Peter gulps and looks at his dress. He sulks then nods. His mother smiles and picks it up before pulling down the zip, seemingly in slow motion. She holds it open whilst Peter reluctantly steps into it and pushes his arms through the short sleeves. His mother turns him around and slowly pulls up the zip, before turning him to face her. A broad smile beams down on him and he feels himself blush.
His mother places a headband in his hair with a large white satin bow attached, before digging deep into her pocket and removing a tube of lip gloss. “Open,” she says as she waves the wand close to his chin. Peter moans about the ‘lipstick’, but she tells him it’s lip gloss. He drops his jaw and she carefully applies it. Once done, she steps back and grins. “I should have done this years ago,” she says. “I think boys were born to wear dresses… it’s a wonder it took us so long to realize.”
Once Peter has his shoes and socks on, his mother takes him to her bedroom so he can see how he looks in her large mirror. “Doesn’t it look delightful?” she gushes.
Peter gulps as he takes in his reflection. “I can’t believe you’re making me wear this on my birthday,” he says before begging his mother to let him wear something else.
“It’s a party dress Peter… and you’re having a party… it’s perfect,” she replies. “But if you really don’t like it…” she says as he becomes visibly hopeful, “…there’s always the pink one if you prefer!” Peter looks back to the mirror and decides to keep the blue one on.
“I thought you might.” his mother smiles knowingly. “Now you’ve got to be very careful not to get any cake, chocolate, juice or jelly on it… otherwise you’ll have to wear the pink one,” she states.
Come to the party, only two of his six friends invited from school turn up, both wearing party dresses. His cousins James and Michael come too, also in pretty dresses. One of the boys from down the road who often wears dresses is also invited, along with a few girls from the neighborhood, none of whom wear dresses.
Each of his guests give him a birthday card and almost all of them would have been perfect for a girl only a decade ago; butterflies, bows, flowers, and cute animals in pink, purple, and lilac shades. Each of his guests also bears a gift, but these are for after they’ve eaten.
The ‘tea-party-style buffet is hugely uncomfortable for Peter. He’s never seen his two schoolmates in frocks before and although he’s glad they came, he’d hoped they wouldn’t. After some enquiring from the grown-ups, Simon admits he has a variety of dresses, whilst John reluctantly tells them it’s his first one. His mother had bought it especially for the party and he’s clearly just as uncomfortable as Peter.
After the jelly and ice cream, Each of Peter’s guests gives him their gifts. Thankfully they’re all good for a boy and not girlie things like his mother bought him. Then, his mother says she’s got one more surprise for him and presents an unexpected gift. Peter reluctantly opens it, hoping it’s not going to embarrass him. Having a big white ribbon tied around the pink and purple spotted paper he quite rightly fears the worst… but as the paper comes off, his fears are put to rest. “A Nintendo Wii3… WOW!!!” he exclaims as his guests pull similar faces of excitement. From that moment on his dull sissy party became round after round of video bowling, tennis, racing games, and the like… Peter almost forgot he was wearing a dress… almost.
Once the party was over and all his guests had gone, his mother asked if he’d enjoyed himself. “Yeah! The Wii3 is awesome.” he replied, adding a ‘thank you.
“Well I’m glad… and wearing a dress isn’t that bad is it?”
Peter screwed his face up. “Well…” he looked down at himself. “I’d have preferred it if I’d worn my pants.”
“Then you’d have been dressed like one of the girls.” his mother smiled before saying, “Plus once you were playing your video games you’d forgotten all about your dress.”
“No because when I was bowling it kept getting in the way,” he replied, miming the action to demonstrate how his voluminous skirt gets in the way.
“You soon managed to work around it.” his mother grinned. “And you did get plenty of strikes.” she reminded him. “And next time you wear it you won’t feel quite so self-conscious.”
“Next time?” he frowned.
“You didn’t think you’d only have to wear it today did you?”
“Erm…. yes.”
She grinned and shook her head at his ignorance. “I didn’t spend a fortune on dresses only for you to wear them once Peter,” she told him, before explaining that she wanted him to wear one every Sunday. Peter moaned but his mother warned him. “Some boys have to wear them every day Peter, so think yourself lucky it’s only once a week,” she asked him if he understood and he nodded. “Come on, I’m sure you’re just dying to get out of it,” she said with a smile.
He follows her to his bedroom and suspects something as she pauses at the door. “Your Auntie Jo has one more birthday surprise for you,” she says before gesturing him inside. Instead of one of his usual duvet covers, his bed is clad in a new one; baby pink with butterflies on it. “Isn’t it lovely?” she asks. Knowing it’s a gift from his aunt he has no option but to appear grateful. “There are some new Jim jams under your pillow,” she tells him.
Peter hesitantly lifts the pillow to reveal a pair of pale purple pajamas with frills here and there and flower-shaped buttons. “Are these from Auntie Jo too?” he asked
“No they’re from me,” she replies. “I thought you’d prefer jim-jams to a nightie.”
“Oh mu-um!” he moaned as his cheeks blushed to a deep rouge. “You’re turning me into a girl.”
“On the contrary Peter…” she replied as she picked up his new pajama top, holding it by its short puffed sleeves, “…I’m turning you into a boy. Girls don’t wear things like this anymore.”