Don Venuto's Sissies

"Easy. You just get used to the length. I'll show you some of the basic dos and don'ts when I finish. So tell me about this party and how it came about?" Tracy said as she started lining the nails in a row by those sizes.

Mark watched in fascination forgetting the risk of walking home with those on and painted and began to explain how the party came about. He wasn't sure who Don Venuto really was other than the rumors that started a few days ago. He mentioned Mario, the Don's son and what was happening then made it clear he hadn't been part of those teasing.

Mark's first nail went on with a small drop of watery glue. It was his thumb first then the rest of his fingers one by one. Tracy did his second hand and after a bit of drying time Tracy added what she called the base coat. A clear dull coating that took time to dry and left Mark now wondering how he was going to finish his soda.

"First lesson! Drinking soda! Here watch what I do..." Tracy said picking up her can and adding, "you reach for things with the pad of your fingers and not with the nails. That's the bid difference between girls and boys. Boys reach, girls extend! Always extend your hand for things in a way that isn't going to risk scratching or damaging your nails."

Mark picked up his can the way Tracy picked hers up.

The first coat of white went on after that and more drying time as they talked about school, what they'd do when they graduated and other bits and pieces unrelated to what was happening.

What was really happening, as far as Tracy was concerned, was Mark's first steps to becoming her sissy boy. It wasn't too far off what Mark was thinking about as he considered what it might have been like dressed and doing this. Of course Mark wasn't considering this as sissy lessons although the word popped into his head a couple more times as he sat there blowing on the set Tracy just finished.

Mark's hands were transformed in front of his eyes and definitely girlish given that his fingertips were now glistening in the kitchen light. Tracy added another coat of white, then a clear with touches of glitter before a top coat of clear. Between the base, color, glitter and a second coat of top he now wore six layers of nail polish.

"Pretty!" Tammy said coming into the kitchen and taking a soda from the refrigerator as she added, "so what color is your dress Mark?"

Mark's mouth went dry or felt like it had as he said, "Pink."

"Of course!" Tammy said.

That 'of course' made Mark defensive again. He was sitting there getting his nails done and for a dress that was pink and worried that Tammy was getting the wrong impression of him as he asked, "why?"

"The reason for the color! Not many colors go with pink. Good choice." Tammy said.

"Tracy picked it." Mark said making sure that Tammy understood that he hadn't made the choice.

"French would have worked as well, but they can be a real pain unless you get them done at a salon."

"French?" Mark asked.

"White tips with clear over the rest of your nails. Nicely formal. Getting that style for the wedding." Tammy said as she headed for the door and the living room once more.

"Girl talk!" Tracy said.

"What?" Mark asked.

"You just got to talk girl talk and you didn't faint! Another good sign." Tracy said.

"Girl talk!" Mark mused. He'd just talked girl talk and he laughed.

"You see, that's what I've been saying! Get a guy comfortable so he's not going to be at risk of being thought of as a sissy and wallah, he can do just about anything a girl can do." Tracy said.

"Right!" Mark said sarcastically.

"Right on!" Tracy said and added, "so, your mom give you any of the moves?"

"Moves?" Mark said.

"Girl moves?" Tracy said.

"Girl moves?" Mark asked.

"When girls wear dresses, they have moves they have to keep in mind. We learn it along the way. You're going to have to learn a few of the basics as well." Tracy said.

"Like what?" Mark asked trying to imagine what Tracy was saying then realizing she might mean keeping his legs together as he asked, "legs?"

"Legs most of all. Here, I'll show you. It's going to take about half an hour for those layers to harden so we can spend the time learning some of our girl moves." Tracy said standing. She grabbed another kitchen chair and sat it in the middle.

"Go to the stove then walk to the chair and sit." Tracy added.

"Sit like how?" Mark asked.

"Just sit but think about the way you sit as you do so." Tracy said.

"Just sit?" Mark asked standing and moving to the stove.

"Just sit." Tracy said.

Mark moved to the stove then sat. "Like that?"

"Like that?" Tracy said and then added, "now watch me."

Tracy moved to where Mark had been, walked to the chair and sat as she said, "see the difference?"

"No?" Mark said trying to compare what he'd done to how she'd sat.

