Tug of War 9

That afternoon, when Timothy got home, he told his stepmother everything that had happened at school. 

"Oh, Timmy, I'm so, so sorry! I didn't think that my silly idea would put you in such a hard situation. I will totally understand if you decide to give up." 

Timothy thought about it for a while. If he did so, he was sure that his father would turn his life into a hell, especially knowing that he had lied about this "curiosity about being a girl" thing.

"I can't give up, Susan" he said. 

"Are you sure?" she asked, pretending that she was unsure about that.

"Yeah. I think we just should be more careful from now on."

"If you think this is the best for you... I'm just here to help, you know… But if you want to keep this charade, I think it's time to take the next step."

"N-next step?" Timothy asked, afraid. "What does that exactly mean?" 

"Just trust me. Let's see how much of this your beloved father can bear." 

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That night, after dinner, Richard and Timothy were sitting in the living room when Susan came in. Like the night before, the man was watching the news while his son was reading some teenage girl's magazine with his hair in a high ponytail, his legs crossed, and his pink toenails on display. 

In fact, Timothy wasn't reading the magazine, but merely pretending he was doing so. Truth be told, he had at least tried to read one of the articles – about the perfect look for a first date – but he thought the reading was so boring and frivolous that he stop it. That was torture! However, he soon realized that his situation would get even worse when he saw Susan approaching with her small pink case. Oh, he knew that case very well!

"Hey, sweetie" the woman said, smiling. "Since you liked so much to have your toenails polished yesterday, I thought that now we could try working a little more your fingernails. What do you think?" 

The boy thought that was a terrible idea. Something as bad as being invited to swim naked on a frozen lake. However, the words that came out of his mouth were very different… "Oh, I would love that, Susan!" he stated, trying to sound excited. 

"Great, sweetie. But first, you have to ask your dad if it's okay for him." 

Timothy then turned to his father, with his face burning shame. "Would you mind if Susan polished my fingernails, daddy?" he asked, pouting with puppy dog eyes. Oh, that was so, so embarrassing… 

"Of course not, sweetheart" Richard said, smirking. "You girls deserve to have some fun, right?"

"You're the best, daddy!"

Susan then began working on the boy's nails. She explained what she was doing all the time, saying it was important for Timothy to pay attention. She got frustrated that his nails were way too short, and told him they would look much more elegant if he let them grow a little bit. Timothy thought there was no way in hell he would do that, but he lied saying that was a fantastic idea. 

At the end, Susan instructed him to keep his fingers apart and not to touch anything. "You can also blow your nails, sweetie" she said. "This way they will dry faster."

That was another extremely feminine act, and Timothy was mortified for being forced to do it in front of his father. It was obvious that the man was having fun at his son’s expense. His eyes were shining in a way that the boy had never seen before, not even when the man was polishing one of his precious guns. 

As if that wasn't enough, a little later Susan had another brilliant inside. "Now how about you do the same for me? Taking care of my nails?" 

"Oh, that sounds like fun!" Timothy said, clapping and forcing a smile. 

Susan guided him throughout the process, teaching him everything he needed to know. "You're doing great for your first attempt, sweetie" she said. "But you need to be a little more delicate. Remember that we girls are gentler than men." 

"Umm… I see." 

"Also..." the woman continued, making the boy shiver. "I think you should change the way you speak and behave a little bit. I can see that you're trying to sound softer, but if you really want to experience how it is to be a girl, you need to try harder. Is that what you really want, right, sweetie?"

"Absolutely, Susan!" Timothy stated. Then, realizing that he hadn't spoken as his stepmother had suggested, he coughed and tried again. "Something like this?" he asked in a higher voice. 

"More or less. Now you're sounding like a cartoon character, but you'll get the hang of it. I'll help you, of course! Let’s try something. I'm going to say a few sentences, and then you try to emulate the way I speak, okay?"   

"O-okay." 

"Oh, I just loove those shoes! They're, like, soo fabulous!" Susan said, sounding very different from her usual speech. Instead of a middle-aged woman, Timothy thought she sounded more like some girly girl from his school. The boy then repeated the sentence, doing his best to emulate her.

"Not bad, sweetie. Let’s try another one. 'What you think about my outfit? Do I look cute in this dress? Does this color match my eyes?'"

Fighting his revulsion, Timothy repeated again. To his own astonishment and horror, he realized he had sounded much better in this second attempt, almost like an authentic female. In truth, his voice had never been as low or imposing as that of his father, but still it was very disturbing to know that he could speak as girl that easily. 

"Fantastic, darling!" Susan clapped. "You're a natural! I really think you made the right choice in deciding to stop pretending you're a boy. It's clear that you are meant to be one of us! Now try to say that: Oh, that guy is, like, so handsome! I would love soo much to be his girlfriend!"

As soon as Timothy repeated it, he realized that someone else hated it even more than he did. His father, who until then seemed to be having fun, was now flushed and breathing heavily. It's working, Timothy thought, delighted. I just have to push a little harder and he’ll give up.

"Thank you soo much, Susan!" the boy exclaimed, with his new girly voice. "You've been so good to me… I definitely love the way I sound now, not to mention what you've done with my nails. Look, daddy. Don't you think that they look just precious?" Timothy asked, extending his hands. 

"Of course, sweetheart" Richard replied, though he could barely hide his annoyance. His whole body was trembling… Timothy thought he would win that game at any moment... But then, to the boy's disappointment, his father showed that he still had the strength to keep fighting. 

"You know what? You must understand that not everything in a woman's life is about having fun. It also involves a lot of hard work! I think you should start helping Susan to perform all household chores. This way, you'll learn how to take care of a house, and maybe someday you’ll be able to be a proper wife for some lucky man."

Timothy's jaw dropped. He just couldn't believe in what he was hearing. The victory seemed so certain just a few seconds ago... 

"I think this is an extraordinary idea, dear" Susan said. "Don't you agree, Timmy?" 

"Umm... Yeah... Absolutely!" he stammered, trying to regain his composure. 

"So it's decided!" Susan stated, triumphantly. "Starting tomorrow morning, you're going to be my pretty little maid!" she added playfully, making the poor boy wide-eyed.