had prepared, as I turned the heat up on the frying pan. I dropped some butter into the pan as it quickly came to temperature. When the butter sizzled, I carefully put the four slices of mixture-soaked bread in to fry. I stood by with the spatula and turned it when it was browned. When the other side was done, I divided them between the two plates and brought them to the table. I set one plate in front of Auntie and said, "Your ordah, mademoiselle, we hope that it pleases. Enjoy your meal and zank you for coming to Café Darla."

Auntie laughed and said, "This is fast becoming my favorite restaurant."

I put my dish down at my place and curtseyed to Auntie. "Zank you Mademoiselle, you're most kind. Ze entire staff appreciates your continued patron-ahge."

As we ate, Auntie told me about the shopping centers around the city. We decided on a couple of stores that catered to teens and young ladies, as good places to start. After breakfast, I shooed her out of the kitchen. I was all dressed while she still had to get ready. So I cleaned the kitchen while she returned to her bedroom.

When I had finished, I knocked at Auntie's door and got no response. I poked my head in and called out, "Auntie?"

"In the bathroom honey. Come on in." I walked into her bathroom and saw that she was in the tub. "Almost finished with my bath. Would you hand me that towel please" she said pointing to a towel on her sink counter. She stood up as I walked over, retrieved it, and handed it to her. "Thank you, dear." She dried herself off and stepped from the tub. She was beautiful. Her full breasts jiggled as she walked and her slim waist didn't need a corset to show her natural curves. She walked to a full-length mirror and inspected her naked body as if she were alone in the room. I sat on the couch and we talked as she finished patting herself dry, powered herself and put on her undies. She sat and made up her face after tweezing and checking it over.

We walked into her clothes room and spent a lot of time looking through her clothes until we found a skirt and sweater combination that gave her a young look. She brushed her hair and put on a pair of black single strap flats. She put on some perfume that I selected rather than what she normally used and we stood together in front of the mirror. The similarity was striking. While nobody could ever be convinced that we were the same age, our same hair and eye color, similar hairstyles, and very similar facial structure clearly showed that we were related. I stood just four inches shorter than she did, with my high heels, while she was barefoot. We decided that for today, she would be Miss Kathy Bliss, age 23, and I would be Miss Darla Anne Bliss, age 14. I selected some jewelry for her to wear, and we left. Auntie started the car, then opened her purse and took out her wallet. She selected some bills and handed them to me. She said, "A girl should always have some cash on her when she is going shopping so here's your allowance." I told her that I didn't need any money but she insisted I take it. So I thanked her and put it in my little change bag in my purse.

We planned to make Springer's our first stop. They advertised that they were 'specializing in youthful fashions.' On this Saturday morning, the store was already crowded with teens and their mothers. A few fathers stood around looking bored and probably wishing that they could head over to the ballpark. We spent the next two hours looking for the 'right look' for Auntie. We settled on a pretty, tangerine colored, knit mini-dress, and a black leather mini-skirt. Auntie definitely had the body and legs to wear them. The mini skirt looked wonderful with sweater that she was wearing so she decided to wear it immediately. The clerk wrapped her original skirt with the mini-dress. We put her purchases in the car and went for a walk to find a place for lunch. Every male head that we passed turned to watch Auntie as we strode along the street. The effect was not lost on her. Although she maintained a staid expression on her face as we walked, after we entered the restaurant, her smile could have illuminated our way in a darkened theatre. We decided that no further shopping was necessary today, so after lunch we went for a walk in the City Park.

The walk in the park was much the same as the walk on the city street. Every male head turned as we passed, and we both knew that they were not looking me, much as I would have wished they were. We had only eaten a sandwich in the restaurant, so we stopped to get an ice-cream bar from a pushcart vendor. I ordered a chocolate covered chocolate ice cream bar, and after handing it to me, the vendor said, "And what will your pretty sister have?" Auntie ordered a sugar cone with vanilla ice cream. After she paid the vendor, he said, "Thank you girls, enjoy your afternoon in the park." We thanked him and walked away as we enjoyed our ice cream. When we were well out of hearing range of the vendor, I said, "You lose, sis." Auntie just put her arm around me and continued to lick her ice cream but I could see that she was smiling.

 Several hours later we left the park and were returning to our car when a man holding a city map and looking up at the street signs on the corner put up his hand to me as we approached. He said, "Excuse me, Miss, could you, or you sister, point me towards Division Street. I'm all turned around and I'm late for an appointment."

"Kathy, do you know the way?" I asked.

"Yes, go down that way two blocks. Make a left, and Division Street is one block down on your right," she said, pointing the way that he should go.

"God bless you both," he said. "Thank you, girls," he said as he almost ran the way that Auntie had pointed.

I looked at her and said, "Well that's two for two. Need any more proof?"

She laughed and said, "No, you win. Let's go home." We found the car, and in half an hour we were back at the house.

After dinner we changed into our sleepwear and went down to watch some TV. I couldn't develop any interest in a movie that Auntie seemed to be enjoying so I went to the library. After a short search, I found a book about horse breeds. After reading about the various breeds, I settled on two that appealed to me, the "American White" and the "Tennessee Walking Horse." I returned to the theatre as the movie was just ending. I told Auntie of my selection of the breeds and she said that she was familiar with the breeds and thought that they were a fine choice. We walked upstairs after turning off the lights and continued talking about horses.

We went into her bedroom while she was telling me of the horse shows that she and Gabby used to go to, as their schedules had permitted. They had owned a number of horses, but after Gabby passed away, Auntie had sold off all her stock as she spent more and more time with the business. We had moved to the bed and were lying on it with our heads on propped up pillows as we talked.

"A horse is a big responsibility," she said. "It has to be fed and cared for seven days a week. I won't have any poor dumb animal mistreated. If you fail to care for it, I will not hesitate to sell it. Okay?"

"Okay, Auntie. I agree with everything that you've said."

"I think that you're ready for the responsibility or I would not have agreed to it earlier. You have shown me every day that you're much more mature than most girls your age are. You not only do not shirk work, you constantly look to take more on your small shoulders. I am very proud that you're my niece." She pulled me closer to wrap her arms around me. I rested my head on her shoulder. "If I had had a daughter, I would want her to be just like you, Darla Anne. You've changed my life for the better in just one short week. My loneliness is just a memory now. I look forward to getting up in the morning, and to coming home at night. I love having you here to share things with. I'm going to be jealous when you start dating and I have to share you with all the boys in this county."

"There's nothing to stop you from dating, Auntie. Maybe it's time for you to start looking for another good man

"Do you think that we should double date? Maybe we can find two brothers that we like," she joked.

"I think that my "other" sisters would be jealous if I get to start dating before they do." We both laughed.

"That was fun today," she said. "Shall I wear the mini-dress to services tomorrow?"

"Only if you want to be banned from the church."

"The minister would fall out of the pulpit for sure. Well, then I'll save it for a special occasion when we can be sisters again." 

"When Judy, Mary, and Susan get here we can be the 'Five Bliss Sisters,'" I said.

"That sounds like fun. Do you think that your sisters are going to like it here?"

"Yes, I think that they will. They're going to miss seeing Gina and Maria of course. They've been best friends almost since they were born. Do you think that Gina and Maria could visit us sometime? We do have a lot of room here?"

"Of course. Anytime that they want to, sweetheart." We continued talking like that and at some point we both drifted off to sleep, with me still loosely cradled in Auntie's arms. I slept calmly that night with none of my usual dreams. I only dreamt of sharing good times with my family.

Chapter Six        New Friends

I awoke at dawn not knowing where I was at first. Then as I came fully awake, I realized that I was still with Auntie. I was lying on my back, while Auntie was on her side, nestled against my body, with her arm over me and her head on my shoulder. I lay like that for several minutes, enjoying the closeness of our bodies. Then I turned my head and kissed her on the cheek before working to slowly extricate myself from her without waking her. I went to my bedroom and took a long warm bath, then dressed in a creme colored dress with a slightly flared skirt, and lace collar. I put on a pair of matching pumps with two-inch heels. I moved everything from the purse I had carried yesterday to a matching clutch purse and added a pair of matching gloves. I found a darling hat and put it with my purse. Then satisfied with my appearance in the mirrors, I went down the hall to the kitchen.

 I put on my apron and made a pot of tea after turning on the oven and setting the table. Then I made fresh OJ, and mixed up some cornbread muffins. After I sliced up some fruit, I cooked bacon and got out the eggs. I put the muffins in the oven and sat to wait for Auntie. I had just removed the muffins and set them to cool when she came in. I went over to her, threw my arms around her and gave her a big kiss. She hugged and kissed me back as I said, "Good morning, sleepyhead."

"Good morning, dear. Why are you so happy this morning?"

"I don't know. I just feel good. I slept very soundly last night in your bed, and just woke up feeling good. Breakfast is almost ready. Sit down and drink your juice. Over easy and pumpernickel?"

"Yes, dear," I carried a plate of muffins to the table after turning up the heat for the frying pan and quickly made the eggs and toast. I carried the plates of eggs, toast and bacon to the table. I placed the plate in front of Auntie and said, "You ordah mademoiselle. I hope you enjoy. Zank you for dining at Café Darla."

"My favorite restaurant," she said.

As we ate I asked, "Where do we go for services?" I asked.

"There's a small Baptist church about 15 minutes from here that I attend. I think that you'll like it. It's Christianity without all the constant Latin and 'stand up, kneel, sit down' of the Catholic Church."

"Those are the two things that I always disliked. Not being able to understand what the priest is saying during the mass, without a degree in Latin, and then the constant movement. I understand the constant 'stand up, kneel, sit down' movement though."

Auntie looked at me and said, "You do. Tell me because I never understood it."

"Well, since the congregation can't understand what the priest is saying, except during the sermon which is in English, people would fall asleep if they just sat there being bored. So the constant movement keeps them participating and thus involved in the Mass. They are less likely to start snoring in the church." 

Auntie looked at me for a second, then smiled, then started to laugh.  When she was composed again, she said, "I think that you're right. There were many times that I would have nodded off if we hadn't had to change our positions so frequently."

We finished eating and Auntie went to bathe and dress while I washed the dishes and cleaned the kitchen. I changed the tablecloth and after dumping the crumbs, folded it and put it with the other soiled tablecloths and aprons in the pantry. I went to my bedroom, touched up my makeup, put on my lipstick, and after putting on the hat that I had selected, picked up my purse. Auntie was coming out of her bedroom as I was and I said, "I'm starting to get a collection of soiled tablecloths and aprons in the pantry. Where can I wash them and hang them up to dry."

She led the way over to the cleaning closet and showed me a hole in the wall with a swinging flap door. "Just drop everything to be cleaned down that chute and it falls into a cart in the cellar. Come on, I'll show you where it goes."

She led the way to the elevator, we got in, and she pressed the 'B' button. As the elevator descended slowly, she told me that there is also a stairway with the entrance door being inside the walk-in pantry in the large kitchen. When the elevator stopped, we got out and stepped into a hallway with a single dim bulb like a nightlight. Auntie flipped several wall switches next to the elevator door and a long corridor lit up. I followed her to a door, than she opened it and stepped into the darkness. But only for a second. She flipped on the wall switches and florescent lights brilliantly illuminated the room. I saw three large capacity washing machines and three commercial dryers against the wall. There were several worktables and a half-dozen laundry carts. I saw the chute extending down from the ceiling where the soiled linens would drop into a laundry cart. "There's another closet down the hallway where things from the large kitchen fall into a cart so that it can be wheeled down to here." There was an enormous sink against the far wall and a rack with soap, bleaches and other cleaning supplies. We left and returned to the elevator turning off light switches as we went. We stepped into the elevator but only went up to the first floor since we were both ready to leave. We keyed the intruder alarm code in, and walked to the garage.

In 15 minutes we were at the church. It was a small wood frame structure, very intimate inside compared to the enormous Gothic, stone structure that was St. James, in New Jersey. Everyone was very friendly, and Auntie introduced me to everybody as her niece from back east who would be staying with her from now on. I enjoyed the service and was introduced to the minister afterwards. He was a friendly, older man who in turn introduced me to his wife. That took me aback for a second as priests in the Roman Catholic Church take a vow of celibacy. He said that he hoped that I would join the church and be baptized. I told him that I had already been baptized as an infant. He said that their doctrines require an adult to be baptized once they reach an age where the adult can make their own decisions about religion. But I still had a couple of years before then he said. He hoped that I would continue to attend services there. We thanked him and returned home. On the way home I thought about how Auntie had introduced me to everybody at the service. Now that everybody knew ME, it was going to be difficult for David when he returned, but I didn't want to mention to Auntie.

It was a beautiful spring day and Auntie asked me if there were anything I would like to do. I told her that I would like to see the outbuildings when she had the time. She told me to go change into something a little more durable and she would take me around. We went upstairs and I put on a denim skirt, with a matching denim blouse that had white lace fringe hanging around the bust and shoulder blades. I put on my black cowgirl boots and a black cowgirl hat. I took a pair of black leather gloves also. I met Auntie in the hall as she came from her bedroom. She had on a pair of jeans, boots, a flannel shirt and a cowgirl hat. She had a pair of well-used, leather, work gloves tucked into her belt. She said, "I expected you to put on a pair of jeans."

"I don't have any in my new wardrobe."

"Well, we'll have to get you a few pair. They come in handy on a ranch. You can't wear skirts when you have something messy to do, and there are no men around. It's Okay for us women to dress like men once in a while. Nobody in Texas is going to make fun of you if they see you wearing pants occasionally. People will still know you're a woman. Our shapes always seem to give us away." We both giggled.

 I had been in the garage before but now she took me on a full tour. There were actually 10 separate bays. One contained a white 1957 T-Bird that had belonged to Gabby. It was covered with a tarp and sat up on blocks to preserve the tires. I went over to it, lifted up the tarp and rubbed my hand on the red leather upholstery. I said, "It's beautiful. I've always loved this model. The lines were so distinctive."

Auntie said, "You really like it?"

"I love it. Could I maybe drive it someday when I'm old enough?"

"Sweetheart, when you're sixteen, it's yours."

"Oh Auntie, really?"

"Really. But not until you're sixteen."

"I can hardly wait. Thank you, Auntie. You're so good to me. I love you."

"And I love you, dear. Now let's keep moving. Lots to see." There was an old Dusenberg touring car that Gabby had almost finished restoring and a 1962 Ford pickup truck. The other bays were empty except for Auntie's Cadillac. Next, we walked through the stables. Twenty stalls, ten to a side, lined the walls. Each was spacious, about 12' x 12.' I could image them filled with horses once upon a time. She showed me the hayloft, now empty, and a tack room with several saddles, bridles, leather supplies, and tools still lining the walls. There was also a large barn for storing more hay, feeds and grains. Last on our tour was the aircraft hanger. It was enormous and she said that it could accommodate three planes. The runway in front of it was five thousand feet long. We walked along it as she pointed to various points on the horizon and told me how far our property extended and who owned the adjoining lands. The asphalt runway was long enough to allow any corporate plane to land and takeoff. She and Gabby had had two planes, but she had never learned to fly and she sold them after Gabby passed away. Occasionally, a business associate or client would fly in so she kept the runway maintained. The tour had taken three hours and since it was getting close to lunchtime, we headed back to the house.

When we got back to the house, Auntie said, "Since I'm dressed like this I may as well do a couple of things that I've been putting off. I have to check the car's fluids and things. You know, the oil, transmission, brake fluid, and that stuff." She started to put her gloves on and I said, "Okay, I'll start lunch." I went upstairs to the kitchen and put on an apron. I took out the chicken that we had bought yesterday and washed it as I cut it up. I arranged the pieces in a deep pan lined with aluminum foil and put several small dabs of butter on each piece. Then I sprinkled on Italian flavored breadcrumbs, completely covering each piece. Lastly I closed up the foil to seal in all the moisture, and put it in the oven that I had pre-heated to 375 degrees. In 50 minutes it would be ready. I got out most of the ingredients for the rest of the meal but didn't start preparing them yet. I went back downstairs and sat in a rocker on the back porch that overlooked the garages. I rocked and watched as Auntie worked on the car.

 After about 10 minutes, I went inside and made a pitcher of lemonade. I filled a glass with ice and lemonade and carried it to the garage. Auntie took it gratefully and kissed me saying, "Thank you, dear." After she drank it, she said, "I'll have to teach you to do this one of these days. It's important to maintain your car. I knew that it's an icky job, that the men usually do, but since we have no men, we have to it. Every woman should at least know HOW to do it."

"Yes, Auntie. Next time that you do it, I'll stay and watch."

She finished and after closing the hood and the garage door, we walked back to the house.

She removed her gloves and went into the kitchen to wash up. I walked upstairs and began to make the rice. Using chicken broth instead of water, plus a few other ingredients in small measure, such as a tiny diced onion and some spices, I put the rice on to cook. I made a salad and cooked some fresh broccoli. Some Bisquick biscuits finished the menu. I had brought up the pitcher of lemonade that I had made. I set the table and started putting the serving dishes on it. The smell from the chicken was making me hungry. I removed it from the oven, along with the biscuits, and verified that it was cooked. Auntie came in and walked over the counter where I was dishing up the chicken. She tickled me on my sides and I almost dropped the spatula.

 "Stop that," I said giggling, "you know how ticklish I am."

"Yes. I'm sorry," she said, "I just couldn't resist." She went to the table and sat down as I brought over the platter of chicken, and a platter of biscuits. I sat down and we said grace.

"Honey," she said, "everything is delicious. This chicken is outstanding. Where did you learn the recipe? Your mother?"

"Yes. I've always enjoyed it like this, and watched her prepare it often. It's really simple to make." I told her how I did it. After lunch, I started to clean up as she went to change from her jeans. I wrapped and put away the leftovers, then washed the dishes. I changed the tablecloth and swept the floor. When she came back, she was wearing a pretty summer dress. She said, "Would you like to call your mother?"

"Oh yes, Auntie, I would love to talk with Mommy. It's been more than a week."

"Okay, let's go into the office so that we can use the speakerphone." Auntie dialed the number of Mother's telephone in the hospital. Auntie had arranged for her to have her own line, instead of going through the hospital switchboard.

When Mother answered, Auntie said, "Hello, Liz, it's Kathy. I'm here with Darla Anne. We're on the speakerphone, so we can both hear you."

"Hello my darlings, it's so nice to hear from you today. The girls told me that you both called on Friday."

"Hello, Mommy, how are you?"

"I'm coming along, honey. How's my lovely daughter today."

"I'm fine. Auntie and I are getting along wonderfully out here."

"That's great darling, are you minding you aunt?" Auntie spoke up,

"She's wonderful Liz. I told her that I wish she were mine. I don't know how I ever got along without her. She's taken over most of the cooking and cleaning since I've been so busy getting caught up with my work. She insists that she can handle it, and she proves it every day. You should be very proud of her. You've taught her to be quite a woman."

"I am very proud of her, and all my daughters. They are the joy of my life. I want to get better as fast as possible so that we can get our lives back together. Darla Anne is special though. All my daughters are intelligent, but Darla Anne is the brightest. In addition to her other talents, she is also a wonderful little actress."

"I've had a sample of her talents. Her ability to talk like a Texan after only a week is superb. And her French and British imitations are hilarious. She astonishes me with some new talent or ability almost every day."

"I'm glad that you're getting along so well. It eases my mind that my girls are being well cared for, and are not being a burden."

"Anything but, some days I feel like she's taking care of me. I told her that the man who marries her is going to be a very lucky man indeed."

"Darla Anne, are you taking your vitamins every day?"

"Yes, Mommy."

"How are you getting by with clothes?"

"Fine, Mommy. A friend of Auntie's has bought me a whole wardrobe."

Auntie explained that a wealthy neighbor had taken a liking to me. "Mabel Moore is a lonely widow. Her husband passed away a number of years ago and she lost her only child. She's taken an interest in Darla Anne and enjoys her company."

