The Girl He Could Be - Part 12

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"What about school? Won’t she try to send Tina to school? They’ll want records from Atlanta first." Patty was familiar with the process. She had gone through it when she moved here from South Carolina three years ago.

Nancy was ready for that one. "We’ll Talk to Sue. She works in the office. We’ll find out what we need to do to get away with it."

Tim had only been listening to this part of the conversation. "I can’t go to school as Tina. I’ll never get away with it." He couldn’t picture himself in the same halls and classrooms that Tim had occupied for over a year, not as Tina. "Someone will know me." 

"Tina, you’ve fooled everyone so far. Trust me, no one will know." Nancy was sure. "Even in church this morning, the minister didn’t even know you."

Nancy was right. Every time he had been so worried, it was for nothing. But there were others to consider. "What about Sue and Pam? Will they go along with it?" Tim had a point. 

Would they? Patty and Nancy looked at each other. "We’ll make her go along. If she even looks as though she’s going to betray your secret, we’ll tell her that we’ll expose her as the one who came up with this plot against you. She’ll be thrown out of school and probably arrested."

Nancy agreed. "I’ve had enough of the way Pam treats people, and it is time to do something about it."

Tim was worried about them. "What if she says that you two were part of the plot. Won’t she get you in trouble, le too?"

They had thought of that. Patty said, very seriously, "Not if she believes we’ll stick together."

They made a pact. "Sisters together!" And then they all laughed for the first time that day. "We'd better get your things together and get over to Jeff’s." Nancy decided. Then a thought occurred to her and she turned to Tina, who was getting his dresses out of Patty’s closet. 

"Tina, I don’t know if I like the idea of one of my girlfriends living with my boyfriend." Tim turned around laughing. "Trust me, Nancy, he’s safe." It did bring another thought to mind. "It’s not going to be easy living in a house with three men and no one who knows my secret."

Patty said the word, but without the conviction in her heart. "Don’t wor, Tina, you’ll do fine."

Tim was really nervous when they arrived at the Brown’s front door. The girls stayed with him as they settled on the sofa in the living room. Only Mr. and Mrs. Brown heard Tina’s tragic story. Tim explained that he had to be honest with them and proceeded to tell the story of his parents' tragic car accident and the horror of the foster home where the man tried to assault him. 

Carol needed to hear no more. Tina was staying with them, and anything his wife insisted on was all right with Mr. Brown. He had grown fond of the girl anyway and needed little convincing. 

"You have a home with us as long as you want it, Tina." He put an end to any further discussion. Tim didn’t like lying, and he wasn’t really relieved that he was believed. He still had to contend with living here as a girl.

Carol had told John on the way home from church that he would have to buy new furniture for Tina’s room. The room had only an old bed. It had been a storeroom for several years since her oldest son had moved out. She was going out to pick out the new furniture in the morning. 

She would go shopping after she dropped Tina at the mall. Carol was thrilled. Tina would be the daughter she had always wanted. She knew she would have to be careful not to smother her with affection, after all, she had only just lost her real mother, and she didn’t want her to resent her for overdoing it. All the same, it was going to be wonderful having her living with them.

Most of the day was spent getting Tina as settled as possible. Nancy and Jeff went off and spent some time together. Jeff didn’t object, although it would be odd having a girl living with them. 

A new little sister to look after and protect might be nice, he admitted to himself. Nancy gave him the same mock warning that she had given to Tina. The only difference was that Jeff didn’t know she was kidding.

Patty left around three. She had been away for several hours, and she still wanted to be there when her Mom and Dad got home. "I’ll pick up Tina from the mall at five and bring her home, Mrs. Brown."

"Thank you, UPatty. That would be a big help. Say hello to your Mom and Dad when they get home. Oh, and ask your Mom to call me when she gets settled later. Tim had almost forgotten about the modeling with everything else that had happened today.

He had looked forward to finishing the course, and it was fun. Well, now he would finish it. Nancy left around five. "I promised Mom I’d be home for dinner today." She told Tim. "I’ll call you tomorrow night."

Tim remembered as she was leaving, "I promised Sandy and Janet that I’d do something with them tomorrow night. Are you going to join us?"

"Sure." Said Nancy as she rushed out the door. "I’ll call Patty and see what she’s up to." As always, in the ‘Brown’ household, it was the women’s job to prepare meals, and Sunday was the biggest dinner of the week here. Carol was delighted to have Tina to help her, and it was an opportunity for them to talk alone. 

The men knew better than to intrude on her in her kitchen. Tim found himself in a new world with which he was totally unfamiliar. Carol had him standing in front of the stove, apron and all, learning to cook. "I’m surprised that your mother never taught you any of this."

