Peter puts down his pen and slowly stands up. He makes his way mournfully up the staircase and knocks quietly on the door which only yesterday, was his bedroom door.
“Who is it?” Jenny replies.
“Peter.”
“Come in.” she says, so he sheepishly pushes down the handle and opens the door. “Oh… I though it was Peter… my brother… you don’t look like my brother.. you look like my sister.”
He gulps before muttering another apology. “I came to say I’m sorry for er…. stealing your things.”
She looks him up and down. “Oh I’m sure you are Peter… but don’t you think Peter is a funny name for a girl?”
He shrugs, not knowing what to say or do.
“I guess on the upside I got your bedroom out of it… so thanks for that.” she says looking proudly around her new big bedroom. “And if you’re really sorry, you’ll help me decorate it this weekend.”
“OK.” he replies, looking around his former room and mourning the loss of all his things. “I hope mum lets me decorate my room too.”
“Well don’t you think your new room is perfect for a sissy like you… I mean… you did want to dress like a girl didn’t you?”
“No… I was just…. seeing what it was like.”
“Well now you know… and as far as I can tell…. you’ll be dressing like a girl for the foreseeable future.”
Peter hung his head in shame. “Did mum tell you how long I have to dress like this?”
Jenny shook her head. “No… but seeing as I decide what you wear every day and every night…” she smiled, “…you’ll be wearing the worst I’ve got… and I’m going to enjoy every minute of it.”
“I’m sorry Jenny, I really am.”
“You see Peter… I don’t mind if you want to wear girl’s clothes or even want to be a girl… but you could have asked instead of stealing.” she said. “I wouldn’t have told anybody… not even Mum!” she added.
“But I didn’t want to be a girl… I just wanted to see what it felt like… wearing dresses and things.” Peter said, “but yes, I should have asked… I was scared you’d tease me or tell mum if did.”
“Well I understand that Peter…but it’s no excuse for stealing.”
“I know.” he moaned guiltily, before saying he’d better go back to his homework.
Just as he was leaving, Jenny said, “Oh and Peter… aren’t you going to say thank you for the school skirt I gave you?”
Peter looked down at his skirt and felt himself blush. He looked back at his sister, “Thanks Jen.”
“You took your time.” his mother said as he returned to the kitchen.
Peter sat himself down and continued his homework in silence. But one question was on his mind. “Mum… Jenny said I have to wear what she says… is that true?”
“Yes.” his mother replied.
Peter finished his homework and packed up his books. His mother told him that supper would be ready in ten minutes, and asked him to fetch his sister. He climbed the stairs, knocked on her door and said supper was nearly ready. Jenny opened the door and asked him if he’d finished his homework.
“Yes.”.
“Well I’d better chose you a pretty dress to wear hadn’t I.”
She marched into his room and opened his wardrobe. Removed a dress and said “This is a nice one don’t you think?”, holding up a plain navy blue frock with fake brass buttons and a white lace pan collar.
She dropped it into his hands as she passed, leaving him alone on the landing.
“Where’s Peter?” her mother asked as Jenny entered alone.
“He’s getting changed.” she said proudly, pulling out a chair and sitting at the table.
“Did you notice he’d also shave his legs yesterday?” her mother asked.
“Yes.” she replied.
“And what do you think about that?” her mother asked as she placed the plates on the table.
“At least he’s doing it properly… there’s no point wearing girl’s clothes and not shaving his legs.” Jenny replied.
A few minutes later, Peter appeared wearing the navy blue frock, along with his white knee socks and Mary Jane’s. His mother looked him up and down and said, “You should really be wearing tights rather than knee socks with a dress like that.”
“Oh er…. sorry…. I didn’t know.” he grumbled.
“Never mind.” she replied. However after supper, his mother insisted he puts some tights on, and accompanies him to his room to show him which pair. His mother closes the door shut, and asks him to sit at his dressing table. she takes her place on his pink bed and removes the knickers from his baby-doll from his laundry bin. “Did you enjoy wearing these last night?”
“No.” he replies confidently.
His shame reaches new depths as she point out the tell tale stain on them. “Well this stain says otherwise.” she said, before placing them in back in his laundry basket.
Peter hung his head in shame. “Sorry.” he sulked.
“Well until you can control yourself… you’ll be wearing these under your nightclothes.”
“Oh please mum not those!” he said as she removed a pair of absorbent ‘night-timers’ from one of his drawers. Adding insult to injury, she’d bought him the girl’s version too.
No matter how much he pleaded, she insisted he wore them, “I’ll come in and check later… and believe me, if you’re not wearing them, you’ll be one of the girls at school tomorrow!”
His mother placed the night-timers beneath his pillow and assured him she wouldn’t mention this to his sister. “We’ll see you downstairs when you’ve put your tights on.” were her parting words.
