Fiction by Claudette © 2004, all rights reserved
CHAPTER FIVE
The next morning while they were having
breakfast, Betsy told Beth she had called a handyman to come over and hang the
pictures up for them. She didn’t want to take a chance of damaging them if she
did it. But for the rest of the day, Betsy was looking forward to just staying
home and relaxing after all the shopping they had been doing. It was a nice cool
day, almost like spring, though the calendar said it was now summer. She loved
spending time alone with Beth as she taught him things about being a girl,
almost as much as showing him off to her friends. Betsy had noticed that she
sometimes referred to Beth as ‘her’ now instead of ‘him’. But it seemed natural,
considering how pretty and well-behaved he was. He walked, talked and acted like
a nice twelve year old girl now, and seemed “at home” in dresses and petticoats.
She loved seeing Beth manage his skirts as he sat down, or scoop them close to
him so he wouldn’t get them dirty if he stooped down to pick up something from
the floor. Every morning she showed Beth a little more about applying his own
makeup. But Betsy still loved fixing his hair.
Then she suddenly thought of something that she had wanted to do for her little
girl for some time now: get his ears pierced. It kept slipping her mind every
time they had gone shopping. She called up the handyman again and told him where
to look for the key, and where she wanted the pictures hung. Actually, it
wouldn’t take that long. Francine could do it in her salon. Besides, Francine
had wanted to see Beth once Betsy had “put him in a pretty dress”. She called up
the salon and asked Francine if she could pierce Beth’s ears today. Francine
assured her that such a simple task would take very little time, and to come
over anytime during the day.
Betsy could envision how delighted Francine would be over Beth’s appearance and
little girl manner, and regarded Beth’s ears being pierced almost has an
official stamping of femininity on Beth. But she also knew that one of the
reasons she wanted to get it done was because Betsy’s own ears were pierced, and
Beth seemed to like copying her. Even if he didn’t realize it, that was
the supreme compliment he could give her...to be just like Mommy!
Instead of the ‘mother-and-daughter’ dresses, she decided to have Beth wear one
of the prettier dresses she had bought for Sundays or when they went visiting or
expected visitors. She smiled at herself when she thought of how much she liked
to show off her little girl. There wasn’t any intention to embarrass or
humiliate Beth. But until lately,
Beth had always dreaded meeting Betsy’s friends and having to show off a new
dress, pocket book, or some other feminine accessory. But he seemed to
like having other ladies see him dressed like a pretty girl now. He spoke up and
hardly even blushed anymore!
Later that morning the two of them left for Francine’s salon, with Beth wearing
a pretty pink dress with short puffed sleeves and two white waist-high
petticoats under it, and a white camisole. The dress had a wide white sash
matching the white trim on the sleeves. Betsy tied it in a tight big bow at his
back to keep his petticoats from slipping. There was a cute white secretary
collar, and a sprinkling of daisies on its skirt. Beth wore pink ankle socks
with the pair of white strap shoes Betsy had bought for him on their first day
of shopping. She tied up the twin ponytails at the sides of his head with pink
bows that not only matched his dress, but went so well with his blond hair. As
she looked down at Beth when she finished dressing him, her face glowed with
motherly pride in how pretty he looked.
Naturally, Beth knew that wearing a special dress meant something was up, and
when Betsy had him take his shiny white little girl’s pocketbook with a shoulder
strap, Beth began to think that maybe they were going on a trip somewhere. In
any case, once he saw himself in the full-length mirror, he actually smiled when
he saw how pretty he looked!.
“Look honey! Your pink lipstick matches your dress! And your panties, too!
But let’s hope that no one will be seeing your panties,” said Betsy with a
little laugh. She bent down and hugged Beth, but refrained from giving him a
kiss that might smudge his makeup.
“Where are we going Mommy? Visiting one of your friends?”
“No honey,” answered Betsy. “Today we’re going to get your ears pierced. Then
you can wear little pearls in them like Mommy does. Would you like that?”
“No Mommy!” replied, afraid of it hurting.
“Now be a good girl dear!” said Betsy. “It won’t hurt honey. Put your pocket
book strap on your shoulder, put on your pretty white gloves like Mommy’s,
and hold my hand when we go downstairs. Your shoes are still new, and the soles
might be slippery.”
