PART 13
A new wave of anxiety washed over him. He dreaded the prospect of Kathy seeing him like this, but he knew it was already decided. He had agreed to this. “No,” he corrected himself sadly, “I ASKED for it.” His next humiliation was unavoidable.
Seeing her son’s renewed unease, Gwendolyn spoke, “This may be confusing for her, but I know she will be supportive once she sees how important this is to you.” Gwendolyn continued teasingly, “Besides, I know you’re excited to show off your pretty dress!” Sweetly twisting the knife and prolonging the inevitable, she finished, “Won’t that be fun, Joshy? I just know Kathy’s going to love it!”
His mother retrieved the key from her bosom and walked purposefully to the bedroom door. She unlocked it with a click and slowly pulled it open. The door creaked softly on its hinges. She locked eyes with her pretty son as an amused smile crept onto her face. Pausing again to relish the moment, she was gratified to see him blushing again. Powerless to stop the chain of events, Josh stood awkwardly as his cheeks warmed up nicely. Fixing her eyes on the flushed teenager, she called out cheerfully for his sister, “Kathy, would you please come into the bedroom with your brother and me? There is something we want to show you.”
Then Josh heard his sister coming down the hall. He tried to brace himself. This was only getting worse.
Unbeknownst to Josh, however, Kathy, already had an idea what this was about. Two days before the trip, Gwendolyn had spoken privately with her daughter. Although Kathy was mature for her age, the drastic changes that Josh might soon undergo would certainly shock her unless she was prepared.
On the first day of Josh’s last suspension, Gwendolyn sat Kathy down at the kitchen table for a serious conversation. Without detailing all the potential plans to correct Josh’s behavior, she made clear that Kathy might soon see some drastic changes in her older brother. “Kathy,” Gwendolyn began, “Your brother is on a destructive path. We are going to try and help him return to the sweet brother you remember and love.”
Kathy didn’t really grasp everything her mother was saying, but she knew enough that she had been worried about her big brother for some time. “Are you saying we are going to make Josh nice again?” she asked. “Yes, dear,” her mother responded. “It’s possible he may have to go away for a little while, but I think it’s more likely he will stay with us. For this to work, I’ll need your help,” she added. “When we go on our beach trip, some unusual things may happen very suddenly and Josh and I will need your help. Can I count on you?”
Kathy thought this over for a second. “Of course Mom. He’s my big brother, and I’ll do anything to help,” she said with determination. “But I’m kind of confused. What’s going on?”
Her mother replied kindly, “Well that’s just it. Sometimes as we get older, we realize that we have things to learn even from people younger than us,” she smiled. “For a time, you might need to think of Josh as, well, your little brother… or perhaps even your little sister. A lot of this will depend on him. Can you do that?” Gwendolyn asked expectantly.
“Little sister?” Kathy asked in surprise. “If it’s going to help Josh, then I will try my best.” Almost as an aside, she crinkled her nose and added, “Did you know he’s been sneaking around smoking cigarettes too?”
“Yes, I think I’ve found all his hiding places and gotten rid of them all,” her mother reassured.
“Thank goodness! But I’m still not sure what all this means?” she continued.
Gwendolyn realized again how remarkably perceptive her daughter was. She had come right back to the central question. She hugged her daughter. Then, she delicately began to explain how some boys decide to be different.
This topic was something Kathy had already been exposed to recently after a gender non-conforming boy had joined Kathy’s class at school. Without saying it directly, Gwendolyn hinted that Josh might be that way too, but he just might not know it yet. She described how she thought the confusion in his head might be making him misbehave, and it was up to them to help him work through it all. As it dawned on Kathy that Josh might be “just like Leslie but he doesn’t know it yet,” she became enamored with the idea. “Leslie is awesome, and he always has the cutest clothes!” she gushed. If it turned out Josh was the same kind of special boy, then she might be able to share outfits with him and do other fun things you just couldn’t do with regular brothers.
Finally, Gwendolyn told Kathy that this would be their secret until they got to the beach. She didn’t want to ruin the surprise for Josh. Gwendolyn felt sure that Kathy would be ready to help when the time came.
And so now, Josh cringed as his little sister entered the bedroom to see his humiliation.
Topic: New Arrangements for Josh (Read 119052 times)