Although he knew he looked like a dag, he did feel more ‘dressed’ with some tights on. In fact, come 8 o’clock when his mother told him it was time to get ready for bed, he new the daggy look was preferable to the pink ‘princess’ nightie his sister had chosen. At least it was closer to knee length, so little chance of her noticing the night-timers he shamefully wore beneath it. He made no qualms being told it was bedtime at a measly 9pm, and was glad to finally be hiding beneath his duvet. He hoped to God that he wouldn’t have another wet dream… and wondered if his mother would check like she did last night’s knickers.
The next morning his mother woke him to check he’d kept his night-timers on. He squirmed when she said, “Good girl.” and told him “they’re not so bad.” He wanted to retort but, seeing as she’d placed his own school clothes on the stool, made sure he didn’t annoy her. Being treated like a girl at home is one thing, being sent to school as one is another.
As he walked to school, he imagined a world where it wouldn’t make any difference if his mother did make him wear a skirt for school. He imagined what it would be like, dressing as a girl in public and nobody batting an eyelid. He wondered if he’d wear tights or socks and imagined how his hairless legs would feel in the breeze.
He had much the same thoughts as he walked home after his detention, and not surprisingly his skirt, knickers and knee socks were waiting for him when he arrived home from school. Reluctantly, he changed into them and went to the kitchen, almost certain his mother would check beneath his skirt again.
Once his homework was complete, he knocked on his sisters door so she she could chose his clothes for the rest of the day.
The same routine went on for the rest of the week and each time she takes great pleasure in choosing him the frilliest, prissiest, most girlie outfit she can, which isn’t hard given the selection.
On Saturday morning, his mother and sister prepared to paint his old bedroom. “Peter said he’d help too mum.” Jenny said as they moved the furniture to one side of the room.
“Well I don’t know what he’s going to wear… all the clothes he has are far too good for decorating.” her mother replied.
“I’ll find him something.” Jenny replied.
She walked into his bedroom where he sat wearing a prissy dress. “So you want to help paint my room?” she asked.
“I said I would.” he replied.
“Well you’ll have to wear these… you don’t want to get your pretty dress all messy do you?” Jenny teased, placing a small bundle of clothes next to him. She unfolded an old pink t-shirt with the Hello Kitty logo on it, a short denim skirt which already had a couple of paint stains on, and a pair of black leggings.
The t-shirt aside, these were exactly the sorts of clothes Peter would prefer to wear, if he was a girl, so he quickly changed in to them. They spent the afternoon painting one half of the room; the skirting boards and door frames white, and the walls a pale purple colour. Jenny kept saying how nice it was to have a new bedroom whilst peter kept wishing it was still his room. At least he wasn’t wearing a prissy sissy dress… for now.
Once they’d done one half, he helped his sister move all her furniture away from the other wall. Wondering why their mother wasn’t helping, he asked where she was. “She’s gone to collect my new dressing table.” Jenny replied.
“Well… why don’t you have that one in my room?” he asked. “It is yours.”
“It’s yours now Peter” Jenny grinned.
“But I don’t need a dressing table.” he replied, “I don’t even….”
“…have any make up!” she interjected before he could finish.
“Don’t even want it!” Peter insisted.
“Well I was going to give you some make up… seeing as you’ve been such a big help.” Jenny replied, adding, “It seems pointless having a dressing table without it.” she smiled cockily as Peter visibly squirmed. “And I thought, later on, after you’ve got out of those scruffy clothes it would be nice to dress up and wear some.”
Peter looked down at himself. “I like these clothes.” he admitted. “They’re better than your dresses.”
“You mean your dresses!” Jenny grinned.
Peter felt himself blushing again, and wanting to change the subject, picked up a paint brush. They continued painting for another hour or so. In the mean time their mother returned and she and Jenny assembled her new dressing table. It was nowhere near as girlie as her old one and Jenny was chuffed to bits with it.
They had take away pizza for supper, and after that, Peter was shoved into the shower. Once washed, he returned to his room to find a skirt and blouse laying on his bed. As he was getting changed into them his sister appeared. “I’ve brought you a nice pair of tights to wear, and as promised, some make up.” she smiled, placing a few items on his dressing table. “There’s eye liner, mascara, a couple of lipsticks, and some nail varnish… have you worn nail varnish before?”
Peter looked at the items and shook his head. “Well there’s a first time for everything.” his sister smiled. “I know you’ve worn my make up before now… in fact you did quite a good job on Tuesday.” she said. “…apart from the ‘not asking’ bit.”
Peter hung his head and apologised again.
“That’s OK Peter… it’s all behind us now. I’ve got a nice new bedroom and I quite like having a little brother who’s also my little sister.” she smiled.
Peter smiled back, but didn’t really know why.
