Halloween Continues

by slimv
(story formally titled "Halloween Mommy" )

 

“That’s it.  Stand nice and still, just like you’re doing,” instructed Patty Bronson.

“How much longer is this going to take?  We gotta go or we’ll miss it!”

“Don’t talk sweetie, or you’ll make me smear your lipstick.”

“Is it the same color as yours?”

“Shhh,” scolded Patty as she finished the line and capped the lipstick.

“Can I talk now?”

“Yes honey, you can talk now.  Patty smiled down at her darling son as she picked her pack of Virginia Slims from the vanity.

Twelve-year-old Sam Bronson stared in awe as his mother placed the long white cigarette between her full red lips and lit it.  He couldn’t say why, but she looked so pretty when she smoked.  He followed her exhale as it sailed over his eyes.  And then he spied the lipstick stained filter between her fingers.  He pointed at it.

“Is that the same color lipstick I’m wearing,” asked Sam?

“Yes it is,” said Patty, “and it looks very pretty on you.”

“Let me try,” said Sam as he reached for his mother’s pack of cigarettes.  “I want to see what it looks like.”

“No, no,” scolded Patty, as she took her son’s hand.  “You’re too young to smoke.”

“Ah but mom,” whined Sam.  “Isn’t that the point of dressing up like a mom for Halloween?  I want to look like a real mom.  I want to look like you.”

“Okay Sammy,” said Patty, as she pulled a cigarette from her pack of Virginia Slims.  “I guess it will be okay as long as you don’t inhale the smoke.”

“What do you mean, inhale?”

“It means breathing in the smoke like this,” said Patty as she demonstrated with her own cigarette.  “When you smoke it, just hold it in your mouth and blow it out, like this,” she said and then showed him.

“Okay, but what happens if I inhale by accident?  You know.  If I swallow it by mistake or something like that.”

Patty grinned.  “You’ll probably cough and get sick.”

“You don’t cough or nothing like that.”

“No, but that’s because I’ve been doing it for a long time and I’m used to it.”

“Maybe I could get used to it too.”

“I suppose you could, but that’s exactly what I don’t want you to do.”

“Why?”

“Because silly,” said Patty.  “You’ll get addicted like me if you inhale.”

“What’s so bad about that?”

“Every thing,” she said as she exhaled toward the ceiling.  “Addicted means that you’d have to smoke every day like I do.  You wouldn’t be able to stop.  Believe me sweetie.  It’s not something you want.”

“Why not?  You like it don’t you?  And you look pretty when you smoke.”

“Do you really think so Sam?  You think I look pretty when I smoke?”

“Well yeah Mom.  Sure I do.  Dad does too?”

“Oh yeah?  Why do you say that?”

“Cause he’s always lighting your cigarettes for you and kissing you.”

Patty smiled and took a puff from her Virginia Slim.  “I guess your father does kind of like it when I smoke.  But that doesn’t mean it would be good for you.  You wouldn’t be able to play sports if you smoked.  You know that, don’t you?”

“Really?  Why not?”

“First of all, its against the team rules.  Your coach would get mad.  Smoking is bad for people’s health.  It makes them tired when they run.  It’s just not a good thing Sam, especially for young boys.  If you want to use a cigarette tonight, you have to promise me you won’t inhale or I won’t give you one.  Besides it’s not that important for your costume.  You’re going as a mom and not all mother’s smoke.”

“But you do.”

“Do we have a deal,” asked Patty?

“Yeah Mom.  We’ve got a deal,” he said urgently as he held out his hand.

Patty placed a long white cigarette between her son’s fingers and told him to put it in his mouth and she’d light it for him.

“Let me light it Mom.”

“OK.  But be careful.  I don’t want you to get burned.”

“Thanks,” squealed Sam as he took the long white cigarette from his mother’s hand.  “How do I look?” he asked as he took puff and exhaled it without inhaling.

Patty shook her head and smiled, as she gave her son a once over.  “You look like a boy who is very excited,” she said as she stared down at her son’s tented skirt.

Danny’s face shifted gears from excited to ashamed as he followed his mother’s gaze.

“It’s okay baby.  It’s nothing to be ashamed of.  It just means you’re having a good time?”

Sam blushed and nodded his head.  “Do I look like you,” he asked?

“Very much so, especially when I was younger.  I can’t believe how much older you look.  I don’t know if it’s the clothes or the cigarette.”

Sam turned to look at himself in the mirror.  “I look so pretty!” he squealed as he twirled around in his mother’s dress.

“That wig looks great on you,” said Patty.  “And your breasts,” she exclaimed!  “They look so real.”

“Can I show Daddy now?”

*****

“Look at me Daddy!”

Jim Bronson dropped the TV’s remote control to his lap and gawked as his twelve year old son pranced and twirled around the living room in his wife’s clothes.  “He’s smoking Patty!  Did you give him a cigarette?”

“It’s okay sweetie,” said Patty as her hands came to rest on her husband’s shoulder.  “He’s just playing.  I told him he couldn’t inhale.”

“How do I look Daddy,” asked Sam as he struck a runway pose in front of the TV.

“Like a woman,” said Jim Bronson.  “Are you sure you want to do this Sam?  It’s not too late to change into another costume.

“I can’t,” said Sam.  “Tim’s coming over and he’s supposed to be my baby.  It won’t look right if I change costumes.”

“Your cousin is going to be a baby,” asked Jim.

“Yeah, he’s going to wear a diaper,” said Sam.

Jim shook his head in disbelief.  “And this is okay with your sister, he asked Patty?

“This whole thing is Margie’s idea,” said Patty.  “I think it’s cute,” she added.

Sam crushed out his spent cigarette in the ashtray and asked if it would be okay if he had another.  He wanted Tim to see him smoking like a “real mom” when he came over to get him for trick or treating.

