Blushing, Rebekah looked up at the family sitting across from him. "I'm very sorry for what I did to Rebecca and to Abby and to your entire family, Mr. and Mrs. Miller. I'm very sorry for what I did to June too and to everyone else I've ever hurt. I don't have any excuse. I will understand if you can't forgive me. I was a horrible, selfish person back then. I'm trying to change now. I won't ever do anything like that ever again. I ummm, have new things I'm doing to keep busy and out of trouble now, as you can see."
A furious Mr. Miller had come prepared with an at least five minute or so angry lecture for the horrible bullying boy but now didn't know quite what to do. Instead of a bullying older boy he was looking at an obviously incredibly immature, very effeminate little boy gently rocking a baby in his arms. He was wearing a costume well behaved Abby never would have agreed to wear as a five or six year old and apparently his desire to dress up like this was the cause of all the problems. He decided that for his daughter's sake he still had to read the boy the riot act no matter what caused his horrible anti-social behavior.
The problem was the mother had very clearly gone all out to try and make Tomás look like a heel if he did. The matching dresses they wore and the helpless baby in the effeminate boy's arms made it clear that they wanted Tomás to feel as if he would be tormenting an innocent feminine little child if he tore into him. The mother was using herself and her friend's baby as emotional human shields. He could not believe a boy would behave this way after bullying so many little girls, so he reasoned there had to be some truth to the idea this was who "Doug" really was.
However, Tomás was forced to maintain for the sake of his daughter, that had not been how "Rebekah Rainbow" had been presenting at the time of the offenses. Doug was the person Tomás was furious with. It seemed almost as if they wanted him to see this as a whole new person. Tomás did not believe that someone could change that much that quickly. He suspected "Rebekah Rainbow" might just be a different cover on the same nasty old book.
Mr. Miller started to launch into a softened version of his lecture. He was not a tall or muscular man, but he had serious eyes and a serious tone and he was used to being respected, listened to, and heard. However, he was stopped about a minute in when the baby the boy held started to cry. He looked towards the baby's mother expecting her to take the child from the room but instead she started instructing the boy on how to soothe the crying child. The boy had a look of utter and complete horrified panic on his face as the baby screamed in his arms. The boy's face made it look as if he thought the roof of the house was about to cave in on them, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I don't know what I did!" he squealed at Peggy.
Peggy actually laughed, "It's not the end of the world, Becky-Bow. Babies cry sometimes! Wow, you really are a sensitive one. Now, look all you have to do is..."
Mr. Miller cleared his throat, pointedly.
"Maybe you could take her back outside?" Mrs. Miller suggested to Peggy.
Peggy smiled, "Okay, sure!" Then she stood, gestured for Rebekah to follow her with Donna, and strolled out the door. As soon as they were outside, Rebekah handed the baby back. June and Samuel followed. At first Rebekah hovered along with Peggy over Donna in her stroller, still in a state of panic. Then, June led him away by the hand thinking the baby might just want some time alone with her mother.
"But..." Mr. Miller began, before a look of resignation passed over his face as the glass door slid shut. He turned to Elena instead, "But what about the name? Isn't that more mockery itself?"
Abby cut in, "No, Dad, I told you. I helped pick it. Rebecca said it's okay. It's not mockery. It's homage. He's doing it to remember he should have emulated her instead of fighting her. She's way more mature and smart than him and he accepts it now and knows age and gender don't matter the way he thought they did. Or at least he's trying and he'll get there really soon. He wants to use her as a role model. You know how inspirational she is, Dad."
Mrs. Miller seemed to be starting to see it that way, "He looks completely harmless now, Tomás," Mrs. Miller said.
"Looks can be deceiving, Christie. Changing how he dresses doesn't change who he is." He looked Elena directly in the eyes, "You have to promise me you will have him under strict supervision. Sending him back at that school feels like a mistake to me. Isn't there a better place for a boy like him?"
Elena sighed, "I don't know if there are any schools that know what to do with a boy like Becky-Bow. This one is the only place close enough to be practical for me, Mr. Miller. If he gets tossed out I'll have to change jobs or move or both. Maybe it would be best if we moved. But I like my job here and it's important. This is my family and my future and my career on the line. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure my family never inflicts harm like this on anyone else again. I promise you. I'm very sorry. My son is a very, very, good and sweet and sensitive little boy. All of this is my fault for not being a good enough mother. I apologize from the bottom of my heart."
Tears came to Elena's eyes and Wendy sat by her and held her by the shoulder to console her. "No, Mom, it's my fault. And Dad's fault for being such a useless abusive shitbag. But, I'm the one who was supposed to be watching him when all this happened. I'm sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Miller. I promise you I won't let it happen again."
"You can trust them, guys," Abby said.
The back and forth continued but Mrs. Miller was actually too distracted to pay much more attention. She was instead enchanted by the adorable sight outside in the yard. While inside Rebekah Rainbow's fate and future were decided outside little June led Rebekah Rainbow in trotting around the yard on a hobby-horse. June was an experienced rider and was correcting the form of his jingling hobby-horse walk, trot, cantor, and gallop.
When she wanted to correct him she would order him to stop and he would, right on the spot. He allowed her to lead him back several paces by the reins on the horse's head. He would resume on command, looking back to June for approval as he did. He had a smile plastered on his face. It was obviously false and strained given how much trouble he knew he was in, but Mrs. Miller reasoned that just made it clear how insanely hard he was trying to be good now and play nicely. Plus, Christie didn't think he could possibly like having Samuel there watching him. "Or," she thought as she suppressed a giggle with determination, "If attention is what he wants, maybe he does like it."
Once, Mrs. Miller spied June reaching up as if to grab the boy's long braided ponytail to lead him rather than the reins. The boy cringed back in absolute terror at this. June didn't press the issue because the woman in the tie-dye dress shouted at her to knock it off. Mrs. Miller remembered June had said he was a hair puller. Elena had told them part of his punishment was a shaved head. Hair pulling was terrifying to him now because it meant risking exposure of his bald head, a symbol of his shameful behavior. It seemed to Mrs. Miller like the boy had already been punished quite a bit.
Mrs. Miller just didn't think this looked like a kid who needed to be expelled from school to learn his lesson. He looked just like what Elena had said, a frustrated little boy who had been acting out for negative attention because he didn't have the right kind of positive attention. In this case "positive attention" clearly meant he needed the chance to show off his femininity.
Mrs. Miller explained those thoughts to her husband. The group returned to the glass door. They watched the Deputy Baby Sheriff attempt to jump imaginary obstacles. With the diaper enforced waddle Rebekah's best efforts at a graceful, equine trot remained awkward and babyish despite June's tutelage. However, it was clear that these were Rebekah's best efforts and they were being made with no complaint. All anyone looking out into the yard could see was one very immature feminine creature in a silly cowgirl outfit and diaper being guided in play by a smaller but much more mature girl in jeans and a t-shirt. The Millers decided to forgive the Ramirez family for what Rebekah Rainbow had done to Rebecca Miller, as long as he continued with his reformed ways.
"Okay, everybody! Let's eat!" Wendy announced. The party began in earnest.
Betty Pearl's Sissy Stories 20.1
Topic: Fed Up (Read 40391 times)