"My Mom was always working and never had time to cook and do all the normal things mothers teach their daughters," Tim told her this so that when she learned how little Tim actually knew of household chores, she would understand. It didn’t save him from learning everything Mrs. Brown wanted to teach him, as he had hoped.

"Tina, we have to find you something different to call me than ‘Mrs. Brown’. If you don’t mind, I’d really like you to call me Mom."

Tim could see how happy that made her, so he conceded. "Ok, Mom." It took them several hours in the hot kitchen to cook dinner, about thirty minutes to eat it, and almost an hour and a half to clean up. That included the quiet time at the kitchen table with their tea while the men took their coffee in the living room.

Tim got comfortable and watched Television for about an hour before he excused himself, "I’m really tired, I think I’ll take a shower and go to bed. Good night, everyone." 

He bent down close to Carol, who was half asleep on the couch with her needlepoint in her hands. He kissed her on the cheek and whispered, "Good night, Mom."

Carol came alive. Her eyes sparkled as she looked up at Tina, smiling. "Good night, Tina." Tim went through his normal routine, and it took him almost an hour to get ready for bed. He thought back and marveled at how the little bit of affection he showed to Mrs. Brown, ‘Mom’, seemed to please her so.

Tim was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

After Tina went to bed, Carol called Jennette and filled her in on Tina’s story. Jenette wasn’t surprised, "I knew there was something wrong with that poor child. I’m happy for both of you that she’s going to stay with you."

Carol invited her to go shopping with her in the morning. Carol told her the plans she had for transforming the storeroom, and Jenette was delighted with the opportunity to help her redecorate. 

Nancy called Sue and told her what had happened during the day. Sue pretended to be appalled that Tim’s mother could have cleaned out his apartment that way, leaving him homeless. She pretended she was glad that Jeff’s Mom had taken him in. Sue played along when Nancy asked her about what it would take to get him enrolled in school as Tina. She laughed to herself.

After Nancy got off the phone, Sue and Pam had a good laugh with each other. Nancy and Patty had finally caved in and told Tim what they thought was the extent of what they had done to the boy. As it turned out, everything was going just the way Pam wanted it to. 

They no longer had to worry about where Tim would live. Jeff’s Mom was a mother to beat all Mothers, and she would do a lot toward teaching him to be a proper lady. It was perfect. 

By the way Nancy described his emotional state, the hormones were well on their way to changing him. Several subtle changes were going on inside him at this point. Soon, some of the not-so-subtle changes would start to be evident too.

Carol woke Tim up in the morning. It was a little bit of a shock. He didn’t remember where he was at first. 

"Come on, honey. Time to get up and get ready." Carol was as thrilled having Tina there as she had been yesterday. She delighted in making her breakfast. 

"You need to have a good breakfast every morning, Tina. Besides, modeling is hard work."

Tim normally never ate breakfast, but he wasn’t about to argue with her. She was too nice to argue with.

Carol approved of the floral skirt and green camp shirt she wore with her low navy heels. They picked up Mrs. Watkins on the way to the mall. "We’re just going to do a little shopping today." She told Tina as they dropped her off.

Today, they started on the charm portion of the course. Manners and etiquette were accentuated. The second half of the day was back to practicing their modeling skills. The instructor who had worked with Tim last week, Julie, seemed to spend even more time with him today. The other girls noticed and seemed to resent it, but Tim didn’t mind. He continued to pay close attention and learn as she instructed him. She seemed pleased with his progress. Patty was there to pick him up as promised, and he got quite a surprise when he got ‘home’. Carol stood proudly, beaming as she showed Tina her new bedroom. She had made Jeff give it a fresh coat of paint that morning. 

The walls looked very bright and cheerful in off-white. They were hardly dry when the furniture was delivered just after two o’clock. Jenette and Carol didn’t stop with furniture. Bright colorful new curtains hung on the windows, and little knick-knacks were scattered around the room. 

The poster bed was white with gold trim, and the rest of the furniture matched. Carol had selected a long, low dresser with a mirror, a vanity table, a desk, and nightstands. The bedspread was pale pink with a white lace border. The sheets were a flowered print to match. Tina’s clothes were all neatly put away in her new dresser. "You did all this for me?" Tim didn’t know what to say. The room and the furniture were beautiful. 

"You shouldn’t have." Tim looked at Carol, and his eyes started to fill with tears. Carol saw the tears forming and rushed over and hugged her. Just seeing her so happy made it all worth it for her.

Her husband, standing at the bedroom door, agreed. He hadn’t seen Carol so happy in years. "Welcome hom,e Tina." He left the women to do their thing. He went to the living room to watch TV and wait for his dinner.