"OK, you came in at an angle and slid into the chair. Your legs were naturally set apart and you flopped down. I, on the other hand, came in so I was directly in front of the chair, facing forward, keeping my legs together and eased down onto the seat." Tracy said and added, "try it my way now."

Mark did and watched his hands after Tracy warned him that they were still at risk of getting scratched. He forgot to keep his legs together. He tried again at Tracy's urging then caught himself holding his hands out to keep from striking them against himself. The act of holding his hands out and sitting with his legs together didn't escape his attention.

"That one was nearly perfect." Tracy said as Mark tried again as she said, "that's a girl move!"

"Great!" Mark said sarcastically but giddy over the feminine way it made him feel. Tracy might be right Mark mused about this opportunity thing. Being able to do things that would be otherwise forbidden was exciting in many ways.

"Here, now pick this up." Tracy said as she placed a bottle of nail enamel on the floor as she added, "same as before, just pick it up the way you'd pick it up as a guy."

Mark bent at the waist, picked the bottle up and held it.

"Now watch me! Imagine again I'm in a dress." Tracy said as she walked up to the bottle she'd put back on the floor. She bent at the knees slightly keeping her back almost straight as she picked up the bottle.

Mark did it again this time the way Tracy showed him. Took three more tries but on the third try he'd done it nearly as well as Tracy did.

"Now sitting in a dress?" Tracy said and added, "nails should be OK for this but don't touch the tops too much."

"You come to the chair and in a coordinated maneuver bring your hands back to your skirts around the area of your bottom. As you begin to sit you slid your hands down and out along your skirt so when you reach the chair, your skirts have been stretched enough so there are no gathers. Keeps your dress from getting wrinkled." Tracy said as she did it a couple of times.

Mark tried doing it a couple of times feeling very self conscious as he did so. It was actually not hard but awkward coordinating the action of a dress with sitting and harder still since he tried imagining wearing one.

"This would be better in a dress!" Tracy said.

"Not going to happen!" Mark said thinking Tracy actually meant he wear a dress.

"Not dressed! Not slips and panties and stuff, just something with a skirt on it. You won't even have to take what you are wearing off." Tracy said.

"No!" Mark said smiling.

"I'm going to have to fail you then on chair sitting." Tracy chided.

"Bad enough doing what I've already done! I mean if the guys found out about any of this I'd be in the same boat as that guy Mario." Mark said.

"Tragic!" Tracy said.

"It would be!" Mark answered.

"And since there are no guys here, then what's the problem?" Tracy said.

"Those hang-ups we were discussing earlier." Mark said.

"Then you really must learn to get over it. It's my idea, I'm the one pushing you so blame me then." Tracy said.

"OK, I will!" Mark said.

"Good! Wait here!" Tracy said.

"You're serious?" Mark said.

"Of course!" Tracy said leaving the kitchen. She gave her sister a thumbs up as she walked to the hallway. She grabbed a lavender colored polyester dress that buttoned at the back and hurried back to the kitchen.

"What am I doing?" Mark asked.

"Learning girl moves." Tracy said holding the dress open for Mark to step into it. He did and a second later slipped his arms into the sleeves before Tracy set it on his shoulders as she added, "I won't even button it closed, how's that?"

"Great!" Mark said hoping her sister was still occupied.

"Now try that again." Tracy said.

Mark walked to the chair and slipped his hands flat against his bottom sliding them down and out as he sat. He did it again but this time took the skirt on either side so he was actually holding it on either side when he sat. He did that four more times before Tracy was satisfied.

"Now sitting!" Tracy said as she had Mark stay seated on his last try. She showed him how to angle his legs off one side or the other. How to sit with his legs perfectly straight and directly in front of him. She teased him a little into fussing with the hem of his dress.

"Girls almost always tug at their skirts after they've sat. Sort of a habit." Tracy said as Mark tugged on the hem of his dress. He was also being cautioned constantly about his nails.

"Almost there!" Tracy said.

"Now what?" Mark said but was completely enjoying himself.

"Scratching and adjusting!" Tracy said.

"Scratching?" Mark asked.

"You going to be wearing makeup tomorrow?" Tracy asked.

"I don't think so?" Mark said.

"Oh please do! And get pictures if you can! Anyway, even if you don't, you should know how to take care of an itch when you're wearing makeup." Tracy said as she added, "Guys scratch, girls dab."

