My Foster Mom Wanted A Daughter - Book 2 Of A Series

Chapter 4: Boys

During the remaining two weeks of summer, before school started, both Mary Elizabeth and Angelo worked diligently to develop greater masculinity in his mannerisms and demeanor. Yet, no matter how hard Angelo tried, his voice continued to maintain feminine inflections and he constantly had to remind himself not to walk in dainty steps with his hips swaying.

"Dang it, Angelo. I've told you a hundred times - Walk. Like. A. Boy." Mary Elizabeth's voice often, during this period, burst out in frustration at the boy.

She was trying so hard to get him to dump his girly ways so that he'd be acceptable among other students as a boy once school began and so that Child Protective Services wouldn't take him from her.

"I'm trying mom," Angelo would reply meekly, feeling sorry that he was disappointing his foster mother who only wanted to make life easier for him and to be able to keep him.

"I'm sorry, darling. I know you're trying, I do." Mary Elizabeth would usually apologize, knowing full well that they were facing an almost impossible task in making him the boyish person they needed him to be.

It was apparent that the latent femininity that was within Angelo all of his life had come into full bloom that summer. His gentle, sweet nature grew out of him, like a lovely flower in the springtime, full of color, lovely shapes, and daintiness.

"You're like a pretty flower," Mary Elizabeth had told Angelo one summery day, a month ago, when he came to breakfast dressed in a flowing floral skirt, white peasant blouse and peach-colored sandals, his soft and creamy complexion looking so lovely.

He had affixed yellow ribbons in his long brown hair, and in her mind's eye, she saw a flower blossoming before her, growing and developing from that quiet, shy unopened bud he was when he first came to her into the beautiful daisy she saw before her.

She knew that the fertile, positive, sunshine filled environment she was providing was exactly what he needed to nourish his growth. She saw herself as the sunshine giving him the warmth, love, and positivity, he so desperately craved. She was affording him the opportunity to blossom, free from the poor environment full of weeds and a  life draining toxicity that had plagued him far too long.

On the weekend before school began, Mary Elizabeth let Angelo spend Saturday with Tanya. She warned Angelo that it was for that day, and that day only, but he could dress as a girl, and with Tanya, they could enjoy doing whatever teen girls enjoy doing.

Tanya, it turned out, had recently gotten her first boyfriend. His name was Joshua. He was a year older and attended the same high school that she did.

"I met him at the pool, Angela," she said, using Angelo's female name, as she always did.

"Is he cute?"

"Oh, I definitely think so. He's not too tall, but taller than me. Oh, he's so strong and muscular. He's a lifeguard."

Angelo was taken aback. Tanya was his only close friend, and even though they weren't going to be attending the same high school, he had hoped he would be able to spend time with her, to live his female moments with a friend. Now, a new boyfriend would interrupt that.

"You sound hot for him, Tanya?"

"Oh yes, Angela, I am. Wait 'til you see him. He's coming over soon. I thought maybe he could take us to the mall. He just turned sixteen and he's got a car."

Angelo felt sick at heart. He was losing his only friend to this macho lifeguard. But his self-pity was soon ended as he saw the joy and sparkle in Tanya's eyes when she talked about Joshua.

"Tanya, maybe I should go home," Angelo said. "I don't want to interfere with you and Joshua."

"Oh, no, Angela. I told Josh you're my best friend ever. You have to join us. Please?"