Don Venuto's Sissies

"Cute!" Mark said forgetting for a moment that he was among his class mates.

"Thanks!" Jack said also not paying any attention to convention. Both boys smiled at each other.

"You guys like what you're wearing?" Ralph asked.

"Maybe? A little! Why?" Jack asked.

"Just wondering!" Ralph asked.

"You don't?" Mark asked Ralph.

"Didn't at first. Still not sure but seeing everyone else dressed makes it a little easier. I guess a little," Ralph said.

"Me too!" Mark said and added, as he noted a few other boys walking in that the group had grown, "looks like almost everyone is here?"

Music started. Something from one of Disney's movies began playing over the speakers as Rosa walked over to the table set up on the other side of the floor. She tapped the microphone lightly and said, "Ladies, may I have your attention please? If you will find your seats this can begin. Your girl names are on place cards at the tables."

The boys began circling the tables finding their names and as each did they began sitting. Some, Mark included, sat lady like, others plopped down in their chairs sitting like boys. Jack sat as Mark had and Ralph tried.

"Wow, is that Mario?" Mark asked watching a very pretty girl walk in with Don Venuto on one side and a stately woman on the other. All of the mothers were following, some holding tea cups. There were chairs around the sides of the tents as the mothers began sitting. Some waved at their sons and some of the boys waved back. Mark waved at his mother.

"Got to be! That's Don Venuto I'll bet!" Ralph said.

"Doesn't look like a gangster!" Jack said looking at the man in his white suit.

"I don't think gangsters have a look." Mark said.

"Ladies, may I present Mr. and Mrs. Don Venuto and their daughter Maria." Rosa said as Mario and her mother and father took chairs at the table.

Rosa paused for a moment and then began again:

"As you are obviously aware, this is not an ordinary birthday party. So allow me first to explain some of the reasons you are here. Mario, my nephew, is officially becoming a girl today. This is her first day to become the girl she was born as. She's chosen the name Maria and you are here to celebrate her first birthday as a girl.

"It's been a difficult road for her and some of you have contributed to that difficulty. Our hope for today is that we can step past those days and take this celebration as a new beginning for you as well as for her. With your mother's understanding and support we fostered this notion of a little girl's birthday party so you could share, at least once in your young lives, some of what Maria has experienced for all of hers.

"As with most of you here dressed as girls you're feeling odd because you're not girls. So too my niece Maria who was never a boy. That's what makes you all, at this moment, the same. And that was the reason we urged your mothers into helping us explain this in this odd sort of way.

"I hope, as this party unfolds, that you will embrace your own sense of femininity and accept Maria hers. In the mean time, this should be fun for most of you and I encourage you to enjoy yourselves for the remaining time you are here. We have a photographer available for pictures and there are gifts for you to take home with you.

"Don Venuto, and his wife, if you're not aware of it, owns the dress shop that most of you shopped in. Those stores, I should note, are his only business and for the record the men who delivered your invitations were actors. That poor man who committed suicide was not part of this scheme other than to support the rumors that have been guiding you. You're mothers can tell you the rest of this when the party ends.

"Meanwhile, eat, play and enjoy yourselves."

Waiters and waitresses began pushing carts in with plates under silver covers as the noise level, almost silent till now, began to climb. Most of it the boys expressing their shock and state with each other.

"It's all been a con?" Ralph asked.

"Looks like it?" Jack noted with a snicker.

"Well I'll be!" Mark said in amazement.

"And our mothers knew about it?" A boy across from Mark said as he twisted around. He waved at a woman who waved back as he added, "I've just spent the last two days dressed the whole time and practicing for this party."

"Me too." Mark said and with a laugh added, "even had my nails done yesterday."

Some of the boys were obviously angry, most not and a few began laughing as the joke played on them became more apparent. By the time brunch was ending the boys had become more animated, relaxed and a few obviously enjoying this time that they had. Mark most of all.

Pictures began right as the tables were being cleared. The boys lined up with their mothers for the photographer who took two pictures each: One of the boy sitting on the swing alone and another with their mother standing behind them.

They played pin the dress on Cinderella and Rosa organized a sort of beauty pageant as each boy, some blushing, was brought up by his girl name to be introduced to the other boys. Each boy got a present which turned out to be a kind of commemorative doll. Sparkle Barbie was the doll but a small sash had been added to her elegant dress reading today's date.

Maria, carrying a pink satin basket, along with her mother and father moved among the party, handing out pastel colored candy coated almonds wrapped in tulle and tied off with ribbons. There were questions, lots of questions but by three o'clock the last of them had been answered. Most of the boys stayed till the party ended.

Mark, Ralph and Jack stood in line to congratulate Maria before they too started to leave. Mark, during one of the games which Rosa organized, had a pink ribbon pinned to his dress after winning the 'curtsey contest'. Ralph wore one after winning the Simon Says for twirling the best. Almost all of the boys wore one sort of ribbon or another by the time the party ended.