Betsy herself was wearing a pretty yellow dress and white petticoats, and as she
looked at them standing together in her big mirror, something funny struck her.
“You look so precious sweetheart!” said Betsy. “I just hope people won’t think
we’re a couple of popsicles walking down the sidewalk together!”
“Oh Mommy!” said Beth with a giggle.
Fifteen minutes later they were walking into Francine’s beauty parlor, Betsy
holding her little girl’s hand. As soon as Francine saw them, a big smile
broadened her face. She stopped her work on a lady’s hair, swinging her chair
around so she could see Betsy’s little girl. The eyes of women sitting under
driers all canted towards the doorway.
“Well look at this pretty little girl!” said Francine. “Come here darling.” Beth
walked up to her and Francine bent down and folded her arms around him in a big
hug. Then she straightened and looked down at Beth’s smiling face.
“Betsy! He’s perfect! Oh, if only all little girls looked this precious!”
“Well,” said Betsy, “you’re partly responsible for making him look so cute.”
“And what a pretty dress you have on sweety-pie!”
Beth blushed as he held his hands along the sides of his dress. “Mommy said
you’re going to pierce my ears today.”
“She did? Well aren’t you a lucky little girl!”
“Will it hurt?” asked Beth.
“Oh, no sweetheart. I’ll make them feel cold for just a minute or so, and you
won’t feel anything. Afterwards you’ll wear pretty gold studs in them for a
couple of days, and then you can wear little pearls like your mommy does.”
“Besty let me finish Gloria’s hair first. It’s almost done.”
“Of course Fran,” said Betsy. “We’re in no hurry.” She took Beth’s hand again
and they went over and sat down in a couple of chairs. Francine watched as Beth
smoothed his dress behind him as he sat down, keeping his knees and feet
together.
“Oh! He’s so prissy Betsy! What a nice little girl he is now! You must be so
proud of him. And the way you’ve fixed his hair! He could almost pass for a five
year old."
“I only wish I had started dressing him when he was a toddler,” said Betsy.
“Oh, come on! How much happiness do you want?”said Francine, with a little
chuckle.
The only other time Beth had been in the beauty shop before, he had been
terrified. Now he looked around curiously at the different tools of Francine’s
work: the shampoo sinks with their curved opening for a lady’s or girl’s neck to
rest in, and all the bottles of different shampoos and rinses, the combs,
brushes and scissors. It almost seemed to Beth like it was a magical place, but
one just for ladies and girls, and little boys that became little girls like he
did!
In a few minutes Beth was sitting down in a styling chair as Francine sprayed a
freezing can of a carbon dioxide mix on Beth’s earlobe, shielding his neck with
a towel. She wouldn’t spray them long enough to actually freeze them; just
enough to numb them. Then she took something and put it against his earlobe with
a wad of cotton behind it, and Beth heard a little pop. There was hardly a sting
as his ear was pierced. Francine did the same thing to his other earlobe, and
then quickly inserted a pair of alcohol sterilized gold studs into the tiny
holes. “I remember my mother piercing my ears with a needle,” said Francine.
"It’s a wonder more girls didn’t get infected, then."
“All done sweetheart!” said Francine with a big smile. “Here’s your little girl
again Betsy. But this time he looks a lot prettier than the first time I first
saw him!”
“Thanks Fran,” said Betsy. Beth looked in the mirror at the gold studs, a little
smile on his face.
“How much for the piercing? asked Betsy.
“For such a pretty little girl like Beth?! It’s on the house,” said Francine.
“But please stop in with him some more just so I can see him. I bet he’ll get
prettier every day.”
“Well perhaps in a couple of months I’ll have you give him a page boy style, but
long enough to be able to put it in a ponytail sometimes,” said Betsy. “I think
he’d look very nice with with a page boy.”
“He’ll look precious with any style except a Mohawk,” said Francine with a
smile.
As they walked back to the car, Beth looked up at Betsy. “What’s a Mohawk
Mommy?”
“A style that you’ll never get as long as I’m alive,” said Betsy laughing a
little. Then she explained that it was the way the Indian men used to shave
their heads.
“Oh,” said Beth without any further comment on it.
