Jon was the last to arrive at his history class. Everybody else was seated when he knocked before opening the door, poking his head around the door and apologising for being late. “Well come in then boy!” Said Mr Bronson, quickly followed by an “Erm…” and a puzzled look as he noticed the young boy wearing the girl’s school uniform standing sheepishly in his doorway. “Ah, Jonathan of course.” Said the history teacher, an ‘old school’ teacher with an air of military experience. “Well take a seat boy, quick sharp!”
Jon quickly hurried to the only available seat, next to Michelle Greene, one of the shy girls who didn’t seem to have any friends, largely due to the fact everybody called her ‘Smelly Shellie’, although Jon quickly realised that she didn’t smell. She was in fact a nice, shy girl who hid her pretty freckled face behind masses of ginger curls.
She and Jon worked from the same textbook and she was obviously much brighter than Jon as she reached the end of each page long before he did. After three or four pages and noticing the puzzled look on his face every so often, she asked. “Are you OK or do you want some help?”
“er…” Replied Jon, before quizzing her on the parts he didn’t quite understand. With Michelle’s help, Jon actually learnt something in history, which was definitely a first for him. Jon thanked Michelle for helping him. Michelle mumbled a barely audible “that’s OK.” Before scurrying off as the school bell rang.
A couple of his friends made fun of him for sitting next to ‘Smelly Shellie’, but Jon told them to leave her alone. They kept a distinct distance from Jon all day. Jon noticed but understood. He knew he’d be the same if it was one of them dressed as he was.
It was the end of the school day, or in Jon’s case, the start of detention. He headed to the deputy’s office and received a few comments about his skirt and legs as the other pupils left the main building. He entered her office when called. Mrs. beadle asked him how his day had been, to which he replied, “OK I guess.” She then told him to stand facing the corner and to spend his detention thinking about the consequences of this mornings stupidity.
After what was the longest half hour of his life, Mrs. beadle explained, “Now I rang your mother today and told her what had gone on this morning and the consequences.” She paused. “Now your mother is not happy with you so you can expect some harsh words when you get home. She discussed how she intends to deal with this but I’ll leave that for your mother to explain.”
Jon nodded, apprehensive of what was to come. He dreaded the long walk home. He was hoping to spot his own clothes somewhere so he could change, but seeing as his sister will have walked home in them already, that glimmer of hope quickly faded.
Mrs Beadle stood up and opened a cupboard to retrieve something. “Your sister Mary has very kindly lent… and I mean ‘lent’…” she stressed. “…her umbrella so you don’t get soaked on the way home.” She explained as she passed the black and pink spotted umbrella to him. “So make sure you thank her.”
Jon nodded as he took the umbrella from her. “Yes, Miss.” He replied. Internally he cursed himself for getting himself into such a pickle. Not only had he spent the day wearing the girl’s school uniform, he was now about to walk home through the rain with only a pink brolly for protection! Not only that, but upon arrival, he’d face his mum’s wrath as soon as he got there!!
“Now I’ve had nothing but exemplary remarks about your behaviour in all of your classes today, so well done for that young man. Let’s hope this has put an end to your persistent tomfoolery?” She said/asked.
“Yes, Miss.” He replied.
“Good, Now run along.” She replied, finally letting him leave.
The rain lashed against his legs as he briskly walked home. The umbrella did keep his top half mostly dry, however, he couldn’t help wondering how the girls coped wearing a short skirt in all kinds of weather. “It’d be freezing in the winter!” He thought. Fortunately, the skirt was heavy enough to not blow up as the wind got under it, although he did grab it to make sure each time a strong gust whipped up around his legs. He looked forward to getting inside so he could finally get his own clothes on. For a moment he forgot about the bollocking his mother was going to give him. Just for a moment though.
The rain & wind declined to give him any respite throughout the 30-minute walk. No sooner had he opened the door his mother shouted. “In here young man!”
Reluctantly he entered the kitchen where his mother gave him the third degree. He knew trying to talk himself out of it was pointless, so he stood glumly and took the brunt of it. “Do you have any homework?” She asked. He nodded. “Well, you can do it now.”
Jon placed his school bag on the table and turned to go and change.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“To get changed out of this.”
“Oh no.” She replied. “You can wear that until your homework is done.”
“But Mum!” He pleaded. “My legs are soaking and…”
“And what?” She intercepted. “Mary was soaking this morning to because of you.”
“Yes but…” He stammered, “But I ended up wearing her wet clothes all day!”
“And rightly so.” She replied sharply. “And you will continue to wear her school uniform until your homework is done. Do You understand?”
“Yes, mum.” He replied as he pulled back a chair and sat down. Smoothing his skirt under him as he did so. Silently he got on with his homework as his mother pottered about. After a while, Jon asked, “Where’s Mary at?” Noticing he’d not seen or heard her since his arrival.
“She’s been sent to her room for the rest of the evening.”
“Why? What For?” He asked, surprised.
“For losing her temper and attacking you.” She replied as if it was obvious. “I won’t stand for my children fighting each other, or anybody else for that matter.”
Jon wanted to defend Mary, as the events of the day were all his fault. However he thought better than to question his mum’s judgement… but he did say, “Mrs Beadle told me to thank her for lending me her umbrella.”
