For the umpteenth time, Justin struggled with the costume he had allowed his mother to talk him into to wearing. Dressing as a girl was bad enough, but dressing as a girl out of the post Civil War era, complete with all of the torturous undergarments and padding needed to complete the image was orders of magnitude worse.
Then, as if that wasn't bad enough, on their way to the reenactment, their car had broken down.
"It is only a couple of blocks, Honey." His mother had said. "You go on ahead while I wait for the auto club. You don't have much time to spare."
Thus, Justin found himself walking, by himself, dressed completely as a girl, a girl in a costume from a period over one hundred years earlier. 'Things can't get any worse.' He thought to himself.
Only, "It is always darkest before the lights go out completely." Thus it was for Justin. Barely one block from his goal he saw an elderly woman struggling with a load of packages just before she dropped them onto the ground.
Justin reacted before he thought, "Can I help you?" He asked, stepping up next to the woman.
The woman looked him over and said, "My, my, don't you look pretty. But aren't your clothes a bit out of date?" She said with a smile.
Remembering how he was dressed, Justin made an effort to raise the tone of his tenor voice and replied in the most girlishly manner he could, "I am taking part in the reenactment of the founding of the town."
"You do look pretty, don't you." The woman said.
"Thank you." Justin responded, blushing more than a bit. Thinking quickly, he added, "Can I help you with your packages."
"Why thank you young lady." The woman said. "I live just down the street." She added pointing in the general direction that Justin had been walking.
In spite of his attire, it didn't take Justin long to collect most of the elderly ladies packages and help her to her house.
Once inside, the lady said, "Where are my manners, I am Mrs. MacGillicutty."
"I am pleased to meet you." Justin said, "I am Justin....e, Justine Werre." He said, choosing a feminine version of his name.
Once again, Justin struggle with the fit of the various undergarments he was wearing.
"I bet they are uncomfortable, aren't they?" Mrs. MacGillicutty asked. "I remember wearing them when I was a girl your age."
Justin blushed bright red, figuring that the lady had seen through his costume and saw him as the boy he really was. "I ah, I ah, I " He struggled to say something to set things right.
"Don't worry. All girls your age struggle with self image. I did, my daughters did, and my granddaughters did. It comes with being a girl."
'She thinks I am a girl.' Justin thought. He tried once again to speak, only "I ah, I ah, I " He struggled to say something to set things right.
"Corsets are so uncomfortable, but they do give young girls such a good figure, don't they?"
Finally finding his voice, Justin said, "I wish I didn't need to wear them."
Just then the church bells rang. "I am late. I have got to go. Bye, Mrs. MacGillicutty." Justin said, as he picked up the front of his skirt and rushed out of the house to where the reenactment was taking place.
As Mrs. MacGillicutty watched the young lady run from her house she said, "I wish .
