Part 1: Back to school
As Alex entered the school on his first day, he felt scared and nervous. He was overwhelmed by the thought of being back in a traditional school setting after being home-schooled since first grade. Memories of being bullied by his former classmates flooded his mind, causing him to worry about whether he would be accepted or targeted again. The education inspection services had established that he was a year behind schedule, he was therefore placed in a class of students a year younger than him. Alex worried that the kids would make fun of him.
He glanced at his mommy who was waving at him. Fortunately his neighbor Sarah accompanied him into school. He felt more comfortable and safe holding her hand.
As they walked through the hallways, she greeted some of the other students. Looking at the students dressed in jeans, t-shirts or sportswear, he realised that the outfit his mom had put on him was very different. She had certainly told him that he would look smart with his burgundy velvet shorts held up by suspenders, his white round-necked shirt, his little socks and his sandals.
But now, he felt uneasy and out of place, as if everyone was staring at him. His heart raced as he approached the classroom, especially since he knew that Sarah being a year ahead of him, wouldn't attend class with him.
She promised to come pick him up at the end of class. She would guide him to his next class and she would take him to the nurse's office in case he had an accident during the period. Officially, Alex was still dealing with a medical condition. He had accidents at night and sometimes during the day, which meant he had to wear protections. In reality, it was mainly his mommy, Maria, who didn't want him to be alone in the toilet. She already didn't accept it at home, so it was even less of a question in a school full of restless children.
After a kiss from Sarah on the cheek, like his mother had given him a few minutes earlier, he was now in a classroom full of unfamiliar faces, and he was unsure how to navigate this new situation. A girl gave Sarah a little wave when she saw Alex enter and asked him to sit next to her. She introduced herself as Lilly, who knew Sarah from their athletics classes.
At the end of class, Lilly offered to take Alex to the next one. Sarah was waiting for him in the hallway. She discreetly checked that he was still dry and sent him to Lilly with a pat on his padded bottom.
During recess, Sarah accompanied Alex to the nurse for a change. Then he followed her into the schoolyard where she joined several girls, including Lilly and others who were in Alex's class, like Emma and Amelia. He didn't dare speak, but he listened to them tell about their holidays and talk about their favorite bands, artists, or fashion trends.
A few of them tried to question him, but he always answered in a small, shy voice, lowering his eyes, with a few polite words. In truth, he was not used to being asked to speak, but rather to listening to grown-ups without interrupting them. Grown-ups including Sarah, or Auntie Sarah, or Miss Sarah, since she had been his babysitter for the previous year.
In any case, his vacations were limited to reworking programs from previous years, reading toddler books or playing dolls in his room or in the garden, under the watchful eye of his mother or auntie. And he didn't know any of the bands, singers, or shows the girls were talking about.
Many of the girls told him that his look was very cute, which made him blush and made his classmates smile even more. He obeyed when some asked him to turn around to show off his outfit. He let himself go when one passed her hand over his shorts to caress the velvet. He fidgeted a little in spite of himself when another tickled his bare legs. He continued to smile politely throughout and when the bell rang for the end of recess, he bowed and thanked all the girls for their kindness. They were definitely won over by this so cute and sweet boy.
At lunchtime, Alex's mother came to pick him up to take him home to eat. Sarah walked him to the car. While he waited strapped to his booster seat in the back, she exchanged a few words with her, to tell her that the morning had gone well, that the other children were incredibly kind and welcoming to him. “You know Maria, once he will be a little more accustomed to school, Alex could even stay to eat with the other kids if you want!”
“Thank you Sarah, we will see, you're a wonderful babysitter anyway. Baby, say thank you to Miss Sarah and wave her, you will see her after lunch!”
The afternoon and the following days passed much like that first morning. Maria continued to dress Alex as she always had. Some students still looked strangely at this boy with unusual outfits for teenagers. His peter pan collar shirts, his puffed sleeves, his lace cuffs, his pastel-colored shorts, his lace-trimmed or knee-length socks, his Mary Jane shoes... Alex was recognizable by his unique look!
Of course, he never dared to say anything to his mother. Even the day she put him in a pink shirt and socks decorated with little hearts. Only Sarah could have talk to Maria. But she didn't do anything about it. As long as no one made fun of Alex in front of him, or at least in a mean way, why change him?
Alex was always surrounded by girls who pampered him. They imitated Sarah by talking to him like a little child, stroking his hair, tickling his chin, kissing his chest or his forehead...
“Aren't we looking pretty today Alex?”
“Show us your pretty corduroy cardigan, raise your hands above your head with your arms slightly bent and turn around!”
“Who's a good boy? Yes you are, yes you are!”