Mark watched Tracy dab at the edge of eye and again on a cheek. He'd seen them do that countless times and had never connected it with their nails or makeup. He just thought those sorts of things were girls simply being girlish. He did what Tracy did and after a time she clapped, extended her hand and said: "Congratulations, you've successfully passed Tracy McCall's Transformation 101."

"Transformation?" Mark asked taking Tracy's hand.

"Transformation as in transforming as in transformed!" Tracy said and added, "you are officially a Jane Girl!"

"Jane Girl?" Mark asked.

"It's like a Tom Boy only opposite since you're a guy doing girlish things. It's really an honorary title! Not many boys can carry that distinction." Tracy said.

"Do I get a certificate or anything like that?" Mark said laughing.

"No, but you do get the seal of approval kiss." Tracy said bending forward a little to kiss Mark. She did so on his lips and he kissed back. He felt faint.

"That was nice." Mark said.

"Ditto!" Tracy said softening her voice as she added, "too bad we didn't have more time!"

"Why?" Mark asked.

"Oh, I was just thinking we could get into some of the more advance girl moves." Tracy said.

"What are those?" Mark asked.

"Another time perhaps, but it almost always begins and ends with a kiss." Tracy said bending in to kiss Mark once again.

"Oh." Mark said when Tracy broke away again. It was time to go he noted and clearly disappointed to even mention it. They kissed once more when she helped him out of his dress and again at the door. Mark promised to call after the party her using the number of her cell phone now in his pocket. She also made him promise to get at least one picture of him dressed for her.

She wanted it for her wallet and laughed over that.

Mark walked home with his hands in his pocket except when it was safe to bring them out. He admired the way they looked. Suddenly he stopped. He stopped and looked at his hands, remember those 'lessons' Tracy put him through and in a dress no less. How odd. How odd because just the day before yesterday, the day the invitation came, he was ready to run away somewhere and hide? What had happened? What had changed?

"MARIO! Thank you!" Mark called out loudly.

"Hi honey!" Mark's mother said as he walked into the kitchen. She had just started dinner as she added, "So? How was your afternoon with Tracy? She seems like a nice girl? Oh, and did she do your nails?"

Mark, blushing again, lifted his hands from his pockets holding them palm down. They sparkled under the fluorescent lights.

"Good heavens, those are beautiful!" Mark's mother said taking his hands in hers.

"Mom, I just walked across the park with my nails like this? Is that weird or what? I mean it's like some kind of switch was thrown or something." Mark said not sure how to put what he was feeling into words.

"Ah, the wonderful world of make believe." Mark's mother said.

"Is that it? Is that all that it takes? Mom, I was in a total panic before we went into that dress shop... I mean right after that invitation I thought I was going to keel over dead from fear and now? Honestly I don't know what's changed? Is it me? Am I a sissy or what?" Mark said jumping all over the place with his words.

"Of course not! And no, you are not a sissy! Yet, maybe you are but I don't think so! So let's see what it is that has changed? You were scared because of what other people might think of you, so there is that. When no one seemed to care much in that store you got pass that. You were also afraid of what the other guys might think but the other guys are doing the same thing you're doing, so that doesn't matter now? Right?" Mark's mother asked.

"Right." Mark answered.

"And you met this really cute girl who thought you were way cool for doing what you were doing. In fact, she just spent the afternoon helping you paint your nails." Mark's mother said.

"And teaching me girl moves of all things?" Mark said with a short laugh.

"Really?" Mark's mother said and asked: "Like what?"

"Sitting in a dress, picking something off of a floor, that sort of thing... Oh, and how not to break any of these nails." Mark said.

"Girl moves! What a great idea! I think I'm going to like this girl." Mark's mother said. She paused again, smiled and asked: "So, in all of that what really has changed then?"

"Me I guess?" Mark answered as he suddenly realized what really had transpired.

"Isn't it amazing how the same things that we believe can terrorize us can, all of a sudden, thrill us?" Mark's mother asked.

"Yes! Yes it is? Like I said, this is so weird. I mean it doesn't make any sense that I can suddenly feel like this." Mark said ignoring convention or what he risked telling his mother how he felt but he was about to burst.

"But it's not sudden honey! Deep down or perhaps not so deep, you are like most boys who have admired girls for all sorts of reasons. Some of it I suspect over what we wear. A few, perhaps you, admire what we get to do. A lot of this may be going on since you were little? Who knows? So what has really happened is suddenly you getting past your hang-ups." Mark's mother said.