“Sure,” said Patty.  “I’ll get you a pack and lighter and you can carry them in your purse just like I do.”

“Great,” said Sam!

“Just make sure you don’t inhale the smoke from those things.  I don’t want to see you getting hooked liked your mom and your Aunt Margie.”

“Don’t worry Dad.  I won’t,” said Sam.  He was tearing off the cellophane with his false nails when the doorbell rang.  “Don’t let him in until I get it lit,” he shouted!

Jim grumbled something inarticulate as he stood by the door while his son fumbled with his wife’s lighter.

“Okay,” said Sam.  “I’m ready.  You can let him in now.”

Jim pulled open the door.

“Trick or treat!” shouted Tim, as he held out a large canvas bag.

“Hi Jim,” said Margie, his sister in law and the mother of the over sized baby.  Jim liked Margie.  It was her husband who had set him up in a job after he had lost his back in Birmingham.  They were the reason they had moved to Anniston in the first place.  Margie had insisted they buy a home in their neighborhood.  It was more than Jim could afford, but Margie and Leo had helped with the down payment.  Margie said it was a small price to pay for being close to her sister.

The job with Leo wasn’t much, but it was better than being unemployed.  Besides it was meant to be temporary.  Jim could look for a better job while he worked for Leo.

“Hey Margie.  How’s it going Tim?  Wow!  Love your costume, I guess.  Come on in.  Sam’s all ready.  And I guess you and Patty are going to want to take some pictures.”

“Sam!  Is that you,” asked Margie as she stepped through the door.

“Hi Aunt Margie.  How do I look?”

Before Margie could answer, she felt a tug on her arm.

“Look Mom.  Sam is smoking, just like you and Aunt Patty.”

“I see that honey.  So Patty, when did Sam start smoking?  By the way Sammy, you look wonderful.  I swear honey, if I didn’t already know it was you, I wouldn’t have had a clue”.

Sam beamed and took a pretend puff from his lit cigarette.

“He’s not really smoking,” said Patty reassuringly.  “Its just for show.  I told him not to inhale.”

“Oh,” said Margie.  “That’s okay then.  What do you say we get some pictures and let these two get on their way while the night is still young?”

“Great idea.  I’ll get my camera,” said Patty.

*****

“How come you keep staring at me?” asked Sam as they walked across the lawn to the to the Bannister’s house.

“I don’t know,” said Tim.  “Its just that you look so real.  You really look like a girl.”

Sam pulled on his cigarette and blew out the smoke.  “You really think so?”

“Yeah man.  You’re mom did a great job on your make up.  You look so pretty and everything.”

“Thanks,” said Sam.  “Do I really look like a mom?”

Tim shook his head as he stepped over a short tree stump.  “No.  Not really.  But you look a lot older.  You look like a teenager.”

Sam pouted in the darkness.

“What’s wrong with that,” asked Tim?

“I don’t know.  Nothing I guess.”

“At least people won’t know who you are dressed like that.  Everyone is going to know who I am.”

Sam laughed as he blew out the smoke.  “No one knows me any way.  I just moved here.  Remember?”

“Yeah,” said Tim.  “I sure wish your mom and dad would let you go to school with me.  You’d like public school.”

“Maybe, but I like home school too.  Less home work and more time to goof off.”

They climbed the steps to the Bannister’s porch and Sam stood behind Tim as he pushed the doorbell.

“Trick or treat,” chimed the boys in unison as Mrs. Bannister opened the door.

Mrs. Bannister clutched her heart in mock surprise as she stood in the doorframe holding a bowl of Snickers.  “Your costume is darling Timmy,” she said as she dropped two candy bars into his canvas bag.  “And who is this?  I know you don’t have a big sister.”

“This is Sam my cousin.”

“Well its nice to meet you Samantha.  Do you live around here?”

Sam disregarded the feminine moniker.  He didn’t know if Mrs. Bannister knew he was a boy or was just playing along.  “We just moved in down the street.”

 “It’s a pleasure to meet you Samantha.  I’m Joyce Bannister.  I see you’re smoking so I know you’re a little old for trick or treat, but would you like a Snicker bar too?”

“Sure,” said Sam as he balanced his purse on his shoulder and held out his bag.  Once again, he wasn’t sure whether or not Mrs. Bannister was kidding with him.  The cigarette was just a prop- a gag.  He wasn’t really a smoker.

“It looks like you came prepared,” said Joyce as she dropped two candy bars into his bag.  “You might as well get something for looking after little Timmy.  That’s very sweet of you.  Most young girls would rather be on dates with their boyfriends than taking their little cousins trick or treating.”

“That’s okay,” giggled Sam, playing along.  “I don’t have a boyfriend.”

Joyce smiled.  “I’d say that’s a short term problem, looking the way you do.  I’d be willing to bet the boys in this neighborhood will be knocking down your door when they find out you’ve moved in.”

Sam blushed as the candy bag fell against his skirted thigh.  “Thanks ma’am,” he said as he turned and stepped off the porch.

“Why didn’t you say something when she thought you were a girl,” asked Tim?

“She didn’t think I was a girl.  She was just playing.  It’s Halloween.”

“Dude.  She didn’t think it was a costume.  She thought you were a real girl cuz face it man.  You look like a girl.”

“Lets just hit some more houses and forget about it,” said Sam as he reached in his mother’s purse and pulled out the pack of Virginia Slims.

“Hey man, can I try one of those.”

“Forget it Tim.  You don’t smoke.  Your mom would kill me.”

“You don’t smoke either.”

“Tonight I do,” said Sam as he purposely inhaled a lungful of smoke.

Tim watched as Sam clutched his chest and doubled over in a coughing fit.

“Dude!  Are you all right?

Sam wiped the moisture from his eyes and composed himself.  He cleared his throat.  “Yeah, I guess so.  My mom was right about that inhaling.  It really hurts.”