Mark was silent during the short drive down the driveway to the road.

"Well, did you enjoy yourself?" Mark's mother asked.

"Yes." Mark said sad that it had ended.

"Me too. It was such a lovely party." Mark's mother noted happily.

"So you knew about this all along?" Mark asked.

"Afraid so! I didn't know about those goons though so that threw me off a little but it was a nice touch." Mark's mother said.

"Why?" Mark asked and added, "I mean why this way?"

"Honey, when we first met with Don and his wife Stephanie it was to discuss Mario's transition and how to handle it for you boys. A boy who is becoming a girl is not a normal day to day sort of thing and there were more than a few of us who were concerned for Mario's sake. He was already a target by some as you are aware.

"Anyway, one of the mothers, in a joking way, suggested it would be far easier to explain this to her son if her son had a chance to wear a dress. Sympathy or empathy are powerful tools she noted. That joke sparked the idea and before long there was the concept of this party and a way for Mario, or rather Maria to come out as it were.

"Since some of you thought that Don's first name was actually Don as in 'The Don' or 'Godfather', it made perfectly good sense to get you to do this under that guise. Fortunately, Mario's mother was opening their newest store and agreed to provide the clothes at no charge saying it was worth the cost of this for her new daughter's sake. You met Helen, another of his aunts, when we were shopping for your dress.

"You guys easily bought the rest of it. What I didn't expect, what we didn't expect, is that some of you would get into it so deeply." Mark's mother said and added, "there were a lot of phone calls and discussions on Friday when you guys were in school about that."

"Who else got into this?" Mark asked.

"Ralph for one and Jack another. Steve as well according to his mother." Mark's mother said.

"Steve was one of the boys that like teasing Mario... I mean Maria." Mark said.

"I know. Seems that his teasing is coming from some very similar reasons. I'm not sure of that and we shouldn't jump to any conclusions either but obviously Steve may very well have his own coming out party in the future." Marks mother said.

"Wow!" Mark said.

"And you?" Mark's mother asked.

"Me? No! I'm kind of happy being a boy mom. I mean... You know, for most of the time I suppose." Mark said blushing a little.

"That's what I wanted to hear." Mark's mother said.

"Really?" Mark asked.

"Really! I wouldn't mind having Martha coming around once in a while." Mark's mother said turning for a brief second to connect with Mark.

"I guess I wouldn't either." Mark said softly.

"How about tomorrow or is that too soon?" Mark's mother said.

"Tomorrow?" Mark asked.

"We've been invited for brunch by Maria, Don and Stephanie at their country club. Maria has made it very clear that a few of you boys have been very nice to her and she would like to thank you for that personally before school Monday. She thought a smaller, more private gathering would be nice," Mark's mother said.

"Dressed?" Mark asked.

"Of course!" Mark's mother said and added, "if you want?"

"Sure, I'd like that," Mark said.

"Anyone else coming that I know?" Mark asked.

"Just Ralph and Jack as far as I know," Mark's mother said.

"Are they going to come dressed?" Mark asked.

"Yes." Mark's mother said.

"Is it formal enough for this sort of dress?" Mark asked.

"Already starting to con me into another dress?" Mark's mother asked laughing.

"No? I mean I was just wondering if this one might be too fancy?" Mark said fluffing the skirt to his mother's amazement.

"I think we can find something pretty but a little less special occasion," Mark's mother said.

"Shopping again?" Mark asked.

"Actually, Tracy says she has a couple of dresses that might be suitable for a Sunday brunch." Mark's mother noted.

"Tracy? When did you talk with Tracy? Is she in on this now?" Mark said with a touch of apprehension in his voice.

"Talked to her when you were in the middle of that Curtsey Contest. She slipped me her phone number on our way over. I was to give her a call when this was over but called when you were doing that curtsey contest. I suppose the answer then is yes." Mark's mother said.

"So is she... I mean... So is she bringing those things over?" Mark asked.

"Actually, if it's OK with you she thought we could just stop by and try them on there. Told you I liked that girl," Mark's mother noted.

"At her house?" Mark asked.

"Sure? Why not?" Mark's mother said and added, "it's not like she doesn't know?"

"But that's just it mom? I mean she doesn't really know I actually sort of like this," Mark said.

"Honey, I'm afraid that's not exactly true," Mark's mother said.

"What? How?" Mark asked.

"Same way I found out I suppose. She seems very astute to me." Mark's mother said patting Mark's hand.

"This is getting a little weird!" Mark said.

"I'm not sure I'm use to it either, but that's some of the attraction I suppose." Mark's mother said.

"What is?" Mark asked.

"Having twins!" Mark's mother said and added, "with one of them being a girl that is."

Mark smiled. Martha smiled as well.