"That's what Tracy said." Mark noted.

"She's right! The only real changes that have occurred are within you." Mark's mother noted.

"I know that now. Funny thing is I actually yelled in the park thanking Mario. I mean if it wasn't for him none of this would have happened." Mark said.

"Now that is amazing!" Mark's mother said.

"I know. So, anyway, need help with dinner?" Mark asked.

"Sure! But watch those nails." Mark's mother said laughing.

"I know, I know... Men reach, women extend." Mark said moving to the cupboard for dishes and making sure he extended his hand carefully... girlishly he mused.

Mark was animated throughout the meal. More so now than when he was setting the table and all because he'd asked about makeup. He was wondering if the guys, or so he said, would be wearing makeup because Tracy had asked out of curiosity. His mother sensing he might be interested himself suggested it. Something light, given the age he was dressing as, but it wouldn't hurt. Might even help with his looks his mother noted.

Minutes later he was at the kitchen table with dinner simmering and his mother was doing just that. Foundation, blush, a bit of eye liner, mascara and last but not least lip stick. He learned two of those 'girl moves' then: The one about lipstick and how to eat. That one about lipstick was what his mother had learned when she first got to try it... First layer is the base, the second layer is for the color and the third layer is for kissing. As for eating, he simply had to stop using his lips to clean a fork and spoon as you normally would while eating or risk loosing the color on his lips.

He was shocked over his looks when his mother finished and felt slightly silly playing with the fork his mother handed him to practice with and shocked again, but pleased also when she gave him that tube of pink so he could touch up his lips a couple of times. She sat at supper with him looking decidedly sissy without his hair and dress but extremely feminine besides and the way he ate gave her goose bumps. She wouldn't have forced this on him but she was thrilled he was doing it.

"Sit and practice while I get the dishes!" Mark's mother said after they'd cleaned the table. Mark sat in front of the mirror with the box of tissue to blot with and that tube of lipstick to play with and play he did. Slow sensuous steps beginning as his mother first showed him with his upper lip then the lower, then blotting. His mother had him clean his face with makeup remover, cold cream and a moisturizer before starting over again. They did that for a half dozen more sessions before they went to bed.

By the time Mark reached his room for bed he was actually doing his own face. Which shocked him further was as the nightgown laying on his bed spread and a note. That note written by his mother read: "Honey, tomorrows the day but I don't think it's going to be nearly as bad for you as it will be for the other boys. I know you know why that is or at least I hope you do. Meanwhile, I bought this nightgown new and never wore it. It should help you with your dreams. Love, mom!"

Mark smiled shaking slightly while picking up the white nylon gown holding it by the straps. If flowed lightly in two layers of nylon and beneath it, when he'd lifted it up, was the jacket to wear over it. He wore both garments to bed and, again his mother was right, because they did help with his dreams. Wonderful dreams. Wonderful but odd dreams and only odd because he was a girl in the one he had just before he went to sleep.

"Sweetheart? Todays, the day!" Mark's mother said from the other side of the door. She had thought about going in and waking him but also thought he might be self conscious in his nightgown. She'd confirmed very late that night he was wearing it. They got the invitation Thursday afternoon, shopped that night, Tracy did his nails Friday afternoon and Mark went to bed in a nightgown Friday night.

"I'm up!" Mark said laying there. He'd been awake for some time now simply laying there in that nightgown having his own thoughts at how quickly this had transpired. Today was the day and while Mark was a little scared over the reason for the party it didn't diminish his feelings over what he'd be wearing.

Mark stood, stretched with his arms in front of him to admire his nails and nightgown flowing around him. On his door the dress and slip, on his dresser the bow and his lovely blond hair.

"Bubble bath! But before that shave your legs in the tub and rinse after so you don't have the hairs in the tub." Mark's mother said as she added, "I'm going to get dressed, then start breakfast!"

"OK mom." Mark said grinning over what his mother just said. One statement sounding so odd and the other perfectly normal. Bubble bath... Bubble bath... Shave your legs... Shave your legs... Yes! Mark whispered as he slipped out of his nightgown. His nightgown he whispered. His dress and slip he also said out loud. So alien those terms yet so wonderfully exciting as he thought of them in his context.