“Come cuddle with me! Oh, your skin is as soft as a baby's. And your hair too! Mommy took good care of her baby, didn't she?”
“Would you like a little biscuit for recess? But have you at least been very good? I only give biscuits to very, very well-behaved little children. Yes, you are so cute, you must have been a very well-behaved and obedient little boy. Come on, open your mouth, Auntie Emma is going to give you a little cookie. Grab it with your lips, gently. No, don't put it all in your mouth. No, don't take it with your hands, let Auntie do it. Take it little bit by little bit. What a smart little boy! Good boy! Oh, the cookie is finished! You can give me a little kiss on the hand now, and then you can give me one on the cheek!”
Even the boys considered him a little brother to be protected in the school.
They were waving at him in the yard. And when he watched them play sports, everyone competed to show him their prowess.
“Hey Alex, have you seen how fast I run?”
“Did you see how high I jumped?”
“Did you see how hard I threw the ball?”
Alex never failed to congratulate them and rave about their strength. Every time a boy smiled at him, he blushed and couldn't help but smile even more.
The girls had fun and made him say which of the boys had the prettiest smile, the most muscles, the most abs, the prettiest butt... The more embarrassed he was, the more fun they had.
One of their games was to photograph the boys, taking close-ups of their mouths, their butts or their arms muscles, to print their photos and to have them kissed by Alex.
One of the girl then pretended to call out to one of the boys to tell him how much Alex liked him.
Alex then began to beg her.
“Please Auntie Amelia, don’t say anything, please, please, please!”
“Huum... Beg me again, but with your baby voice. You're so sweet when you use your baby voice, especially when you're panicking!”
“Pwease Aunthie Amelia, pwetty pwease, don’t call big boys, pwease, pwease, pwease!”
“Okay, I won't say anything if... You sing "I'm a little tea-pot" to me, with the dance!”
He would obeyed timidly, and she would make him do it again until he had sung and danced with enough enthusiasm to satisfy her. Students watched, sometimes even approaching to encourage and applaud him while laughing.
Alex felt good about his role as class mascot. He gradually came out of his shell and was genuinely appreciated by everyone his kind and gentle nature. He even had good tastes on outfits, makeup and hairstyles and he was so cute when he told the girls how beautiful they were and that they were going to make the boys fall for them!
The only area where he struggled was academically. The teachers appreciated this polite, ultra-respectful, calm and attentive student, who always tried to do well, despite his lack of participation, due to his shyness.
But whenever he had to think a little by himself, or learn even a little lengthy lessons, he always failed.
At home, Maria made him do his homework and reread his daily lessons. She made him recite everything. But as he didn't always seem to understand what he had learned by heart, much of that effort had already evaporated the next day at school.
When she was not satisfied with his test, that is to say at almost every test, she made him copy the related lesson, then redo the work at home. When he failed again, which was almost every time, she didn't punish him as if he had done something wrong.
She would take him in her arms and say, “You've tried hard. It's not your fault darling. You're Mommy's little dummy baby, that's all. Who's a little dum-dum? Yes you are, yes you are!”
Then she continued, “You are not smart, you are not strong, you are not masculine, you are not brave... All you can do is obey those superior to you. You are already your teachers and classmates little pet. That’s my good little dum-dum baby.”
“Sarah told me how girls like to ask you for advice on how to look pretty for boys. This is my little sissy who loves little girlys' clothes, makeup and hairstyles. Here's my little sissy dummy who helps real girls seduce real boys.”
“Maybe one day you can be an assistant in a hair salon, a beauty parlor, or for a fashion designer. Or you will work to serve your superiors in a house, as a maid or housekeeper...”
She noticed that his tiny pen-is hardened when she spoke to him like this. She found it funny, as long as this little pee-pee remained locked in his diaper and he had not discovered how boys, real ones, play with it. In any case, he was only unsupervised at night, and at that time he wore much thicker protection than during the day, a onesie closed at the back and mittens that prevented him from using his hands.
“Stay obedient, others will decide for you. Anyway, Mommy loves you very much my little dum-dum sissy.”
Alex listened snuggled up against his mother. He always replied “Yes Mommy. I love you very much too Mommy. Sorry for being a dummy sissy Mommy.”
After a few weeks of classes and failed tests, Maria met several of her son's teachers. For her, the most important thing was that he showed the greatest deference to adults. And each teacher was able to reassure her on this point. As for his grades, she considered that with his limited capacity, no more should be expected of him than learning obedience.
The teachers were a little shocked by this mother's fatalistic comments, even if they realized Alex's difficulties. This made him even more endearing to them, and quickly his results were no longer an issue. Everyone instead congratulated him for his kindness and exemplary behavior.
