PART 69
Watching all these women attend so carefully to him, Mrs. Standish exclaimed, “My goodness, dear, aren’t you lucky to have such wonderful mentors!” She took in Josh’s perfectly arranged outfit, from his charming velvet suit to his freshly fluffed hairbow, and continued approvingly. “Look at you! Not a single frill or ruffle out of place on this Little Lord Fauntleroy… so sweet!” She said this loudly enough that even more eyes seemed to turn his way.
Blushing again now, Josh managed to reply, “Thank you, Mrs. Standish. I’m… grateful for everyone’s help.” This fresh avalanche of attention had him completely flustered.
“You’re such a precious thing,” Mrs. Standish went on admiringly. Then she spoke to the whole table, “I just came by to make sure everyone is having a nice time.”
Gwendolyn replied immediately, “Everything is just great… we’re having a wonderful time.” Everyone else at the table immediately nodded in agreement, while Josh’s emotions remained on edge. All this mothering really did make him feel like a delicate porcelain doll!
As Mrs. Standish made small talk with his mother and the other ladies, Josh’s thoughts drifted back to his life of only a week ago. Boyish things like getting his sneakers muddy or goofing off with his friends seemed so distant now. His new world was embodied by this fussy velvet suit, his delicate new dresses and an endless parade of frills and ribbons. His heart grew heavier.
His thoughts were interrupted when Miss Andrea spoke to him again, “Hold still, dear, you have some powdered sugar on your mouth.” He sat still as a mouse while she carefully dabbed at the corner of his lips with her napkin. Then, she fussily brushed a speck of lint from the sleeve of his velvet jacket. “There we are, sweetie, all tidy again!” she assured him.
Mrs. Standish lingered a moment longer and seemed delighted as she watched the ladies continue to sweetly mother the sissified teen. Then, she moved on to visit the next table, and it seemed they were finally done fussing over him, at least for the moment.
Tentatively, Josh dared to reach for his teacup again. In the next second, however, his mother gently corrected the way he did it, “No, no, sweetheart, like this…” She made certain that he extended his pinky delicately, keeping his wrists soft and his movements gentle. She coached him patiently, “Remember, honey, focus on smooth, graceful motions.”
Then his mother giggled softly and leaned close to whisper, “You’re doing so well, darling. Just breathe. You’ll eventually get used to all this attention!”
Mrs. Smyth, observing Gwendolyn’s careful efforts, offered some additional advice. “Use a light, airy touch, Josh… it’s the little things that make all the difference for young ladies!”
Josh sighed softly. Then, he primly drank more of his tea with careful, dainty sips.
“Lift your chin, dear,” Mrs. Smyth reminded him with a twinkle.
As they finished their food, the staff began clearing all the fancy plates from the tables. Josh cringed when the same lanky busboy he had seen on Sunday came to their table. The handsome teenager was probably about his age, but their situations were worlds apart. His nametag identified him as “Sean.” In contrast to Josh, Sean was dressed casually in a white polo shirt and black pants like the rest of the staff. Josh watched as the athletic boy effortlessly hoisted a large bin of dishes and balanced it against one hip while he cleared their table.
Helplessly trapped in his elaborate velvet Fauntleroy suit, Josh sat stiffly. His hands fumbled awkwardly with the napkin on his lap for a moment, but then he remembered not to fidget. By this point, he was painfully conscious of his every movement. Thanks to all the primping he had been subjected to, his ruffles and frills practically bloomed around his neck, wrists and knees. Where Sean looked ready to dash off and join a soccer game, Josh looked like a fancy Victorian doll come to life. All the ribbons and bows of his outfit suddenly felt ten times heavier. Josh kept his eyes lowered, wishing he could turn invisible.
Sean was obviously puzzled but also somewhat amused at the sight of this fancily dressed boy sitting before him. His curiosity seemed to mingle with disbelief, and then the trace of a faint smirk tugged at his lips. As Josh watched, Sean paused, a peculiar look flickering across his face.
In the next moment, Josh was horrified when Mrs. Smyth swooped in again like a doting aunt. She stood up and spoke to him as if Sean wasn’t even there, “Oh dear, you’ve managed to get your collar mussed again.” Her deft fingers picked at his extravagant lace collar for a few seconds, and then she said, “There we are, darling—nice and neat again!” As she finished, she gave his chin the slightest little tap with her fingers and said lovingly, “Chin up, dear.”
Having no choice, Josh obediently lifted his head up as he was told. Scarlet red, Josh practically froze as he made eye contact with Sean. He was painfully aware of every ringlet that bobbed around his cheeks.
Sean paused mid-stack, as if he couldn’t believe what he had just seen.
“Uhh… that’s some outfit,” he muttered. He didn’t say it unkindly… it was just obvious he didn’t know what else to say.
Josh sat there in wordless humiliation. He didn’t trust his voice at this point. The contrast between the two teenage boys could not have been more stark! Josh felt a familiar but unwanted tingling in his panties again! His heart raced and he took a few short breaths only to be reminded of the unyielding corset he wore under his pretty silk blouse.
Then his mother purposely cleared her throat ever so slightly, and Josh realized he was expected to reply even though Sean clearly hadn’t expected a response. “Thanks… it’s, uhh… it’s called a Fauntleroy suit,” he managed to croak. Just to do something with his hands, he reached again for his teacup with a shaky hand and took a sip of the still-warm tea. Immediately he regretted it, since it only drew more notice to his polished pink nails and frilly cuffs. He felt a drop of cold sweat run down his back. An awkward silence followed as the busboy’s eyes grew wider.
Josh struggled to find his voice. “Um… the velvet, and, um… all the… decorations are… traditional.” Every word made him feel unbearably silly, and his blush deepened until his ears glowed. “My mother wanted me to wear it to, um… match my sister,” he finally managed. Sean turned to Kathy, and she flashed a beaming smile in return.
Sean’s confidence seemed to magnify Josh’s discomfort. With a little half-smile, Sean paused, “You were here Sunday too, weren’t you? I saw you in, um… your pink dress.”
Josh’s heart leapt into his throat. He every remembered every detail of Sunday all too well—the wispy pink chiffon sundress with the playful polka dots, the lace, the way everyone’s eyes had followed him through the room. He remembered how he had twirled and curtsied so sweetly for Mrs. Smyth. The recollection made Josh’s face flush even deeper, the color rising all the way to his ears as he looked down at his lap, mortified.
Josh responded with a deepening blush, his voice barely above a whisper. “Yeah… that was me." In a futile attempt to evade attention, he added, “Kathy picked it out for me.”
At the mention of her name, Kathy giggled, “I told you that chiffon dress was adorable! See, even he remembers you!”
After a moment, Sean the busboy just nodded, and said with a hesitant smile, “Oh, OK… I guess you just have to go along sometimes.” With a final grin at Kathy, Sean removed the last plate and then moved on to the next table.
Josh was left trembling, his heart pounding and his embarrassment complete.
Kathy giggled and said, “You might have an admirer, Josh!” Then she winked at him and added, “He’s a cutie!”
Josh’s mother, Mrs. Smyth and Miss Andrea chuckled at the exchange.
After a few interminable moments, Josh’s racing thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a spoon tapping against a glass.
Topic: New Arrangements for Josh (Read 189668 times)
