What seemed like hours passed, and finally we unloaded all of the suitcases and made our way to the front door.  “You were just wonderful young lady…just wonderful!”  Mother seemed to be almost giddy!  Inside, I sat down the two suitcases I carried and nearly cried with relief!   Mother rushed over and gave me a hug and pat on the back, insisting everything was fine.  “You really are a lovely little girl, you know…” 

Alone at last, we took my suitcases to my bedroom and laid them on the bed.  I opened each one up to find even more wonderful new clothes!  Mother had bought a great deal more for me,   even a poodle skirt!  As I pulled each dress and skirt out, I almost giggled…these were really mine?   

Much later, everything was carefully hung and arranged in the closet.  Likewise, my dresser was now filled with delightfully decorated panties, slips, and a few training bras.  It was…well, almost surreal, really - it was all so new, and so wonderful!  No more hiding, worrying, waiting to catch a few moments of freedom in a dress or skirt.  The sudden reality struck me…there was not one single item of my ‘boy’ clothes anywhere!  I truly had nothing to wear but girls' clothing!  Could it all be real?  I asked Mother what happened to my old clothes... 

“Honey, you packed everything up, remember?  While you were staying with Tess; they…well they’re just gone.  I guessed you wouldn’t be upset…and as I said before, no daughter of mine will be parading around in boy’s clothes!”  She looked at me and smiled.  “Was it all right to have gotten rid of everything for you?”   

I smiled, hugged her, and told her it was wonderful! 

That evening, as we were preparing supper, Mother told me our tasks for the next couple of weeks.  Lots of packing and cleaning to get ready to sell our house and move.  “And, of course, all along the way I’ll be schooling you on…well being my niece, and eventually, of course, my daughter.  You have a lot more to learn…like how to do your hair now!  I’ll ask you to forgive me in advance because you’ll likely get very tired of me constantly harping at you for the little slip-ups I’m sure will happen along the way.  I’ll try really hard to not nag you too badly, but I hope you know I’m doing it for all the right reasons ,honey.” 

And so it went.  Over the next two weeks we cleared out places I never knew existed in our house.  Mother had me packing things away in boxes, being careful to wrap fragile items while she directed my movements, actions, and even the way I phrased things.  At first, I thought it helpful and was most grateful, but after a bit…well let’s just say it started to make me doubt the whole notion that this was what it was really like being a girl.  At the end of the first week, however, she noticed my mood and we had a long talk.  It all ended well and, in the end, I was more grateful than ever.  She pointed out a couple of things that had happened that first week and why she corrected me, and to think back and see if I understood.  She even acted out a couple of things I had done, like sitting down, legs sprawled out, and just sort of reverting to boy-like behavior.  I must say, seeing her do it made me smile…then laugh out loud.  When that little talk came to an end, we stopped working for the day and went out for dinner.  She even helped me with my hair before we got dressed! 

 *    *    *    *

One day, as I was putting things upstairs in a box, Mother called to let me know ‘they’ were coming up.  As she walked into the room I was working in, I looked and…oh my stars!  My two best friends!  “Cathy, this is Ben, and Carl…they were friends of your Cousin David.  I’ve asked them if they would be willing to help us take some of these heavy boxes downstairs!  Boys…this is my niece Cathy.”  I just looked at them for what seemed forever.  Ben looked at me and said hi…then Carl did the same.  I tried to smile…and I guess I must have because I saw Ben suddenly drop his eyes to the ground and motion for Carl to grab something and start hauling it down.   Mother just smiled at me!    

They mostly talked to Mother, yammering away about how lucky David was…getting to live in Japan and all the neat things I would get to do there!  Once in a while, Carl would look at me and then quickly glance away when he saw me notice his stare.  At one point Carl asked Mother if she thought David would be able to bring back a Samurai sword!  I remember she just laughed and said she doubted his father would approve. 

When they finally finished, Mother offered to have me make them something to drink.  I think I could have committed murder right then!  But they thanked her and said they had to leave to go to a game in the park.  I was never so grateful for a baseball game in my life!   

Did they really think I was…a girl? 

Mother was smiling at me.  “See?  Your best friends didn’t even recognize you now, did they?  Honey, you were very calm and brave then…I’m very proud of you.  And I’m sorry I sprang that on you, but I didn’t want you worrying in advance.  Are you OK?”   

I thought back a bit, knew she was right…they didn’t seem to have any idea I was their best friend David!  My best friends…thought I was a girl!  I smiled and ran to give her a big hug.  I finally felt…I felt like it was all going to be great! 

At last everything was packed and the house was starting to look like a sort of warehouse.  Boxes everywhere, furniture covered, and almost nothing was usable!  “Well Cathy…I think you’re ready to take on another big decision.“  I asked what that was and she had me set down once again with a cold glass of soda. 

“Honey…before we actually move you do have one more chance to change your mind.  Once we get to Portland and get settled into our new home, there won’t be any turning back!  You’ll be introduced as our daughter, your father’s company will have you listed in their records as our daughter, and it would be very difficult to explain how ‘she’ disappeared and David suddenly appeared.  So…you’ve been through a difficult couple of weeks getting ready to move, and even more before then.  I can assure you the hardest isn’t over…but I’ve tried to treat you as my niece and as a girl.  By now I think you’ve seen it’s not all just the fun you’ve had wearing pretty clothes.  So I have to ask you…do you want to go back to being Davey, or are we moving as mother and daughter to Portland?” 

Was I just so enthralled with the dresses and skirts and wonderful clothes that I didn’t understand living a girl's life, and wanted to go back to being my boy self, sneaking some private moments to dress as I wanted?  No…that wasn’t it.  I liked the clothes…there was no doubt about that.  And now I could do it all the time!  No sneaking, no hiding.  And I didn’t have to think about sports and competing stuff like that…but, more than that, I liked helping out Mother, doing things with her she wouldn’t have done before.  Teaching me how to behave in a more lady-like manner, brushing my hair, and…well just everything.   So now I had the choice…once more. 

I smiled, looked down at my lap, then back at Mother's face.  Trying to lighten things up a little bit, I remember telling her I didn’t have a thing to wear as David…She looked me square in the eyes and admitted to me that several of the boxes in the garage were my old clothes…just in case.  I asked her if she would get used to having a daughter because that’s what I believed she was getting stuck with…if she didn’t mind?  “And by the way…you lied about my old clothes?” 

She took my hand and walked through the kitchen and into the garage.  “OK then, let’s get back to work  just one more little chore before we get ready to go out.”  She pulled out three boxes from behind a stack of others and asked me to help her load them into the car, which was already filled with lots of other things to get rid of.   “We’ll drop these boxes off at the Goodwill store on the way to getting something to eat tonight.  There isn’t any way we can cook anything here from now on Cathy…now let’s get cleaned up a little and go out, OK?”   

After dropping off the boxes she looked me in the eyes again while we sat in the car and said; “Those last three boxes we loaded?  Those boxes were truly all that remained of your old clothes, young lady…cross my heart!“  She had a smile on her face and as she turned to face forward in the car as she laughed;  “Now YOU'RE stuck!”  And she smiled.  Probably a good thing, though, Carl told me you looked a little like David, but you sure were a lot prettier than him!   Honey… I was so proud of you today!  You were wonderful!”  I must have blushed terribly because she just giggled.  “I feel like a steak tonight…how about you?”