"That's wonderful, it looks like I won't have to worry then. Your sisters are going to be jealous about all your new clothes."

We talked for another hour, until a nurse came in and told mother that it was time for her sponge bath. We said our good-byes, and we told her how much we loved her and were anxiously awaiting her arrival in Texas.  

Since it was such a gorgeous day, we walked outside and sat on the porch, enjoying the gentle, late spring breezes. We talked about the services of this morning, the ranch, and horses. Anything and everything. After several hours, I went in and made another pitcher of lemonade, and returned to the porch with it and two glasses. We sat on the porch enjoying each other's company and the tranquility of the day until the sun was only a memory in the horizon. I picked up the empty pitcher and glasses and took them inside.

Neither of us wanted a big meal, so I made grilled cheese sandwiches, with a fruit cup for desert. After dinner, we watched TV until bedtime. I dreamed only pleasant dreams that night about spending time with my sisters in a park. I overslept a little. The sun was above the horizon when I woke up, so instead of hurrying my bath, I went straight to the kitchen and prepared breakfast. I made tea and fresh OJ. I made a pot of hot porridge, corn muffins, set the table and cut up some fresh fruit.

Everything was cooked and ready to eat when Auntie came in. She was dressed for work already. She looked at me and smiled, "Oversleep?"

I nodded, "Just a little."

"Sweetheart, it's okay for you to sleep in. I don't need a hot breakfast every morning."

"Auntie, you have your job and I have mine. Yours is to take care of running the company and provide a home for us. Mine is to take care of you as well as I can, and a hot breakfast is important. Mother always told us that a hot breakfast wakes you up and gets you ready to start the new day. I want to do that for you when I can."

"Thank you, sweetheart. You're really spoiling me. Most businesswomen I know are always saying that what they need is a wife so that they can concentrate on their business. They'd be jealous if I told them about you and how well you're taking care of me."

"I can't think of anybody to whom I would rather be a wife, than to you."

"Okay, wife, lets eat breakfast." She reached out and tickled my sides. I screamed and then giggled. We sat and had breakfast while she told me whom she was meeting with on this day and why. Then she grabbed her briefcase, kissed me and hurried out, saying that she'd be home at 6 o'clock.

Instead of cleaning up right away, I returned to my bedroom and enjoyed a long hot bath. After I bathed, I inspected my body in the full-length mirror as I had seen Auntie do. My chest was still irritated but did not appear to be getting any worse. The nipples seemed to be larger than I remembered. It had to be the soap. I would look in the laundry room today to see if I could find a different brand. My backside was getting bigger as Dr. Clark had said. Maybe I should start jogging every morning. After examining my body, I inspected my face and tweezed a few hairs in my eyebrows. Then I put on my undies and made my face.

I went into my clothes room to decide what to wear, and spotted the corset that Auntie had loaned me. I decided to give it a try again. I put it on over my camisole and attached the busk in the front. I pulled on the laces, alternating first with the top and then with the bottom, until they were evenly tight. When I could pull no more, I tested and found that it was not as tight as Auntie had laced me. I looked around for a way to pull it tighter. I looped one of the laces around a doorknob and walked away from it. While the doorknob was pulling one side I pulled on the other. It worked. When I had tightened it as much as I dare, I stopped and wrapped the laces around my waist and tied them in a bow. I walked stiffly around the room until I got used to it. Then I put a full slip on over the corset. I decided to wear the same full denim skirt and blouse that I had worn with it last time. I put on the two-layered petticoat and then the skirt and blouse. Fortunately, I had put on my nylons already. I would never have been able to put them on while wearing the corset. I stepped into my black cowgirl boots and put on some perfume.

I decided to see how functional I could be with the corset on. After all, most women wore them every day a half-century ago. I went to the kitchen, put on a full-length apron, washed the dishes, and swept the floor. I picked up the dirty tablecloths and carried them to the laundry chute. Spotting the vacuum cleaner, I took it out and vacuumed the hallway, my bedroom, Auntie's bedroom, and David's bedroom. Then I vacuumed the stairs and the theatre downstairs. I returned the vacuum to the closet. I stopped for a few minutes to get my breath steady again. I was getting used to the corset and having less trouble with it. I pulled the cleaning cart, which was in the closet, into Auntie's bathroom, and using the cleaners, rags, and brushes that I found on it, I cleaned her bathroom until it sparkled. I replaced the towels and washcloths in her bathroom with clean ones from the cleaning closet. I dropped her old ones down the chute. Then I changed her bed linen and I dusted and polished every surface including all her mirrors. When I was done the bedroom sparkled like her bathroom.

It was lunchtime and I was feeling a little a little winded, so I put the cleaning cart away and went to the kitchen. I selected a piece of chicken leftover from yesterday's lunch and an apple. After eating, I felt invigorated again, so I returned to the cleaning closet, took out the cart and cleaned my bathroom and bedroom as I had done to Auntie's. Then I did the same with David's, even though he had only used them for two days. It was only 3 o'clock so I went down to the laundry room and washed everything that I found in the laundry cart. With all three washing machines running, I went back upstairs. I had found a bottle of mild liquid soap so I put that in my bathroom to try later on my undies. I went into the kitchen and took everything out of the refrigerator and discarded anything that was spoiling. I wiped down all the shelves and interior, and replaced the food. I took the elevator to the basement and put the wash into the dryers and started them. Then back to the kitchen.

I took the leftover pot roast from the refrigerator and diced it, then replaced it in the refrigerator. I cried my eyes out as I finely diced two onions and stored them in the refrigerator also. I went to the laundry room and folded the tablecloths, aprons and linen. I used a laundry cart to bring everything upstairs, then returned it. Glancing at the clock, I saw that it was almost 5 o'clock. I went to the kitchen and peeled ten potatoes, dicing them and dumping them into a pre-heated frying pan where I had already placed three cups of water. When the potatoes were soft, I added the onions, and the pot roast along with its gravy that I found in the refrigerator. I added a little more water, salt and pepper, a few of my favorite spices, and put the top on the frying pan. I mixed up some Bisquick biscuits and got out a frozen package of 'peas and pearls.' I timed the vegetables, and biscuits to be ready right at 6 o'clock. I made a pot of tea and set everything on the table.

Auntie came in a couple of minutes after 6 o'clock. I was waiting by the kitchen door when she came in. I threw my arms around her neck, like I had seen my mother do with my father, and kissed her on the lips. She started to hug me and then realized that I was kissing her lips. She pushed me back, holding onto my arms, and when I saw the expression on her face, I started laughing uncontrollably. "Darla Anne Drake, what are you DOING?" she said. 

I finally managed to slow my laughing because the corset was making me lightheaded from lack of oxygen. "Mother always told me that that was how a 'wife' should greet her 'husband' each night."

She obviously remembered our conversation of this morning because she got a mischievous smile on her face, pulled me back to her, wrapped her arms around me, and bent me over as Gina had done, and kissed me.

When she straightened me back up, I was flush, out of breath, and wobbly on my knees. "Thank you, dear, that was very nice" I managed to croak out.

"My pleasure, dearest. Is dinner ready, wife?"

"Yes, my husband, all ready. Please sit down and I will serve you."

I scooped up some of the pot roast 'stew' onto a plate, added some peas and pearls, two biscuits, and placed it in front of her. When I had done the same for myself, I sat down and we said grace. Auntie looked at the mixture in front of her. Sniffed at the aroma rising from it and tasted it. A smile formed on her face. "Sweetheart, this is delicious," she said.

"Just something I threw together from leftovers, dear. I'm glad that you like it."

"I love it. Is this the pot-roast from the other day."

"Yes. I wanted to use it up before we had to throw it away. I cleaned out the refrigerator today. I hope that you don't mind leftovers. I know that some people won't eat them."

"I'll eat them everyday if they all taste as good as this."

"I'm pleased that you like it."

As we ate, she told me about her day. When she had recounted all of the day's events, she said, "I see that you decided to wear the corset today. How are you doing?"

"I've been wearing it all day. I was most uncomfortable at first, but have gotten used to it. I find myself a little short winded at times but I'm doing fine."

"It's probably not tight enough. They have a tendency to loosen. They have to be adjusted after you've had it on for a while. I can do that for you after dinner."

"Okay."

When we had finished our meal and had our tea, Auntie got up and said that she was going to change out of her suit. She picked up her briefcase and went to her bedroom.

I cleared the table and washed the dishes. I dumped the crumbs from the tablecloth in the trash container, and put a clean tablecloth on. After I swept the floor, I turned off the light and picked up the dirty tablecloth. I carried it down the hall to put it down the laundry chute. Auntie came out of her bedroom in her gown and robe as I approached the cleaning closet.

She put her arms around me and hugged me. "My rooms look wonderful. It must have taken you hours. Thank you my love."

"Nothing is too good for MY husband," I said as I smiled.

She smiled back and noticed the tablecloth in my hands. "Dirty laundry?"

"Yes, I'm just going to put it in the chute."

"I can imagine how much has accumulated during the past week. I'll run down now and wash it."

"No need. I did it this afternoon."

"Darla Anne, is there anything that you didn't do today?"

"Only the things that I'm saving for tomorrow," I said.

She squeezed me with a hug and said, "you're a marvel. I hardly know what to do with myself when I'm at home these days. You've taken over all my chores."

"Just being a good wife to my husband. Take your pipe and slippers and go read your paper, dear."

She grabbed me and started tickling me, "Pipe and slippers, eh?" I screamed and tried to get away from her but I couldn't. I ran into the only open door in the hallway, her bedroom, and she chased me around the room until she cornered me and renewed her tickling attack. I laughed and laughed, until I got so light-headed I couldn't stand up from the lack of oxygen. The corset had prevented me from getting the air that I needed. She saw my condition and stopped tickling me. "Take it easy and just breathe normally. Come lay down." She helped me to the bed and pulled me up onto it. After about five minutes she said, "Okay, your color is back. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have tickled you so much and chased you while you're wearing your corset. You got a case of the 'vapors.' Insufficient oxygen. Quite common a hundred years ago."

When I was fully recovered, I slid myself to the edge of the bed and struggled to get up. We walked downstairs and watched TV until bedtime. When we came back up, she came into my bedroom and helped me to take off my clothes and remove the corset. We kissed goodnight and she left. I removed the rest of my clothes and performed all of my nightly rituals. Then, wearing just my panties and a full slip, I put the corset back on. I used the doorknob to help me tighten it. I remembered that Auntie had said that I must wear it almost 24 hours a day if I was serious about training my waist. I turned off the light and climbed into bed. It took me quite a while to fall off to sleep that first night. I dreamed that I was in the coils of an enormous boa constrictor and woke up just as I thought that it would crush the life out me. The sky was starting to lighten in the east so I rose and removed the corset.

I bathed and prepared myself for the new day. I put the corset back on and tightened it as much as I could. I put a housecoat on over it instead of dressing and went to the kitchen to make breakfast. Auntie came in dressed for work and we ate. Before she left, she tightened my laces to a point where I could barely breathe. I now knew from experience that they would loosen a bit as I wore the corset so I suffered until it felt comfortable. I went to my bedroom and finished dressing, then cleaned the kitchen. I had seen a roll of shelf paper in the pantry, so I spent the rest of the morning cleaning the kitchen cabinets and replacing all the paper lining the shelves and drawers. When I was finished, it was still well before noon, so I did the pantry also. For lunch I heated some of the chili that Auntie and I had put into the freezer. She was right. It tasted even better reheated.

After I cleaned up, I didn't know what to do with myself. I walked downstairs to the library and found an interesting novel. I had read several chapters when the doorbell rang. I answered the front door and found Grandma standing there. She said that she had seen Aunt Kathy who had told her that I would be home alone today and she wondered if I would like some company? I threw my arms around her, hugged her, and told her how happy I was to see her, and that she was always welcome. She came in and we went upstairs to make some tea.

 As we enjoyed our first cup she told me that I really looked wonderful in my corset. I thanked her and told her that I had been wearing it now for a day and a half. "Oh Darla Anne, you shouldn't wear the same corset for so long," she said. "You should be wearing a sleeping corset at night and alternate your daytime corsets so that they can be cleaned and also get a chance to breathe."

"This is the only one that Auntie had, so I'll have to get by until she can take me to get some made. Grandma, I thought that you were going to Europe this week."

"I postponed my trip by a few weeks so that I could lend my support to our environmental cause. Europe will be still there when I get there." I giggled at her comment. We talked for about an hour and then we went outside for a walk in the beautiful spring weather. We walked around the outbuildings and then returned to the porch.

We sat in the rockers and talked for hours. She told me of her life from the time that she was a small child. The things that she had done would fill volumes if a biographer were to set them down on paper. She told me of her company's operations and how she managed to oversee it all and still find time to enjoy life to the fullest. "The secret is to find good people, and motivate them by letting them share the profits when the business is making money. That way they feel like they are a part of the business and work very hard to make it successful. They really treat it as if it was their own business." She told me that she personally selected all managers from mid-level management up. She always tried to hire from within, and would not go outside unless absolutely necessary. Fortunately, she had very little turnover and this gave low-level managers a chance to learn, and be ready to step up when a vacancy occurred. I gained a real appreciation for her business acumen. 

As the afternoon's shadows started to lengthen, Grandma said that she had to be going. I invited her to stay for dinner, but she said that had a previous engagement. She said that she would like to take a rain check though. I told her that she was welcome anytime. Before leaving, she invited me to lunch the next day at her house. I told her that I would love to but that I didn't have any transportation. She said that she would have me picked up around 11:30.  We kissed and then she left. I waved as she drove away. I walked upstairs and cleaned the tea things and then started dinner. I found a recipe for Chicken Casserole in the cookbook and decided to prepare that.

Auntie arrived right on time and as she stepped into the kitchen, I threw my arms around her and kissed her like I had yesterday, hoping to surprise her again. But she turned the tables on me, and took me totally by surprise, by immediately bending me backwards and kissing me. When we separated, I said, "Welcome home, dear," and giggled.

She giggled also and said, "That's the nicest greeting that a husband could ever receive."

We laughed and hugged, then sat down for dinner. I told her that Grandma had come over today and we had spent the afternoon together. I told her that I was going over there for lunch tomorrow. She told me that Grandma had dropped off the oil rights contracts today at her office, and a survey crew would start working next week. After dinner, Auntie rose from her chair, came around behind me and hugged me saying, "Delicious meal, honey. Thank you." While she went to change from her business suit, I cleaned the kitchen.

When I turned off the kitchen lights and walked out the door, Auntie greeted me. She was standing there in men's clothing, with a paper under her arm, men's slippers on her feet, and a pipe in her mouth. I tried not to smile but couldn't help myself, and as I looked at her, I began to laugh. She held it in as long as she could and then she began to laugh also. We fed off each other's laughter and were soon laughing so hard that tears were running down our cheeks. As we regained our composure I took a tissue from my pocket and dabbed at my eyes. Then rather than handing it to her, I put my arm around her waist and I dabbed her eyes myself. We walked down to the theatre with our arms around each other waist and instead of sitting in our usual chairs, we sat together on a small settee. She put her arm around my shoulders and I snuggled next to her as we watched the broadcasters nightly offerings. At bedtime we walked upstairs together, said goodnight and went into our own bedrooms after a cheek kiss.

I still felt warm all over from the close contact of the evening as I undressed and performed my nightly rituals. I put the corset back on before I got into bed, and then I snuggled under the covers wishing Auntie was there to hold me close again. I feel asleep and dreamed of being kissed deeply and passionately but I could never see who was kissing me. Sometimes I thought it might be Auntie, but other times I thought it might be Gina, and still other times I thought it must be the British officer who had saved me from the sinking ship.

I woke with the first rays of the sun on my face and lay there thinking about my dream and wondering who I wanted to have kissing me. I rose, bathed, dressed and went to make breakfast. Auntie came in, said, "Good morning, honey," kissed me lightly and sat down. When we finished breakfast, Auntie rose, and before leaving, told me to have a good time at Grandma's today. She added that she would be home at 6 o'clock, as usual.

I cleaned the kitchen and thought about what I should do until 11:30. I went and got some notepaper from Auntie's desk and wrote a note to Mrs. Robison, the Cub Scout den mother. David had never returned the money that she had loaned him at the theme park. I wrote the letter as if I was he, since I knew that he would have written the note but he had forgotten before he had to leave on his trip. I apologized for not repaying her sooner. I told her that recent events had temporarily pushed the obligation from my mind. I hoped that she would forgive my tardy repayment and I thanked her for the kindness that she had extended to me. I signed the letter 'D.A. Drake', and put two dollars in the folded note before sealing it and addressing the envelope. I would ask Auntie to mail it for me tomorrow. I retrieved the romance novel that I had begun last week, the day that I had met Grandma, and read until it was time to go.

At 11:25, I set the intruder alarm and walked out onto the porch to wait. I sat and rocked in the warm June breeze until a large black Cadillac limousine pulled up in front of the porch. Charles, Grandma's butler, stepped out and opened a rear door for me as I approached the car.

I smiled and said, "Good morning, Charles."

He said stiffly, "Good morning Miss." I wondered if he objected to having to come get me, or if that was merely his usual demeanor. He closed the door behind me and resumed his place as chauffeur. As we drove to Grandma's, I tried to engage him in conversation but he answered all my questions with monosyllable replies. I continued trying until we pulled up at her residence. He opened the car door for me and offered his hand to assist me as I stepped out. I thanked him and smiled at him again. He led the way to the front door of the house and opened it for me. After I entered, he walked ahead of me to the veranda and announced me, "Your granddaughter has arrived, madam." Grandma rose from her chair and came to greet me as Charles left.

"Darla Anne, you look lovely today."

"So do you Grandma. Thank you for inviting me over."

"I'm so glad that you could come. I can see that Charles is beginning to warm to you already."

"Are you serious, I couldn't get him to say two words together on the trip over hers?"

"Didn't you see the smile on his face?"

"No," I giggled, "I must have missed it."

"Well, take it from me, he was smiling. Compared to his usual expression, that is. Charles is a very proper butler. He's been with me for over twenty years so I guess that I understand him. He tries very hard to be stiff and impersonal at all times, and he never gets upset or even mildly 'ruffled', at least not in public. But he's a dear, and absolutely indispensable."

Charles came to the doorway and announced, "Mrs. Wallace and Miss Stone have arrived, Madam."

Grandma walked over to greet the newcomers. Mrs. Wallace was about Grandma's age, about 60 to 65. Grandma said, "Barbara, how nice to see you again."

"Mabel, it's been too long." They cheek kissed and Mrs. Wallace said, "And this is my granddaughter, Karen."

"Karen, welcome to my home."

"Thank you, Mrs. Moore."

"And this is MY granddaughter, Darla Anne," Grandma said as she took my arm and gently pulled me forward from where I had been standing slightly behind and to her left.

"Hello, Mrs. Wallace. Hello Miss Stone."

Mrs. Wallace said, "Hello my dear. May we call you Darla."

"Yes, please."

Her granddaughter said, "Hi Darla. Please call me Karen."

"Okay. Hi Karen."

With introductions completed, we sat down at the table. Mrs. Wallace sat on Grandma's right and I sat on her left. Karen came over and asked if she could sit next to me. I smiled and said that I would love having her sit with me. She smiled and sat down on my left.

For a few minutes we listened as Grandma and Mrs. Wallace talked, then slowly we struck up a conversation between ourselves. I learned that Karen was eleven like myself but about six months older. She lived in Tucson, Arizona with her parents and older brother. Her parents were in the import/export business and had just left for the Far East on a buying trip. She and Michael were staying with Grandma until they returned.

"You're done with school already?" I asked.

"Yes, our last day was Friday. Aren't you?"

"Well yes, but my school is still in session. I was allowed to finish early because I was moving here to Texas."

"You're not from Texas. You sound like you've lived here all your life."