Carol showed her the other things she didn’t have a chance to unpack. They were in the den. She had bought her a clock radio, a small stereo, and even a small television for her room. "The new phone line will be installed on Wednesday."

"But why?" Tim still had tears in his eyes.

"I want you to feel comfortable here, at home." What she had done was partly because of the loss that she was sure Tina was feeling about losing her parents. The rest was purely selfish on her part. She wanted Tina to stay with her.

Tim hugged her again. "Thank you so much. How can I ever repay you?" "Just let me enjoy having you here and let me teach you the things I would have taught the daughter I never had." Carol didn’t want much in return.

It was getting late. "We'd better get started with dinner."

Tim didn’t have to be asked to help. He jumped right in, enthusiastically. It was almost seven when they finished cleaning up and sat with their tea. As they made dinner and during the cleanup afterwards, Tim told ‘Mom’ all about his day. Carol loved hearing about it. Tim asked, because he thought it was the right way to approach it with her, "Mom, may I ask a few of the girls to come over so I can show them everything you bought for me. 

I really want to show off my new room." He was sincere, and it was the right way to ask. "Of course, Tina, but let's not have them stay too late. You have another busy day tomorrow." Carol was pleased that she wanted to show off her room to her friends. It proved she really was happy with what she’d done.

He called Nancy and Patty first. Then he reached Sandy, who called Janet. They would be there. They wanted to hear all about why she was living with the Brown’s now. It took a while to tell the whole heart-wrenching story and show off everything Mrs. Brown had done for him. It was nearly ten when they left.

Tim wondered why guys couldn’t open up to each other the way these girls did. When they heard his story, the compassion and understanding they showed him were overwhelming. Tim ran into a problem as he got ready for bed. He was in the bathroom that he had to share with Jeff and his brother. He had forgotten to lock the door, and Jeff walked in on him as he was going to the bathroom. Jeff realized that the bathroom wasn’t empty the second he opened the door and closed it quickly, apologizing profusely through the door. It was just one more reminder of the really awkward and embarrassing conditions that Tim would have to live with as Tina. Tuesday was another enjoyable day for Tim. Another morning of instruction on the social graces, how to act like a lady. In the first half of the afternoon, Tim was given two hours of instruction on how to do makeup for camera work. Again, he found himself getting more attention than most. Runway techniques filled the rest of the day, and Tim was becoming quite good at it, according to Julie.

He had gotten past his initial awkwardness and moved with all the bounce and flair that was expected of the girls.

Carol had another surprise for Tina when they finished cleaning up after dinner. "Tina, how would you like to learn to sew?"

Tim didn’t know what to say to her. He really didn’t care to learn, but she was so excited about teaching him. He would have rather relaxed in the living room or called his friends to talk. He knew it would please her, and he decided that was more important. With an enthusiastic expression on his face, he asked, "Would you really teach me? That would be wonderful." He prepared himself to be bored.

Carol was ecstatic and took Tina to her bedroom and dragged a large box out from under her bed. The two sat on the floor and went through the stacks of patterns. Carol was looking for a simple pattern to start Tina on.

Tim was amazed at all the different patterns for clothes she had. There were a few, though, who were for girls his age.

Carol soon realized it too and made a suggestion, "Let’s run over to the Mall and see if we can find something better suited to you."

It was better than just sitting around. "Sure."

Tim was amazed at all the different patterns that they made for teens. It was just something he was never aware of as a boy. They picked out several patterns, a jumper, a swing dress, and baggy, pull-on pants. Carol went looking for material for the dress with Tim while the salesgirl pulled out the patterns. She had material at home for the other two pieces, but she wanted to find something in particular for the dress.

Tim found the geometric pattern that Carol was looking for. It was similar to the one on the pattern cover. He thought it really looked pretty in the picture. They were home by eight thirty, and Tim was tasked to cut out the pattern for the dress after Carol measured him to determine his size. It took him until ten thirty to finish cutting it out. The time flew by for Tim, and the two talked as he cut. Topics ranged from her happy life as a girl to her sons. The woman loved to talk, and her sense of humor kept Tim’s attention easily. 

Wednesday was again split into morning charm school and afternoon modeling classes. He looked very classy in his navy straight skirt and white camp shirt with the wide black belt. Julie took him aside for a few hours in the afternoon and taught him a few special tricks to use when modeling. Julie paid particular attention to body language. 

Carol and Tim cleaned up quickly after dinner. Tim’s interest had been piqued last night with the prospect of having custom-fitted clothes that were inexpensive. Carol showed him how to lay out the material with the pattern to make the best use of what they had. With the geometric pattern of the material, it wasn’t easy, and they didn’t finish cutting it all out until almost ten. 