“So why did you do it, if you knew it was going to hurt.”

“I don’t know.  Just to see if I could.  If she can do it then so can I.”

“Maybe you should just stick to pretending,” offered Tim.

“Uh-uh.  I can do it.  Watch,” he said as filled his lungs with smoke again.

Tim nodded in appreciation as his friend blew out a thick cone of smoke.

“Wow.  That’s pretty good.  That’s just like my mom does it.  Try it again.”  

*****

Several hours later they made their way back to Sam’s house with their bags sagging from the weight of their candy haul.

Tim swung his bag back and forth as they trudged down the street, thinking the forward momentum of the bag might propel his tired body faster down the street.

A group of kids approached them from down the street.  Their deep voices could be heard but neither Sam nor Tim could make them out in the darkness.

“Look at the baby,” said one of them.

“That’s Tim Tabor,” said another one.  “Hey Tim!  Cool costume.  Who’s your friend?”

Tim elbowed Sam in the ribs and whispered.  “That’s David Nelson the football player.”

David Nelson was the star linebacker for the undefeated Wild Cats.  He was 16 and a junior.

“Hey guys,” said Tim.  “I didn’t know you guys still trick or treated.”

“We’re not,” said David.  “We’re just out making sure no perverts mess with the kids.  You haven’t seen anyone strange hanging around, have you?”

Sam spoke up.  “No.  Everything was cool.  How about you guys?  Did you see anyone weird?”

David shook his head.  “So what’s your name?  I haven’t seen you around.  You don’t go to Shiloh, do you?”

“No.  I go to home school.  Tim’s my cousin.  I’m Samantha Bronson,” he said as he pulled the pack of Virginia Slims from his mother’s purse.

“Here.  Let me get that for you,” said David as he fished a lighter from his pocket.

“Thanks,” said Sam as he accepted the older boy’s light.  He inhaled the smoke as if he were a she and had been smoking for many years.  He wondered if maybe he shouldn’t have told the truth about who he was.  But these kids were big, and they knew Tim.  He didn’t think wanted guys like this to know he was really a boy.  If Tim was right about the Bannister lady thinking he was a girl, then maybe these boys would think the same thing.

“My mom smokes the same brand as you,” said David.  “I hate it when girls smoke Marlboros and Camels.”

“Oh,” said Sam, as he purposely exhaled in the linebacker’s direction, hoping it would bother the older boy.  “Does it bother you when girls smoke?”

“No…no,” stuttered David nervously.  “I didn’t mean it like that.  I was talking about when girls smoke guy cigarettes.  You know.  It doesn’t look right.  I wasn’t talking about your cigarettes.  Those are sexy.”  He blushed.  “I didn’t mean it like that.  Shit.  I’m sorry.  I don’t know what I’m trying to say.”

“That’s okay,” said Sam, who was feeling every bit as nervous and awkward as the linebacker.  “I think I know what you mean and I’ll take it as a compliment.”  What else could he say?  At least the guy was falling for the girl routine.  He just hadn’t expected an athlete like David would be interested in a girl that smoked.

“Hey Samantha,” said Tim.  “It’s getting kind of late, don’t you think we ought to be getting back.”

Dave put his big hand on Tim’s head and mussed his hair.  “I got a good idea squirt.  How about Chuckie and the guys take you home and I’ll walk Samantha by the park and drop her back off in an hour.  What do you say?”

“I don’t know Dave.”

“Come on squirt.  You know me.  She’ll be safe.”  He turned to Sam.  “What do you say Samantha?  Want to take a walk with me?”

Sam shrugged his shoulders in a feminine way and exhaled a plume of smoke in the night air.  “Okay.”  He avoided eye contact with Tim as he handed over his bag of candy.  “You can have all my Milk Duds,” he said, as if that would make things better.

“Yeah, okay,” said Tim as he took the bag.  “What do you want me to tell your mom?”

“Just tell her she’s with me.  You know me.  I’m not a bad guy.”

“Okay, grinned Tim.  “I will.”

Sam flashed him a look that pleaded for a better explanation as Dave took his free hand and pulled him down the street toward the park.

*****

Jim answered the phone on the second ring.  “It’s a woman named Joyce Bannister for you.  I guess she’s a neighbor or something” he said as held out the phone to his wife.

Patty shrugged and took the phone.  “Hi Joyce.  This is Patty Bronson.  What can I do for you?”

“I just wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood and tell you that I met Sam”.

“Did you like the costume,” asked Patty?

“Costume?  What was she supposed to be?”

“A Mom.  And Tim was a baby.”

“That explains the older looking clothes,” exclaimed Joyce!  “I was wondering about that.  Any way, do you think Sam could baby sit for my husband and I tomorrow night.  Baby sitters are so hard to find, and when I met your Sam, I just couldn’t resist asking.”

“You want Sam to baby sit?  I don’t know.  Are you sure?”

“I know she smokes, but that isn’t a problem,” said Joyce.  “Frank and I are both smokers too, so Todd won’t mind.”

“I see,” said Patty.  Well I’ll tell Sam you called and have him get back to you tonight.  Okay?”

“Thanks Patty.  I owe you one.”

Patty raised a brow as she hung up the phone.

“What was that about,” asked Jim?

“I guess she met Tim and Sam while they were out trick or treating and I’m not sure, but I think she thinks Sam is our daughter.  She wants Sam to baby sit for her and her husband tomorrow night.”

“As a girl,” asked Jim?

Patty nodded and lit another cigarette.  “She even thinks he smokes, or I mean she thinks she smokes.”

“Why didn’t you set her straight,” asked Jim?

“I don’t know.  I didn’t know if I should.  After what Tim said about that football player, I’m not sure if we should do anything right away.”

