Ryan was already sprawled on the couch, with the TV blasting sports highlights. He heard the click of heels on the hardwood floor and sat up.
"Hey mom!" he said as he sprang up from the couch.
"Ryan!" Janice said. She was excited to see her son, but she couldn't help but notice his disheveled appearance. Grubby jeans, a ratty old t-shirt, and his hair was a mess.
Janice hugged her son, and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. But as soon as her lips touched his cheek, something odd happened. Janice felt the world go dark for a moment, and not just her sight. All of her senses seemed to shut off, for a fraction of a second, and then she was back. "That was odd," she thought. Even odder, though, was the feeling of lips on her cheek. Shouldn't it be the other way around?
Ryan broke the embrace and started talking, "It's good to have you home again." What? Home? Again? There was something odd about his face, that Janice hadn't noticed before. Was that lipstick he was wearing? Not to mention eyeshadow, mascara, and blush. His face was made up. Impeccably. And his hair wasn't messy any more. In fact, it was styled in a very feminine manner for such short hair.
"What's the matter honey?" Ryan said. Honey? That's not something sons usually call their mothers. It's the other way around. Then she noticed something else. Ryan was wearing a yellow blouse. HER yellow blouse. And skirt, and blazer, and heels. And they all seemed tailored to fit HIS body. What was going on?
"Are you okay Ryan?" Ryan said, "You look sick."
"No, I'm okay," Janice said. Wait.. Ryan? Why had her son called her by his own name? She looked down and got yet another shock. She was wearing his outfit: jeans, t-shirt, sneakers. She felt her decent sized breasts hanging freely. No bra. Was he...? Her thoughts were interrupted.
"Good," Ryan said, "Because if you think I'm going to spend the whole weekend doing your laundry, you've got another thing coming."
"Um... okay," Janice said. This was really weird. Her son was acting like her. And treating her like him. It was all so confusing. "This must be a dream," she thought. Just then, her husband Robert entered the room. Boy was she glad to see him, he'd help her make sense of this whole mess. Words were forming on the tip of her tongue, to say the greeting she always gave her hubby when she got home.
"Hey there, sweetie bear," she heard her son say in a sing-song voice.
"Hey babe," Robert said, not to Janice, but to Ryan. Father and son locked lips for a moment, then the two turned to Janice, who looked shocked.
"Oh my GOD!" Janice said. This was not right.
"Oh sweetie, lighten up," Ryan said. "It's not like you've never seen us kiss before." In fact, she hadn't.
"Yeah, son," Robert said, "What's wrong with a man showing his woman a little lovin'?" Robert put an arm around Ryan's waist and pulled him close, while Ryan patted his father's chest with a newly manicured hand.
What was happening? She had switched places with her son somehow, but she was the only one who noticed. Her mind was racing. Then she saw the bracelet, still on her own wrist. That was the only thing that stayed with her. The bracelet had done this? Then there must be a way to fix it...
"Hey, how about we all go out to dinner tonight," Robert said. "I've got reservations for the three of us at Fanucci's."
"Sounds lovely," Ryan said. "I can wear my new black dress." He turned to Janice, "That means you'd better get yourself cleaned up, too. Fanucci's is no place for those grubby jeans."
"But I..." Janice wanted to try to explain what was going on. Maybe knock some sense into her mixed up family. But they were totally clueless.
"No buts, young man. By the time I'm ready to go, I'd better see you in some nice slacks and a buttoned shirt, and maybe even a tie."
"Well, you should have all night son," Robert said, "You know how long it takes your mother to get ready." Ryan giggled. It sounded just like Janice's laugh, but with a young man's voice.
Ryan turned and walked up the stairs, and Janice noticed how elegantly he moved in the heels, just as she had. She also noticed that his legs were smooth and totally hairless. How much stranger could things get?
Robert gave Janice a hearty slap to the back. "Well son," he said, "How's the college life? Score with any hotties yet?"