It was too late to go any further tonight, besides, "I want to give Nancy and Patty a call." "Why don’t you use your new phone? They hooked it up today." Carol had had fun with her tonight. Her desire to learn to sew was genuine, and she was good company. She decided she had done the right thing with Tina, having her move in. "Just remember you have to get up early."

Tim had already learned the house rules on using the phone. Mr. Brown had explained to Tim on’s second night in the house. 

"No phone calls after ten thirty." Nancy had news for Tim, too. She set up a three-way call with Patty before she told him. "Sue called me earlier tonight. She had everything set up at school for next week. Tina, you are enrolled as Miss Tina Brooks."

Tim was really worried about this part of the plan. "What about my teachers? Won’t they recognize me?"

"Sue made sure that you didn’t have any teachers that you’ve had before. She even gave you a different curriculum, completely different from the one Tim had. Apart from the stuff you have to take, and this is the funny part, you have two classes of home economics, I and II." Nancy was right. "Home economics? You’ve got to be kidding." Tim knew that class was a joke.

"The only bad thing is she had to give you a language and the only thing open was French."

Nancy waited to hear his reaction.

Actually, that was all right. He had started the year with Spanish and hated it. French had been his second choice. "That’s not so bad."

"Maybe you’ll be in my class. I just started French this year." Patty hoped so.

There was one class that still bothered him. "I suppose she had to put me in a PE class." Nancy and Patty knew that would be the tough one for him. 

"Yes, she had to. Everybody has to take PE, Tina, I’m sorry." Nancy tried to cheer him up. "Look at it this way, you’ll probably get an ‘A’. You’ve got an edge over all the other girls." Nancy and Patty laughed, but Tim didn’t. "I suppose. At least I won’t be stuck with it for very long." It was the only thing that would make it bearable. In a few months, he could quit his act and be himself again. "How are you and Mrs. Brown getting along?"

"Do you mean Mom? We’re doing great. I just finished cutting out material for a new dress I’m making." He thought they’d get a kick out of that.

"She’s teaching you to sew?" Patty was amazed.

"And cook. Actually, it’s kind of fun. She’s really neat."

"I told you you’d like her." Nancy was glad that he did.

"I really do. I wish my mother had been more like her."

They continued to talk right up until ten thirty. They made plans for Friday night. They were going to the movies. Jeff and Nancy, Patty and Bob, and Tina and nobody. Which was just the way Tim wanted it.

Thursday was the big day, and since Tim figured it was his last since they were selecting the girls that would go on to the fashion show in Tampa, he was going to dress up. He wore his white slim skirt, the expensive lined one. The pink, lace-trimmed camisole that Pam had bought him, and over it, his white jacket. The delicate gold jewelry that Patty had picked out for him went perfectly.

Carol had helped him with his hair. He didn’t want it to look teased on top today. The clothes gave him a more mature look, and he wanted his hair to match. When Carol was done, he looked much softer and delicate. Tim loved his overall look.

Tim walked into the mall with a feeling of confidence that was not put on or forced. He had a smile on his face that showed how he felt.

"Wow," Wasn’t all the instructor, Julie, said as Tim walked into the room. "You look fantastic."

Tim couldn’t help himself; he knew he was blushing. "Thanks." Julie liked that about her. She wasn’t a snob. She was an attractive girl with a little something extra. She was modest but not too much so. The best thing about her was that she was anxious to learn and caught on quickly. Julie had enjoyed working with her. The morning was spent, as most mornings had that week, in teaching charm. 

Body language was stressed. The girls were taught what each movement conveyed and how to express what they wanted to the person or group they were ‘speaking’ to. The last hour was just plain fun. They concentrated on the body language of love.

Tim felt out of place but played along.

They all broke for lunch at noon with explicit instructions to be back at one o’clock sharp. Tim was almost disappointed that it was over. It had been fun pretending here, among all these girls, that he was what his fantasies wished he could be. It was nearly over now, and he would miss it.

He was back a few minutes early and had to wait until the rest of the girls got back. Julie saw him sitting there alone and went over and sat by him. She saw that he looked a little sad. "What’s wrong, Tina?"

"Oh, hi Julie." Tim put on a smile. He was still feeling a little melancholy about the class being over. He threw it off. "It’s nothing, really. I’m just going to miss this. You’ve been really sweet, it’s been fun."

Julie returned her smile. "I’ve had fun working with you. You’re a delightful young woman, Tina."