Eventually, after his homework, instead of making him recite his lesson, she placed him in front of a mirror and made him repeat phrases such as “I'm a little dummy sissy”, “I'm Mommy's little sissy baby”, “Other children are smarter, other children are stronger, other children are braver... I have to smile and obey”...
She made him take ballet poses, she taught him to curtsy, or she made him learn nursery rhymes and dances that he could show in the schoolyard.
After a month of school, Maria ends up following Sarah's advice by letting Alex eat lunch at school. It was understood that he would never be left to his own devices, and that the girls would ensure he ate everything his mommy had prepared for him properly.
Most often these were small purees in jars, easier to store in your school bag. His “aunties” Sarah, Amelia, Emma, Lilly and the others made sure that he scraped the whole pot. And often, they took care of it themselves, holding the spoon to feed him. Especially when Maria had chosen the worst purees from the baby food aisle.
Alex's grimaces amused the kids, but he never dared refuse the spoon. If food ended up on his face instead of in his mouth, it was because one of the girls like Amelia did it on purpose...or laughed too much while feeding him, or because she asked him to “play the baby” and spit out the food imitating the gurgling sounds of an infant.. She then only had to take a wipe left by Maria to clean his face.
Even though only Sarah was officially aware of Alex's protections, the other girls had noticed it by cuddling him, patting his bottom, or simply by observing. Some, like Lilly, had even learned to know when he needed to go change. They then called Sarah to accompany him to the school nurse and waited for him outside the office to accompany him to the playground or cafeteria.
The routine worked well, the girls always making sure someone was with him.
One day, however, Sarah, who had accompanied him to the nurse, went to the toilet, signaling Emma to wait for the baby to come out... Which Emma didn't understand.
Alex found himself alone in the hallway. Worse, a group of boys were playfully roughhousing and shouting. Alex was petrified with fear, he didn't even have the presence of mind to return to the nurse's office, he was so paralyzed. He was scared and overwhelmed by the chaos and noise around him.
Suddenly, a boy noticed him and immediately stopped the other from continuing to play.
“Hey guys, stop! Alex is here!” Jake yelled, taking Alex by the shoulders to calm him down. “Are you okay, Alex? Do you need anything?”
Alex was crying. He wanted his mommy, or his Auntie Sarah.
He put his thumb in his mouth and immediately pulled it out. Jake put it back.
“There, there. It's over. Calm down. We're going to go see Sarah.” The boys started walking, Alex still under Jake's protective arm. Although the two boys were about the same height, Alex being slightly taller, Jake was quite muscular for his age, and he was much more imposing than skinny little Alex.
“We boys sometimes have games that are a little silly. You're not used to these games, my poor Alex. I know you prefer delicate activities. But no one will hurt you. It was just to play.”
They walked out of the building and into the courtyard. Jake was still talking, with a soft, calm voice. “You're going to find your aunties, you're going to eat the good puree that your mommy gave you. Yum-yum, who is the good puree for? It's for little Alex who had a big distress! But it's over now. Look, Auntie Sarah is over there. Do you want to wave to her from here?”
Sarah saw Alex and Jacke and ran towards them. Jacke released his grip and Alex threw himself into his babysitter's arms.
Jake stayed with them for a little while, chatting with the group of girls. When he left, Alex thanked him warmly and waved goodbye with a big smile.
In the evening, Sarah recounted the events to Maria. She blamed herself for leaving Alex alone in the school, especially since he could have been pushed around by the boys. She promised it wouldn't happen again.
Although very protective, Maria wasn't mad. She knew that one day Alex could find left to himself.
She instead held onto this Jake who had been so kind to Alex. She asked her son if he had thanked his “Uncle Jake”, and at home, she had him prepare a thank you gift.
The next morning, when they met in front of the school, Maria introduced herself to Jake and thanked him for looking out for her son.
To show his gratitude even more, Alex had drawn a picture.
It was a colorful, detailed drawing of their school and playground, with Alex and Jake holding hands.
Jake was much, much bigger. He wore a very bright red and blue sleeveless jersey and matching shorts, putting his very exaggerated muscles on full display. He looked ahead, smiling.
Next to him, Alex was like a very small child. He was almost invisible, wearing a pale pink shirt and white overalls. With his thumb in his mouth, he raised his head high to look full of admiration at the big boy.
He had written in big letters “Thank you Uncle Jake” with two big hearts on either side. And he moved closer to the muscular boy to give him a hug, which Jake accepted with a smile.
Jake promised Maria, as she had told him to call her, that he would continue to watch over Alex and that she could count on him as her son's friend if needed.