PART 70
In that moment, as the room grew quiet, Josh suddenly realized he would need to use the restroom soon. The urge descended on him with surprising speed. The fragrant tea he had been sipping all afternoon was making its presence known. He shifted discreetly in his chair, the frilly layers of his panties and stockings rustling against the crisp, soft velvet of his Fauntleroy suit. Every movement made the lace at his collar and cuffs brush delicately against his skin as a constant reminder of how elaborately he had been dressed.
Josh glanced toward his mother, hoping she might understand his predicament without drawing a lot of attention. He tried to mouth his request, “I need to tinkle,” but before he could finish, his mother pressed a finger to her lips to shush him and gave him a gentle but firm look. She clearly wanted him to remain poised, especially as Mrs. Standish stood and began to speak.
Mrs. Standish announced, “Attention everyone, it’s time to give out some prizes!” As her voice rang through the lively tearoom, the clatter of conversation gradually faded, drawing everyone’s attention to her cheerful presence at the front.
Josh tried to compose himself and shifted in his seat, hoping to ease his discomfort. His stockings whispered against each other as he nervously crossed and uncrossed his ankles. The urge to go had seemed to emerge from nowhere. He hoped against hope that at least for a moment the attention would shift away from him, and above all that these awards would be handed out quickly. The room brimmed with curiosity. Josh, however, felt a dual sense of dread about the pressure in his bladder and also about what these prizes might entail. He squirmed in his seat again.
Mrs. Smyth, ever the watchful matron, leaned over and quietly whispered a gentle admonition, “Sit up straight, dear, and remember to be ladylike.” Josh felt his cheeks flush as he quickly adjusted his posture, trying not to fidget as much, though the urge to move was nearly overwhelming.
Mrs. Standish continued, “Before we begin our prizes, I want to give a special thanks to all our wonderful sponsors who made today possible. Special thanks go to Mrs. Dolores Smyth for her generosity and creativity, and to Andrea for her tireless help in organizing and decorating. Without you, none of this would have been nearly so delightful!”
The room responded with a round of applause, warm and genuine, as the two women exchanged smiles and a subtle nod of pride. The applause seemed endless to Josh, who tapped his dainty slipper anxiously under the table, silently willing the proceedings to press on.
Mrs. Standish then began to read from her list, starting with a prize that brought a ripple of adoring coos: “For our youngest guest in attendance, we have a very special prize!” A mother in a pastel dress gently lifted her toddler daughter, who wore a frilly, rose-colored party dress. The little girl was the very picture of sweetness in her party dress, delicate lace-trimmed socks, and shiny white patent shoes. The little girl blinked shyly as she was guided to the front, and Mrs. Standish knelt to present a small toy—an adorable stuffed bunny with satin ears and a bow. The audience “awwed” as the toddler hugged the bunny tight, her mother beaming with pride and gratitude.
Mrs. Standish next handed out a series of charming door prizes. It turned out that each seat had a number taped under it, and Mrs. Standish called out the winning numbers one by one. Several ladies were delighted to win floral-patterned decorative teacups. An older gentleman and a college-aged girl both won ribbon-tied boxes of gourmet tea blends. Every prize was presented with a flourish and a kind word from Mrs. Standish.
Next, Justin was mortified when his number was called to be among the winners for a small bag of chocolates prettily tied up in pink tulle favor bags with darling pink ribbons. His mother smiled and firmly took his hand to lead him up to Mrs. Standish, her eyes sparkling with satisfaction. The voluminous bustle of his confining dress made every step a production as he minced forward in his heels. He took small, dainty steps as the constricting folds of satin and tulle swished with each stride. The ladies in the crowd especially watched with delight, their faces lighting with knowing smiles and suppressed giggles. The handful of titters made Justin’s cheeks flush, and the unmistakably girlish sway of his walk drew everyone’s attention. His mother’s grip was unyielding as she guiding him to the front where Mrs. Standish waited with his prize. Surrounded by admiring glances and playful giggles, Justin meekly accepted the daintily wrapped sachet of chocolates.
Then his mother leaned in, her voice unmistakably coaxing. “Now, what do we say, sweetheart?” she prompted, patting his shoulder softly.
Justin turned beet red, glancing at Mrs. Standish as he spoke in a cowed voice, “Thank you, Mrs. Standish.”
But his mother wasn’t satisfied with that and continued to nudge him gently, “Oh you can say more than that can’t you dear?”
The ladies in the crowd watched with delighted anticipation as Justin squirmed, clutching the pink tulle bag of chocolates. In a slightly louder and nervous voice, he tried again, “Th-thank you very much, Mrs. Standish, for the pretty chocolates.” His voice cracked, and a few guests giggled behind their hands.
Mrs. Standish smiled warmly and replied, “You’re most welcome, Justin.” Turning to the crowd, she added sweetly “Isn’t he just precious?”
Justin felt a hundred eyes on him and shuffled his feet nervously while his mother beamed. She gave him a gentle squeeze and began leading him back to his seat.
Josh watched all this glumly as Justin returned to his table. A wave of secondhand embarrassment washed over him as he knew all too well how mortified Justin must have felt. He felt a sense of resignation as he feared his own moment was inevitably coming to be paraded in front of everyone. His spirits sank further as the prizes dragged on, and the omnipresent pressure under the confining layers of his adorable Fauntleroy suit steadily grew. It was increasingly difficult to focus on anything but his own discomfort and nagging dread. Just then, he also felt a different kind of unwanted tingle in his little cage. Josh let out a soft sigh and fought the impulse to squirm again. His cheeks warmed as he pressed his knees together, praying that the festivities would hurry along.