torn hose: a mother's story

Smelling Feminine

"Now, Candice, I want you to go upstairs to the bathroom. Do not go into your room. When you get up there, take off all of your clothes, All of them. Then place them out in the hallway, and yes, underwear as well. Don't forget I have these videos of you sneaking around in our rooms and dressing up, so any trouble or back talk from you and they could easily go straight on social media to all of your friends. I'm sure they'll love seeing it. Do you understand, Candice?"

Raymond stood up with his head down, and weakly replied, "Yes, mom." He looked and sounded defeated.

"Yes, mom what," I asked looking for clarification.

"Yes, mom, I understand. If I don't do what you say, my friends will see the videos."

"Alright, let's go. Upstairs young lady."

"Mom?" He stopped in the doorway and turned around, tears in his red, swollen eyes.

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"Do you hate me now?"

"No baby girl, of course not."

"Do you really have to call me girl and lady?"

I paused before responding, "Well, yeah. Cause that's all you'll be the entire summer, so get used to it. You need to start thinking of yourself . . . Well, we all need to start thinking of you only as a girl, it'll make everything easier. From this point forward, your pronouns are 'she' and 'her'."

"And I get no say so?"

"Did we get any say so over you going through our drawers, borrowing our clothes to include our most intimate of under things, and doing only God knows what in them?"

Without another word and still looking distraught, Candice turned back around and continued toward the bathroom.

I followed her upstairs and waited outside the door for her to hand me her clothes. She cracked the door open and handed them out.

"The underwear too, Missy," I demanded, seeing that she had failed to hand them out with the rest of her clothes.

I heard her sigh as she reluctantly handed me her boxer-briefs through the barely open door.

Before she closed the door I gave her more instructions, "Candice, you have a big towel in there, so you can wrap it around your body before you go to your bedroom. Modesty. I don't want to see you running around with your genitals or your chest exposed. Use that body wash in there with the flowers on the bottle. There's also bottles of gardenia flower shampoo and conditioner as well, use that too. When you get out of the bath, don't forget to put your deodorant on, it's the pink one and your body spray is called 'flowers of the night.' Do you see it all?"

"Uh well, yeah. It's the only thing in here now. My stuff is all gone," he replied.

I grinned.

"Yeah, I know. Anyways, when you're finished go to your bedroom and call for us, we'll both come up to help you. Oh, and use that lady shaver on your legs. Do you understand everything, Candice?"

"Yeah."

"Wait! What did you say? Don't forget all the manners I've taught you just because you're upset. I  have never allowed you to talk to me like that and I'm not going to start now. Try again, young lady. Do you understand?"

Yes, ma'am."

I then told her to wait for a second while I ran to her bedroom. When I returned, I handed her a pair of hip-hugging, stretch lycra hipster briefs to put on before she came to the bedroom.