Cynthia Jackson led her two children downstairs to talk to their father. Despite how well his Mom seemed to be reacting to the swap, Chris still felt apprehensive having his Dad see him dressed head-to-toe in Hannah’s clothes.
They found Tom sitting on the couch watching the sports news channel. Chris was grateful his Dad didn’t immediately erupt in anger. Instead, he studied his two children closely for a few moments before turning off the TV.
“Take a seat. I think this is going to take a while to explain”
Chris started off describing how a comment from chat escalated into a series of donations to trade clothes with Hannah. His sister jumped in to add she was very willing to participate.
When they were done, Tom Jackson nodded his head solemnly “I see. I had planned on enlisting Chris’ help with some car maintenance tomorrow. I was also going to invite him to to the golf driving range with me. How would this clothes swap work with all that?”
Chris thought his Mom probably wouldn’t want him getting dirty in Hannah’s clothes but before he could reply, his sister eagerly spoke up
“I’ll help out!. Anything you need me to do! Mom wanted us to get into the role anyway”
Chris was taken aback by her enthusiasm. Hannah could act like a tomboy at times but he had never seen her like this.
Cynthia Jackson subtly nodded her head in support. With a sigh, Tom gave in by looking directly at Hannah “Make sure you wear something worn out tomorrow. You’ll be getting dirty” he warned
*****
The entire evening had been one surprise after another. When his Mom suggested he might want to shave his legs before bed, he went along with it. It seemed unnecessary to get into character as Hannah but he had a lingering curiosity to see how he looked. His hairy legs had appeared rather out of place wearing her skirt and shoes.
He would never admit it to Hannah but his hairless body did feel very nice wearing one of her nightgowns as he slipped under her bed covers.
*****
Meanwhile, Tom Jackson exited the master bathroom after brushing his teeth. He found his wife already in bed perusing a large book. He recognized the familiar Blue leather bound cover.
“Reminiscing with our High School yearbook. I wonder why?” he said drily.
She had the book open to a page containing several color pictures. A casual observer looking at this page would conclude the lavishly dressed students were a group of girls participating in a pageant.
They would only be half right
One caption read “Greenville Womanless Pageant contestants.” Another picture showed the winner in a sleeveless sparkly Red dress wearing a crown and a sash denoting “Miss Greenville” flanked by a boyish looking student wearing a football jersey.
Tom rolled his eyes “I love how the school editors had to put in the caption, Tommy Jackson (left) and Cindy Miller (right)” he said sarcastically.
Cynthia punched him in the arm “That goes both ways you know. I kind of regret keeping my hair so short back then”
Tom mumbled an apology before changing the subject “At least I came out of the event with you as my steady girlfriend. That’s the best prize I could ever hope for.”
Tom and Cynthia exchanged a kiss “You know, the clothes swap the kids did tonight gives me an idea” she mused
“I don’t think I like the sound of that” he murmured
“Come on, it might be fun if ‘Tommy’ and ‘Cindy’ made a return. Its been ages” she lamented
“With good reason. Everyone at that charity Halloween party thought I was you in the cheerleader costume!” he exclaimed
“Well, we totally would have won the costume contest if they did know” she pouted
Tom knew there was no point continuing this conversation. He turned off the light and said “Let’s see how this weekend goes. Remember all the grief we got back in high school? I don’t want our kids to have the same experience”
*****
Hannah practically skipped into the kitchen the next morning. Her parents looked up from their coffee to see she had taken to heart her father’s advice from last night. She had thrown on one of Chris’ well-worn sweatshirts and some ripped jeans. Her usually combed short bob hairstyle was a mess.
“Is your sister up yet?” her Dad asked carefully
Hannah grinned broadly while preparing a bowl of cereal. She had never expected things to go this far but nevertheless, she was loving every minute of it.