It was almost one, and the girls started returning. Julie had to leave Tina and resume her place. By five after one, they were all back, and it was time to get down to business. Tim was sitting in the back row, and now all the girls who had shown up last Thursday filed in. 

All fifty seats were filled. Tim watched the woman who ran the school come in and take her place at the podium on the little stage.

"I hope you girls have all enjoyed yourselves over the last six days. I know your instructors have."

"It is time now for what you have been waiting for. The selection of the girls who will go on to the spectacular designer’s show tomorrow and Saturday in Tampa." Her tone changed from excitement to regret. "I wish you could all take part, but that’s not possible. I want to thank those of you who participated and wish you well." Excited again, the woman went on. 

"Now for the announcement. We will be selecting three girls from the twelve to fourteen year old group, four from the fifteen and sixteen group, and just three from the seventeen and eighteen year old group. 

Will the girls whose names I call please remain seated when I’ve finished? To the rest of you, again, I say thank you, and there are gifts for each of you outside this room as you leave."

Tim thought that she was pretty callous about how she treated the girls who wouldn’t make the show. They had worked hard all week, hoping to get to do the real modeling. Tim knew he wasn’t going, so it didn’t bother him so much. He just thought they could have handled it differently.

The woman started with the youngest group first. Tim could see the disappointment on the ‘losers’ faces as she finished reading the three names. The same scene was repeated as she moved up through the middle group. 

Tim knew, casually, most of the girls in his group, and not one would be less than shattered when they missed the opportunity to, perhaps, begin a modeling career.

Tim’s mouth dropped open in shock when he heard, "Miss Tina Brooks" called out first. He only barely heard the other names, and he sat there feeling numb as all but the ten ‘lucky’ girls left the room.

"Congratulations, ladies." The woman was still at the podium. "If any of you think you have worked hard or been pressured so far, you’re wrong. Get ready for the most hectic two days any of you will probably ever experience."

Tim couldn’t believe it. He looked at Julie, and she had the biggest smile on her face, and she was staring right at him.

She had wanted to tell Tina, but she couldn’t. The look on her face as Roana read off her name had been precious.

Tim really didn’t expect in his wildest dreams that he’d be picked. Julie didn’t have to worry about showing favoritism anymore; she knew she had been bad about it.

"We need all of you to come with us over to Tampa this afternoon for fittings. We will, no doubt, be late getting back, so if any of you need to make a call to inform your parents or break a date, now’s the time."

Most of the girls needed to use the phones. Julie walked over to Tina, who looked like she was still in a daze as she remained in her chair. "Are you all right, Tina?" Tim looked at her with a quizzed look. "I don’t get it. I’m not as poised or as confident as those other girls. Why me?"

Julie grinned from ear to ear. "Tina, I told you, you had something special. We all agreed on you. Not one of the other instructors had any reservations about you. Now it’s time to show what you’ve learned here. Are you ready?"

Tim was pretty well over the shock. He was still very nervous. "Sure." 

"Well, get out there and make a phone call if you have to, and let’s get going. Wait until you see the clothes they have for you girls to wear."

Tim called Mrs. Brown. "Mom, you're not going to believe what’s happened," Tim told her about his being selected.

Carol was thrilled for her. "Yes, I’ll call Nancy and tell her to call Patty and Sandy. Will we be able to come and see your model? Saturday? Of course we’ll be there." Tina sounded so excited. "Don’t worry about the time, just call and we’ll come pick you up when you get back." They took them to Tampa, to the new convention center. They were split into their age groups again, and each group was ushered into a different room. There were at least fifty girls and about twenty older women, all rushing around trying on all different kinds of clothes and doing fittings. 

Tim and his group were sent to the rear of the room to get undressed. No sooner had he gotten his slip off than Julie brought a fitter to him, and she took him away.

It was a hectic afternoon and evening. They brought in a couple of trays of sandwiches and sodas, and the girls were allowed to eat between changes. Tim was kept so busy that he never got a chance to get any food. They had him try on everything from designer jeans to prom gowns. As hectic as it was, he enjoyed the excitement.

It was almost ten when they got back to Clearwater. Julie drove Tina home. "Be ready at six. I’ll be here to pick you up." Tina had done well today; she kept her cool, and that’s terribly important.

"I’ll be ready," Tim promised. He was exhausted, and his feet were killing him. Not every pair of shoes he had to wear today fit, and he wanted desperately to soak his feet. Carol put a wash pan on the kitchen floor, and he did just that. Nancy and Patty came over as soon as Tim called. Patty even grabbed Sandy on the way. He told them everything, and it was almost midnight when he finally curled up under his new sheets. He was almost asleep as his head met the big soft pillow.