"Thank you, I've been trying to blend in. But no, I'm not from Texas. I'm originally from New Jersey. Up there I would sound different." I dropped the Texas drawl that I had been using since Saturday and spoke in my New Jersey tongue. "In Nu Jarsey, evrabody kinda tawks like dis. It's kinda a cross between da way dey tawk in Philidelphia and da way they tawk in Na York." I changed back to my Texas drawl, "But noow that ah live in Tech-sis, I wannt to blend in heyah."

Karen sat looking at me with her mouth slightly agape until I finished, then she started to laugh uncontrollably. Grandma and Mrs. Wallace stopped talking and looked concernedly at us. Karen started coughing and I started to get concerned. I got up to slap her on the back but she got herself under control.

I sat back down as Mrs. Wallace said, "Karen, dear, are you all right?"

Karen smiled, "Yes Grandma, I'm fine, thank you. Darla was just showing me the differences between the way that people talk in New Jersey and Texas. Darla, that was marvelous. I loved it. It was so funny."

Grandma and Mrs. Wallace relaxed back into their chairs, now they saw everything was all right, and resumed their conversation.

Karen said, "Why are you moving down here?"

I gave her a brief rundown on the events of the past two months, glossing over the tragic parts to avoid depressing the conversation as much as possible. She offered her condolences over my father's death and said that she hoped my mother would get well quickly. I thanked her and changed the subject. I asked her how long she would be here. She said that her folks were usually gone for at least a month and they had just left yesterday. I could see that she missed them already. Charles came to the doorway and nodded to Grandma. She waved him out, whereupon he emerged with the cook and they served lunch. After lunch we continued to sit and talk on the veranda. Sometimes we talked in pairs and sometimes we talked as a group. The afternoon passed quickly. When Mrs. Wallace and Karen got up to leave, Karen asked her grandmother if I could come over to visit at their house. She said that that would be lovely and I was welcome anytime. Karen asked me if I could come tomorrow. I told her that I would love to come, but that I had a transportation problem. We exchanged phone numbers and she said that we would work out the details somehow.

After they left, Grandma said that she was glad that Karen and I had gotten on so well. Mrs. Wallace loved her granddaughter's visits, but felt that she needed more companions her own age when she stayed here. I told her that I had enjoyed talking to Karen a lot and looked forward to seeing her again. I thanked Grandma for introducing us. We talked for another half-hour. Charles came out to remind Grandma of another engagement and said that he was ready to take me home. I thanked Grandma for a wonderful afternoon and told her that I hoped I could come again. She said that she wouldn't have it any other way. We kissed and I left with Charles.

I chatted with Charles all the way home. I talked; he listened. Every once in a while he would utter a monosyllable answer to a direct question. When we arrived at the house, he walked around and opened my door. I got out, gave him a big smile, and thanked him for picking me up and returning me. He looked at me and said, "My pleasure, Miss." Then he turned, got back in the car and departed. Remembering what Grandma had said, I think I did see a hint of a smile. I opened the front door and keyed the access code in the keypad. I hurried upstairs, put my things in my room, and rushed to the kitchen.

I barely had time to get dinner ready before Auntie arrived home. I cooked up half a pound of elbow macaroni. I mixed this with two cans of lentil soup that I had heated. I put it into a serving dish and sprinkled a little Parmesan cheese on it. A salad with fresh dressing, fresh biscuits, a pot of tea, and sliced honeydew melon completed the meal. Auntie came in as I finished putting everything on the table. I jumped into her arms and gave her a big kiss.

She said, "I thought that I would be making dinner tonight. I expected you to still be at Mabel's."

"Nope, I had to get home and fix dinner for my husband."

As we ate I told her about meeting Karen and Mrs. Wallace, and about lunch at Grandma's. She told me about her day, the people that she met with and things that they had discussed. I told Auntie that I was sorry for the poor entree at Café Darla tonight, but I had gotten home late. She said that everything was delicious and I had nothing to be sorry about. I gave her the note that I had written and asked her to mail it for me tomorrow. She put it in her briefcase and promised to post it in the morning.

After the kitchen was cleaned we went to our bedrooms to put on our nighties, and then we went down to the theatre to watch TV until bedtime. TV offerings were poor so we decided to go upstairs early and turned the TV off. As we walked upstairs we started talking about getting my horse. There was a major horse auction this weekend and Auntie said that we could go. We went into her bedroom to talk about it and climbed upon her bed. She started telling me about how to select a horse, what to look for, and what to look out for. As before, I snuggled with her as she shared her knowledge with me. We talked for a long time and must have fallen asleep. I awoke the next morning with Auntie laying half on top of me. I was on my back with my right arm trapped under her body. Her face was right next to mine and her right leg was across me. Her scent filled my nostrils. I lay there for a long time savoring the touch of our bodies. I turned my face and kissed her. She mumbled something and shifted her position so that I was able to slide out from beneath her.

I went to my bedroom and took a long hot bath. Then I got dressed and went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Auntie came in, all dressed for work as usual. She had an early appointment so she rushed through breakfast, kissed me and hurried out. I finished my breakfast and cleaned the kitchen. In want of something to do, I started reading the preparation instructions on every box and can of food in the kitchen. When the phone rang, I ran to answer it. It was Karen and she wanted to know if I could come over today? I told her that I would love to but that I didn't have any transportation. She said that her grandmother had gone out, but that she was working on that. When she worked it out she would call me back, probably in about an hour. I told her that I would wait to hear from her and we hung up. I continued my review of cooking instructions and when I had read every package, box, and can, I decided to go down to the library.

As I wandered towards the library, I changed my mind and went instead to the sewing room. It appeared that Auntie hadn't done much sewing recently. Probably since Gabby passed away and she had assumed the reins of the business. I sat at the sewing machine and looked at all the controls. It looked very complicated. I found the owner's manual in one of the drawers in the sewing table and followed my way through the introduction, which told about all of the machine's parts. I practiced threading the machine until I could do it easily and felt comfortable with it. I found some scraps of material in one of the drawers and practiced some very basic stitches. At about 10:30 the phone rang. I went into the office and found out that Karen had arranged for their gardener to pick me up. I gave her the address and a description of our front gate and she said that he was leaving immediately although neither of us had any idea how long it takes to get here.

I turned off the sewing machine and went upstairs to get ready. I was wearing a soft denim skirt and pink blouse. I took off my pumps and put on my white cowgirl boots. I put on my wristwatch, a couple of bracelets, and my earrings that had the little prairie schooners dangling from them. I stepped into some perfume and grabbed my white cowgirl hat. I stepped in front of the mirror and saw that I looked like I was "ready for a hoe-down" as Auntie had said once before. I wrote out a note for Auntie, and taped it on the intruder alarm keypad where she would be sure to see it if she came home before me, and I went out onto the front porch and sat in a rocker to await my ride.

In about 10 minutes a car pulled up in front. It was an old Buick with a short Asian looking man driving. He leaned over and pushed the passenger door opened as I approached. He said, "Miss Dar-rah?"

I said, "Yes?"

"Miss Karen ask me to pick you up. Please come in. I am Mr. Wang, Mrs. Warrace's gardener."

I got in and pulled the door closed. Mr. Wang drove back down the driveway and turned left at the gate. I asked him if he had any difficulty in finding the gate and he said "No" and offered no further explanation. I asked him how long it would take to get to the Mrs. Wallace's home and he answered "Twenty minutes" and clammed up again. Another Charles I thought. So I decided to ask him about gardening. I knew almost nothing about it so my questions were very basic. I managed to get him started and then his passion for gardening opened the floodgates and we had a non-stop conversation until we reached the Wallace residence. I thanked him for ride, and he offered to show me around the gardens whenever I desired to see them. I thanked him again and told him that I would come at my earliest opportunity, then I walked to the front door.

As soon as I rang the bell, Karen opened the door and said, "Darla, I'm so glad that you could come." We embraced and kissed, then she said, "I'm sorry that I didn't go with Mr. Wang to pick you up but I thought it better that he drive alone. I had to damage two of his rosebushes while trying to 'help' him before he suggested that I do something else. I told him that since my girlfriend had no way to get here, that I had nothing else to do, so I was going to help him ALL day. He asked if he might be permitted to pick up my friend so that I wouldn't feel lonely. He would consider it a 'favor' if he could do this small thing. I thanked him and gave him the directions to your house, but after he left I really felt guilty about damaging his roses. I'll have to find some way of making it up to him."

"He seems very nice and really loves his gardens. Probably, if you just let him show off his pride and joy, and complement him on them, he'll forget all about the damage that you caused. He invited me to come see them later. We could both 'schmooze' him a little, then."

"What's 'schmooze'?"

"You know, 'kiss up', smooth ruffled feathers, repair damaged egos, and restore harmony."

"Darla, you're right. We'll 'schmooze' him later in the garden. God, that sounds terrible. It sounds like we're going to smooch with him."

"Well, if it's somebody that you care for, then smooching becomes a part of the schmoozing." We both started giggling. 

Karen took me on a tour of the house. It was a comfortable two story wood frame with five bedrooms on the second floor. It also had a live-in servants quarters on the first floor that was occupied by the cook/housekeeper. While she was showing me the downstairs, her brother Mike came into the house and she introduced us. He was about 5 foot 6, with brown hair and brown eyes. Fourteen now, he had just completed his freshman year in high school. He looked very strong and physically fit. I thought that he was cute and very masculine. I smiled at him when we were introduced and he blushed a little as he took my hand and said hello. He tagged along behind us as we continued the tour.

We stepped out into the rear yard and I saw workmen laboring in an empty swimming pool. "It's being repaired," Karen said, "They think that it might be ready to use in about two weeks." Karen pointed out the gardens where Mr. Wang was working, and the barn where the horses used to be kept. "I wish that Grandma still had them, like when I was small. We could go riding. She got rid of them a couple of years ago. She said that with nobody to ride them and exercise them, they were just standing around all day eating and getting fat."

The cook told us that lunch was ready, so we sat at a table on the back porch and ate bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches and drank lemonade. After lunch, I started to organize the table to clean up, but Karen stopped me by saying, "Darla, just leave that. Cook will get it."

We went back inside and sat in the 'parlor' as she called it. In New Jersey we called it the living room. Mike tagged along and sat with us. So far he hadn't said anything since 'hello.' Karen and I talked about our schools, clothes, and shopping. I told her about my sisters and how they were still back in New Jersey.

Mike spoke up, "You're from New Jersey, I thought that you were from Texas. You're dressed like a Texas girl, and I always thought that people from back east talked funny."

I looked at Karen and she started laughing. Mike flushed a little because he thought that she was laughing at him.

"I used to talk like I was from back east," I said, "but from living out here so long, I now talk like people here."

"Oh. How long have you lived here?" he asked.

"A little over a week and a half," I said.

He looked at me, flushed, and said, "Now I know that you're trying to make a fool of me. Nobody changes the way that they talk in a week and a half."

Karen said, "Michael, Darla isn't trying to make a fool of you. She is perfectly serious. She showed me. That's what I was laughing about, thinking about yesterday at her grandmother's house. Darla has the ability to switch accents like you can switch hats. Darla, show him."

So for the next few minutes I talked only with a "New Jersey" tongue. I gave the same little speech that I had given yesterday and then expanded on it to stretch my talking time out. When I was through, Karen and Mike broke up in a fit of hysterics.

When they had regained their composure, Karen said, "Well Michael, you owe Darla an apology for getting angry before."

Mike said, "I'm sorry, Darla, I never met anybody who could talk different ways like that."

"Michael, I'm sorry that I caused you to think that I was trying to make a fool of you," I said. "I would never do that to you or anybody else. I just enjoy play-acting. My small ability allows me to blend in better. That's why I talk like a Texas girl now." I switched voices again and gave a little speech as a member of British nobility. Karen and Mike laughed heartily. Then I went through my Scottish, Irish, Cockney, and French voices before finishing with my Spanish accent. Karen and Mike were beside themselves with laughter. I was having a ball entertaining and causing so much mirth. David had never tried to entertain this way, fearing ridicule, but I was having a ball. When they had composed themselves, they told me how funny I was and how much they enjoyed it. They asked me if I had lived in all those places, and I told them that I had picked up the voices from watching old movies on TV.

After I finished 'entertaining' we decided to play a game. We settled on scrabble and set up the board on the dining room table. At first, I was doing really well, but Mike was way behind in points and getting frustrated so I started using only simple words with very low values and he soon passed me. He brightened up considerably and had the most points when the game ended. We put the game back in the box and talked about what we should do now.

Mike said, "Let's play 'Spy' or 'Black Rock.'"

Karen said in a stern voice, "No, Mike. Absolutely NOT." Then softening, she said, "Besides, Darla and I have to go talk to Mr. Wang to make up for my damaging a couple of rose bushes earlier. Should we go now, Darla?"

"Okay," I said.

Mike started to follow us and Karen told him that this was something that we had to do alone since it was an apology. He understood and looked at us with puppy dog eyes and said he'd see us when we got back.

We walked out the back door and into the garden. Mr. Wang was working with the rose bushes. "Do you like Mike?" Karen asked. I said that I liked both of them very much and was very happy to have them for friends. She said, "No, I mean do you like Mike as a boy, like in boyfriend. He sure likes you, I can tell. And you letting him win in scrabble made me think that you liked him."

"You think that I let him win?"

"Of course. In the beginning, you were really racking up the points. Then all of a sudden you started using idiot words with low values, and he caught up and passed you in points. You can fool a boy but not another girl."

"Boys NEED to win. It's in the blood. If it makes them feel good, and if it doesn't hurt us girls, then let them be 'top dog.' We know the truth."

"I knew it, you 'schmoozed' him."

"Guilty, now let's schmooze Mr. Wang, together."

Mr. Wang greeted us as we approached. I put on a big smile and told him how beautiful 'his' garden was. Using the gardening knowledge that I had picked up in the car ride over, I fed it back to him as I raved about his roses. Karen joined in telling me what a wonderful gardener he was and that he should be entering his roses in competitions. She told him how sorry she was that she had damaged his bushes earlier in the day, and he held up his hand and told her that it was all right, that no real harm had been done. He said that he had pruned the bushes a little and all sign of damage was gone. He took us on a tour of the garden pointing out the different varieties of roses and other flowers and shrubs. We 'oohed' and 'ahhed' as he pointed out the different roses and flowers. He beamed with pride at our praise. And the praise was not just gratuitous, the garden was a work of art, and Mr. Wang was the artist. After about 45 minutes, we thanked Mr. Wang for the tour and told him that we didn't want to waste any more of his time. He told us that he enjoyed showing us around and we were welcome anytime. He was grinning from ear to ear when we left to return to the house.

As we walked to the house, I asked Karen, "What's 'Spy' and 'Black Rock'?"

"Just games that we play with the other neighborhood kids back home. Would you like to come up to my room?"

I let her change the subject and said "Sure. Let's go." 

Mike saw us as we walked back inside, and started to follow us. When we got to Karen's door, she put up her hand. "Girls only, big brother."

He looked very disappointed and turned and walked into his own room. Karen showed me around her room. I saw her makeup table with the eyeliners and mascara and said, "Mother doesn't allow me to wear eye makeup yet."

"Mine also, but I can practice with them as long as I don't leave the house wearing it. I was only allowed to start wearing basic makeup when I turned eleven. Before then, nothing, not even lipstick."

"Same here, except I was allowed to start a month before my birthday," I said. She showed me her clothes and started holding up dresses in front of me. She told me how good I would look in this one or that one. We were almost the same size.

After we had looked at everything in her closet, we sat on the floor and looked at her records. I asked her to put some on and she told me that the only record player was downstairs. She said the Mike had a portable transistor radio. Maybe she could borrow it. I said why don't we just take the records downstairs? So we each picked up a small stack of 45's and headed downstairs. Mike must have heard us come out because he was following us before we reached the bottom of the staircase. Karen loaded up the 45's on the console record player and started it. Karen and I started to dance to one of the rock and roll tunes, while Mike just stood and watched. When the first record ended and the changer was dropping the next one down, I said, "Mike, why don't you dance with us? You don't need a partner for these songs."

"I don't know how to dance."

I went and took his hand and pulled him to the middle of the room. "Just do what we do."

"I don't want to dance like a girl."

"There is no boy and girl way of dancing to these tunes except that girls move in a more exaggerated way. Just dance a little more subdued than your sister or me but basically do the same things. In dances where girls hold their arms higher than their waists, guys normally hold theirs at or below their waist. Okay?"

"Okay."

After about six songs a slow dance came on. I looked at Karen and noticed a slight smile on her lips. So I went to Mike and showed him how to hold his arms, and stepping back about two feet so that only our hands were touching, showed him how to slow dance. It took almost the entire song before he started to get it. We separated when the song ended and I thanked him for the dance. The next song was a slow one also so I looked at Karen and said, "Would you like to offer some instruction now."

"No, you're doing great, keep going. So I danced another slow dance with Mike. He got much better now that we were over the initial hurdle. The song ended and we separated. I thanked him and complimented him on his progress. I told him what a quick learner he was. I started to turn away when another slow song started. I looked at Karen. She was barely containing herself. So I turned back to Mike and he raised his arms to take mine. I told him that now that he was doing so much better, we could move a little closer. I had him put his right hand on my waist while I put my left hand on his shoulder.  He stepped on my toes three times during the dance but it didn't hurt because I was wearing my boots. After the song ended, we separated and I thanked him for the dance. The next record dropped and it was another slow dance. I looked at Karen and she was grinning widely now. Mike smiled and put up his arms for me, but just then Mrs. Wallace came in.

Mike dropped his arms as his Grandmother walked into the room. We said hello to each other. She said it was so nice that I could come for a visit, and it looked like we were getting along wonderfully. She asked if I would be staying for dinner and I thanked her and told her that I had to be getting home. Karen asked her if she could take me. She said that she would be happy to. Just let her take care of a couple of things and we could go. She walked out of the room and Mike took my arms to finish the dance that we had never started. He was better and didn't step on me once. When the song ended we separated and I thanked him for the dance. I told him he was an excellent dance partner and good pupil. He grinned broadly and thanked me for showing him how much fun dancing could be. Karen turned off the record player and we went to get our purses.

Mrs. Wallace came back and said, "Ready, girls?" We nodded and then we all walked out the door. Mike followed behind us and Karen giggled and squeezed my hand. When we got to the car, Mike opened the rear door for us. We got in and he closed it. Then he got in the front passenger seat. While we rode, we told Mrs. Wallace what we had done during the day. She remarked again that she was happy that we girls were getting on so well. Karen asked if I could come over again tomorrow. I told her that I would see and we could talk about it later on the phone. Mrs. Wallace had been to my home before and had no trouble finding the driveway. When we reached the top of the mesa and Karen saw the house, her eyes widened. "Wow. That's a big house," she said.

"You get used to it, I guess," was all I said. I thanked Mrs. Wallace and said good-bye to her and Mike. Karen and I kissed, promised to talk later, then I got out, and they left. I waved until they were out of sight over the edge of the mesa. I walked inside and put my things in my bedroom, then went to the kitchen and started preparing dinner.

As I washed the chicken and arranged it in the roasting pan, I thought about the day. Karen reminded me of my sister Susan, with the mischievous way that she had put all those slow tunes on the record player. I had enjoyed dancing with Mike even if he was just learning. I knew that he would get better and it would even be nicer to dance with him. I wanted him to get good enough so that we could dance close. I could put my arms on his shoulders and he could put his strong arms around my back as he pulled me close to him and lead me around the dance floor. I thought about dancing with Gina all those weeks ago. That was nice, but dancing with Mike was nice too. I felt confused but didn't know why.

