Perry’s mother and sister enter his room. The boy is slumped on his bed sulking. He is told to go into his old bedroom and strip the bed, whilst they get the last of Jemima’s things. They removed all the books and ornaments from the shelves, along with Jemima’s favourite cuddly toys and most treasured dolls from her childhood and take them in several batches to her new bedroom.
Jemima giggles at her brother in her horrible yellow dress, and tells him how pretty he looks. Her mother chooses some clean sheets from the airing cupboard, along with a duvet cover and pillow cases, and Perry is instructed to make his sister’s bed for her.
“Why do I have to do it?”
“Because you’re in big trouble young man… so you’ll do exactly as you’re told.” his mother states.
Jemima and her mother return to her old room to collect the next batch of books and ornaments. “I guess we should leave him a few things.” Jemima suggests. Her mother agrees, so Jemima takes great delight in leaving him many of her old princess and fairy books, as well as some DVD’s she’s long grown out of. She arranges a couple of old dolls and cuddly bears on his shelves, along with some unwanted girlie ornaments, and steps back to admire her work.
“You’re enjoying this aren’t you?” her mother says, before before looking at Jemima’s bed and her old Disney Princess duvet cover. “Do you want this duvet?” she asks, “Or shall we leave it for Perry?”
Jemima giggles at the idea of her brother keeping it and sleeping in it. “Yes lets!” she says, “In fact… there’s my old Tinker Bell, Barbie and My Little Pony bed sets too.”
“Oh he’ll love those!” Mother agrees sarcastically, before asking if she wants her TV & DVD unit. Jemima looks at the pink appliance which she’s had for many years. “Nah… plus his is much better than that old thing.”
“Very well.” her mother grins. “A few weeks of this and I doubt he’ll ever want to wear girl’s clothes again.”
“But what if he doesn’t?” Jemima asks. “I mean… does…. like it…”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it… but hopefully we won’t have to.”
When they returned with the last of Jemima’s things, Perry had finished making the bed. His mother told him to put the sheets, duvet cover and pillow cases in the wash, before taking the bin bags down to the kitchen. Taking one in each hand herself, she headed down stairs. Moments later, Perry arrived with a bin bag in each hand, and asked his mother where to put them.
“In the yard.” she replied. “Now!” she said, noticing he was clearly reluctant to do as asked wearing what he was.
“But….” he said, looking down at his dress and shoes and stockings.
His mother looked him up and down, sighed and took them out for him. “Christ knows what the neighbours would think if they saw you.” she said on her return.
He was told to go and wash his make up off, and then was confined to his new room until supper was ready. As he sat on his bed, all he wanted to do was cry, but he’d cried all the tears he has. He looked around the room he’d always hated, trying not to believe it was now his. The hateful pink DVD/TV sat on the chest of drawers. The dressing table which was once littered with his sisters make-up and perfume now lay empty… unlike the wardrobe which contained the clothes he’d feared wearing so much. The wardrobe that now holds a selection of ghastly dresses he can call his own.
On the half empty bookshelves was a couple of dolls and several girlie ornaments. He flicked through the books his sister had left him, but being little girl’s picture books and fairy tales, he had little interest in them. She’d also left him a few Barbie DVDS, along with Tinker Bell and the Disney Princesses films. He wondered if his mother would make him go outside too, and cast his mind back to the girl from the skatepark in the rose queen parade. All those thoughts were now his reality.
His daydream was broken by his mother opening his door. “From now on, I want this door kept wide open.” She said. In her arms was a bundle of bedding, from which she grabbed a clean duvet cover, pillow case and sheet. She told him to change his bed, but noticing the clean bedding was equally pink and girlie, he began to moan. “Well what did you expect?” she asked dryly. “If pink and girlie is what you want, that’s exactly what you’re going to get.” she stated, putting the rest of the bedding on a shelf in his wardrobe. she paused for a moment looking at the rail, half full of dresses as a wry smile swept her face.
She left him alone and Perry removed the Princess duvet cover, cursing its every stitch. He pulled off the matching pillow case, followed by the sheet, then unfolded the clean bedding. His heart sank as the life sized print of a ballerina in a pink tutu was revealed. He pushed his door closed before battling to get the duvet inside its hateful cover. He swam deep inside, pushing the duvet into the corners. It’s pinkness was even more apparent from the inside and Perry wish beyond belief that he’d wake up to find it was all a dream. It wouldn’t be the first time.
He wrapped his mattress with a baby pink sheet before pushing his pillow into a very frilly baby pink pillowcase and dreaded resting his head on it. The thought repulsed him and he recoiled his head, catching a glance of his reflection in the ornate pink framed full length mirror. “At least this isn’t pink.” he thought as he looked at himself.
His attention was drawn to the sound of the door being pushed open and his mother’s scalding face. “I told you to keep this door wide open!” she spat, glancing around his room. “Admiring yourself are you?” she asked inquisitively, noticing his position in relation to his mirror.
He hung his head. “How long do I have do this for?” he sulked.
“Long enough to get used to it.” she replied without hesitation. “It’s nothing but knickers and dresses until you’ve learned your lesson young man!”
“But I have Mother.” he pleaded. “I won’t do it again, I promise!”
“On the contrary Perry… you will… all day, every day.” she told him. “Now think yourself lucky I’m not sending you to school in one of your sister’s spare skirts tomorrow…”
A shiver went down Perry’s spine at the suggestion. Actually being sent to school wearing the skirt he’d worn on many an occasion was both horrifying and thrilling.
“…but don’t think for one moment that I won’t tell your headmistress about this.”
Perry begged his mother not to tell her, but she insisted the headmistress deserves to be told the truth. He suggested she only tell her that he’d lied, and not to tell her about the clothes. She told him that she has to tell the headmistress everything, “Because if you step one foot out of line, she’ll need to know why you’re attending school dressed as a girl!”
