Izzy smiled. I think she’s smiled at me more today than she has in her entire life, although thinking back… she did smile a lot on the other occasions she’s dressed me up. “Can I retie your plaits?” she asked. “Just the ends. They’re looking frizzy and it might not curl properly.”
“I’m not entirely sure if I want curls.”
“You’re a girl.” she smiled. “We all want curls.” she said. “C’mon… indulge me.” She said, crossing onto my bed. “They’ll brush out of you don’t like them… it’s not like I’m giving you a perm.”
“Same thing innit?”
“A perm’s permanent.”
“Ah… so that’s why it’s called a perm!” I realised as she began faffing with my hair. One by one, she untied each of my four plaits just as far as my head and plaited them again, neatly and tight. “I do like being pampered like this.” I said, reminiscing back to Terrie’s house when they did my hair and make-up and nails. “I guess that’s one of the benefits of being a girl.”
“When you’re a girl you have to do your own hair and make-up.” Izzy retorted. “Everyday.” she added.
“Yeah I guess.” I said as she tugged and tightly plaited my hair. “I suppose I’ve got it easy having you doing it all for me.”
“You’ll be doing you own make-up in the morning.” she reminded me.
“I’ll probably make a mess of it.”
“I’ll be showing you how.” she said. “If you get it wrong I’ll make you do it again.” she said, resting her hands on my shoulders. “All done.”
I turned and coyly thanked her. When I returned from the en-suite bathroom my sister was tucked up in her bed. She told me I looked cute. “These PJs are cute… I’m not sure I am.” I modestly replied as I pulled aside my duvet and slid inside the bed. “See you in the morning …and thanks for tonight… it’s been a blast.”
“You’re more than welcome, Matilda.” she grinned.
I drifted off to sleep with AC/DC riffs ringing in my ears.
~o0o~
“Sleep well?” was the first thing I heard after turning onto my back and peeling my eyes open. Isabel was already up and dressed.
“What time is it?” I asked.
“Almost nine.” she said. “We’ve got to check out by half-ten you’d best get yourself up and showered.” she advised, adding that I must wear a shower cap because she really doesn’t want my hair getting wet. I had a long hard look at myself as I brushed my teeth. Yesterday my skin looked smooth, healthy and even toned. Today it looks normal, slightly blotchy and my chin is feeling ever so slightly stubbly. There’s a trace of black eye-liner under my eyes which I could excuse by admitting to wearing eye-liner… lots of guys of the rock persuasion do. I gave my face the closest shave before getting in the shower, donning the plastic cap as instructed. The shower gel my sister had left smelt of roses and afterwards, so did I. “You took your time.” my sister said.
“I was having a shave.” I said. She told me that I didn’t have to shave my legs again, since I’d done them only yesterday. “No my face.” I replied. “It felt a bit stubbly.”
“Oh yeah.” she grinned. “I forgot about that.” She pointed out a pair of clean knickers and a bra on my bed. Like yesterdays, the knickers are of the control variety, only…
“They’re pink!” I gulped.
“Girls like pink.” my sister grinned. I donned them in the en-suite and sat at the titchy dressing table (which is more of a shelf under a mirror) wearing a bathrobe. An array of cosmetics waited for me. “Now we’re not going for anything drastic like yesterday.” she said, opening the compact. “Today you’re going to look a lot more natural and hopefully quite pretty.” she told me.
“Is that even possible?” I grimly asked before applying a layer of foundation.
“Make-up makes anything possible.” she told me. Izzy then explained how I should apply my eye make-up which was tricky at first. I failed a few times before I got my eye-liner right and unlike yesterday, it was a very subtle application. Next I apply the eye shadow which is a palette of pale brown and beige. Unlike yesterday’s dark and heavy application, today’s seems to enhance rather than change how I look. In comparison to yesterday’s rock-chick, it barely looks like I’m wearing make-up at all until I define my eyebrows with a pale brown pencil and finally apply a pretty shade of lipstick in a pale pink tone. “How do I look?” I timidly asked.