I placed a spoonful of 'Creme of Mushroom' soup on each piece of chicken. After sealing the foil in the roasting pan and placing the pan in the pre-heated oven, I cooked a rice dish that I had found in the cookbook, cooked a package of frozen corn, made a salad and dressing, biscuits, tea, and lemonade. With the table set, I started placing the food on the table a few minutes before six. When I heard the front door, I put the serving platter of chicken on the table and stood by the door. I waited for several minutes by the door but Auntie didn't come in. Then I heard footsteps coming down the hall. Auntie must have gone into her bedroom first. I waited until the door opened and then I jumped up and threw my arms around her neck. Or rather, HIS neck. I screamed and jumped back.

The man walked into the kitchen, and I backed up, starting to panic. He smiled and said, "Hello, I'm Frank Kelso. A friend of Kathy's. I'm sorry to have startled you. We tried to call earlier but you didn't answer the phone. By the way, that was a heck of a greeting."

I just stood there and stared at him and then Auntie rushed into the kitchen. "Is everything all right?" She looked at me and saw that I was trembling.

Mr. Kelso said, "I'm afraid that I startled her. Of course, she startled me a bit too."

Auntie came over and embraced me. "Oh, I'm sorry honey. I should have come into the kitchen first and warned you that we have a dinner guest. We tried to call before, but we couldn't reach you."

I recovered my composure and said, in a still shaky voice, "I'm sorry to have startled YOU Mr. Kelso. Welcome to our home. Please, dinner is all ready. Let's sit down and eat."

Auntie pointed to a seat for Mr. Kelso to take, while I got a full place setting for him and then I took my seat. Auntie said grace and we started passing the food dishes around. Mr. Kelso tasted the food tentatively at first, then smiled, and set upon it with gusto. He complimented my cooking as he took a second helping. I told him that it wasn't anything fancy, just an everyday meal. He said that to a bachelor, an everyday meal was hot dogs and sauerkraut; this was a special meal. I told him that I was pleased that he liked it.

Auntie said, "When I told Frank that my eleven year old niece would be cooking, I think that he envisioned peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches."

"You're not far off, Kathy. Actually I was thinking canned spaghetti, and baloney sandwiches."

I giggled and said, "Oh Mr. Kelso, we only have that on Mondays."

He stopped eating and stared at me for a second.

"She's kidding, Frank," Auntie said.

He smiled and resumed eating. Auntie said, "We really only have that on Tuesdays."

This time he knew that we were kidding and it didn't faze him.

Since I hadn't made anything for desert, when I finished eating I went to the refrigerator and got out a cantaloupe and a honeydew melon. It only took a few minutes to make fruit cups using a melon ball tool. I washed and added some fresh strawberries, after I cut them in half, and a couple of halved maraschino cherries. I took out the mixer and whipped up some heavy cream, that we had in the refrigerator, after adding powered sugar to it. I spooned this on top of the fruit. Many people don't feel that their meal is complete until they have something sweet to eat. I gauged that Mr. Kelso was of that type.

Over tea, Mr. Kelso said, "Okay, I'm convinced. I saw her make this delicious desert right in front of me, without prompting. I believe that she cooked this entire delicious meal and was not even expecting company." I was confused. I looked at Auntie.

"I told Frank what a wonderful cook you are, and how you take such good care of me," Auntie said. "He expressed doubt that an eleven-year-old girl could be that mature. I did try to call you, to at least warn you that we would have one more for dinner, just to make sure that there would be enough food."

"I was over at Mrs. Wallace's visiting Karen. I only got back at 5 o'clock."

Frank said, "Now I'm even more impressed. You put this whole meal together in less than an hour?" 

"It's just chicken and rice."

"And modest too. Oh, if you were only forty years older, I'd propose."

I smiled, and said, "Why would you want a wife ten years older than yourself?"

He started laughing and said, "Darla Anne, you're wonderful. A terrific cook, beauty, and charm too. The heck with it. Will you marry me?"

"Yes," I said, "but it will have to be a very long engagement. I'm not even allowed to date yet."

He and Auntie both started laughing. I just giggled.

"Frank and I have some work to do," Auntie said. "Will you be okay here, sweetheart?"

"Of course, Auntie. You both go do what you have to."

They got up and went downstairs to the office. I cleared the table, washed the dishes, and swept the floor. I went to my bedroom and, after getting Karen's telephone number from my purse, I called her from the new bedroom phone that Auntie had given me to plug into the wall connector. We talked for about an hour and I invited her over to visit with me tomorrow. I told her that if she could get a ride over, then I was sure that Auntie could bring her home after dinner. She said that she would call me in the morning once she figured how to get here. We said goodnight and hung up.

I went back to the kitchen and brewed a pot of tea and a pot of coffee. I put them on a tray, along with cups, saucers, spoons, milk, sugar, and honey, and carried it down to the office. Since the door was open, I just walked in and put it in a clear area on the conference table. Auntie and Mr. Kelso stopped talking and looked up.

"Coffee and tea. Pick your poison. I'm retiring for the night. Mr. Kelso, it's nice to have met you. I wish you both a goodnight."

They said goodnight to me and I left. I performed my nightly rituals and then made sure that everything was neat and tidy in my bedroom, bathroom and clothes-room. Since I expected to have company tomorrow, I wanted it extra neat for the first impression value. When I was satisfied, I went to bed. I dreamed about horses and riding that night. I awoke at my usual time with the sun just barely visible on the horizon.

After a good hot soak, I got dressed and was ready to greet the day. I went to the kitchen and prepared breakfast. Auntie came in dressed and ready for work. She looked a little tired and I commented about it.

"Frank and I worked very late last night. We're setting up the work plan for the survey crew who will be working on Mabel's big ranch next week. Since they're starting on Monday, and today's Friday, we had to have it ready for the meeting today. Honey, I want to tell you again how sorry I am about last night. I know that Frank's sudden appearance in the kitchen really frightened you. I felt so bad about not warning you when I saw you trembling last night. I work with Frank all the time, and I am so used his presence that I forgot that you didn't know him. Can you forgive me?"

"Of course, Auntie. I was just startled because he was a stranger. I've completely forgotten about it."

"That's my girl. What are you going to do today?"

"Karen is going to come over if she can get a ride. Can you take her home after dinner if she can get here?"

"Of course, sweetheart. I'm glad that you've found a friend out here. I'm looking forward to meeting her." Auntie finished eating and picked up her briefcase. "I have to rush, dear. I have that survey crew meeting this morning. See you at 6." We kissed and she left. I cleaned the kitchen and went to read some more of the book that I had started last week.

About 9 o'clock, Karen called to say that she was on her way. Cook was going to drop her off on her way to go grocery shopping. I told her that Auntie would bring her home after dinner. Twenty minutes later, a Chevy station wagon pulled up and Karen got out. I had been sitting in a rocker waiting. She waved to me, then said something to Cook. The station wagon pulled back onto the driveway and disappeared back over the hill. Karen said, "I can't get over how big your house is."

"It's like a cottage compared to Grandma's where we met the other day."

"Well, that's true. I guess that I was expecting that a little more because my grandmother had prepared me."

"Come on. I'll give you the nickel tour."

We went inside and I showed her around as my aunt had shown me that first day. We spent a lot more time at it though, since we had the whole day. She loved the theatre and the sewing rooms the best. She had a little experience sewing on a similar machine. I told her that I had only just started practicing recently and she offered to show me what she could when we had the time.

 As we climbed the stairs to my bedroom, she asked where all the servants were today. When I told her that we had no servants, she was astonished. "Who does all the cooking and cleaning?"

"I do most of it, and Auntie helps as her schedule allows."

"You take care of this whole house?"

"Auntie had a cleaning lady before I came but we haven't needed anybody else since. It gives me something to do. I enjoy it. If we have any parties, we'll hire temporary help. Probably when I start back to school, we'll have to get somebody."

"I can't believe that you enjoy cleaning."

"It makes me feel useful and needed. That's what I like. Here's my bedroom." I opened the door and let her walk in first.

She looked around with amazement written all over her face. "It's enormous, and beautiful. Darla, I love it. What a sleepover you could have here. My entire class from school could stay over."

I led the way to my bathroom and she just stood in the door with her mouth open for a minute as she glanced around. Then she walked around looking at everything and stopped at the tub. "It makes me want to take a bath right now, it's so beautiful."

I giggled and said, "Go ahead. I'll find something to do until you're done."

She giggled and said, "Maybe later. And I love your makeup table." She sat down on the chair and I turned on the lights. She squealed in delight.

"Of course, as we talked about, I'm not allowed to use a lot of makeup yet, but I enjoy practicing," I said.

We left the bathroom and I showed her my clothes-room. Now her jaw really dropped. I knew what she was feeling from my own first sight of this room. Now, of course, there were clothes in here even though the room was still mostly empty. "Darla, this is heaven. I've never seen anything like it. I'm so jealous." We spent the next several hours in there. Since we were about the same size, I told her to take off her dress, and she started trying on everything that caught her eye, which was most of my clothes. I had left Judy's heels in my shoe rack and she put them on and tried to walk with them. After about ten minutes she was doing quite well. When Karen had tried on almost everything in my clothes room, she put her dress back on, we finished hanging everything back up, and we walked out. I promised to let her borrow anything she wanted. It was past lunchtime, so we went to the kitchen.

 I looked through the refrigerator and selected some leftovers after she said that that would be Okay. I put on my apron and asked her if she would like to help. She said that she didn't know how. I got an extra apron out and put it on her. We heated some of the rice from last night and some of the lentil/pasta from Wednesday night. I made a salad and a pitcher of lemonade. We sat down to eat and chat.

"Darla, this is delicious. Do you cook every night."

"Most nights now. My mother and sisters used to do most of the cooking. But now that I'm here and they're not, and Auntie doesn't get home until 6 o'clock during the week, the job of cooking has fallen to me. But don't get me wrong, I love it. I have several wonderful cookbooks and can make anything I want."

"I think it's wonderful. You're so independent. You don't need anybody."

"But Karen, it's BECAUSE I need other people that I do it. I want to feel useful and do my share. Sharing lives does not mean relying on others to do for you. You have to share the work as well. As a woman, it is your job to make a home for your husband and children. You must be prepared to nurture and care for them. If you start learning now, you'll be prepared when you find that perfect man."

"I guess that you're right."

After lunch I showed her how to wash the dishes. She did that while I cleared and cleaned the table. Then she rinsed them, and together we dried and put them away. Then we decided to go for a walk.

I took her on a tour of the outbuildings and we walked to the end of the runway. On the way back, I said, "Karen, you never answered my question the other day."

"What question?"

"I asked you what 'Spy' and 'Black Rock' were. You changed the subject."

She was quiet for minute as we walked. I could tell that she was formulating an answer. Finally, she said, "Darla, I really like you. I don't want to lose you for a friend. Oh, that darn brother of mine."

"I really like you too. How could answering my question harm our friendship?"

"This past year, I told a girl at school what those games are, and then she told me that I was weird, and now won't even talk to me."

"You really have my curiosity up now. I promise that I will still talk to you afterwards even if you tell me that the games require you to….. eat your way through a manure pile."

She was silent for another minute, then said, "Okay. 'Spy' and 'Black Rock' are games that we play back home in our neighborhood. There are about 12 kids who play them. We all grew up together and we have been playing them for years."

"Nothing earth shattering so far."

"Darla, please don't think badly of me."

"I promise that I won't"

"Okay. 'Spy' is an 'espionage' game and 'Black Rock' is a 'western' game."

"Still nothing bad that I can see"

"Okay, both games are tie-up games."

"What does that mean?"

"We capture our opponents and tie them up with rope and other things until one side or the other wins the game."

"That doesn't sound so bad. What else?"

"That's all."

"For that, some girl at school won't talk to you?"

"Yes. She says that anybody who plays games like that is weird."

"Sounds to me like she's the one who has problems. People in movies and on TV are always getting tied up. Nobody thinks that they're weird."

Karen smiled and hugged me, "Darla, thank you for understanding. I was so afraid that you wouldn't like me if I told you."

"Karen, I told you that I like you very much. Some game that you play back home is not going to change that. Now tell me how you play these games."

As we walked back to the house, she told me the rules of the games. 'Spy' required each side to have a headquarters. Sides were chosen from the available players. If there were an uneven number, then the side who picked second got the extra person since the side picking first got the better players. There was no odd man out. I loved that aspect. Each team had a painted shoebox. They had to hide it near the headquarters, but no closer than ten feet nor more than 100 feet. It could not be locked in anybody's house or beyond anybody's reach. Each side then had to locate the other side's 'secret box.' If spies looking for the box encountered each other, then the spy getting 'the drop' on the other spy took him or her as prisoner back to headquarters where the captured spy was tied up so that the first spy could return to looking for the other side's secret box. She continued on, telling me all the rules that had developed over the years to cover any disputes. She said that there were 8 girls and 4 boys who regularly played the game.

'Black Rock' was along similar lines except that it was like a western movie. The whole idea was to capture the opposing players. With superior numbers a team could attack the other sides 'jail' and free the prisoners. They had a whole different set of rules for that game. I asked her if they played often. She said that almost every weekend and many times during the week once school was let out, as long as they had at least five players. She asked me if I played any tie-up games and I told her that I had never been tied-up, at least not in real life. She asked me what I meant and I told her about my dreams.

"Wow, I thought that I was the only one who had those kinds of dreams," she said.

"My sisters tell me that almost all girls have them. We dream of being dominated, carried away, or rescued, by a strong, handsome man. It's what sells romance novels by the ton, according to my sisters."

"You've made me feel a lot better about the games. That girl at school had me wondering if maybe I really was weird."

"Karen, what's it feel like to be tied up?"

"It hurts a little, sometimes a lot. It depends on how you've been tied-up and by whom. Mike ties really tight. When he ties me up, I know that I'm not going to get loose, so I just relax and enjoy it."

"Enjoy it?"

"Yes. When I'm tied up, I feel warm all over. It makes me feel secure somehow. I'm totally helpless and at the control of somebody else. I have no will of my own. Someone else is deciding my fate. I don't have to worry about anything since everything is out of my hands, but I don't fear for my safety."

"But you said that it hurts."

"It hurts at first, but even that is exciting. The pain gives me a warm feeling in my tummy. I don't know why, but during the last year, I really looked forward to getting taken prisoner, much more than winning the game. And I like being tied very tight, like Mike does it."

 "Karen, I think that I'd like to play, to see what it's like."

"Do you mean that you want to try playing the game, or try being tied up?"

"Same thing, isn't it?"

"No. If you want to try being tied up, then I can control the situation. If we play the game, then Mike will be in control if we get captured, and if we capture him, then only he gets tied up."

"I see. I guess that I want to try being tied up by you first."

"Okay. Next time that you come over, we can do it in the barn's hayloft where we won't be disturbed."

"Why not today? We can do it here."

"I don't have any of our stuff here. We use nylon rope because it's so soft. Do you have any?"

"No. I guess that we'll have to wait."

"Okay. Next time you come over we'll do it. You'll have lots of time to think about it, in case you want to change your mind."

We arrived back at the house and went inside. We walked to the sewing room, and Karen showed me how to use the machine to stitch things together, and put on buttons and zippers. We found some patterns and she showed me how to pin them to the fabric, mark, and cut out the pieces. We worked at it until it was time to make supper, then we reluctantly put everything away and went up to the kitchen. I got out a cookbook to look at the several recipes for tuna casseroles. I selected one that sounded good and started to get out the ingredients. As I followed the cooking instructions, I explained them to Karen while she carried them out. I showed her how to use measuring spoons and cups, and explained the various cooking terms. She participated in every part of the meal preparation. The meal was as much a result of her efforts as mine.

Auntie got home exactly at 6 o'clock. When she came in I kissed her and introduced her to Karen and vice-versa. Auntie knew Mrs. Wallace but had never met Karen before. We sat down and ate our casserole. Auntie said that it was great and I told her that Karen had made most of it. Karen beamed with pride over the praise. We had made a Jell-O mold with fruit cocktail, for a desert, and served it with our tea. After we had eaten, Auntie went to change from her business suit while Karen and I cleaned the kitchen. After we were done, we went downstairs to the theatre and watched TV until nine o'clock when it was time to take Karen home. We waited until she was inside her grandmother's house, and then we left to return home. I had promised to call her tomorrow.

After arriving home we changed into our sleepwear and then lay on Auntie's bed to discuss the upcoming weekend. The horse auction was on Sunday and we would be there most of the day. So Saturday was totally free. Auntie had, today, been invited to a barbecue, so we could go there, or anywhere else that I chose. She said that it was up to me.

"A barbecue sounds like fun," I said. "Will there be a lot of people there?"

"Probably about a hundred."

"What should we wear?"

"Why don't you wear one of your hoe-down outfits and I'll wear my new tangerine mini-dress."

"Okay, sis," I said, referring to last weekend. We giggled. I said, "How many people will know you at the barbecue?"

"Not very many. Only about half a dozen."

"I bet that we can get at least a dozen to think of us as sisters."

"You're on. These are all educated people such as geologists and mineralogists, not ice cream vendors."

"Great. Eggheads are even easier to fool. I'll make it a dozen and a half."

"I like that. You think that geologists are eggheads. I'm a geologist." She started to tickle me. "I'll show you how an egghead tickles a fresh little girl."

In between laughing spells, I managed to say, "There are always exceptions, Auntie."

"I'll accept that as an apology."

She stopped tickling me, pulled me close in her arms and kissed my cheek. "I just want to tell you again how sorry I am about last night. It was so stupid of me not to tell you that Frank was here before I went to my bedroom. I didn't expect him to go to the kitchen without me. Were you very frightened?"

"Yes. When he stepped into the kitchen, I didn't know what to do. I was too scared to even scream."

"But honey, you did scream. That's why I rushed to the kitchen."

"I screamed? I don't remember. I'm sorry Auntie."

"Oh, honey, you have nothing to be sorry about. It was my fault. I remember times of being in a position where I felt threatened by a stranger. The threat of rape is always frightening. A young girl is even less able to handle such situations. In your place I would have reacted the same way. I'm just sorry that I was responsible."

"It was just a silly misunderstanding, Auntie, don't blame yourself. No damage was done."

"You're an angel. I simply love you to death."

I snuggled in her arms as she squeezed me. We stayed like that for a while and it was the last thing that I remembered before falling asleep.

Chapter Seven     BBQ's and Auctions 

I awoke at my usual time and found myself still in auntie's enormous circular bed, of course. I worked myself off the bed, being careful not to wake her. It was Saturday, and she was entitled to sleep in if she wished. I went to my bedroom and ran my bath. I soaked in the warmth for a long time. When my fingers started to 'prune', I got out and toweled off, then examined myself in the full-length mirror. No doubt about it, I was getting fat. In New Jersey, we had walked to school and home again each day, plus all of the normal activity of teens and pre-teens that we had. Here, my lifestyle was very different. Little walking, and a lot of sitting. I was getting especially fat in my bottom. If it kept on like this, I wasn't going to need the padded girdle. I was getting my own padding. The bony derriere that I was used to seeing in years past was gone. I had changed the soap that I used to wash my undies and the itching had subsided considerably and that was good. But my nipples were still very sensitive to my touch and the nipples and areola appeared larger.

 The corset, that I wore almost constantly now, was having an effect on my middle. It seemed to be preventing any of the fat from collecting around my stomach. My waist was getting smaller while the fat was pushing down to my bottom and up to my chest. If I didn't start working out soon, I wasn't going to need to stuff my bra with tissues. Then again, I thought, that might not be so bad. My breasts were now almost as large as my sister Susan's were, and Susan was one year older than I was. Yes, I thought, on further reflection I didn't need to work out. I would let my body put on the fat, as long as it didn't get out of hand, and it went where I wanted it to. I was still active enough to maintain sufficient muscle tone, and I heard that you grow out of "baby" fat anyway when you become a teenager. With the fat to help me, I was getting a real girlish figure. I rubbed my finger around the nipple of my right breast and the nipple hardened while a shudder ran through my body. I could do without that, I thought.