“Of course we should,” said Jim.  “We can’t let people think our son is a girl, especially a teenage girl.  He’s only 12 for crying out loud.  And I knew that was a bad idea about the cigarettes.  You and Margie should have known too.  It’s just plain wrong for a 12 year old boy to be walking around smoking cigarettes!”

“It’s not like he’s inhaling.  He’s just play smoking Jim.”

“Well what if he isn’t?  What if he’s doing it for real?  Did you stop to think about that?  You know how addictive smoking is?  Not that I mind you smoking, but you couldn’t quit if your life depended on it.”

“Right now I think smoking is the least of our problems.  We don’t even know if it’s a problem, so we’ll just deal with it if it is.  Right now we have to figure out how to get Sam out of this mess.”

“That’s easy,” said Jim, throwing his arms in the air.  “Just call that Bannister woman back up and tell her that Sam is a boy.”

“But if we do that,” argued Patty, “the secret might get back to that David Nelson boy.”

“What?  You want him thinking our son is a girl?”

“I didn’t say that.  But Margie and I talked about this in the kitchen.  I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to upset you, but I think we need to consider Margie’s idea.”

“Oh?  And what’s her big idea.  Does she want us to turn our son into a girl?”

“Not exactly, but kind of, at least temporarily until we can straighten this mess out on our own terms, in a way that won’t get Sammy hurt.”

“Okay.  I’m listening.  I’m upset but I’m listening.  I just don’t see what’s so complicated about telling the truth.  It’s not like Sam tried to trick people into believinge he was a girl.  You heard Tim say that.  It was just a misunderstanding.  People will probably think its funny and the whole thing will blow over.”

“Margie doesn’t think it will blow over and neither do I.  If that boy Sam is with finds out Sam is really a boy, he might hurt Sam.  Wouldn’t you be angry if you were that boy?  What happens if that boy tries to kiss Sam?  It won’t be just a little misunderstanding.  This is a life and death situation.  Margie thinks we need to ease out of the situation and I agree with her.”

“What do you mean by ease out.  Are you saying we should tell the truth gradually?”

“No, nothing like that.  We’ll let Sam be Samantha for a while and then we’ll send her away.”

“Send her where,” asked Jim?  “I mean send him where.”  He slapped his forehead.  “Now I’m getting confused.”

“We just pretend to send him away,” explained Patty.  “We make up some story about ‘Samantha’ going to live with one of my other sisters and then ‘Sam’ can come back.  Don’t you see?  It could work.  People think Samantha is a teenager.  But Sam is just a kid.  People will never put two and two together.”

“And you think people are just going to think our family trades kids like other people trade baseball cards.  I don’t know honey.  That seems a little far fetched.”

“Fine then.  We’ll think of something better to say but we’ll play it the same way.  We can say Samantha left the country for some foreign exchange kind of thing.  It doesn’t matter what we say as long as we act like we’re telling the truth.  It’s not like people are going to be thinking we have a reason to lie about it.  That’s why we have to do it gradually.  Drop hints that Samantha might be leaving and not just make her dissapear over night.”

“Okay.  I think I hear what you’re saying and you’re right.  It makes sense.  We’ll do it that way.  I just hope that David kid doesn’t find out the truth in the mean time.”

*****

“Are you sure my smoking doesn’t bother you?” asked Sam as he held the Virginia Slim to his lips.

“No way,” said David as he offered a light.  “I like it when you smoke.”

Sam giggled girlishly as he playfully blew a puff of smoke in David’s face.

“Do that again,” urged David.

“What?  You liked that?”

“Yeah, I don’t know why but yes.  Do it again.  Please.”

Although he was naïve, Sam realized the effect he was having on the older boy and it made him rather proud to warrant such attention and adoration.  He took another deep puff from the Virginia Slim, inhaled the smoke and gently blew it against the older boy’s face.

David breathed in as he exhaled and Sam couldn’t help but notice the huge bulge in the older boy’s pants.  He’d had quite a few stiffies himself, but nothing like that.  Was it because David was older or was it because the boy was so big?  Although he’d never measured his self, he suspected he was of average size for a boy his age.  David was just on the other end of the scale.

“Are you cold,” asked David?

“Kind of,” said Sam.

David took the answer as an excuse to wrap his arm around the boy’s shoulders.  “Is that better,” he asked?

Sam purred as he snuggled into the older boy’s arms.  He felt oddly content sitting in the park with David.  Nothing was as it should be; yet everything felt wonderful.  He’d never dressed in women’s clothes, smoked a cigarette, or held a boy’s hand until today, but here in the park, sitting with David, he found himself enjoying all three.

Sam took puff from the cigarette and inhaled the smoke deeply while thinking of his mom.  So this is what she feels like when she smokes, he thought.  This feels wonderful.  With his free hand, he pushed the fabric of his skirt against the silky slip while reveling in the exotic friction against the skin of his thigh.  He smiled as he recalled his reflection in his mother’s mirror.  His mom had done bang up job of picking out his clothes and putting on his make-up.  The long blonde wig on his head was the crowning jewel.

He didn’t argue or put up a fight when his mother suggested he dress up as a mom.  After all, it was just a costume and this was Halloween.  At the time it had seemed no different than dressing up like a pirate as he had done last year.  He’d even worn make-up that year.  But tonight was different.  Last year he had dressed as a pirate, but no one thought he was a real pirate and he didn’t feel like a real pirate.  He took a puff from his cigarette and inhaled.  This was different.  He felt like a woman.

Every thing had felt so much different and so much better from the start.  Was it the clothes, the gender, or the perceived aged difference?  Sam didn’t know.  Perhaps it was combination of all three.

Try as she had, his mother had failed to make him look like a mom.  A twelve-year-old boy can’t pass for a woman in her 30s.  But still, he looked older.  Mrs. Bannister, the other neighbors, and even David were convinced he was a teenage girl.  He tapped the ash from his cigarette onto the grass and took another puff.  He had smoked in front of adults all night without getting one negative reaction.  He could never have done that as him self, even if he was a teenager.  He couldn’t say why but smoking seemed more acceptable for girls.