“Honey,” asked Betsy, “do like your Mommy, holding your hand when we go places”
“Yes Mommy,” said Beth. “Do you like to hold my hand?”
“Very much sweetheart,” said Betsy. “Then everybody knows you’re my pretty
girl.”
“Well, I guess everybody knows I have a pretty mommy then too,” said Beth. Betsy
almost felt like crying. She was so happy!
When they got home, Betsy noticed that, although the key was where she had left
it, it seemed to have been moved. When they opened the door, there was a big
picture of Betsy and Beth on the wall over the couch. It was the one showing
them sitting down together. They quickly went upstairs, and there was another
big enlargement upstairs on
the wall of Beth’s bedroom. It was the one of Betsy and Beth standing side by
side with Betsy looking down at Beth with nice smile, and Beth looking up at her
with a smile also, while Betsy had an arm around Beth’s shoulders. This was the
picture she loved the most, and she was very glad another print of the same
picture was hanging in her own
bedroom as well.
Beth looked at the picture in his bedroom. He and Mommy were wearing their
‘mother and daughter’ dresses; pink gingham with white secretary collars and
trim on the short puffed sleeves, and a white sash tied around their waists. The
scalloped hem of their white petticoats showed a little below the hem of their
dresses. He was glad Mommy had bought these dresses for them to wear together,
even if wearing any dress made him feel like a sissy, because being a sissy
seemed nice now. He loved wearing petticoats and pretty dresses. And the picture
in his bedroom made it seem like Mommy was watching over him.
‘I bet a lot of girls don’t have as pretty a mommy as I do,’ he thought.
After a few minutes they went back downstairs. Betsy was thinking about what
they should have for lunch. It was actually later in the afternoon than when
they usually ate. Her thoughts were interrupted by the front door chimes.
She went and opened the front door. Irene LaChance and Frances Coffey were
standing there with nice smiles. Irene
and Betty took turns putting their cheeks along Betsy’s as they greeted each
other with smiles and ‘hellos’, and Betsy invited them into the parlor.
Neither woman had seen Betsy for a while, but Katherine had called them both up
and told them about seeing Betsy and Beth while she was shopping. As soon as
they heard about it, both women couldn’t wait to see Betsy’s little girl. They
both knew Betsy, but didn’t see her that much, since they lived on the other
side of town.
As soon as they came inside the parlor and sat down, they both noticed the big
picture of Betsy and Beth on the wall.
“Betsy, is that your little boy?” asked Irene, as she looked at the picture in
disbelief.
“Yes,” said Betsy, “and now he behaves as much like a little girl as if he had
been born one. Let me have him come downstairs and you can meet him. He’s
upstairs playing with a new doll I just bought for him on our way home from
getting his ears pierced.”
Presently, Beth was standing in the parlor with a nice smile next to Betsy.
“Beth, this is Mrs. LaChance and Mrs. Coffey. Say ‘hello’ dear.”
Beth curtseyed like Mommy had recently taught him, and said ‘hello’ to both
ladies, smiling as he sat down next to Betsy on the couch. Betsy put her arm
around Beth’s shoulders, forgetting that the picture hanging right over their
heads showed them in the exact same position.
“Betsy! I can’t believe it!” said Irene. “He’s sooo pretty! And look how his
petticoats peek out under his dress! He’s so precious! How long has he been your
little girl?”
“Since he started his summer vacation,” replied Betsy. “And he loves being
Mommy’s little girl now. Don’t you sweetheart?”
“Yes Mommy. I’m glad you turned me into a girl,” said Beth. “When I grow up, I
want to be just like you Mommy.”
“But didn’t he complain about becoming a girl?” asked Frances.
“Oh, a little bit at first,” said Betsy. “But pretty soon he saw how nice it
felt to dress up pretty like a nice little girl. Girls have a lot more fun than
boys do. Don’t they sweetheart?”
“Yes Mommy,” answered Beth,“ and today I got my ears pierced just like yours.”
“I think it time he started playing with girls now too,” said Betsy.
“Betsy! You’re a marvel!” said Irene. “Oh, how I wish I’d dressed my little boy
like a girl, too. But I knew his father would never let me. And now he’s
eighteen years old and has a girlfriend. It’s too late now.”