I put on my panties and my largest bra. I stuffed the bra with tissues to 'puff' up. I had to make myself look older today because I was to be Kathy's sister, not her niece. I thought, with satisfaction, that I didn't need as many tissues as I had previously. I put on my girdle, stockings, camisole, half-slip, and corset. Then I sat down and did my face. Since I was to be a fourteen, or possibly fifteen-year-old today, I used a small amount of eye makeup as well. I brushed out my hair and put on a full slip. I went into my clothes room and looked at my wardrobe, selecting a white suede skirt and cotton blouse set that was definitely a "hoe-down" outfit. The skirt fell to just below my knees and had a fringe running all the way around the hem. I put on a white leather belt, and white cowgirl boots with three-inch heels. Adding my wristwatch and a silver and turquoise bracelet and matching ring, I stepped into some perfume and went to check out my appearance in my clothes room mirror. I realized that I had forgotten my earrings, so I went to my jewelry box and got my favorite earrings, the one with the little, dangling, prairie schooners. Now satisfied with all the views, I took down my white cowgirl hat and selected purse, and left them on my bed. 

It was time for breakfast, so I went to the kitchen, donned an apron, and set to work. Fresh OJ, sliced melon, and French toast was the menu in my mind as I worked. A pot of tea and container of milk joined the food on the table. When I heard Auntie's bedroom door, I put the bread into the toast mixture and turned up the heat under the frying pan. I greeted her when she came in, and stepped back to look at her outfit. "Kathy, you look gorgeous in your new mini-dress. I love it."

"Thanks, sis, you look wonderful too. That skirt and blouse is wonderful. No doubt about it, the Bliss sisters will be the hit of the barbecue." We both giggled.

 "Seat down, breakfast is almost ready," I said as I returned to the stove to finish the French toast. In a few minutes we were eating. After breakfast, we cleaned the kitchen together and then decided to do the weekly shopping since we had several hours before we should leave for the barbecue.

We spent a lot of time in the produce department selecting fruits and vegetables, and then some time in the meat department. We zipped through the dairy section and other areas, just replenishing the items that we had used in the past week. At the checkout counter, we put our selections on the conveyer belt and I preceded Auntie through the aisle. The same bag boy was working and he smiled at me when he saw me. He said, "Good morning, Miss. Nice to see y'all again."

"Good morning, Scott," I said. "How are you today?"

"Fine. Even better now."

I decided that I had better not respond to the lead in. I just said, "Beautiful day, isn't it."

"Tis now."

The clerk had started to pass the food items down to Scott and he turned his attention to bagging them. When Auntie had paid for the food and Scott had finished bagging them, we started to leave.

Scott said to me, "Miss?"

I stopped and answered, "Yes, Scott."

"I sorry to be so forward but may ah ask your name?"

"It's Darla. Darla Anne."

He assumed an even greater smile and said, "Thank you Miss Darla. Y'all have a nice weekend."

"Thank you, Scott. You too. Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Miss Darla."

As we pushed the cart through the parking lot, Auntie said, "You definitely have an admirer in that young man. Be careful. He's a lot older than you, and he probably thinks that you're a lot older than you are."

"Okay Auntie. I haven't done anything to encourage him."

"I know, sweetheart. I'm just being a grownup and offering advice even when it's not needed." We both giggled.

"Sisters have to look out for each other," I said. "I know that you just want to protect me."

She pulled me to her and squeezed me; "You're so smart that I sometimes feel I don't have to tell you anything." We put the groceries in the car and drove home. After putting everything away, we touched up our makeup and prepared to leave for the barbecue. We set the alarm and walked to the car.

Just as Auntie was about to start the car, a delivery van pulled up to the house. The driver came over to the car and we got out.

"I have a delivery for Miss Darla Anne Drake," He said.

"That's me," I said. He asked me to sign his clipboard and then handed me a package. He tipped his hat and drove away. Auntie and I got back inside the car. I said, "It's from someplace called 'Ursala's.'"

"I didn't order anything," Auntie said. "Open it up."

When I removed the outer brown paper wrapping, I came across a note. Reading it, I said, "It's from Grandma…. Dear Darla Anne, I have ordered these made for you from the measurements that they took at Xavier's. They took a few days because they had to be custom-made. If they don't fit properly, Ursala will adjust them for you. Love, Grandma."  I opened the box and found four beautiful new corsets. "Oh, they're beautiful. I can't wait to try them on. Grandma is so thoughtful. I have to call her and thank her."

"You can call her later or tomorrow," Auntie said. "We have to get going. We don't want to be too late and it's a long ride. They are beautiful. Have you decided to stick with waist training then?"

"I've been happy with the results so far. I've gotten used to the corset and hardly ever think about it any more."

"Okay honey, it's your decision. Hey, we've got a party to get to."

She drove down the driveway as I put the corsets back into the box and placed the box on the back seat. It took an hour to get to the barbecue hosted by an oil company executive. He lived in a sprawling single story home with immaculately manicured lawns and gardens. He had a tennis court and Olympic sized pool. The barbecue was being held in the back yard. An enormous area of land adjacent to his yard had been turned into a parking lot. We parked the car and walked towards the party.

As we entered the back yard a man and woman approached us. The man said, "Kathy, I'm glad that you could make it after all."

"I told you I'd do my best, Cliff."

"And who is this enchanting young lady. I know that you and Gabby didn't have any children and she looks just like you so she must be a younger sister."

"You have a good eye, Cliff. This is Darla Anne."

"Darla Anne, what a beautiful name for such a beautiful young lady. Welcome to my home. This is my wife, Shirley."

"I'm pleased to meet you both," I said.

"Hi Shirley," Auntie said. "Nice to see you again."

"Hello, Kathy," Shirley said. "Hello, Darla Anne. Welcome. I hope that you'll enjoy yourselves. It's nice to see you again also, Kathy. It's been too long. How have you been getting on."

"Very well, thank you Shirley. Business has been wonderful lately."

"So I've heard. Congratulations on getting the 'Moore' and 'Prescott' oil rights. Quite a coup. But you deserve it."

"Thank you, Shirley, you're very kind."

A couple was coming up behind us, having just arrived.

"Let's get together a little later and we can talk," Cliff said. "Right now, Shirley and I need to play 'host.' Enjoy yourselves at the party."

We thanked them and walked towards the assemblage in the back yard.

We stopped first to get a cold drink and then walked around the yard. A huge fire pit had been erected along one edge of the yard, just off the lawn, and an entire cow was being cooked on a spit. As it turned, a cook was basting it with something, using an enormous brush. Nearby, tables were being setup by catering personnel. There were two hard drink bars setup; one at each end of the yard. Both were serving beer and mixed drinks. A soft drink bar was in the middle of the yard. It had soda, punch, and lemonade. Auntie said hello to a couple of people as we walked around but we didn't stop for introductions. I estimated that there were about a hundred people here now, and more were arriving all the time.

Auntie said, "Well, you win the first encounter. Cliff and Shirley think we're sisters without our having said a word."

"Two down and only sixteen to go. And we haven't even talked to the eggheads yet," I said. Auntie reached over and tickled me under my arm as a reminder of the 'egghead' episode of last night. "Kathy, stop that. I'll spill my lemonade," I said giggling. She stopped and I composed myself.

"Oh. There's Burt Satler," she said. "I've been wanting to talk with him. Let's go over there."

We wandered over to a group of six men and one woman. "Hello Burt," Auntie said to a man who nodded to her as we approached.

"Hello Kathy, how are you? Great dress," he said.

"Thank you, Burt. Oh, this is Darla Anne. Darla Anne, this is Burt Satler."

Hello, Mr. Satler," I said.

"Hello Darla Anne, please, call me Burt. Mr. Satler is my father.

I smiled and said, "Okay Burt."

"Kathy," he said, "You never told me that you had such a beautiful sister."

"You're sure she's not my daughter, Burt?"

"Nope, not a chance. Definitely family and too old to be a daughter. You would have had to have been pregnant when you were nine or ten."

"Okay, you're right. She's not my daughter."

"I knew it. Logic wins out every time. So what do the Bliss sisters do for fun when they're not attending barbecues."

"Well, tomorrow we're going to the big horse auction being run by the Bass Brothers."

"Great, maybe I'll see you there."

"I didn't know that you were into horses, Burt.

"Never been into them, I prefer to stay on the outside."

We both giggled. "You know what I mean," Auntie said.

"Yeah, but you know me, I can never resist a good straight line. Actually I've never been to a horse auction, but if that's where all the beautiful women hang out, then I'm going to start attending every one."  We both giggled again. By now, all the other people in the group were listening to our conversation so Burt introduced Kathy, and her sister Darla Anne, to the other six people.

The rest of the afternoon went pretty much the same way. By the time that we left, about two hundred people believed that Kathy Bliss and her sister, Darla Anne, had attended the party. And we had not told a single person that I was her sister. They all assumed it on their own or by being told from somebody who assumed it. We laughed all the way home recalling Burt's quips and jokes that had entertained us for most of the afternoon. The food had been delicious and abundant. Neither Auntie nor I felt hungry even though it was dinnertime. When we arrived home we didn't even go inside. Instead we sat on the porch until the sun went down.

We rocked and held hands while we talked. Auntie gave me a rundown on each of the party guests that she had known, or known of. She told me their professions, who they worked for, and a basic evaluation of their capabilities as she knew, or understood, them to be. I filed the information away, along with the impressions of each that I had taken away from the party. After the sun was down we went inside to watch TV for a while. I went upstairs during a commercial and got some oranges for us to snack on. At 10 o'clock we turned off the TV and went to get ready for bed. After performing my nightly rituals, I put away my new corsets after selecting one to wear as my sleeping corset. The one I picked was much shorter then the others. It would hold me in and yet give me more flexibility. After tightening it, I was amazed at how comfortable it felt compared to the one that I had been wearing. It was almost like I wasn't wearing a corset at all. I slept very well that night. I dreamt of barbecues and parties.

The sun on my face woke me in the morning. I had slept a little longer than usual, perhaps in part due to the comfort of the new corset. I got out of bed, bathed, and dressed. I was wearing another of my new corsets, and I felt wonderful when I went to the kitchen and prepared breakfast. Auntie came in as I placed the food on the table. We talked about the auction while we ate. Auntie told me the procedures and strategies in bidding. She told me not to get excited because that could ripple through the bidders and increase the prices. She took out a road atlas after we finished eating, to check the route. While she worked on that, I cleared the table and washed the dishes. When I was done, we left for church services.

When we returned, we went to our bedrooms to change from our church clothes, to something more appropriate for the auction. We would meet back in the kitchen for tea when we were ready. I put on one of my denim skirts and a western blouse, and my black cowgirl boots that gave me an extra three inches of height. I took one of my vitamins and I was enjoying a cup of tea when Auntie came in. She was wearing her black leather mini skirt, western blouse and black cowgirl boots. I told her that she looked wonderful and asked her if we were going as sisters. She said we would if I didn't mind, it was wonderful for her ego. I said that I enjoyed it, but had to make a few changes. I told her that I wanted to call Grandma before we left and went to alter my appearance. I put on a little eye makeup and "puffed" up my breasts. I put on dangling earrings, my wristwatch, several bracelets and two rings. I had done my nails earlier, but redid them in a bright red. I applied lipstick to match them, brushed my hair, and I was ready. Auntie was all ready to leave, so we called Grandma's house and were told that she was away for the weekend. The housekeeper said that she would tell her that we called. We thanked her and hung up.

With everything done, we set the alarm and left for the auction. The drive was another long one. Parking attendants directed us where to park the car when we arrived. We walked to the gate and received a program and number card when Auntie registered as a bidder. We went to the holding pens and looked over the horses. There was every breed and color imaginable. The pens were organized by number, and that number was listed on the program. Auntie looked at the horses and made notes on her program. As we admired the horses, the men in the area were admiring Auntie. She appeared not to notice, but I knew different. An attractive woman has worked hard to make herself that way and is well aware of the effect. When we had walked around to all the pens, Auntie went over to one of the handlers and asked a few questions. She motioned to me to follow as she led the way to a stable.

 There were several horses in here, in individual stalls. We stopped and talked to a man cleaning the stalls. He gave some monosyllabic answers until he glanced around and saw Auntie. Then he put his pitchfork aside and came over to us. Leering at Auntie, he answered all her questions. She questioned him about the horses in here. One was here because he was kicking all the other horses in the pen and was very uncontrollable. The others were here because they were his victims and were receiving treatment for their injuries. Auntie thanked him and we walked to the stalls. The man stood watching Auntie as we walked away, then returned to his cleaning activities.

The first stall that we came to had the troublemaker. He flared his nostrils, snorted, and kicked as we approached. We moved on to the next stall. A beautiful Appaloosa was in there. Auntie walked to the stall and he came to her. She stroked his face and head. He stood there and blinked at her. She opened the gate and went in. She examined his wound, as much as she could see, and then examined his body. She came out and closed the gate. He came over to her again and she took hold of his halter. She lifted his muzzle and examined his mouth. Then she stroked his face again before we moved on to the next stall. This one contained an American White mare. The mare came over to us as the Appaloosa had done and we both stroked her face. She was beautiful also. Auntie examined her mouth and then pushed her back so that she could get into the stall. She examined her right front leg where she had been kicked and then the rest of her body. When she was done, she came out and closed the stall gate. She said that we were done here and we started to leave.

A man carrying a black bag was walking in as we were going out. Auntie asked him if he was the vet, and when he said that he was, she questioned him about the two horses that we had looked at. He talked in horse terms that I had as yet not learned, so I didn't understand it all, but I got the impression that both horses were sound and healthy, and would recover from their injuries fully within a couple of weeks. Auntie thanked him and we walked back to the viewing arena. The auction was set to start soon. We selected a place that would give us a good view as the arena started to fill up. When the auction started, the horses were brought in one at a time and led around the arena. Then it was brought back to the center and held there until the bidding was over. Auntie bid a number of times on different animals. I was concentrating very hard on trying to figure out what the auctioneer was saying. At first it sounded like a bunch of gibberish, but I slowly began to recognize the fast, slurred speech. I couldn't wait to be alone somewhere so I could try my hand, or rather voice, at doing it.

I recognized the appaloosa when it was brought in. Bidding was very light, no doubt due to the limping gait and the bandage on the horse's flank. Auntie was one of the bidders. She held her number up repeatedly. Several other horses were brought in, and then the injured American White mare was led in, also limping slightly. The auctioneer tried to get bidders interested but was wasn't having much luck. He told them not to pay any attention to the limping, that the problem was minor and would heal fully, but still nobody wanted to open. He dropped the opening bid price down several times. Finally, after a last appeal before the horse was removed Auntie held up her number. The auctioneer acknowledged her and started his slurred speech now that he had a bid. Two other people bid low bids against Auntie who always bid the price up just before the horse went to somebody else. Finally, there were no other bids, and the horse went to Auntie. The auctioneer told the crowd that that was probably the best deal of the day. He said, "That young lady just made fools out of all you experienced horse traders out there. That horse is worth ten times what she's paying for it."

The auction continued for another hour and a half. Auntie bid a number of other times. Now that I understood what was going on, I saw that she was the successful bidder in three more sales. I remained impassive the whole time, as she had told me to be, even though I was jumping on the inside. When it was all over, she said, "Well, you've got your American White, young lady."

"Kathy, why did you buy so many horses?"

"Well, my dear sister, we have several more people coming to stay with us very shortly. I figured that two horses would not be enough for all of us."

"How many did you buy?"

"You were there. Didn't you see?"

"At first I didn't understand what the auctioneer was even saying. I know that you got the American White mare and three more after her. By then I figured out what was going on."

"Very good. I also bought the Appaloosa that we looked at in the barn and a Palomino early in the auction."

"Added to the American White, 2 Tennessee Walking horses and the Arabian, that makes six. You bought six?"

"Yep. We're going to have our hands full until your sister's get here to help."

We walked to the business table and Auntie paid with a check and showed her driver's license. The woman looked at her driver's license then took it and went over to a man at another table. The man returned to our table, and Auntie said, "Is there a problem?"

The man said, "It just that this lists your age as 30. Do you have anything with your correct age on it?"

Auntie smiled and said, "I have my passport with me. I always carry it in case I have to go into Mexico on business."

"That will be most acceptable, Miss Bliss."

She handed it to him. He looked at it, compared the picture to Auntie, looked at her driver's license again, and then said, "I'm sorry for the inconvenience, Miss Bliss, it's just that you look so young, we thought that there was a problem with the driver's license Barbara will complete your transaction now. I apologize but I thought that you were only about 23. This must mean that your sister here is about 22. I'm very sorry."

"Don't be. We're flattered. Really," and she smiled at him.

He smiled and returned to the table where he had been before, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw him continue to watch us. Barbara completed the paperwork and Auntie told her that she would make arrangements to have the horses picked up this week. The woman told her that there would be a small boarding fee for anything over 72 hours from the end of the auction.

We left and located the car. On the drive home, Auntie named the things that we would have to do so that we were ready for the horses. We had to clean the stables and the barn, get in hay and grains, check the corral and fences, and make arrangements to transport the horses. Also, we needed to buy some saddles, bridles, and other gear. We would take a look at things when we got home. It was still fairly early.

"I realize that you got the American White for me," I said, "and I love you for getting her for me, but did you select one for yourself as well."

"Yes, I developed a liking for that Appaloosa that we looked at. He's a fine looking animal, friendly, and he went very cheaply. Not as cheap as yours, which was an amazing bargain. Probably because of the wound. That miserable black that did the damage actually did us a big favor. He picked two of the best animals to attack. Probably because of their quiet nature. They weren't skittish around him so he was able to kick them, where the other horses probably moved out of range. I saw the man who bought him. He's going to have nothing but problems with that black.

As soon as we arrived home, we went inside to change. "We never picked up any jeans for you," Auntie said. "I'll see what I have that I don't wear anymore. Maybe we'll find something that is small enough to make do for now."

She went to her bedroom as I went to mine. I hung up my clothes and she came into my room as I removed my half-slip. She gave me a pair of jeans to try on. They were too big but we rolled up the legs and used a belt to tighten the pants to my waist. She also gave me a work shirt. We had to roll up the sleeves and we tied the sides together in front of me so that it wasn't so baggy. I put my boots back on, and Auntie adjusted the length of the legs. She gave me a pair of work gloves and said that she would be ready in a few minutes. When she came back, she said, "Well, is my 22 year old sister ready to go to work?" We both giggled.

"That guy was really embarrassed when he saw your passport."

"I guess that I'm just wicked but I was enjoying it. I don't normally carry my passport; I brought it in case I needed a second form of identification in order to use a check for payment, but I didn't expect to need it to prove how old I am."

"Well, you better carry it from now on unless your wearing one of your business suits."

"I thinking of getting a whole new wardrobe to replace them. I no longer need them to help me get treated with respect. I've earned my place in the oil business. Now I would like to be treated as a 23-year-old. It's a lot more fun."

"Auntie, you're terrible."

"Yes. I know." We both giggled.

We walked out to the stable first. Taking brooms, we went into each stall and pulled down the spider webs and swept the wooden floor. We would put down fresh hay when it came. We carried the hose outside and let the water run to get rid of any rust in the lines. Auntie checked, and oiled, the latches and hinges on every gate. Then we went to the barn. We moved the old bales out and prepared it to receive a new load of hay. We cleaned the grain bins and swept up the rodent droppings. When we were finished, we oiled the hinges in the corral gates and checked the wood all the way around looking for broken or cracked pieces. Then we walked around the barbed wire fenced field making sure that the posts were secure and that there were no breaks in the wire. When we were done with that, Auntie said that we were ready to receive the horses as soon as the feed was here.

"Speaking of feed," I said, "I'm hungry."

"It's way past dinner time and we never had any lunch. Why don't you go make something for us while I check the tack room equipment and close everything up."

"Okay, any preferences?"

"Nope, I love everything you make."

"Okay, come up when you're finished."

