Rebekah Rainbow showered and then pulled on yet another diaper. His mother handed him pink and white gingham patterned plastic panties with white lace at the leg openings and in rows of ruffles on the rear.
The dress was a pink and white gingham pattern western style cowgirl dress. Below the checkered bodice was a row of hanging white tassels. The short puff sleeves and midsection of the front of the dress were solid white, with checkered pattern trim on the edge of the sleeves. There was a short gingham pattern skirt and and a second white layer of skirt peeking out beneath it. The tutu like petticoat he was forced to pull up also had two tiers, the top of pink and the bottom of white.
The dress buttoned down the back which was entirely covered in the checkered pink and white besides the sleeves. A white half apron was tied around his waist. As he looked down at the apron resting on his poofy, swishing skirts he saw an embroidered pink star as if a sheriff's badge. It proclaimed the bearer as, "The Baby Sheriff of Snuggleton."
The apron tied in a big white bow in the rear of the dress and at it's sides along the waist it had holsters. Instead of guns, the holsters held two baby bottles identical to the ones Rebekah used to play with his doll.
With difficulty his mother helped him awkwardly pull on white cowgirl boots covered in glittery sequins in swirl patterns. The black hair of the wig was pulled into a braided pony tail that hung down his back. On his head he wore a pink cowgirl hat which tied loosely underneath his chin. The front of the hat was adorned with the image of what looked like a feminine styled jeweled crown or coronet done in silver glittery sequins. He wore tight fitting white faux leather gloves.
"Happy Sunshine, y'all! It's your best buddy out there on the range Baby Sherrif Xandra from Texas here with another episode of MAKEUP MAYYYYYYYHEMMMMMMMM! Y'all won't believe the two cute little varmints I saw in the garden this morning. Two little bunnies got inside the fence and I yelled, 'Y'all critters stop eating my eggplants and...'" Alexandra droned on and somehow, Rebekah was not quite sure and not interested in asking for a rewind to work out exactly how, the story became about puppies midway through. Rebekah was relieved that for once Alexandra didn't seem to be putting on some weird accent and instead just sounded like a normal person to him.
At one point Alexandra stood and quick drew two baby bottles, spinning both deftly, and then mimed shooting them up into the air, "Pew-pew, pew-pew! There won't be any naughty babies in Snuggleton with you and me on the case, Deputy Baby!"
Elena laughed seeing Rebekah look down at his apron as if in frustration. "Guess the town is only big enough for one Baby Sheriff, Becky-Bow. Maybe if you do a good enough job convincing everyone you're sorry at the party you can write her a fan letter and see if she'll give you that promotion. She could probably win Baby Mayor of Snuggleton and open up the job for you."
"Ugggh, stop it, Mom! Why do you even need to be here if I'm not in the mittens anymore." Even as he said it he flexed his hands and cringed in frustration. His hands were much more free than they were in the mittens but they would still be somewhat clumsy in the stiff gloves.
Elena smiled, "Oh, don't you like getting some nice peaceful quality time together? Just focusing on being pretty and pleasant instead of being aggravating and causing trouble?"
"No, I hate it," he whined. "I've learned my lesson, isn't there another way?"
"I don't think so, Becky-Bow. Now that's enough whining for today. If I hear any more complaints, you may very well find yourself having a meeting with Mr. Medium."
Rebekah cringed in fear.
Elena went on, "The rules for today and for whenever you are in public are this: You are going to do everything you possibly can to behave like the good little girl your sister AND your mother know you are. You will smile. You will do as you are told. You will be positive and chipper and upbeat about it. You say that you are sorry, so this is what is being asked of you to prove it.
"It's going to be a little embarrassing, but sticks and stones, Rebekah. You'll live, and now you'll know how it feels to be the butt of the joke a little bit. It's natural for you to sass back a little in private but in public your behavior will be beyond reproach, little lady. This family will be a united front saying that you are reformed and you will not make me into a liar. You do not want to test me or your sister on this. I promise you that, Rebekah Rainbow Ramirez. You will do everything you can to tell the world you are a well behaved and you like to act like a girl. You will do it pro-actively, do you know what that means?"
"Without being told. But Mom, it's so humiliating. It's not fair. It's really not! No matter what I did."
"That boy Samuel will be coming with that girl June. Do you remember last Halloween? He wore a costume like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. He didn't seem embarrassed or humiliated at all. Why is it SO embarrassing for you. It's just clothes. This punishment wouldn't even work on Samuel, he'd just laugh it off and have fun with it, you know. Do you know why that is, Rebekah Rainbow Ramirez?"
A blushing Rebekah said nothing.
"It's because he's a masculine boy and he's secure in his masculinity, Becky-Bow. He doesn't worry that wearing a dress is exposing anything about him. You aren't like that because that isn't who you are supposed to be. That doesn't mean there's anything wrong with you. A feminine person like you isn't supposed to be secure in masculinity.
"It's okay that you need to be treated like a little girl, but you just need to cut it out with all the male ego bullshit and aggression and let us do it. It's a lot of work looking after an ultra feminine, helpless little girl like Rebekah Rainbow, the Deputy Baby Sheriff of Snuggleton. So, that little girl should be nice and grateful and helpful as a way of saying, 'Thanks.'"
"I'm not a girl, Mom," was all he could say in reply.
"You're going to behave like a good little girl today and every day if you ever want that to be true again. Until then, I recommend you try and find a way to have fun with it and laugh if you insist you're a boy. You'll be back to being one eventually if that's true. Now go downstairs. Wendy has a present for you. I'm going to go get myself ready," She kissed him on the cheek and patted his ruffled rear and sent him on his way.
Downstairs, Wendy presented him with his gift and told him precisely how he was to play with it and how he was to behave at the party. She had him push the stroller and doll and all the accessories outside. She had him practice in the yard with the new toy as well. His face was red with anger and humiliation as he did it until a warning from Wendy had him smiling and acting at playing enthusiastically instead.
Eventually their mother came downstairs and smiled upon seeing Rebekah at play as instructed. "Perfect!" she told Wendy.
Rebekah stopped at a barked command from Wendy and looked up in surprise at his mother. She was wearing a dress that practically matched his own. It was cut for an adult woman of course and far less fussy, intricate, and frilly than his own. Otherwise the dress could have been a grown up version of the western style toddler outfit Rebekah wore. It was knee length pink and white gingham dress with petticoat like a square-dancing lady might wear. She had her black hair tied back in a ponytail as well and wore pink boots. She had even done her makeup similarly to how she had done Rebekah's under Alexandra's instruction. She did not go as far as to wear a matching hat. Wendy wore jeans and a t-shirt.
"Now," Elena told Rebekah, "This 'Mommy and Me' outfit thing isn't just for fashion, Becky-Bow. It's to show Rebecca's parents that you are now very firmly under Mommy's thumb and very unlikely to get into any more trouble. Why don't you try that word on for size, Becky-Bow?" Elena crossed her arms expectantly.
"Okay, Mommy."
"Good girl."
Rebekah squirmed, cringed, swished his skirts, simpered, and curtsied as his only humiliating reply. Then, all three turned to look back towards the house as the doorbell rang.