He was confused by the stiffness in his penis.  He was excited beyond belief.  Was it the situation or was it David?  The older boy was definitely good looking as far as boys were concerned.  He was something of a local hero and any girl would be thrilled to be on the receiving end of his attention.  He could understand a girl’s attraction for such a guy, even though that wasn’t what he was feeling now.  David was nice but Sam didn’t like him that way, not the way a girl likes a boy or a boy likes a girl.  But he loved being liked by David.  It made him feel special.  And that was it, thought Sam.

He took a puff from the Virginia Slim and exhaled a plume of smoke into the darkness.  I feel special and I love it.  For the first time in my life I feel special because people notice me.  Every one likes me as Samantha.  I like Samantha, he thought.

*****

It was almost ten o’clock when David walked him up to his parent’s mailbox.

“Thanks David.  I had a good time tonight.”

“Let me walk you to the door.”

“That’s okay.  I can make it from here.”

David disregarded him, took him by the hand, and led him up the driveway.

Although Sam had never been on a date before he knew he’d be expected to do something when they got to the porch.  Would David try to kiss him?  What if he tried to kiss him on the lips?  Yuck!  Maybe he should do something first, like shake hands.  But that would be rude and almost mean.  David would think he, or rather Samantha didn’t like him and he didn’t want to hurt the older boy’s feelings.  But he didn’t want to lead him on either, and he certainly didn’t want to be kissed by another boy on the lips.  That would be just too gross.  I’ll kiss him on the cheek.  That should do it.  If I kiss him first like that then he won’t try to kiss me.

*****

“Get away from the window Jim, or they’ll see you,” said Patty.

“And you don’t think they’ll see you?”

“I’m not moving the curtains.”

*****

David closed his eyes and held his breath as Samantha’s soft lips brushed against his cheek.

Sam giggled girlishly and wiped at his face with a finger moistened by saliva.  “I got lipstick on you.”

*****

“He kissed him,” said Jim!

“Shhh!  It was just a cheek,” said Patty.  “It doesn’t mean anything.  In fact it was pretty smart.  Now he won’t try to kiss Sam on the mouth.”

“Oh my God!  Did you see that,” asked Jim?

*****

David couldn’t let the night end like that.  He’d never kissed a girl that smoked and he had to know what it was like.  And Samantha was like no other girl he’d ever known.  She knew every thing about sports and football.  She was a dream come true.  He wrapped her up in his arms and pulled her in.

David’s sudden movement took Sam by surprise.  He fell forward into the older boy’s arms.  The next thing he knew, his mouth was being penetrated by David’s tongue.  He tried to push away, but the Wild Cat’s linebacker was too strong.  There was nothing to do but surrender himself to the older boy’s kiss.

David ravaged Samantha’s smoky mouth with his tongue as he grinded his erect penis against the small boy’s hips.  He wanted her more than he had wanted any girl in his life.  It was as if she’d cast a love spell on him from which he’d never recover.

Sam completely forgot he was kissing a boy.  He just knew that whatever was happening felt good.  His hands tightened around the linebacker’s hips and his tongue roamed joyfully inside the other boy’s mouth.  His left leg bent at the knee.

*****

“What’s he doing?  Is he kissing him back?  Why doesn’t he try to get away?”

“I don’t know,” said Patty.  “I don’t know.”

*****

They might have kept kissing if the front door hadn’t opened.

There was the sound of his father’s voice, clearing his throat, followed by his name.  “Sam”.

“Hi Daddy,” said Sam as he wiped David’s kiss from his mouth.

“Uh Mr. Bronson,” said David.  “I’m David Nelson,” he said, extending his hand.

Jim Bronson wanted to scream at the big kid or at least kick him in the balls, but he felt his wife’s hand on his shoulder, holding him back.  He reached out and shook the young man’s hand.  “Jim Bronson,” he said.

“Hi dear,” said Patty, from behind her husband.  “Would you like to invite your friend in?”

Before Sam had a chance to offer, David ended the uncomfortable altercation by saying he needed to get back home.

“I’ll call you later,” he said.

“Okay,” squeaked Sam nervously.

David was about to walk down the stairs when he turned around and said, “I forgot.  I don’t have your number.”

“You can get it from information.  I called 411 today and they have us listed.”

David smiled graciously.  “Thanks.”

“It’s late Sam.  Come inside now,” said Jim as he pulled his son inside and closed the door.  “We need to talk about what happened tonight.  Oh my God!  Look at your make-up.  It’s all smeared.  What were you doing in the park with that boy?  And you smell like a smoke stack!  How much did you smoke tonight?  Are you inhaling?  Do you think you’re addicted?”

“I don’t know Dad.  Please stop.  I don’t know.”

“Stop it Jim,” said Patty as she pulled Sam away from her husband and into her own arms.  “Can’t you see he’s in shock?  This can wait until after he gets out of his costume and takes off his make up.”

“It’s not a costume,” said Jim.  “It’s a dress.”

“It’s a skirt and blouse,” corrected Patty, as she led her son upstairs to change.

*****

“It’s okay baby.  Every thing is going to be okay,” said Patty as she removed the make-up from her son’s face with a baby wipe.

“I kissed a boy,” cried Sam.

“He kissed you,” said Patty.  “I saw what happened from the window.”

“But I kissed him back Mom.  At least I think I did.”

“You did whatever you had to do,” said Patty as she lit a cigarette.  “Your father and I know that every thing that happened tonight was an accident.  It wasn’t your fault.  It was my fault, your Aunt Margie’s and mine.  I never should have listened to her when she said you should dress up like a mom.”