I went to the kitchen and washed my hands, my face, then washed my hands again. I stood in front of the refrigerator with the door opened until I scanned all of our food supplies and selected a chicken that we had purchased yesterday. Then I took out our pressure cooker and set it on the stove. I washed and cut up the chicken and arranged it on the bottom of the pressure cooker. I diced an onion, several carrots and a couple of pieces of celery. I mixed up the pieces and dumped them in the cooker. I added enough water to come most of the way up the chicken. I put on the top and turned on the burner. While it cooked, I made chicken flavored rice and mixed up some Bisquick for dumplings. Then I made a salad, fresh dressing, and a package of frozen Italian green beans. I shut off the burner under the pressure cooker when the time was up, and let it cool while I set the table. I removed the top and dropped spoonfuls of Bisquick on the chicken after turning on the burner again. I made a pot of tea and pitcher of lemonade. It had been ten minutes since dropping the Bisquick on the chicken, so I put the cover on without sealing it, and sat down to rest for a couple of minutes. Auntie came in. She had washed up and changed into her sleepwear.

"Darla Anne, I meant some sandwiches, not a three course meal," she said smiling.

"This isn't that much more work, and it's more satisfying than a sandwich. But I'll make you a sandwich if that's what you really want. Peanut butter or baloney?"

"Oh. Don't go to any trouble for me. I'll just have whatever you're having."

"Okay, sis. Oops, dumplings are done." I went to the stove and took the top off the cooker. I carefully lifted out the pieces of chicken with the dumplings molded on top. Carefully, because the pressure cooker made the chicken so tender that it wanted to fall apart. I placed the chicken on a serving plate. I put the rice and the beans in serving bowls, and carried everything to the table in several trips, after making sure that all the burners were off on the stove. I sat down and Auntie said grace. As Auntie filled her plate, I said, "You're sure that you don't want that sandwich? It's not too late."

"Oh, I'll just make do with this," she said smiling as she pushed her fork into a dumpling.

After we had eaten, I got up and took out the leftover jello from Friday night, for desert. Auntie poured the tea and we relaxed as we talked about the horses. She thought that she could get a delivery of feed tomorrow from the supplier that she used to buy from. Then the horses could be delivered on Tuesday or Wednesday. We talked about how hay bales had to be stacked, so they could breathe, to prevent mold if the hay was not completely dry. Auntie would have the vet come to look at the White's leg and the Appaloosa's flank as well as an examination of the other four horses. She told me what would have to be done each day for the horses. Feed, water, cleaning, exercise and general care were a daily chore that could not be skipped. It could be a labor of love if I wanted it to be.

It was getting late, so I began to clean up. I poured the water from the pressure cooker into a large bowl. It contained the onion, celery and carrots that I had put in earlier and was, of course, now chicken soup. I added the leftover rice to it, and pulled the leftover chicken off its bones and put that in as well. The beans and dumplings went into their own bowls and everything went into the refrigerator. I washed the dishes as Auntie cleared the table and changed the tablecloth.  She swept the floor as I put away the dishes and we finished about the same time.

As we walked to the door, she put her arms around me and hugged me. "That was absolutely delicious, honey. To think that I would have settled for a sandwich if I was here alone. I have to tell you again how much I love having you here. When we haven't been pretending to be sisters, I've been pretending that you were my own daughter. I hope that that doesn't disturb you too much. Having another person to share things with is wonderful, but having a daughter to share things with is extra wonderful."

"I love being here with you also. If you want to think of me as your daughter, it's all right with me. I've been extremely happy since you let me come stay with you."

She squeezed me and kissed me. We walked down the hall together and cheek kissed then went into our separate bedrooms. I performed my nightly rituals and went to bed. I lay awake for a long time thinking about the events of the day. It was exciting to think that in a few days, I would have my very own horse. I fell asleep and dreamt about riding my beautiful white steed.

I awoke at my usual time and went in to take my bath. I put on my face, dressed, and then went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. After Auntie had left for work, I cleaned up the kitchen and decided to clean the house. I started with Auntie's bathroom as I had last Monday. I had just begun when the phone rang. It was Karen calling to ask if I could come over. I told her that Monday was cleaning day and I had just started, but I could probably come over tomorrow if she was going to be home.

"That would be great. What time?"

"I'll see if Auntie can drop me off on her way to work, unless that's too early."

"No, not at all. I'm always up at dawn."

"Me too. Okay, I'll call you tonight after I have a chance to talk to her."

"Okay. Bye"

"Bye."

By lunchtime, Auntie's bathroom and bedroom were spotless; and fresh towels and bed linen had replaced the soiled ones, my bathroom and bedroom were equally clean and refreshed, and I had vacuumed the hallway.

I heated some leftovers for lunch and then tackled the laundry, and the downstairs. The phone rang and when I answered it I heard Grandma's voice. "Grandma, welcome back. I hope that you had a nice trip."

"Very enjoyable, my dear. I got your message. How are you?"

"Wonderful Grandma, I just had to call and thank you for the corsets. They're wonderful. You're wonderful. Thank you so much."

"You're most welcome, dear. I'm glad that you're pleased. Ursala is a fine seamstress and corsetiere." We talked for about a half-hour, or perhaps I should say that I talked for about a half-hour. I told her about the barbecue and the horse auction and that we were getting some horses.

"I hope that you're not going to forget your Grandmother now that you have a horse?" I knew that she was kidding and I assured her that that would never happen. I told her that I would love to see her anytime her busy schedule permitted. She said that she would have to make some time for us to be together. We said our good-byes and I went back to work. I was vacuuming the office when I heard the blast of an air horn.

I walked outside and saw an enormous truck filled with hay in the driveway. A man stepped down from the cab and introduced himself as Duane Burke. "Are you Miss Darla?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Missus Bliss asked me to bring this load in today. If it's all right with you, we'll just unload it in the customary fashion. I've supplied Missus Bliss for years. I'm pleased that y'all will have livestock again. I know how upset Missus Bliss was when she had to sell off her horses."

"Thank you. The stable and barn are unlocked."

"Thank you, Miss Darla." With that he got back into the truck and drove around to the barn. I went back inside and continued with my cleaning. After vacuuming the office, sewing room, library and theatre, I polished and dusted in all four rooms. I walked to the back of the house and saw that the truck was about ¾ empty so I made a big pitcher of lemonade. Filled three very large glasses with ice and carried it all to the barn. 

Mr. Burke and his two helpers were stacking hay in the barn. Sweat was running off their faces and noses, and their shirts were soaked. I set the tray down on an old bale by the door. Mr. Burke saw me and stopped what he was doing. I said, "I thought that y'all might like a cold drink."

"God bless you Miss Darla. That's right kind. We'll enjoy that as soon as we're finished. I like to get the job done before we start relaxing."

"As you wish. I'll just leave it here for you."

"Many thanks, Miss."

I turned and went back to the house. About an hour later, I heard the roar of the truck's engine as it pulled up next to the house. Mr. Burke carried the tray and glasses to the porch and handed them to me as I went outside. "That was right neighborly Miss Darla. We sure do thank you. It really hit the spot. Your hay and grain is all unloaded. We filled the hayloft in the stable and put the rest in the barn. Tell Missus Bliss to call us when she's ready for another load. I'll send the bill to her office as we used to. Thanks again for the lemonade. Bye now." With that he left and headed the big truck down the driveway. The two men in the back tipped their hats to me and I nodded back.

I took the pitcher and glasses back into the house, washed, dried and put them away. I cleaned out the refrigerator and discarded a couple of things before I went down to the laundry where I took the dried clothes, aprons, table clothes, and bed linens out of the dryers, and folded or hung everything on hangers. I filled a laundry cart and pushed it to the elevator. After putting everything away, I returned the cart to the basement. It wasn't yet time to start on dinner, so I went to the sewing room to practice using the machine. I practiced and experimented on old scraps until it was time to start dinner. I cleaned up my mess and went to the kitchen.

I had dinner ready when Auntie got home. We talked as we ate. I told her what Mr. Burke had said while he was here. She told me that the horses would be delivered on Wednesday. The delivery people would put them into the stalls for us. She said that I should not try to enter any of the stalls or handle any of the horses until she got home. She would try to cut her day as short as possible. She wanted to take the entire day off but an important meeting couldn't be postponed. I asked her if she could drop me off at Karen's house tomorrow on her way to work. She said that she would be happy to, because she hated that I was left here all alone when she had to work. "It's difficult living in this place when you don't have a car to get around with," she said. After dinner, I cleaned up as she went to change.

 When I was done, I called Karen and told her that I would be there very early tomorrow morning. She said that she would be ready and waiting for me. We talked for awhile. I told her about the barbecue, about the horse auction, and about getting the horses. She was excited and asked if she could come riding sometime. I said, "Of course. What's the sense of having six horses if they don't get ridden?"

She told me that Mike keeps asking when I was coming over again. "It seems that he really likes you. He keeps talking about dancing with you. I caught him practicing the other day with his arms out and his eyes closed. He had a big smile on his face until he realized I was standing there. He won't be here tomorrow though. He has a friend nearby and he's going over to his house early tomorrow to go fishing."

"How has Mr. Wang been acting towards you?"

"Wonderful. That schmoozing really paid off. I think that he likes you so much that I can get him to pick you up again without having to damage any of his roses." We both laughed.

"Well, I'd better go now. I'll see you bright and early."

"Okay. Darla. See you in the morning. Bye."

"Bye."

I went to my bedroom and put on my sleepwear after performing my nightly rituals. When I came out of my bedroom, Auntie had still not come out of hers so I knocked on her door. She told me to come in and I entered. She was lying on her bed reading something that looked like a report. I went over, climbed onto her bed, and crawled over to her. She put her arm around me and pulled me close to her. She said, "I have to read these reports before I go down to watch TV. You can go down by yourself. You don't have to wait for me."

"I'm perfectly comfortable like this. You go ahead and read your reports. I'll just enjoy lying here with you."

She kissed my head and resumed her reading. I lay there, enjoying the closeness of our bodies and the smell of her perfume. I lay perfectly still so as not to disturb her concentration. After about 45 minutes she was done.

Instead of going downstairs, we just continued to lie there. She thanked me for cleaning up her rooms and changing her bed linen, plus washing and hanging the clothes that she had put down the laundry chute.

"Well, it was Monday," I said. "That's wash day in New Jersey. I just brought the tradition here."

"What else did you do today?"

"I did my rooms also. I vacuumed our bedrooms, hallway, stairs, theatre, office, sewing room, and library. I also dusted and polished those rooms. I cleaned out the refrigerator. And I spent about an hour working in the sewing room."

"What are you sewing?"

"Nothing yet, I'm teaching myself how to use the machine with some scraps that I found. I'm practicing different stitches now that I've learned how to use the machine."

"You're quite a woman, Miss Drake. Most young girls your age would rather lie around reading teen magazines. When you've finished your work, you look for ways to improve yourself and learn new things. I'm very proud of you. The man who marries you is going to be a very lucky fellow. I hope that you find somebody worthy of you."

"Mother told me that I have to look with my head as well as my heart."

 "Your mother is absolutely right. You need to use both to find the right man. I have confidence in you. You'll know when the right man comes along. He'll sweep you off your feet and your heart will tell you that this is the man that you will love for the rest of your life. But then your head has to agree, or you must let him go. I don't have a single doubt that you will make the right choices. Just be sure to keep your legs closed until your heart, and head, agree. If you feel that you need to give him sexual release to avoid intercourse, use your mouth. Once a man had had his release, he will stop pressuring you to spread your legs. At least until the need builds up in him again."

"How long is that?"

"It varies between men and depends on their age and physical condition. Men reach their sexual peak in their late teens. An eighteen year old man can be ready to go again in ten to fifteen minutes, where a fifty year old man may only be good for once a night because he gets so spent that he falls asleep immediately afterwards. Age and physical condition play equal roles."

"How do I use my mouth to satisfy a man?"

"Okay, while we woman have vaginas, men have penises. Our reproductive organs are all inside our bodies while theirs are on the outside." She proceeded to tell me in great detail how to satisfy a man orally. I asked her if a man can satisfy a woman with his mouth and she proceeded to explain how he would do that, in great detail also.

"But again, not until you have found the right man and both your heart and head say so."

"But only intercourse can result in pregnancy, right?"

"Yes, but once you've introduced your cunny to a lover, he won't stop until he penetrates it with his penis. It's best to save that experience for your mate, and so save yourself a lot of anguish. Men will do or say anything to get sexual release. They are driven by their bodies and will do the most stupid things in order to get satisfaction."

"Can women get sexual gratification from another woman?"

"Of course, a woman can use her mouth the same as a man can, to satisfy another woman. And likewise, a man can satisfy another man. But in our society and culture, those kinds of relationships are morally forbidden. The church, and our government, only recognize relationships between a man and a woman." We talked for about another hour as Auntie opened my eyes on the subject of sex.

 "Thank you for explaining it. Lately, I've been wondering about it."

"You're at that age where your hormones will start to change your body. It's called puberty. It's the time when a young girl becomes a woman. It causes you to begin to have sexual desires. You will find yourself thinking about boys all the time. It's a mother's job to explain the things that I've just told you, so you understand what is happening to you. Since I'm filling in as your mother temporarily, I felt that I should tell you what she would, if she was here. It's called the "birds and bees" speech." We lay together for sometime as I thought about all the things that Auntie had told me. Suddenly, I was waking up from a sound sleep. It was morning and I had been dreaming about boys and sex. I blushed but no one noticed since Auntie was still asleep. I got off of the bed and went to take my bath.

Chapter Eight     Did I Really Say Make It Tight?

After I bathed, I examined myself in the mirror and then put on my undies. I sat at my makeup table, put on my face, and brushed my hair. I went into my clothes room, put on my corset and full slip, and selected an outfit. I put on a calf length denim skirt and a white blouse. I put on my black cowgirl boots with the high heels and went to select some earring and bracelets. I sprayed some perfume and stepped into it, and took one of my vitamins after grabbing my purse. I went to the kitchen and prepared breakfast. Auntie came in all dressed for work and we ate. Then I hurriedly cleared the table as she drank her tea and just stacked the dishes in the sink after rinsing them off. I would wash them when I got home. When she was ready we grabbed our purses, and she her briefcase, and left. She dropped me off at the Karen's and we cheek kissed. I told her that I would see her tonight and she pulled away. Karen greeted me at the door.

She was similarly dressed except that her skirt was knee length. We cheek kissed and I entered the house. "Did you have breakfast, or are you hungry?"

"I ate already, how about you?"

"Finished about a half hour ago. Come on up to my room. We went upstairs. Where her bedroom had been neat before, today it was spotless. I looked at her and saw that she was waiting for me to say something so I didn't disappoint her.

"Karen, your room is beautiful. Have you caught the Monday Cleaning Madness that's going around?"

"Guess so. I thought about all the things that we discussed and wanted to be a little more like you, Darla. I had such a good time at your house, and felt so good about being useful."

"Well, your room looks lovely. It's so easy to keep clean if you do it every morning."

We embraced and she said, "Darla, I've been wanting to ask you something."

"Anything, Karen."

"Do you wear corsets?"

I hesitated for a second. "Yes. I know that some people disapprove but I love what they do for my figure and posture. What do you think?" I walked around the room a little and turned around a couple of times.

"I think that you look fabulous, but isn't it painful."

"It was at first, but now I forget that I even have it on most of the time. Grandma bought me several custom made corsets and they are very comfortable compared to the one that I had originally borrowed from Auntie."

"Do you think that I could try one sometime?"

"Of course, whenever you want. Next time you come over to my house, we'll lace you in so that you can see what it's like."

"Great. And speaking of seeing what it's like, do you still want to see what it's like to be tied up?"

"Yes, I do."

"Well let's go out to the barn."

We walked outside, and as we passed Mr. Wang, we stopped so that we could schmooze him a little. He really did have a wonderful talent for gardening. We continued onto the barn after a while and climbed the stairs to the loft. Karen told me to take off my bracelets and wristwatch so that they didn't get damaged or hurt me. I removed them, noticing that it was a little before 9 a.m., and put them in a paper bag that she gave me so that they would stay together. She told me where to stand and then to put my hands behind my back with my palms together. I did as she said and she walked behind me with a large brown paper bag. She started to wrap a piece of rope around my wrists. When she tied it off, it was quite loose.

I said, "Karen, don't take it easy on me. I want it to be very tight, like you like it."

"Okay, you're the customer. Very tight it is."

She did something and the rope suddenly became very tight. Now I had no play in the rope at all. She took some more rope and stooped down to tie my ankles together. They were loose at first and then she did something to make the rope suddenly become very tight. She lifted my skirt up and tied a rope just above my knees. Like the others it was loose at first, then suddenly tightened. It squeezed my knees together and pinched the insides of my legs. Karen suddenly lifted my skirt up to my waist. I said, "Karen, what are you doing?"

"Quiet, Slave. I'm just looking at your half-slip. A slave does not question her mistress or call her by name. Why do you wear one that is so tight?"

"Is this worthless slave permitted to speak, Mistress?"

"Of course, a slave must always answer a direct question, but only speak when spoken to. Understand?"

"Yes, Mistress. This worthless slave wears the tight slip because it makes her take shorter, more dainty, more feminine steps."

"I see," and she dropped my skirt back down.

She walked around in front of me. She opened another bag that she had and reached in. She pulled out a long piece of fabric. As I looked at it, I realized that it was two pieces of fabric tied together in an enormous knot. I said, "Are those men's neck ties?"

She bent down and took out something about the size of her fist. She walked around behind and said, "I told you, slaves may only talk when spoken to." She put her hand on my forehead and pulled my head suddenly backward so that I was staring at the roof. I opened my mouth to apologize and she stuffed something into it. It must have been the fist-sized thing that she had taken out of the bag. She pushed the entire thing into my mouth. I was shocked at first and offered no resistance, but as she filled my mouth, I started to push against it with my tongue. But it did no good and soon the entire thing was inside my mouth, puffing out my cheeks and forcing my jaws apart. She took the thing that I thought were men's ties and pushed the enormous knot into my mouth as well. Then she wrapped the thing around and around my head and tied it off very tightly.

 She walked around to the bag again and took out another of the fist-sized items. I wondered where she was going to insert this one. She then unwrapped it. When she was done, it hung from her hands and I saw that it appeared to be a folded-over strip of cloth that might have been torn from a bed sheet. It looked like an eight-foot bandage. It was about three inches wide in its folded form. She held it up to find the middle so that about four feet hung on either side of her hand and walked behind me. She carefully placed the center against my face, with one edge just under my nose, and the other extended down to the bottom of my chin. Then she carefully wrapped it tightly around my head and tied it off. She said, "There, that makes it look a bit neater."

I felt her take another piece of rope and start wrapping it around my arms, just above the elbows. She tugged on it pulling my arms together until my elbows almost touched. She tied that off, and then wrapped another piece around my body a dozen times, which pulled my arms tightly against me. I was now completely incapacitated. I tried to talk but nothing came out. I could only make little mewling noises. Karen looked me in the face and said, "That's right. This is what happens to slaves who talk without being spoken to." I mewled again. "It does no good to apologize now. Next time, you'll mind your mistress. Now slave, hop over here." She turned me toward a support post. It was about 6 inches square. I saw that on one side, thick nails had been driven in every inch from the bottom, up to about six feet from the floor. The flattened heads of the nails protruded out about an inch and a half. None of the nails extended out the other side, which was smooth, as if it had been sanded.

She positioned me against the smooth side and then moved me out about a foot. She went and got a large square block of wood with a piece of rope attached to one end, and placed it against the base of the post. Then she stood in front of me, bent and put her shoulder into me below my midriff and told me to bend forward. I was confused and just stood there. She straightened up and looked at me. "Slave, when your mistress gives you an order, you will obey immediately. You just earned yourself an extra hour in confinement. Now when I tell you to do something you will do it without question, understand?" I looked at her, and tried to mewl an answer though the gag. "That earns you another hour, Slave. It doesn't take much effort to nod or shake your head. You must want to stay like that." She smiled and said, "You must be enjoying it." She bent over again with her shoulder into my waist and told me to bend. This time I didn't hesitate. I bent forward over her shoulder. When I was lying on her back she straightened up slightly lifting me onto the block of wood and against the post. I now stood about 8 inches higher than a minute ago. She took a short piece of rope and loosely tied it around my thighs and the post so that I wouldn't fall.

