The night before his first day his mother made a big fuss… she ironed his culottes and blouse whilst he polished his school shoes and made sure he had his books and pens and things. She reminded him how good the school was whilst he worried about looking like a sissy and being teased. His mother had heard this moaning too many times and said, “Look Michael if you don’t get this ‘sissy’ thing out of your head I’ll buy you a dress and I will make you wear it! Do you understand?”

“But…” Michael peeped.

“But nothing.” His mother snapped. “You are not a sissy and you will not look like a sissy…” She barked as she clipped his culottes onto a skirt hanger. “…and if I hear you say you look like or feel like a sissy one more time, believe me, young man…” She threatened as she took his blouse from the picture rail, coupled it with his culottes, and passed them to him.