Sam couldn’t hold back the tears any longer and they rained from his eyes like a summer thunderstorm.

“I smoked too Mom.  You told me not to inhale and I did it anyway.  I smoked the whole pack!  I’m so sorry Mom.  I’m sorry about everything,” he wailed.

“I’m sorry too sweetheart.  Here,” she said as she put her freshly lit cigarette between his fingers.  “You look like you could use this.  It will help calm you down.”

“But Mom,” cried Sam.  “I can’t.”

“From what I can tell, you can and you did.  Just smoke it and when you feel better we’ll go down stairs and talk to your father.  We’ll straighten every thing out.  It will all be okay.  You’ll see.”

Sam plunged the cigarette between his lips and drew his cheeks tight.

Patty watched solemnly with a heavy heart as her son’s chest expanded to receive the smoke.  As he chained it, she knew the truth, her son was every bit as addicted to cigarettes as she was.  Sam was a smoker now.  She and Jim, and everyone else would have to accept that fact.

She pulled a fresh pack of Virginia Slims and a lighter from her purse and put them on her son’s lap.  “You’re going to need these now.”

As upset as he was, his penis stiffened under his robe at the site of the Virginia Slims.  Was his mother giving him permission to smoke?  What would his dad say?

*****

Alex Nelson beamed as his son described his encounter with the young the Bronson girl.  As rough and tough as Dave was, Alex had good reason to question his son’s sexuality.  There had been some costly and embarrassing incidents along the way.  And now suddenly, it appeared that Dave was taking a turn down the straight and narrow.  The fact, that the girl smoked, didn’t surprise him.  He was well aware of his son’s smoking fetish.  Unfortunately he feared it applied to boys as well as girls.

“I’ve never seen you so excited about a girl before.”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you Dad.  Samantha’s not just any girl.  She’s different.  She likes sports and everything.  She’s so cool.

“We’d like to meet her,” said David’s mother, Julie.  “What about that company picnic next weekend your father is throwing?  Maybe you could invite Samantha and her family.  Your father and I would love to meet them.”

“That’s a great idea,” said Alex.  What did you say her father’s name is?”

*****

“Here baby.  Let Mommy light that for you,” said Patty as she clutched her own lit cigarette between her teeth.

Jim sat across from them in a chair, holding his head in his hands as his 12-year-old son chain-smoked Virginia Slims with his wife.  This can’t be happening, he thought.  But it is.

“We’ll call Mrs. Bannister in the morning and tell her you’ll baby sit for her and then I’ll take you shopping at the mall for some clothes.”

“My God Patty.  I’m not made of money.  The situation with the job has really tightened things, so keep that in mind when you’re using the credit card.  I know we have to do this for a month or two, but lets not go over board.  Remember.  Samantha is just visiting.  Sam is coming back.”

“Will I have to quit smoking when I’m boy again,” asked Sam?

“I wish you would,” said Patty sorrowfully, “but I know you probably won’t.  It’s almost impossible to quit after you start.  But I’ll tell you what.  When you go back to being Sam, we can get you some Marlboros or something more masculine.  How does that sound?

“I guess that’s good,” said Sam.  “I just feel so weird smoking in boy’s clothes.  It looks kind of funny.  Doesn’t it?”

“It’s not funny,” said Jim.  “Believe me son.  No one is laughing.”

*****

“Are you sure I look okay Mom.  I mean the sun’s out and it isn’t dark.  People are going to get a good look at me this time.”

“I know,” said Patty as she backed the car down the driveway.  “That’s why we plucked your eyebrows and gave you a good shaving.  You look beautiful sweetheart.  Everyone who looks at you is going to see exactly what I see, a beautiful, sweet 16 year old girl.  So how do you feel about this?  Your entire life has been turned upside down.  I think you’re very brave and I’m extremely proud of you.”

“My eyebrows hurt and my legs are raw,” said Sam.

“That’s not what I meant and you know it,” said Patty as she took a cigarette from her pack of Virginia Slims and offered the pack to Sam.

“I got my own,” said Sam as he patted his purse.  “Remember?”

Patty exhaled a lungful of smoke.  “How can I forget?  I’ll blame my self for as long as I live.”

“Don’t say that Mom.  It’s not that bad.  As a matter of fact, I really like it a lot.  I always wondered why you smoked and now I know.  I just wish it didn’t bother Dad so much.”

“Don’t worry about your father.  He’ll get used to it.  My dad was the same way when I started smoking.  Your father just has a lot on his mind with the job and finances.  This is difficult time for all of us, but especially for you.  You’re the one I’m worried about.”

“Oh yeah?  I thought you said I look like a girl.  Do you think people will be able to tell?”

“No sweetie.  That’s not what I’m worried about.  I’m thinking about last night when I was helping you get dressed.  You looked so happy.  And then there was you and that boy David.  I know he kissed you.  I saw that.  But I also saw you kiss him back.  I’m just afraid you might really like being a girl.”

Sam looked away from his mom and stared out the side window.  “It’s not like you’re thinking.  It’s not like that at all.”

“Then how is it really?  You tell me.  Tell me and I’ll do anything I can to help.”

Sam took a deep drag from his cigarette and composed his thoughts.  “I like dressing and smoking like a girl.  I think its awesome mom.  When you and dad told me I’d have to live and dress like a girl for a month or two, well…I was really happy when you told me.”

“Then this is what you want?  You want to be a girl?”

“I don’t know Mom.  Maybe.  I’m not sure.  I just know I like to wear the clothes and look pretty.  I liked how people looked at me last night, like I existed.  People aren’t that nice to me when I’m a guy.  It’s like I’m invisible.  But last night they saw me and they liked me.  That was so great.”

“What about Dave?  Do you like him like as a boyfriend?”