She walked over to another bag and took out a long coil of rope. She wrapped one end around the post and me at my waist. She pulled it as hard as she could and tied it off. I was now very securely tied to the post. She removed the temporary piece that had held me there. Then, holding the rope in her hands, she walked around the post and me, pulling the rope as tight as she could with every pass. When she ran out of rope she had worked her way down to my ankles. She tied it off and got another coil. She started at my waist again and this time she worked her way up, finishing at my shoulders. She stepped back to examine her work. I was beginning to regret telling her to tie me very tightly. She examined the ropes and they felt as tight as guitar strings. Then she reached down, and grabbing the rope attached to the block that I was standing on, she gave it a hard yard and pulled it out from under me.

I slid down the pole several inches. Then I realized the reason for the nails on the back. They would not allow the ropes to slide down. I was being suspended against the post. I struggled a little and slipped another inch but I was still four inches from the floor. I tipped my toes down to see if I could touch. They were the only part of my body that I could move. As I struggled I slipped a little more but I was still nowhere near the floor. Meanwhile Karen had returned to her "gags" bag and removed another of the bed sheet rolls. She unrolled it and stepped behind me. She applied it as she had the first, but this time she wrapped it completely around the post. When she had tied it off, my head was as firmly attached to the post as if "nailed" there.

I tested all my bonds. I couldn't move a thing. My arms were trapped between my body and the pole and my body's weight was being used against me to hold me in a tight suspension. Karen walked around me and examined my situation. "Slave, I have some things to do. You wait here for me. I'll be back to check on you and you had better be here or else." With that, she just left me there. I hung there for about ten minutes and decided that she was going to leave me like that, so I began to struggle to see if I could find any way out of the ropes. As I struggled, I slipped down a little more. The more that I slipped, the tighter that my bonds became. My arms were beginning to ache where they had been pulled back to make my elbows touch, but I was totally captive and couldn't do anything to relieve the strain.

After a while, Karen came back. She was carrying a book, apple and bottle of soda. She spread out a blanket on a pile of hay and laid down to read her book, and eat her apple. I wasn't hungry but my mouth felt like the Sahara desert. The gag must have absorbed all my saliva. Karen continued to read her book and every once in a while took a drink from her soda. I mewled through my gag every once in a while but she ignored me. After a couple of hours, she put down her book and approached me. She said, "Well Slave, have you learned your lesson. I tried to nod my head but I couldn't move it. "You know that you're supposed to respond to your Mistress when she talks to you. You must really enjoy being bound because you just earned another two hours for not responding." I groaned. "It's too late to apologize now. But you know that. You're purposely trying to make me punish you, Slave. Some slaves just love to be tightly tied up I guess." She turned and left the loft again.

 My arms were aching and I couldn't stop myself from crying. I couldn't move, couldn't talk, and my thirst was growing by the minute. After a while, Karen came back. I guess that she couldn't see that I had been crying in the dim light where I was a prisoner. She said, "Good news. I found your aunt's work phone number in your purse and I called her. She said that it's Okay to stay the night. She would like you to be back tomorrow morning though. I told our cook that you have left already, so nobody will be looking for you. You can stay tied up like this until tomorrow morning. Isn't that wonderful?" I groaned. "No. Don't thank me. I would do the same for any slave. It's almost noon so I'm going to have lunch. Maybe I'll bring you something when I'm done." She turned and left again. 

Some time later, I heard her coming up the stairs again. But, no, it was Mike. He came over to me and said, "Hey, why didn't you guys wait for me, I like to play too. I see that she tied you in the suspension tie. That's her favorite because it's so tight. She says that she'd like to stay in it all night some time. I'm going to join your side and I'll get her when she comes back. She never leaves a tied and helpless victim for long. We don't want any injuries." He went over to the blanket that was laid out on the hay and worked himself under it so that he was completely hidden. If I didn't know, I would never have suspected that he was lying there in wait. I heard Karen coming back upstairs. She was carrying a plate with a sandwich and two bottles of soda. She put the food down and Mike jumped her from behind.

She struggled saying, "No Mike, don't." He quickly tied her hands behind her back. I saw that he first tied a rope that was a little loose, then another that went perpendicular to the first and drew the two sides together in the middle of her wrists. So this was why the ropes were so very tight and there was no room to wiggle out. Once her hands were tied, she stopped struggling. He tied her ankles, then gagged her as tightly as she had gagged me. We exchanged glances as she sat on the floor while he tied her knees, then her elbows. Soon she was almost as helpless as I was. He had placed one of the bed sheet pieces around her face to cover the ugly neckties. It looked like her face was bandaged from a serious accident. He rolled her onto her stomach and used a piece of rope to attach her wrists to her ankles. She groaned as he pulled it taut until her hands touched her feet. She was bowed backward. It looked very painful but she had a strange, calm expression on her face. He lifted her and carried her to a support post across from me.

Laying her on her stomach next to the post, He lashed her wrists and ankles to the post. When he was done, she was as much a part of that post as I was of this one. Then he took out his portable radio and put the two tiny earphones in his ears. He adjusted the radio to a station playing rock music and adjusted the volume. He bent and placed the earphones in her ears and set the radio on the floor next to her. He took another of the bed sheet strips and wrapped it around her head covering both her eyes and ears. The earphones couldn't be dislodged until it was removed, and she was now blindfolded. He came over to me and said, "Spy stuff. Sensory deprivation. She can't see or hear us." He removed the gag strip holding my head to the post. It felt wonderful to be able to move my head. I rolled it around on my neck working out the kinks while he removed the top rope that was holding me to the post. He got the block of wood and lifted me onto it. Then he took the bed sheet strip that had been holding my head to the post, and wrapped it around my eyes and head as a blindfold, tying it off behind me. I began to wonder what he was going to do now, as he removed the bottom rope. As he untied the final knot that held me to the post, he pulled me onto his shoulder and I bent forward, as I had for Karen.

He straightened up and adjusted me on his shoulder. I had thought that he was just going to lift me off the block, but instead he starting walking with his captive tossed over his shoulder. I started struggling to be let down but instead of setting me down, he spanked me, hard, several times. I struggled again and he spanked me again. "Now stop wiggling, you might make me drop you and you'll get hurt. I struggled again and he spanked me again, three times. My derriere was on fire. Mike was very strong and his spanks hurt. I stopped struggling. "Good. Now don't wiggle." I felt him carry me down the stairs and after a brief walk he lowered me from his shoulder. He laid me down on a bed of hay. We must still be in the barn, I thought. I was still tied up. I had only been removed from the post. And now I was blindfolded. I sensed him walking away and leaving me there.

I struggled but it was useless. I had seen Mike tie Karen and if I was tied the same way then I was not going to get loose on my own. A few minutes later, I sensed him coming back. He untied the bed sheet strip that was around my mouth, and removed it. Then he untied the men's neckties but before removing it he said, "You're going to want to push the gag out with your tongue immediately but you mustn't. After it's been in for a while, it absorbs your saliva and sticks to your cheeks and gums. If you push it right out, it rips the lining of your mouth. Do you understand what I'm telling you? Nod if you understand." I nodded. "Good. Now after I remove the neckties, I'll pour water in your mouth. Take as much as you can and hold it in your mouth. It will loosen the gag from your cheeks and gums in about a minute. Okay?" I nodded again. He removed the neckties and put a bottle to my lips and slowly poured water into my mouth on top of the gag. I wanted a drink very badly but held off drinking any of the liquid. After about a minute, he slowly pushed his finger into my mouth between the gag and my cheeks, then he slowly pried it from the roof and floor of my mouth. He gently pulled it from my mouth very slowly so as not to cause any damage. When it was out, I groaned, gratefully drank the liquid in my mouth, and worked my jaw around.

After a couple of minutes, he said, "What game are you playing, "Spy" or "Black Rock"?"

"Neither, she was just introducing me to being tied up. I guess that you could call the game 'Slave.' She called me Slave and I had to call her Mistress."

"I like that. You will call me Master. Understand, Slave?"

I hesitated.

"Slave, I asked if you understood?"

"Yes, Master. I understand."

"Good. But you've earned a spanking for hesitating."

"Oh please Master, this worthless slave begs your forgiveness. She'll be good. She promises."

He turned me over so that I was across his legs. "You get 10 spanks. Each time you make any noise you get ten more. If you cry out, you will be gagged again. Understand?"

"Please Master"

"That's five more. Do you understand?"

"Master"

"That's five more. Do you understand?"

"Yes…yes…yes. This slave understands, Master."

"Good. About time."

Tied up and blindfolded, I had no choice but to go along. I was going to be spanked twenty times. I had to agree or get more added to my sentence until I gave in.

Mike started to spank me and count them off. He spanked me 5 times on each side of my rear end. The spanks were very hard and my backside felt like it had been set on fire. He paused to give me a breather before administering the other spanks. I had not made a sound. Suddenly, he resumed spanking me without any warning. On the first spank, I involuntarily moaned. "That's 10 more." He continued to count them off until he reached 20 and stopped for another breather. My rear felt like it was glowing a cherry red. He again started to spank me without warning but I didn't cry out. By the time that he got to 26 I was into the rhythm of his spanks and began anticipating them. They were no longer hurting as much and I was getting a warm feeling all over. On spank number 29 he changed his rhythm and the severity of the spank. It caught my off guard and I made a noise of surprise. "That's 10 more." I clamped my jaws shut and relaxed on his lap as he administered the remainder of the spanks. At 39 he stopped and said. "Any more noises?" I figured that any response on my part would earn me 10 more so I said nothing. "40. Okay Slave, your punishment is complete."

"Thank you Master, this worthless slave apologizes that she forced you to hurt your hand."

"That's okay. I just have to rub it a little to get some feeling back into it." He chose to rub it on my bottom. I didn't complain because I couldn't rub it myself. I was lying across his lap with my left hip at his stomach. As he rubbed my backside, I could feel his manhood start to grow beneath me. I couldn't say anything, and I started to get nervous. I was helpless and if he chose to gag me again and take advantage of me, there would me nothing that I could do to stop him. He rolled me over onto the hay pile so that I was lying face up on top of my tied arms. Suddenly I felt something at my lips. I tensed. He was going to gag me, I thought, and then he could do whatever he wanted. Then he pressed his lips to mine. I relaxed as I realized that he was only kissing me. As he felt the tension go out my body, he took it as a sign of willingness and surrender to the kiss. He pressed harder against my lips. Then I felt his tongue slip into my mouth and start to toy with mine.

We lay there together, locked in a passionate kiss, for a long time. A master with his helpless slave girl, kissing her, and with her responding and kissing back. I told myself that I didn't have any choice. I was a prisoner. A slave. If I refused I would be punished again. My master could do with me as he chose. At one point, while we kissed, he started to rub my breasts. I would have tried to stop him if my hands were free, but my mouth was filled with his tongue when he started kneading my breasts. I felt my nipples grow and harden. I'm sure that he felt it too. I started to get strange feelings inside my tummy. My heart started to pound. I started to suck on his tongue. I felt myself losing control. I forced myself to stop and forced his tongue from my mouth. I said, "Master, what about slave Karen. Shouldn't we be getting back? She might be in trouble. She told this worthless slave that someone should be checked on regularly when tied up and helpless."

"What? Karen? Oh God, Karen. Open your mouth."

I did as he instructed. He put the gag back in and tied the neck ties around me, then the bed sheet strip. I submitted willingly, not that I would have been able to resist. He picked me up and put me on his shoulder. I did not wiggle at all this time. His hand rested on my backside as he carried me and he squeezed me a few times.

He carried me up the stairs and laid me gently on the blanket. Then he removed my blindfold. I blinked as I saw light for the first time in over an hour. I watched as he went to Karen and untied her from the post. As I had thought, she had not been able to loosen a single knot. Although she may not have even tried. Mike took the blindfold off of her eyes, the earphones out, and untied the rope that held her hands to her feet. I saw him massage her hands and arms but he didn't untie her. Then he massaged her ankles and legs. She moaned in her gag. He asked her if she was all right. She nodded. He picked her up and carried her over to where I was and put her down next to me. She looked at me as he untied her bed sheet strip, and neckties. He poured water into her mouth as he had done for me and removed her gag. She worked her jaw around to get the feeling back into it. "Mike, that was wonderful."

"Quiet slave, nobody asked you to talk."

He examined her legs and arms. "Slave, do you have feelings in your arms and legs. You may address me as Master."

"Yes, Master. I feel pins and needles in my hands so I guess the circulation is returning. My ankles and legs were never a problem."

"Good. Sorry to leave you so long. Slave Darla needed to be punished for non-cooperation." She looked at me for an explanation but gagged as I was, I couldn't even mouth an answer. He put the gag back up to her mouth and she opened to receive it. He packed her mouth with the gag and put the neck ties knot in her mouth, then pulled it around her head and tied it off. He took the bed sheet strip and secured it over the top of the neckties. He stood us both up, facing each other. Taking a piece of rope, he tied us together at our waists and then loosely tied a rope around our necks so that our cheeks were touching. There was no danger of strangulation; we just couldn't pull our heads away from each other. He tied a rope between our ankles, which kept us toe to toe. Then he laid us back down on the blanket.

He spotted the bag containing my watch and bracelets and picked it up. He took my watch out and said, "1:30 and I haven't had any lunch" he put my watch back in the bag and returned it to where it had been. Then he picked up the sandwich that Karen had brought earlier and munched it while he watched us. The way that we were lying, Karen's face was under mine on the blanket, so I was struggling to not put any weight on her head, which would push it into the blanket. I had been tied up now for four and a half hours. My arms were aching and my mouth was drying out again. My backside was still throbbing a little. I was helpless, tied and gagged like in one of my dreams. When Mike had finished his sandwich and drank a bottle of soda, he separated Karen and me, leaving only the rope between our ankles to hold us together. We rolled on our backs and relaxed. Mike got up and said that he was going up to the house to get another sandwich, and then left.

As soon as he was gone, Karen started working her way around me trying to get at my ropes. The ropes holding our legs together slowed her down but she managed to get behind me and started working on my wrists. Since she had tied the knots she knew exactly how to open them. In a few minutes my hands were free. Then she untied the rope pinning my arms and the rope holding my elbows. I was amazed at how quickly she untied me with her own hands and elbows tied behind her back. Years of practice I thought to myself. I stretched my arms for the first time in hours. It actually hurt at first.

Karen started tugging at me to untie her so I turned over and untied her wrists and elbows. As soon as she was free she bent to untie her knees and ankles. Then she removed her gag. "Darla, hurry up, get yourself free before he gets back, unless you want to stay like this all afternoon." I untied my ankles and knees, and worked to remove the gag. Karen helped me.

When I was free, I stood up and stretched. It felt so good to move around. Karen said, "Here, take this piece of rope. We'll jump him as soon as he comes in the barn. We have to surprise him before he realizes that we're free. We went downstairs and stood on either side of the door. He would be momentarily blind coming in out of the bright sun until his eyes adjusted. We watched through cracks in the boards for his appearance.

"I shouldn't be helping you," I said, "you were going to leave me tied up all night hanging on that post."

"Weren't you enjoying it?"

"It hurt."

"Of course, but weren't you enjoying it?"

"My arms were killing me."

"Of course, but weren't you enjoying it?"

"My mouth felt like the Sahara desert."

"Of course, but weren't you enjoying it."

"Here comes Mike."

"Yeah, you were enjoying it."

Mike opened the door and stepped into the barn. He never suspected a thing until we jumped on his back and dragged him to the ground. In seconds his arms were twisted up behind his back and Karen was tying them like she had tied mine. As soon as his hands were secure, I tied his knees like Karen had tied mine. We didn't tie his ankles because we needed him to walk, so that we wouldn't have to carry him. We lifted him up and Karen tied his elbows. Then we pushed him to the stairs and helped him as he struggled to climb.

When we got to the top, Karen tied his ankles while I blindfolded him with one of the bed sheet strips. "How did you get free so fast?" he asked.

Karen reached up and pulled his hair, "Nobody said that you could talk, Slave."

"Sorry."

"You will call us Mistress Karen and Mistress Darla, do you understand Slave?"

"Yes, Mistress Karen."

I walked over and said, "Slave, can you give me a good reason why you should not be spanked?" He opened his mouth, but said nothing. "Slave, I asked you a question. For not answering you will receive 10 spanks."

Karen and I dragged him over to a hay bale and draped him over it. I found an old, heavy, paint stirring paddle on a shelf and returned to our slave.

"Now this is the way that it works, Slave. Each time you make any noise you get ten more. If you cry out, you will be gagged. Understand?"

 "Yes."

"That's 5 more. You were told to call me Mistress Darla. Do you understand, slave?"

"Yes, Mistress Darla"

"Good."

 Without warning I administered the first spank. He yelled "Ouch."

"That's 10 more."

Karen smiled as I administered four more and then five on the other side. I gave him a breather as he had done for me. After a few minutes, I went back to stand next to him. He tensed expecting the next spank. I waited until he started to relax than then swatted him. He jumped and made a noise of surprise.

"That's 10 more. I administered another 14 spanks alternating between sides. Karen was smiling broadly. I said, "Okay Slave, just ten more to go unless you would like to add to the count." I motioned to Karen to come take the paddle. She hesitated then came and took it from me. I said, "Ready, Slave?" He said nothing but he nodded. Karen paddled him as I had. When she was done, I said, "35. That's 5 less than someone else received today. Would you like another 5 spanks, slave?"

"No, Mistress Darla. Thank you for offering, but I've had enough."

Karen was barely suppressing her laughter so she walked over and hugged me. I smiled back.

I walked over to Mike, knelt down next to him and rubbed his backside as he had rubbed mine. Karen watched me but didn't offer to help; after all he WAS her brother. After several minutes, we picked Mike up off the hay bale and laid him on the blanket. He grimaced as his weight came down on his backside. Karen got the bag with my wristwatch and bracelets and handed it to me, so that I could put them on. She said, "Slave, we're going up to the house for a while. You can stay here and relax. Understand?"

"Yes, Mistress Karen." Then she gagged him and tied a rope from his ankles to one of the support posts. He couldn't roll away from the post, and the rope was too short to get his hands on it.

We walked downstairs and out into the bright sun. "What will we tell the cook?" I asked.

She stared at me in a perplexed manner for a few seconds, then smiled and said, "I was just joking. I never called your Aunt. I wasn't going to leave you hanging on that post all night."

I smiled back, "You brat, I believed you. I should give you a spanking."

"Did it hurt very much when Mike spanked you?"

"My tushy felt like somebody had set it on fire during the first 10. Then it felt like a volcano for the next 10. Then something started to happen. It stopped hurting as much, and I started to get a warm feeling in my tummy."

"I've experienced that myself from being tied up. It hurts like the devil and then suddenly the pain diminishes. I get a warm feeling all over. I start to enjoy the pain. I don't understand it. Boys don't seem to have the same reaction. The pain stays with them for a lot longer. I bet that Mike's 35 spanks hurt a lot more that your 40. They don't have as much padding as we do also."

We walked into the house and I asked if we could get a drink because I was thirsty as the devil. Karen got two glasses, filled them with ice, and took a pitcher of lemonade from the refrigerator. We took it all upstairs to her bedroom. I looked at my watch. It was almost 3 o'clock.

We sat on the floor and talked about the day. "Now be completely honest," she said, "did you have fun?"

I thought for a minute and said, "Overall, it was an exciting day. Yes, I would have to say that I had fun. At times I hurt, I was thirsty most of the time, and I was very scared a couple of times. It doesn't make sense but I had fun."

