The next morning Frank was pushed out the door in his navy gymslip, tan tights and high-heeled t-bar shoes. Angela accompanied him to the bus stop in her grey school shirt and trousers and trainers. She had to slow up regularly as he couldnât keep up in his heels. âStop tugging at the hem of your gymslip all the timeâ, she warned him. âYouâre only drawing attention to yourself. You are going to be a big hit with the boys on the bus thoughâ, she sniggered.
Frank cringed as they turned the corner and saw six boys waiting at the stop. He desperately wanted to keep holding his short pleated gymslip down as much as possible but had to admit it would look odd. The boys stopped their chatter as they approached. Their eyes wandered up and down Frankâs long tan legs, made seem even longer by his high-heeled shoes.
Frank looked desperately down the road willing the bus to come, conscious of the looks he must be getting behind. Angela just smiled as she kept looking from his short gymslip to the staring boys. She put her hands in the pockets of her trousers pointedly.
Eventually the bus came. Frank was anxious to get on as quickly as possible but as he was first to board he realized what might happen as he went up the three steps. He held the back of his pleated gymslip in hoping not to reveal anything, although it was just a pair of navy school knickers â almost a relief after days in frilly panties. Looking down the aisle he saw lots of boysâ eyes on his legs. He sat in the first vacant seat he saw.
The convent stop was first so he had to stand up, carefully smoothing his pleats down at the back and totter his way down the aisle to the door.
The bus pulled away and he saw Angela smiling and waving out the window. It generated a gust that had Frank desperately trying to keep his gymslip down. When he looked around he saw several convent girls in gymslips that came to their knees, all looking at his short outfit and raising eyebrows.
At the school gate a nun asked him âAre you Frances?â He was about to ask how she knew but just squirmed in his short gymslip. He nodded. âJoin the third line over there.â He scampered over.
A stern Mother Superior strode in front of the lines of girls â and Frank. âYou, girl!â she pointed at him. He cringed. âCome here.â The last thing he needed was attention being drawn to him but he had no choice but to go to the front.
She produced a measuring tape from somewhere in her deep pockets. Frank stood mortified as she measured the distance from his knee to the hem of his gymslip. She was tutting. The girls were trying to suppress giggles.
Frank desperately hoped he would be sent home for an inappropriate skirt length. The nun who met him at the gate stepped forwards. âSheâs only temporary. Itâs a borrowed uniform.â Mother Superior looked disappointed. âVery well then. Get back in line.â
Frank winced. He not only had to attend the school in the gymslip, he knew he had by far the shortest skirt in the school. Girls made faces at him as they passed. He was sure he heard âslut!â
He spent most of the day trying to get through it without flashing his knickers. Carefully holding his pleated skirt every time he sat and stood. At breaks he tried to avoid the windier parts of the school grounds. He was relieved to get back on the bus at the end, even if it was full of leering boys, and sit in beside Angela.
At home, he pleaded with his aunt. Surely he had taken enough punishment now. âI donât really have to spend the week at the convent do I?â âNoâ, she responded. His heart leaped. âThe minimum fee they would accept was one full term.â His heart stopped. âYouâll be a convent girl until Christmas.â Frankâs jaw dropped. âNo!â âItâs all paid and unrefundable.â His aunt left the room.
His mother arrived a little later. âSo we need to decide which sport you are going to do and which dance class.â Frank sat disconsolately on his bed, his knees pressed demurely together.
âThe choice of sports is hockey, netball or tennis.â Frank recalled lingering around sports grounds and sports halls hoping for flashes of girlsâ knickers in their short sports skirts. Netball was best because they often jumped towards the hoop, giving a nice display as they descended. He had seen old photos of tennis players wearing frilly knickers and was disappointed that fashion had died.
âYouâve played tennisâ, his mother reminded him. He nodded. It was probably better than having to play in a team of girls. âLaura did tennis tooâ, his aunt recalled and found a box on the top shelf of the wardrobe. She put it on the bed and opened the cover. There was a white tennis dress white pink trim inside. She held it up. The skirt was pleated in eight places with pink inside the pleats.
Frank looked at it with resignation. Then his aunt took out the matching knickers with pink lace all around. Frank sighed. Obviously Laura had been around for the end of that fashion. A few minutes later, Frank was trying the tennis outfit for size. Like the gymslip it was very short on him but just about covered the frilly knickers. âPerfect!â his mother concluded.
âYou havenât done any dance classes before have you?â his mother confirmed. Frank shook his head. Heâd often thought heâd like to try tap dancing though. âThe choice is ballroom, tap or ballet.â âWell what did Laura do?â his mother asked. âIf you still have her outfit, then heâll do that dance class.â
His aunt went to the end of the wardrobe. She took out a hanger with a black protective cover of it. She pulled off the cover to reveal a pink ballet dress with stiff pink tutu. Frank felt sick. âLovely!â the women laughed.
His mother unzipped his tennis dress. He suddenly wanted to keep it on. His aunt found pink tights and ballet shoes in the side pockets of the cover.
They pulled the tights on him and then made him step into the ballet outfit. The spandex material was really stretched tight around his groin and bottom. He stood in front of the mirror and nervously flipped up the tutu at the front. The imprint of his boy parts could be seen. There was no way they could make him wear this. âLook mum!â he protested.
The women looked under his tutu and saw the problem. âIf we sew really thick fluffy lace on the panty part that will hide thatâ, his mother assured him. âDonât worry.â Frank sighed heavily and pushed his pink tutu down at the front, trying to maintain some dignity. Looking in the mirror in his pink tutu and tights, he realized that ship had sailed.
âMum can I please do tap?â he begged. She looked at him, trying not to laugh too much. âAnd spend a fortune on tap shoes when you have a perfectly good tutu?â she reasoned. âNo. Remember itâs only for four months.â Frank cringed. Only four months in gymslips, frilly tennis knickers and his pink tutu!