“Yes. There are certain advantages to getting a divorce when children are still
young,” said Betsy. “In a way I suppose I owe my ex-husband a little gratitude
for taking off with another woman. With him out of the way, I was able to raise
my child the way I wanted.”
“Well in my opinion,” said Frances, “You’ve done a wonderful job raising him. He
makes such a pretty little girl!”
“Betsy, we can’t stay,” said Irene. “We’ll be late for the beauty parlor. But
I’m so glad we had a chance to see Beth. He’s sooooo precious!”
Both ladies got up, shaking their dresses and petticoats a little as they
prepared to leave. When Betsy and Beth got up, Irene noticed Beth fluffing up
his dress and petticoats like a girl would.
“Oh, I wish he was my little boy,” said Irene with a wistful look.
“One last question Betsy,” said Helen. “How long are you going to keep dressing
him as a little girl? School will be starting in a couple of months.”
“That’s no problem,” replied Betsy. “I taught school myself for a couple of
years before I got married, and I still have my teacher’s certificate. I’m going
to give him home schooling. Besides, he’s so much like a pretty girl now in his
habits and manners, the boys at school would call him a sissy if they saw him
smoothing his pants behind him when he sits down. And he wants to be my little
girl for good now. Don’t you darling?”
Beth smiled and said, “Yes Mommy. It’s more fun being your little girl. I don’t
want to be a boy any more.”
“And you won’t be dear,” said Betsy with a loving smile.
“But Betsy,” said Helen, “aren’t you a little concerned about how he’ll be a
sissy when he grows up?”
“All I know,” said Betsy, “is that he’s very happy being my little girl now, and
so am I.”
“Betsy, we have to leave,” said Irene, “but I love how you’ve turned Eddie into
such a pretty girl. And I know he’ll have no trouble playing with other girls.
He’ll fit right in with the prettiest and prissiest of them.”
There were the usual hugs and kisses to Beth’s cheeks before they left. Then
Betsy turned to Beth as they sat back down on the couch. “Beth, you’d like to
play with girls, wouldn’t you sweetheart?” asked Betsy.
“I haven’t met any yet,” replied Beth.
“You will starting tomorrow sweetheart,” said Betsy. “I’ll invite one of my
friends and her little girl to come over and visit us tomorrow, and the two of
you can play either in your room or outside if you want to. Would you like
that dear?”
“I guess so Mommy,” said Beth. “How old is her little girl?”
“The same age you are honey,” said Betsy. “She’s twelve years old too.”
“Will she know I used to be a boy Mommy?”
“No Beth. Why should we tell her that? Don’t worry sweetheart. You’ll have fun
playing with other girls. And it’ll make Mommy feel nice to see you playing with
girls from now on. Now you’ll have a whole new life of a pretty girl in a girl’s
world. Later today Mommy is going to put your training bra on you and explain a
few things to you.”
The next day, as Betsy watched Beth and Susan (a friend’s daughter) jumping rope
in the driveway, it brought a smile to her face. She loved seeing Beth playing
with other girls. At that moment she made up her mind, and reached for the phone
book to inquire at the local hospital about the availability of the operation
Christine Jorgensen had undergone.
EPILOGUE
Beginning in late 1952 and completed in 1953, doctors had made a series of
operations and begun hormone treatments on a former American soldier, changing
his sex from male to female. Known as Christine Jorgensen from this point on,
she became an overnight celebrity. It also had a learning value to the doctors
involved. Soon the surgery techniques were improved and become common for sexual
reassignment. Naturally, Betsy read about Christine Jorgensen in the paper. It
turned out to be the answer to her prayers as far as Beth’s future was
concerned. But first she discussed
it with him, carefully explaining what the operation would mean as far as his
future sex was concerned. Beth thought that since he looked and acted like a
girl, and had come to like being a girl, that he might as well become one as
much as possible.
Three years later, after three operations and lengthy hormone treatments, she
finally had a real daughter...in all “departments”! Whenever Beth thought about
her earlier life as a boy however, even though she now loved being a girl, it
still caused some tears to spoil her mascara. And she had to get bras with
larger cups during the first year as her breasts grew. But she loved having her
hair in the same style as Betsy. And her panties fit much better now!
The End
(And a new beginning!)