“Yeah, she mentioned doing her legs again. Must have missed a few spots. She’s in the bath now”
She quickly wolfed down her breakfast and announced “I’m ready to get to work whenever you’re ready Dad”
Her parents exchanged glances before Dad eyed her with a level gaze “Alrighty then. Let’s get going”
He lead the way to the garage and opened the hood on the SUV her Mom drove. She was momentarily surprised when he began to patiently point out various parts of the engine compartment. Realizing he was quite serious about involving her, Hannah’s level of excitement grew even higher.
Never in her wildest dreams could she have foreseen the two laying under the car as he explained how to drain the oil. Hannah was incredulous when he handed her a wrench and said
“Go ahead. Unscrew the drain plug”
“Really?” she squeaked out.
Her father urged her to proceed. Hannah tentatively set the wrench in place and gave it a strong tug. The plug barely moved.
“You can’t damage it. Give it all you got!”
Hannah grunted as she put al her strength into the effort. She let out a whoop of joy when the plug began to open. A few drips of oil leaked out and splashed onto her face. Hannah happily wiped it off with the back of her hand and dried it on her sweatshirt.
“Nicely done” he congratulated her before adding “Son”
The morning had barely begun yet Hannah was already thinking:
‘This is the best day ever’
*****
While Hannah was getting her hands dirty, Chris was sitting at her vanity in a fluffy Pink robe. While it was true he didn’t have the most masculine face, Chris believed his currently close cropped hairstyle would prevent him from looking very girly. He looked up as his mom entered with a couple boxes.
“Ready to get started on your makeover?” she asked.
“I guess. You’ve got your work cut out for you” he joked.
Cynthia stood behind Chris resting her hands on his shoulders. The two looked at each other via the mirror. She was studying his reflection very closely.
“We’ll see. Before I get started, how far do you want me to take this?”
He was perplexed by the question. Chris didn’t think she could do much at all.
“I’ve already shaved my legs so do your best. Or worst. Whatever happens, happens” he laughed.
*****
Cynthia Jackson had been testing her son’s resolve. He hadn’t fully grasped how good he could look yet. With a shrug, she got started. Cynthia had a faint hope that Hannah might decide if her brother could look cute, she might be more willing to cooperate with her Mother’s fashion advice.
To start off, she had Chris don a light Pink bra and panty set. Next, she applied some light makeup. Mostly to improve Chris’ complexion but Cynthia touched up his lashes and eyebrows as well.
“Those look like chicken cutlets” Chris said as she opened a plain white box.
“Actually, that is the slang used to describe them. These are silicone bra stuffers. I got them for Hannah, sorry I meant you so you wouldn’t feel inadequate compared to other girls your age.
She watched intently as Chris gently touched them. “Would you like to see how they fill out your bra?” she asked softly
He stared at them for a few seconds before cheerfully replying “Sure”
After providing her son with the typical bust of a 14-year-old girl, she opened the second box. In reply to his question, she showed him a plastic bag of clip-on hair extensions.
“You probably won’t remember this. Several years ago, just before a tap dance recital, you got some gum in your hair and butchered it trying to remove it yourself. I was able to save the day with these. Even though your hair is short at the moment, it should be long enough to hold onto the clips.
Chris was transfixed by his image as she got to work lengthening his hair.
*****
Chris hadn’t been totally shocked by how he appeared after his Mom applied some makeup. Instinctively he knew that was what the products were for. To make women look prettier.
But he was utterly mesmerized by the head reflected in the mirror with its mass of shoulder length Chestnut colored hair. It was far longer than Hannah had ever allowed her own to grow out.
His trance was broken when his Mom said, “I’d say you turned out very nicely”. She appeared quite pleased with her efforts.
“Uh huh” was all he could manage to say
She clapped her hands together happily “Great. Let’s pick out a cute outfit for you so we can get going”
Chris had a hard time tearing his eyes away from the mirror. Slowly, her exact words dawned on him
“Ummm, where are we going?”
Where indeed?
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