I opened the top drawer of my mother’s dresser. I picked up the bar of perfumed soap and held it too my nostrils. It smelled so sweet and so good. I set it aside and picked up her slip. I held the soft fabric to my face. I loved the feel of the soft nylon tricot against my skin. I put the slip on the bed and went back to my room and undressed. When I came back I put the slip on. I felt a shiver of excitement as I walked to the closet and stood in front of the full-length mirror on the closet door.
As I stood there looking at myself I remembered a friend of my mothers’ who had come over to see her and made the remark about me saying, “Oh my! He is so pretty he should have been a girl.” I did have a pretty face. I knew I was prettier than either of my sisters. I looked nothing like my father, just my mom.