“Like a girl.” she smiled. My sister then began taking out my plaits which had been in place for some twenty hours. I faced my reflection as my hair was gradually revealed, one section at a time. Normally its long and straight and hangs a little beyond my shoulders. Today it’s full and wavy and hovers an inch or so above my shoulders. “This is going to look so nice!” my sister tells me as she faffs and fiddles with my hair. I failed to respond. “Don’t you think?” she prompted.
“Erm… it’s so different to what I’m used to I really don’t know.” I replied, glaring at my reflection. “Mum’d go mental if she could see this.” I nervously chuckled. My sister failed to respond, other than smiling at me via the mirror. She faffed a little more, separating the spiralised strands, scrunching it, arranging it and wondering aloud whether or not she should tie a scarf in it, or maybe a slide or two. “Doesn’t it look OK as it is?” I said. “I don’t think you could make me look any more like a girl if you tried.”
“…and you’re not even dressed yet.” Izzy replied, turning her eyes to the frock that hung in wait.
“It looks awfully short all of a sudden.” I gulped as she held it against herself.
“Your skirt was shorter.” she claimed, rummaging in the case. “Put these on first.” she said, handing me a pair of thin nude tights.
I think I’d have preferred thick black tights but kept this to myself. I pulled them carefully up my shins. “Pulling on a pair of tights with painted nails is so weird but it must be so normal for you.” I said, observing how the honey tones nylon gave my pale hairless legs a sun kissed hue. “It’s quite nice too.” I added, enjoying how the nylon effortlessly slid over my calves.
“I hope we get to do this again sometime.” she said, turning her back so I could pull the tights all the way up in privacy. She sent me to the bathroom to don the dress. I slid out of the bathrobe and looked down at my underwear. The big pink control knickers grip me from hip to waist. The unsightly bodice section of my tights obscures them a little. Today’s bra isn’t a perfect match but it is pink and padded. I guess it’s another of my sister’s old ones from before she fully blossomed. I pull on the frock and smooth it over my hips. I looked down at myself and all of a sudden I understood why so many girls wear little ditsy dresses like this.. it’s comfy, it hangs well, it feels nice. I face the mirror and stare at myself. The dress, coupled with my frizzy curls and modest make-up looks great… even on me! I take a breath and step out into the bedroom. “Matty you look ace!” my sister exclaimed.
“Tilly!” I corrected.
“Sorry… Tilly.” she grinned.
“There’s no point going to all this effort if you’re just going to blow it by calling me by my real name.” I told her.
“I know… but Matty can be short for Matilda just like Tilly is.” she replied. “That’s why we chose it remember.”
“Yeah I know.” I conceded. “I just prefer Tilly when I’m dressed like this.”
“Fair enough… Tilly.” Isabel grinned, glancing at her watch.
“Is it check-out time yet?” I asked.
“You sound keen.” she said.
“I’m crapping myself.” I claimed. “But I know I look even more like a girl today than yesterday and yesterday went OK so…” I paused before asking the time. We’ve still got a good forty minutes before our check-out time. “Where did I put those boots?” I mumbled, finding them by the side of my bed.
“I’ve got some shoes for you.” my sister said, revealing a pair of dark burgundy suede ballet flats. “And these.” she added, opening a small suede handbag and removing a tiny plastic baggy.
“What are those?”
“Magnetic earrings.” she said, beckoning me to sit with her so she could fit them. The tiny fake diamond studs looked very convincing. “You need this too.” she said, handing me the bag.
“A handbag.” I grimaced.
“Mmm hmm.” she replied, dropping the lipstick, eye-liner, mascara and foundation inside. “It matches your shoes.” she said as she handed it to me.
“Thanks.” I bashfully replied, putting my phone in the bag. I slipped my feet into the footwear. “I always wondered how these stay on.” I said.
“Do they fit OK?” she asked. They did. “Thought they would.” she smiled. “You know it’s only a matter of time before I put you in a pair of heels.”
“Not today though.” I hoped.
“No.” she grinned. “It did cross my mind though.”
“I bet it did.” I replied.
“Shall we give Cat and Terrie a knock.” she suggested, having packed the case.
“I guess.” I said, feeling nervous all of a sudden.