“If you’re asking if I liked kissing him then I don’t know what to tell you.  I don’t like guys Mom.  I’m not gay.  It grossed me out when he first kissed me.  But then I kind of liked it.  Do you think that means I’m gay?”

“I don’t know sweetie.  Before last night, do you think you liked girls?”

“Well yeah, I thought I did.  I never kissed one before but I thought about it a lot.”

“So why do you think you were so happy about wearing my clothes for Halloween last night?”

Sam looked away without answering.

“It’s okay.  You don’t have to be ashamed.  We can talk about anything.”

Sam tapped an ash from his cigarette into the car’s ashtray.  “I liked the way your clothes felt.  It’s the silky stuff I guess.  It feels good on my penis.  That and I liked it when I smoked.  I just really like dressing up and smoking.”

“It excites you,” asked Patty?

Sam nodded.

“And there’s nothing else?  You didn’t think Dave was cute?”

“I mean he’s not ugly but he’s not cute like a girl.”

“I see.”

“What,” asked Sam?

“It just sounds to me like you’re a cross-dresser.  That’s all.  It means you’re probably not gay.  You just like pretending to be a girl.”

“That’s good then?  Right?”

“Sure,” said Patty, as she put her cigarette out in the car’s ashtray.

“Then why do you look so worried?”

“I’m just afraid that after living as a girl for a couple months and liking it the way you do, that it might be hard for you to go back to being a boy.”

“Are you saying I’d be better off as a girl?”

“I don’t know.  You’re the only one that can answer that question.  It’s what you said about feeling invisible as a boy but feeling appreciated as a girl.  I’ve noticed that about you too.”

“David really noticed me last night.”

“He did?”

“Yeah, I know I don’t like boys, but I liked the way he treated me.  It was like I was the whole world and nothing else mattered to him- just me.”

Patty smiled and lit another cigarette.  “I know what you mean.  You’re father made me feel like that when we were dating.  I felt so safe and loved when he held me.  He opened doors for me and lit my cigarettes.”

“David lit my cigarettes last night,” interjected Sam.  He took a final puff from his cigarette out and put out in the ashtray beside his mother’s.

“He’s a gentleman,” stated Patty.  “So how did that make you feel?”

“Important,” said Sam.  “It also made me feel kind of sexy.”

“Uh-huh,” grunted Patty knowingly.  “A lot of guys think it’s sexy when girls smoke.  You do, don’t you?”

“Yeah I do.  Does that make me weird?”

“Not at all sweetie.  It just makes you a normal guy.  If men didn’t think women were sexy when they smoke then women would never smoke.”

Sam nodded in agreement as he lit another cigarette.  “That makes sense.  The weird thing for me is that I feel like I’m turning into the kind of girl that always turned me on.”

“You are,” said Patty.  “And you’re the kind of girl that’s going to turn other guys on, guys like David Nelson.”

Sam sighed.  “We’re not going to talk about David again, are we?”

“Not if you don’t want to.  I just want you to enjoy being a girl for as long as you are one.”

Sam exhaled through his smile.  “I am enjoying it Mom.”

“Good!  And I want you to keep an open mind about everything that goes along with being a girl.”

“Everything?”

His question surprised her.  “Yes, I suppose.  But what do you mean by ‘everything’?”

“It’s just that before yesterday, I was a regular 12 year old boy.  I played soccer.  I didn’t smoke.  I didn’t wear girl clothes and I certainly didn’t kiss boys.  And now…”

“And now you do all those things you never did as a 12 year old boy.”

“Yes, and…”

“And now you’re wondering if you’re father and I are really going to treat you as if you were our 16 year old daughter or our 12 year old son?”

“Yeah Mom.  That’s kind of it.”

“Your father might be right about Sam coming back, but until he does, we have a sixteen year old daughter named Samantha Bronson.  We will treat you as our mature teenage daughter for as long as you are our daughter.  Does that answer your question?”

Sam nodded.  “But what about later, when Samantha goes away and Sam comes back?  What about then?”

“When that happens we’ll need to make some adjustments.”

“What kind of adjustments?”

“For starters, you’ll be a twelve year old boy again so you won’t be able to smoke in public the way you do now.”

“But last night, you said I wouldn’t have to quit.”

“I didn’t say that exactly.  What I meant to say is that you probably won’t be able to quit, because you’re addicted, like I am.  You’ll be able to smoke at home but I don’t think it would be a good idea for people to see you smoking as Sam, not at your age.  You understand that don’t you?”

“Yeah, I guess so.  What about the clothes I’m going to get?  Can I keep them and still wear them?  You know, just around the house?”

“I don’t know honey.  We’ll talk about it, but I don’t think so.  You’re father and I discussed that last night and we think it might get in the way of your leading a normal life.”

“Why?”

“Think about it.  What would happen if someone walked in and saw you dressed like Samantha?  We can’t take a chance like that.  This is a one-time fix.  We have to get it right the first time.  And there’s the rest of your life to think of.  What happens when you grow up and get married?  Maybe you’ll find a woman who can accept your cross-dressing, but chances are that you won’t.  These are the kinds of things that destroy marriages.”

*****

“It’s that detective Henry Peterson for you on line one Mr. Nelson.”

“Thanks Jean.  I’ll take it in my office.”

Alex Nelson sat down at his desk and picked up the handset.  He was accustomed to talking on speaker, but felt this call required privacy and discretion.

“Hi Henry.  Did you dig up any thing on Jim Bronson?”

“He’s not in the witness protection program if that’s what you were hoping for.  He’s just broke and down on his luck.  Lost his job and house in Birmingham and took a job working for his brother in law.  As a matter of fact, the brother in law helped him buy the house.”

“I see,” said Alex.  “What kind of work does he do?”

“The guy was in software sales.  That whole industry took a nose dive a couple years back.  A lot of guys are in his position.”

“You mentioned a brother in law.  What’s the man’s name.”