“Well, you can thank her in the morning,” Mum replied abruptly.
Not much else was said. Jon got on with his homework. His mother prepared supper and served Jon his portion alongside her own, before taking a plate up to Mary’s room.
“That’s very polite of you.” Said his mum on her return, noticing that he hadn’t yet started eating. “You don’t normally wait.”
Jon mumbled something incoherent yet polite before quietly eating his supper. When finished he cleared the plate from the table and placed them in the sink. His mother observed the way he moved in the skirt and smiled to herself. “Have you finished your home work yet?” She asked.
“Nearly.” He replied.
“Well I’ll do the washing up and you can get on with that.”
Jon sat back at the table, smoothing his skirt under him without thinking and continued with his homework. An hour or so later he packed up his books and went to the lounge where his mother sat watching TV. “Have you finished?” she asked.
“Yes.” He replied before pausing as if waiting for further orders.
“Good, now you can spend the rest of the evening in your room and I don’t want to hear a peep out of you until the morning.”
“OK.” He moaned, hoping he’d be able to watch some TV. He turned to leave.
“Oh and there are some clean clothes on your bed, make sure you put them away properly and don’t just kick them on the floor.”
“Yes, Mum.” He moaned as he lunged up the stairs, slowing down to one step at a time as soon as he realised lunging up the stairs in a skirt wasn’t the same as wearing pants.
He opened his door and noticed the neatly folded pile of clean clothes on his bed. No sooner he closed the door he unbuttoned the skirt and placed it on the chair, followed by the blouse, struggling for a moment with the reverse buttons as he had done earlier in the head’s office. He pulled on a t-shirt and his jeans before removing the white ankle socks and slipping his feet into his slippers. He made sure his sister’s school uniform and socks were placed neatly on the chair, not wanting to get into any more trouble.
He switched on his radio before turning his attention to the laundry pile which sat neatly on his bed. Immediately he noticed that it wasn’t his laundry but his sisters as the pile consisted of several blouses, a school skirt, several pairs of knickers, some of Mary’s lacy vests and some tights!
He motioned to go and tell his mum of her error, but his mum’s words “…and I don’t want to hear a peep out of you until the morning.” rang in his head. Instead, he neatly placed them with her other clothes on the chair and spent the rest of the evening bored yet relieved that the day was finally over.
The first thing he heard the next morning was his alarm clock. Yawning he got out of bed and went to the bathroom. He then headed to the kitchen still in his pyjamas. His mum was making toast when he entered the kitchen. The atmosphere was still frosty so he kept his head down. “Did you remember to put away your laundry?” She asked.
“Oh er…” He paused. “You’d put Mary’s laundry in my room by mistake.”
“No, I didn’t”
“Yes, you did.” He retorted, forcing his mum to turn her full attention to him. “It was her school clothes and knickers and stuff.” He explained.
“Her old school clothes yes, but for the time being, they’re your school clothes… Do you understand?”
Jon’s face dropped. A slice of toast hung limp in his fingers. His jaw moved but no sound came out. Eventually, he managed an incoherent stammer. “But… But not again, please Mum!” He finally managed to say, almost crying.
At this point, Mary entered already dressed for school. She greeted them both nervously, before buttering some toast. Their mother broke the silence, finally responding to Jon’s plea. “Yes, again Jon. Both the deputy head and I feel that you’ll benefit from being humbled at least until the end of the week. And from what I could see last night… wearing the girl’s uniform influenced a distinct change in your behaviour.”
The look of misery swept across his face, a look which Mary empathised with. “Don’t worry Jon, I’ll look after you.” She suggested supportively.
Jon half-smiled back as if to accept her offer of protection.
Once Jon had finished his breakfast he placed his plate into the sink and reluctantly headed back to his room “I’ll help you get you ready.” His mum said, following him out of the kitchen.
She tossed a pair of knickers and a vest onto his bed and placed the rest of the girl’s underwear in his drawer. Noticing this he pleaded, “Please mum I don’t want to wear that stuff.” His eyes welled up. “Can’t I just wear my own clothes? Please… I’ll be good!”
“Not until I say so… now come on, put these on.” She said passing him the white lace-edged knickers. Sniffling, he stepped into them and pulled them up. He took the vest from his mother’s outstretched hand and pulled it on. “That’s better,” she said before passing him a pair of tights.
Before long he was stood in his very own white school blouse, almost identical to the one he wore yesterday, apart from the addition of little frills on the edge of the collar and on the short, puffed sleeves. Again the skirt was the standard short grey pleated school skirt, although this one was a little longer. His mother ran a brush through his hair before stepping back and saying. “Very smart.” She said, “Now, you can either wear your own shoes again or borrow a pair of Mary’s. It’s up to you.”
Jon was mortified at his situation but managed to think rationally. He remembered Sharon’s words the previous day, Those clumpy shoes don’t look right, but other than that… you look OK, honest!. He paused before speaking, having no idea if he was about to do the right thing or not. “Erm…” He stammered. “I think Mary’s would be better.”
“Well let’s find some that fit shall we?” Replied Mum.
