âWe are going into town for lunch, why donât you join us?â one of the Lolita girls suggested. Jake was taken aback but managed to smile shyly and say âoh ⌠eh ⌠no ⌠thanksâ. âOh but you are dressed perfectly for it!â his mother told him unhelpfully. They all liked the idea. âOh do!â âPlease, itâll be fun!â Jake couldnât think of anything that would be less like fun.
âThatâs decided thenâ, his mother cut in. âWill you make sure he gets home alright?â âOh we will.â Jake was speechless. Two girls on either arm propelled him towards the door. âNo please! Iâd really rather notâ, he told them in something of an understatement. âDonât be silly!â they dismissed his pleas. âYouâll be safe with us.â
Jake couldnât believe he was tottering down the driveway in a pink dress, over layers of petticoats, his lace-trimmed bloomers peeking beneath, white tights, pink socks and high-heeled shoes, a pink bonnet tied over his blond ringlets and clutching a pink heart-shaped hand-bag and a cuddly bunny.
When they got to the main road a bus came almost immediately. As Jake tried to smooth his petticoats under him on the bus seat it really hit home to him that he was being irretrievably propelled further away from his boyâs clothes. He squirmed in his tights and bloomers at the thought.
At least amongst the group of Lolitas, he didnât stand out so much although he was the only one wearing a bonnet. He looked around the bus and people were smirking at them all but he presumed that nobody would guess that it was a boy underneath all the pink frills, ringlets, make-up and lace.
He spent the afternoon among the group of giggling girls. They talked endlessly about each otherâs clothes. âWhere did you get that blouse?â âDid you make those bloomers yourself?â âYou must show me how to do that eye make-up.â They tried to involve Jake in the chat but he had no idea where his pink knee socks came from. Yes, his mother had made his bloomers. He really just wanted the whole thing to end.
They went to an old-fashioned tea shop and continued their chat there. Jake reckoned it was best to try to flounce around and generally act as a girl so that people wouldnât suspect that he was a boy but it was mortifying mincing around and smiling as if he was delighted to be dressed in pink and frills.
His long false nails were a constant problem, catching in his layers of lace. Even trying to pick up a knife to butter his scone was difficult. The girls giggled at his attempts to control his petticoats and his clear embarrassment that his bloomers were showing. âAw they are so pretty!â
If he thought he was going to be freed after the tea shop, he was wrong. They wanted to go shopping. There was an accessory shop that had lots of the bows and ribbons and lace that they craved. Jake just looked awkward among all the girly pink and frills, tottering around in his painful heels and clutching his bunny for comfort. But the girls were in their element and in no hurry to go.
Finally it was time to break up and go their separate ways. âDo you have your bus fare home?â they asked. Jake shook his head. He had nothing in his pink heart-shaped bag except a lacey handkerchief, his lipstick and other make-up items. A twenty pound note was pressed into his frilly gloves.
There was nobody else going his way so he suddenly found that they were all waving goodbye and he was left to get the bus home by himself in his pink dress, peeking bloomers and frilly bonnet! He clutched his bunny nervously and squirmed yet again conscious of the warm embrace of his white tights. He would have to break the twenty and get change for the bus. They didnât take notes. That meant going into a shop to buy something. He winced. He just wanted to get home and out of these clothes.
He tried to walk and look as girly as possible now he was on his own. Of course, he got weird looks but any girl would dressed as he was dressed. He flounced over to the bus stop, his handbag swinging in the crook of his arm. The screen at the stop showed 25 minutes to his next bus. He cringed.
There was a blustery wind around the bus stop. It fluttered his petticoats and he decided he was showing enough of his bloomers as it was. He crossed the road to take refuge in the mall. It was late Saturday afternoon now and it was crowded.
He was attracting looks from everyone so decided he needed to find a quiet shop to dive into. He passed what looked like a gift shop which was surprisingly empty and went in. He looked around. It was a doll shop. The shop assistant came straight over. âOh what a pretty dress!â Jake cringed inwardly but forced a smile.
âWhat kind of doll are you looking for?â Jake had no idea how to answer that. He was undoubtedly dressed appropriately for someone interested in dolls but had no idea what categories of dolls existed. So he just walked towards one and said in as girly a voice as he could muster âthis looks niceâ.
The shop assistant showed him lots of different dolls insisting that he hold them and asking him what he thought of them. Jake was mortified trying to hold a conversation about dolls but this was better than walking around in the crowds outside attracting too much attention. He needed to break his twenty anyway.
After about 15 minutes had passed he plumped for a doll that was the right price to leave him his bus fare in change. The assistant rang it up and handed the doll to Jake. He now had a pink handbag, a stuffed bunny and a large doll to clutch on his way home.
A queue had formed at the bus stop. He self-consciously took his place at the end and tried to hold his billowing petticoats down with his elbows, his hands now being full.
When the bus came and he approached the driver he had to handle the loose change as well as his handbag and toys with his long fingernails not helping at all. The driver waited patiently as Jake dropped a couple of coins and had the devil of a job finding them and picking them up off the floor beneath his petticoats.
When he walked down the bus it was fully seated downstairs. There was no way he could reach up for the hand straps with his arms full so he had to go upstairs. He winced going up the stairs, thinking of the view he was affording to those down below.
It was worse on the way down when it came to his stop. He could see all of the eyes aimed below his dress as he descended the stairs and his petticoats ballooned. He just had to try to get it over with as quickly as possible. He could help but notice the smirks on all the faces as he got to the foot of the stairs.