“Leo Tabor.  The guy owns a saw mill.”

“Yes.  I know him.  Our bank holds both mortgages on his mill.  What about the daughter?  Did any thing turn up on her?”

“That’s just it Mr. Nelson.  Jim and Patty Bronson don’t have a 16 year old daughter named Samantha.”

“They don’t.”

“No sir.  They have a 12 year old son named Sam.”

“Thanks Henry.  That will be all.  I’ll mail you a check right away.”

*****

“Well don’t just stand on the porch Samantha.  Come inside,” said Joyce Bannister in a cheerful voice.  “I’m so glad you could baby sit on such short notice.  This is Todd and the man trying to strangle him self with the necktie is my husband, Frank.”

Sam said hello and Frank waved back.

“Hi Todd.  Oh my gosh!  You’re so big for your age.  How old did you say you were?”

Todd held up four fingers and turned to his mother.  “She sure is pretty Mommy.”

*****

Sam woke up the next morning with a big grin to go along with his morning wood.  He was in love with the long blue silky nightgown his mother had bought for him at the thrift store the day before.  He groaned with pleasure as he touched him self through the silk.  He looked over at his nightstand and spied his pack of Virginia Slims.  Why not, he thought.  After all, he’d been thinking of almost nothing else.

He sat up in bed and fluffed his pillows against the headboard.  This is so cool, he thought as he lit his first cigarette of the day.  With the smoldering cigarette clutched between his teeth, he held the pack of Virginia Slims in one hand and his silk encased penis in the other.

Unbelievable, he thought.  I’m not doing anything wrong.  These are my cigarettes and my nightgown.  They belong to me because my parents bought them for me.  I’m a smoker now, just like my mom.  And I can wear the kinds of clothes she does- girl clothes.  It’s not my fault.  He felt no guilt as he climaxed against the silk.

*****

Sam threw on some jeans and t-shirt, grabbed his cigarettes and went down stairs to have breakfast with his family before his father went to work.  Afterwards, he and his mom would do some schoolwork and then she was going to show him how to put on his own make-up.

His father was perched at the kitchen table behind a newspaper.  He lowered it just long enough to say good morning to his son.

“How did you sleep dear,” asked Patty?

“Great Mom.  I love that nightgown you bought me.”

“Then why aren’t you wearing it now?” asked his father from behind the paper.

“I don’t know,” said Sam.  “Why aren’t you wearing your pajamas from last night?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” asked Jim as he folded his paper and laid it on the table beside his finished plate of bacon and eggs.

Sam shrugged.  “Nothing I guess.  I just took it off when I woke up.  That’s all.”  He thanked his mom for the orange juice as she placed the glass in front of him and sat down with a cup of coffee.

Patty lit a cigarette and Sam followed her lead.  The kitchen filled with the smell of smoke and the sound of "girl talk".

Jim glared at his 12 year old son laughing it up and filling his lungs with smoke.  It wasn't right.  Smoking is an adult habit.  At least that's what his mother told him when she had caught him so many years ago, when he was Sam's age.  The indiscretion had cost him a month in the house.  And here sat his son, smoking it up.  It wasn't right.  It wasn't fair.

He rattled his paper and laid it on the table.  "Do you have to smoke dressed like that?" he asked harshly.

"What's wrong Jim," asked Patty?

"What's wrong?  You can sit there next to him and ask me what's wrong?  He's 12 years old Patty!  He's sitting there smoking with you as big as he pleases.  That's what's wrong!  I know he has to do this girl thing for a while.  And I know he's addicted to cigarettes and we have to work around that.  But I don't see a girl Patty.  I see our son.  He's dressed like a boy and he's smoking a cigarette.  I just can't take that.  If he's going to smoke around me then I want him dressed like a girl.  Is that too much to ask?"

The kitchen got quiet and Sam put out his cigarette.

"I'm sorry Dad.  I wasn't thinking.  I'll do better next time."

*****

Jim was putting on his hard hat when Leo, his brother in-law placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Sorry I'm late," said Jim.  "Things at the house are just crazy right now."

"I know," said Leo.  "Margie and Tim told me what happened with Halloween.  If its any consolation, I think you're doing the right thing under the circumstances."

Jim shook his head in angst.  "It sucks Leo.  It really sucks."

Leo nodded and his hand from Jim's shoulder to his elbow and led him off to the side where the other employees couldn't hear their conversation.  "And it will probably get worse before it gets better.  I've got to ask you a favor and you're not going to like it."

"Any thing Leo.  Just ask.  I owe you my life."

Leo sighed.  "It's about Sam and that David Nelson boy.  You see his father is Alex Nelson.  He's the president of the bank where I have my loan and he's a very powerful man in this town.  He can make me or break me."

"Say no more Leo.  I know where this is going.  Sam doesn't even like boys.  He's not gay.  This entire thing is a misunderstanding.  I'll talk to him when I get home and I'll tell him to stay at least two miles away from the Nelson boy."

"I wish it were that easy," said Leo.  "Alex Nelson called me this morning.  Apparently his son David is enamored with Sam."

"We're calling him Samantha while this is going on."

"Okay, then.  David is enamored with Samantha."

"That's not good," said Jim sullenly.  "The last thing I wanted to do was drag you into this Leo."

"I understand and that's why I need this favor.  Alex is throwing a party for all the bank customers this weekend and of course I'm invited.  He invites me every year but I never go.  It's at the country club.  But this morning he called and invited me personally.  And he also said in a round about way that it would behoove me if you and your family were there too."

"Oh shit!"

"My feelings exactly," said Leo.  "I can only guess how hard this all is for you and I wouldn't ask if I didn't feel it was absolutely necessary, but I'll still understand if you don't want to do it."

"No Leo.  We'll be there.  I won't let you down."

*****

To Be Continued

 

  since 2/02/06