When Martin returned to his room after breakfast, he found clothing laid out on the bed. A pair of skinny jeans. A lightweight U-neck sweater. Matching bra and panties. A pair of Maureen’s ballet flats. “Mom, those are girl clothes.”
“Yes they are. And that is appropriate, because you are going to become a girl. A girl who will grow into a fine woman, like your sister.” Then she yelled “Maureen, come in here.” Maureen came in a moment later. “Honey, help your sister get dressed for our shopping trip. You should help her brush out her hair and style it properly. She can wear lip gloss and a touch of mascara if you think that appropriate.”
Angela left the room. Martin started to sob.
“Sweetie, don’t cry.”
“Why not? Look at how she is torturing me.”
“If you don’t want to be a girl, then what she is doing is wrong. But sometimes I wonder if you really want to be one of us. You spend a lot of time in my room when I’m not there. I know that. Look sweetie, do this for Mom. If after a day or two you still hate it, I will try to talk her out of it. Okay?”
“Okay. I trust you. Help me put this this stuff on.”
Maureen helped Martin slip his arms through the bra. Instead of fastening it for him, she showed him two different ways of doing that. She turned around while he pulled on the bikini panties and then helped him pull the skinny jeans into place. She brushed his long hair out and then pulled it back into a high ponytail.
The ballet flats fit perfectly. She took Martin by the hand and led him into her bedroom.
In her bedroom she went to her vanity and applied lip gloss, a tiny hit of blush, and mascara to Martin’s face. She could not loan him any of her earrings as all of the ones she owned were for pierced ears. But she did help Martin put on a few bangle bracelets and a gold necklace.
“You look good, little sis.”
“You aren’t helping, Maureen.”
“Chill. We have a plan. Show Mom you don’t want this and if that doesn’t work, make it an issue. Trust me, I have your best interests at heart.”
“Okay, Maureen. Let’s go find Mom and we can go shopping to get you some new boy clothes to wear to school.”