"It's like watching a scary movie. You don't know why, but you keep coming back for more. What else did you do with Mike besides the spanking?"

"What do you mean?"

"Come on, don't hold out. I saw the way that you rubbed his bottom."

"He rubbed mine after he spanked me. It helps to dissipate the pain. I was just returning the favor since he was tied up and couldn't do it for himself."

"You're holding out, tell me the rest. Come on."

"I don't know what you mean."

"Oh, Darla, I saw your lipstick on Mike's mouth."

I blushed. "Oh."

"Now spill it. I want to hear all about it. I won't tell a soul. I promise."

"Okay. But you can't tell anybody."

"I said that I promise."

"Well, it was after he tied you up. I knew that you were helpless and couldn't aid me. You had done such a good job of tying me that I was helpless also. With my hands and elbows tied together, and that rope holding my arms tightly against my body, I couldn't even raise myself up. My knees and ankles being tied totally immobilized me. Mike blindfolded me like he did you, except I didn't have the radio earphones in my ears. He spanked me and then rubbed my tushy. He had removed my gag before he spanked me and when I made noise, he increased the number of spanks like I did to him. While he was rubbing my tushy, I felt him getting excited."

"What do you mean?"

"You know, excited like only a man can get excited."

"Oh."

"Well, I started to get scared. I was blindfolded and helpless. You couldn't hear me even if I could have screamed. I thought that he might gag me and take advantage. Suddenly, I felt something against my lips. I got really scared because I thought that he was gagging me again, but it turned out to be his lips as he kissed me. I felt so relieved that my body slackened. He took that as a sign that I wanted him to continue. He kissed me harder and then put his tongue in my mouth."

"He french kissed you?"

"Yes. I decided that that was better then the other things that I had feared, so I kissed him back. We kissed for a long time. I started to get a little aroused myself, so I reminded him about you being tied up. When it registered in his mind, he gagged me and took me back upstairs to release you before you suffered any damage."

"You said that you started to be aroused?"

"Yes, the spanking had started it, I think. Then the kissing ignited it further. I started to feel funny, and my heart was pounding. I began to suck on his tongue. I wanted it to stop but I didn't want it to stop. Do you know what I mean?"

"Is that all?" I hesitated and she said, "Come on, out with it."

"You can't tell anybody, ever."

"I promise."

"Well, I started to lose control when he began rubbing my breasts."

"Oh my God, Darla. I'll kill him."

"You promised not to say anything, ever. I'm going to hold you to that."

"I didn't know that he sexually assaulted you while you were powerless to stop him."

"It just happened, and it's over. No damage done. I don't want to blow this out of proportion. I probably would have been able to get him to stop if I had told him to. Don't make me sorry that I told you. Please."

"I won't say anything, but he should not have taken advantage of you. That's against all the rules."

"He's just going through puberty, as we are. Men lose control easier. They're not bad, just a little out of control because of their hormones. As long as they stop when we tell them, then an occasional "feel" doesn't hurt anybody. Let's just forget it, Okay?"

"Okay, if that's the way that you want it."

"How much longer should we leave him tied up in the barn?" I asked.

"All night would teach him a lesson." We both giggled.

"I think that the spanking taught him a lesson. I bet that he's still sore." We left him there until Karen's Grandmother got home at 4 o'clock. After greeting her, Karen and I went to the barn.

She walked in first. When no attack came, I followed. We did that the whole way. Her walking ahead, and me catching up. When we finally reached to loft, we found Mike lying where we had left him. He was still secure. Karen knew how to tie a person up, that's for sure. We removed his gag and gave him water. When his thirst was quenched, we removed his blindfold and then untied him. He said, "Thank you Mistress Karen. Thank you, Mistress Darla."

"Mike," I said, "you're untied, and the games over. You don't have to call us that now."

"Yes, Mistress Darla, I mean…Okay" He stood up, stretched, and said, "Mistress Karen, I mean Karen, I don't know why you enjoy being tied for long periods of time. I just find it painful."

"We'll just have to tie you up more often so you start to like it."

"No way. I'm going to be a lot more careful around you two in the future." Karen and I laughed and Mike started laughing too. We all walked up to the house together.

Karen asked her grandmother if she could bring me home and so the four of us left for my house. Karen asked when we could get together again and I told her that I expected to be busy tomorrow because the horses were coming. Mike said, "You're getting horses?"

"Yes. We purchased them at the auction on Sunday. They're being delivered tomorrow."

"Can we come over and ride sometime."

"Sure. As soon as things get straightened out and we get saddles and everything, we'll all go riding."

"Great."

We talked about horses for the rest of the trip. When we got to my house, we said our good-byes and they drove away. I hurried inside to prepare dinner.

Chapter Nine     The Horses

Auntie arrived home promptly at 6 o'clock. After she told me about her day, we discussed the delivery of our horses the following day. I had avoided saying anything about my day at Karen's. Auntie said that she had contacted the vet, and she would be out on Thursday to examine the horses. Auntie also said that she would be home as early as possible. We discussed which stalls to use for which horse. She told me to put fresh hay in each stall and make sure that each horse got water. They would be hungry and a little dehydrated after their trip. She warned me that we didn't know their individual temperaments yet, and they would be a little disoriented at first, so be very careful around them lest I get hurt. The delivery people were good horse handlers, and they would move the animals. I had only to direct them where to place each horse. I said that I would be careful.

After dinner, Auntie went to change while I cleaned up. Then I changed and we watched TV for a couple of hours before retiring to bed. In bed that night I went over the events of the day. I thought about being helpless while Mike first spanked, then kissed me. I thought about my involuntary reaction to his caressing of my breasts, and the fact that I had not told him to stop. I thought about spanking him, and his adoption of servile language even after we had released him. I drifted off to sleep thinking about Mike and Karen and dreamt about them that night. I dreamed that Karen had tied me to the post, in the suspension position, and left me there all night. Mike came in during the night and toyed with my body. He left me tied up but kissed and caressed me for hours. My body betrayed me and responded to his caresses against my will. He finally decided to release me from the post. As he untied the ropes, I woke up.

It was almost dawn, so I got out of bed and took a long hot bath. I dressed and made breakfast. After Auntie had left and the kitchen was clean, I returned to the bedroom. I was going to put on the jeans that Auntie had loaned me on Sunday, when I had an idea. Since David was still away on his trip, I could borrow a pair of his jeans. After all, we were about the same size. I went to his bedroom and selected a well-used pair and returned to my bedroom. After removing my skirt, I started to put the jeans on. I easily got them up as far as my rear end but had great difficulty pulling them up the rest of the way. I struggled and strained and finally got them closed. The waist was too big, but my hips were so large that I couldn't bend over when they were closed. I finally brought them back to David's room. I tried on several other pair but had the same problem. I decided to give up. I left David's room and was crossing the hall when I thought about my sisters clothes in the spare bedroom. After a short search, I found a pair of Susan's jeans. I tried them on and found that they fit perfect. So I returned to my room and finished dressing. I put on my black boots and the work shirt that Auntie had given me. Then I took the work gloves that Auntie had given me and went to the stable.

First I placed fresh hay in the stalls that we would be using, and then I filled the water buckets that hung on the wall in each stall. With the doors open at both ends of the stable, a gentle breeze freshened the building. I smiled as I thought to myself that soon the smell of horses would make the smell of fresh air in this building just a distant memory. I went up to the house to wait for the delivery. While I waited I called Grandma. We spoke for about an hour. I told her again how much I liked the corsets, and I told her how comfortable they are. When I heard a large truck in the driveway, I told her that I had to go, but that I would call again soon. The horse truck pulled right around to the stables. I greeted the driver as he stepped down. "Miss Darla?"

"Yes"

"Howdy Miss, I'm Slim Harkins. I got your horses on board. Do y'all want them in the stable?"

"Yes, Mr. Harkins. I'll show you which stall to use as you bring them in."

As he lowered the ramp on the truck, I waited in the doorway. As he led each horse into the stable, I opened the gate of the appropriate stall. In a half-hour all the horses were in their stalls, and Mr. Harkins had left after I signed the delivery receipt.

I walked around the stable stopping at each stall. All the horses were eating or drinking. I went to my horse's stall and stood there looking at her. She came over to me and I stroked her head. I stayed there with her for about an hour. Then I went up to the house and got a couple of apples. I brought them back and gave one to her. The appaloosa stuck his head out of his stall and I went over and gave him the other apple. A little while later Auntie came home and after changing to her ranch clothes, came to the stable. When she saw what I was wearing she asked where I had gotten the jeans. I told her that I had borrowed them from Susan's clothes. She remarked that they fit perfectly, and I said that I had put on some weight since coming here. She said that working with the horses might work some of it off.

For the next several hours we went from horse to horse, examining them from head to hoof. Auntie said that we had done very well at the auction. She said that the vet would be the final judge, but her years of horse ownership told her that there was not a bad one in the bunch. We would give them a couple of days to get used to their new home and to us before we saddled any of them. This weekend would be soon enough. She showed me how to handle them, and how to lead them around. She told me about letting them out of their stalls so that they could exercise in the corral. I learned about their care and feeding. By the time that darkness was falling, I knew everything that I would need to know for their basic day to day charge. Until my sisters arrived, I would be solely responsible for their daily care. I was very tired when we finally finished and went back to the house to prepare dinner. We were both tired so we heated some frozen chili for dinner. After dinner, we cleaned up and went to put on our sleepwear. We watched some TV but the offerings were so poor that we turned it off and went to bed. I had no difficulty falling asleep and dreamed only of riding horses that night.

The next morning the vet came out and examined all of the horses. My White would be fine, but shouldn't be saddled for at least another week. The vet changed the dressing and gave me some medicated salve so that I could change the dressing twice more. The appaloosa was fine also. She put a new dressing on and said that it could be removed this weekend. It was okay to saddle him up now. The other horses were all healthy and sound, as Auntie had thought. The vet complimented Auntie; "Kathy has always had a keen eye when it comes to horses. You've got a very nice herd started here. I'll come out in a week and a half to do a final check on the White and the Appaloosa." The vet left to go on to her next appointment. I went back into the stable.

 I got an apple for 'Emily,' the name that I had selected for my White. She came over to me when I walked to the gate on her stall. I hoped that sometime she would come just to greet me, but I knew that she was just looking for the apple. But that was enough for now. I stood there and stroked her face for a while then walked to all the other horses and gave each an apple. Then, closing the door that led out the front, I opened the door that led to the corral, and one by one, I opened the stalls and let each horse go out into the corral, except my Emily. The vet didn't want her moving around too much yet. There was fresh hay in the corral, and a full water trough. I walked into it and sat on the fence. The Appaloosa came over to me and I stroked his face. When I didn't offer him another apple, he wandered away, but came back every once in a while. Emily whinnied from inside the stable. I couldn't let her out so I went back inside. I stood and stroked her face, head, and neck. I talked to her so that she would get used to my voice.

After about an hour I went up to the house to have a light lunch. When I had finished eating, I took a book and went out onto the front porch to rock and read. Grandma drove up and I went to greet her. "Grandma, it's so wonderful to see you. It's been a whole week." 

"And it's wonderful to see you too. I've very busy with the cause. I've missed our talks."

"Come up to the porch. Would you like some tea, or perhaps some lemonade?"

"Lemonade sounds wonderful."

"I'll just be a moment." I hurried upstairs to get the fresh lemonade that I had made earlier, some ice, and glasses.

 When I returned, Grandma was looking at my book. "Hell hath no Furie!" she said.  "Darla Anne what are you doing reading such books?"

"Just something that I found in the library. I've been having strange feelings and dreams lately, Grandma. I can't explain why?"

"Dreams about boys, or men?"

"Partly. I'm always helpless, and they rescue me, and we start to make passionate love, and then I wake up."

"You're just becoming a woman, my dear. All girls go through this when their time comes. I'm afraid that it will get worse before it gets better. Your hormones are changing your body, and it affects your mind. Over the next few years, you'll dream about boys, or men, almost every night. It's nature's way of promoting procreation. When it comes time for boys, they dream constantly of girls, or women. It happens to us at an earlier age. But reading about it will not make it any easier. It might even make it worse. These books are intended for older women who want to re-awaken such feelings. Now put this away and get something constructive."

"Okay, Grandma. I will."

"Good, now tell me everything that's happened since I saw you last."

So I did, leaving out the tie-up games at Karen's. I told her that my sisters would be done with school in a week and a half, and then they could come here, and if mother was well enough she could be transferred here also. I told that I hoped that she would still be here because I would love for them to meet her. I was sure that they would love her as much as I do. She told me that she expected to still be here. Then she asked me if I wanted to go to Portland with her next week. She said that she had to fly up there for a meeting and would love some company. She would give me a tour of the logging operation. I said that I would love to go but that I had to check with Auntie first. She said that I should call her as soon as I knew so that we could make preparations. We would leave Monday morning and return Tuesday evening. I asked her how we would get there. She said that she usually left from a local airport near her house, but we could leave right from here since we had a runway big enough for her jet. I told her that I would call her as soon as I had a chance to talk to Auntie. 

Grandma and I talked all afternoon. She taught me about logging and lumber production. When the time came for her to leave, I felt that I understood the basics quite well. She must have agreed because she complimented my insightful questions. Grandma was not just a titular head of her companies. She really ran them. My admiration of her continued to grow. After she left I returned the book to the library. She was right; I was having a difficult enough time as it was without adding fuel to the fire. I thought how lucky David was. He would not have to go through puberty for a couple of years yet. I took the lemonade pitcher and glasses upstairs. It was time to start dinner.

After Auntie and I ate, and the kitchen was clean, we went outside to bring the horses in. I had told her during dinner what the vet had said. We put them in their stalls and gave them oats. I gave Emily another apple, and Auntie gave her appaloosa an apple. She had come up with a name for him. From now on he would be "Henry." He reminded her of a man she had once known. After the horses were fed and watered, we returned to the house.

I asked Auntie if I could go with Grandma on Monday. I would leave after breakfast and after I had taken care of the horses. She said that it would be a good experience for me and of course I could go. I told her that I was sorry that I would not be here to make dinner on Monday or to take care of the horses on Tuesday morning. She said that it wasn't a problem. She would miss me but it was only for 2 days and I had been working too hard anyway and should have a couple of days off. She gave me an overnight case and a hanging clothes bag to use for my trip and told me to bring my mauve party dress for dinner on Monday night, and some warm clothes because it was a lot cooler up in Oregon this time of year. I kissed her and we went to put on our sleepwear before going to watch TV. While I was in my bedroom I called Grandma and told her that Auntie gave me permission to go with her on Monday. She said that that was wonderful. She would be over at 8:30 on Monday morning. She told me not to be upset when the plane landed. It might get there a little early. The pilot had a reputation of never being late and sometimes was very early. I told her that I would be ready.

After breakfast the next morning, we started working with the horses. All were "broken" and gave us no problem as we saddled them up and Auntie test rode each before letting me ride it. She showed me how to bridle and saddle the horses, then go back and check the chinches. She told me how a few horses will swell their belly up when you saddle them, so that when you go to get on, the saddle slips, but all our horses were well behaved. We spent the day working with them in the corral. On Sunday we planned on going for a long ride around the property. I wished that I could ride Emily but that would be another week. Every once in a while she would whinny. She wanted to be out in the corral with the other horses.

When I went up to the house to prepare dinner, I was a little sore. Auntie admitted to me later that she was sore also. We watched some TV then went up to bed. Auntie asked me to come into her room. We crawled up onto the bed to talk. She told me that my sisters would be finished with school in a few days, and could join us, but they wanted to stay with mother and travel with her. Auntie said that she had spoken with the doctors and they said that mother should wait for two more weeks. By then they could remove the body cast that covered her lower torso from her waist to her toes, and replace it with separate casts only on her legs. Auntie would make travel arrangements as soon as she had exact dates. I was sad that I would have to wait an extra week, but happy about Mother's progress.

I slept in Auntie's bed that night. I always slept well when I was with her. In the morning, I was not disoriented since I had slept there a couple of times before. I slid to the edge of the bed and got off.

"Leaving so soon?" Auntie said.

I turned to see that she had awakened. "It's almost dawn. Time to get up so I can enjoy a nice hot bath."

"I'll see you at breakfast after I get a little more sleep."

"Okay." I went into my bathroom and ran my bath. I was still a little sore from yesterday but 5 minutes after I entered the tub I felt like a new woman. I soaked until I 'pruned,' then I got out, dried off, and examined myself in the full-length mirror. I liked my figure. The corset was doing its job. My waist had slimmed down considerably and was now without a trace of fat, my hips had filled out, and my breasts were getting larger. Every young girl should wear one I thought. Finished with my exam, I powdered, and put on my undies. I made my face and brushed my hair. It had been three weeks since my last salon visit. I would need to go again soon.

After dressing, I went to the kitchen and prepared breakfast. When Auntie was 10 minutes late, I went to see how much longer she would be. She was still fast asleep. I pulled back the cover and used the technique that Judy had perfected for using on Mary. I think that the horses might have spooked from the noise of the slap. Auntie woke up and jumped to the other side of the bed.

"Did somebody hit me?"

"I didn't see anybody hit you?"

"You did it," she said smiling. You assaulted me."

 I smiled, "Moi?"

"You're in for it now. I'm going to tickle you until you scream."

She started chasing me around the room. I was used to my corset now, so I didn't have the problem that had felled me the last time. I managed to evade her grasp. As I ran out of the room, I said, "Breakfast was ready 5 minutes ago, come and get it or I'll throw it to the hogs."

 A few minutes later, Auntie walked into the kitchen, yawning. She pulled out her chair and started to sit down then all of a sudden she sprang at me and wrapped her arms around me and started tickling me. I squirmed and thrashed around as I giggled, then laughed, then screamed. She stopped tickling me but continued to hold me and said, "That'll teach to go around assaulting sleeping women."

"I'm sorry," I said. "I won't do it again…today."

"I didn't make any such promise," she said as she tickled me some more. When I reached the pointing of screaming again, she stopped. I turned in her arms to face her and put my arms around her neck.

"I'm sorry that I slapped your bottom."

"I'm sorry that I kept you holding breakfast."

We hugged each other.

"To be honest," she said, "I had fun."

"Me too. But we had better eat or we'll miss services."

"Oh gosh. You're right."

We hurried through breakfast and Auntie hurried to get ready while I fixed my makeup and put on my lipstick. 

We arrived at the church as the congregation was going in. After services, we talked for awhile with some of the members, then returned home. We changed our clothes to jeans and work shirts, and after packing a small lunch, we went to the stable and let all but the Palomino, Henry, and Emily, out into the corral. We put some fresh hay in the corral and filled the water trough. We moved the 3 horses to empty stalls and we mucked out the six stalls and put in fresh hay and water. Then I put Emily back in her stall and I gave her an apple. We saddled Henry and the Palomino, grabbed the lunch, and left for our ride. Auntie and I rode around the perimeter of the thousand acres that was not leased out. Then we rode around the other nine thousand acres. We stopped to eat our lunch near a small brook about halfway around the second leg. During the ride we came across several neighbors and stopped to talk each time. Auntie introduced me as one of her four nieces that would be living with her.

We arrived back home as the sun was going down. The ride had been very enjoyable but I was very sore.  We unsaddled the horses and rubbed them down. We put them in their stalls and gave them an extra portion of oats. We brought in the rest of the horses and gave them their oats. Auntie and I walked back to the house holding onto each other. She confessed that she was sore also. It had been a long time since she had spent most of a day on horseback. We ate some leftovers rather than cooking because we were sore and tired. After dinner, we both decided to soak rather than watch TV. So we went into our bedrooms and ran steaming hot baths. As I slipped in, I felt better almost immediately as my muscles relaxed. I stayed in until I started to prune and then decided to stay a little longer. It's difficult to leave a heavenly bath. I finally got out, and climbed into bed. I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.