My Foster Mom Wants A Daughter - Book 1 Of A Series

Chapter Seven: In Public

Mary Elizabeth smiled as her just recently turned 14-year-old foster son fussed about in the closet trying to find just the right outfit to wear to the mall over in New Harvest.

They were going to meet Sharon and her daughter Tanya, for a day of shopping. It would be Angelo's first time ever dressed as a girl in public.

"Mommy, I'm undecided. Should I wear this dress," Angelo asked, holding one up in front of himself. "Is this alright, or does it look too formal for shopping? Or do you think I should wear these shorts and this tank top instead? I wanna blend in by wearing what most girls wear when they shop. What do you think, mom?"

He was acting just like any other girl fretting over what to wear, and Mary Elizabeth was feeling pleased as she watched this girl-to-be act so totally feminine. It seemed to come naturally to him.

"Honey, I think you should go very casual. Wear the shorts and tank top, and also take a top with sleeves along, in case the air conditioning in the mall is too cold."

Angelo agreed. He wanted to go dressed just like other girls would be at the mall. With his slender legs and arms, he knew he could easily look like a girl even in shorts and a tank top. Besides, the only shoes he could wear comfortably were the girl's tennis shoes, which wouldn't go as well with the dress.

"Oh mom, I hope I remember everything you taught me about being girly," Angelo exclaimed as they began the roughy forty-five-minute drive to New Harvest.

Angelo flipped down the visor and stared at his face in the mirror as they pulled into the parking lot of Fashion Towne Mall.

"Angela, honey, don't worry. You look very sweet today. No one will think of you as anything but a natural girl, believe me. You look fine."

"I sure hope so," he replied, then added, "I like it better than being a boy."

Mary Elizabeth smiled as she shut off the car. "Let's go, honey. Sharon and Tanya are already here."

They hurried across the parking lot and into the entrance of Fashion Towne Mall, headed straight towards the food court. The entire way there Angelo was trying hard to remember to take shorter steps, one foot in front of the other and to keep his body erect.

As far as he could tell, no one gave them a second glance. He reasoned the two must have looked like any mother and teenage daughter, and a warmth came over Angelo with that thought.

Mary Elizabeth wore light green full-length shorts and a darker green-blue sleeveless blouse. Angelo wore denim mini shorts, a pink GUESS sleeveless tee shirt, and the pink tennis shoes with short, white socks. He carried a light blue jacket over one arm.

Mary Elizabeth spotted Sharon and her daughter, seated at a table at the edge of the food court; both had soft drinks in their hands and were chatting.

Tanya, the daughter, seemed to be complaining to her mother about something and her demeanor quickly changed as Mary Elizabeth and Angelo approached the table.

"Sharon, Tanya, sorry we were late, but this here is Angela."

Angelo came forward, and Sharon and her daughter rose up to meet them. Angelo gave a slight nod and smiled but didn't speak, still worried his voice could give him away.

"Why you're very pretty, Angela," Sharon said as they sat down, strategically placing Angelo next to Tanya.

"Thank you," he said in a hard-to-hear whisper.

"Speak up darling," Mary Elizabeth said, then explained, "She's really quite shy."

"Thank you," he said in a voice that sounded weak and unconvincing.

Tanya seemed to be the same height and have the same body size as Angelo; she was slender with long, naturally blonde hair that reached down past her shoulders. She wore a tank top and grey mini-shorts with sandals. She also had on a modest pink lipstick with matching colors on her toenails and fingernails.

Mary Elizabeth had previously suggested to Sharon tell she tell her daughter about Angelo; that he was a boy, but a boy who felt more like a girl. And as the two older women began talking, Angelo and Tanya sat there, not saying anything.

Angelo kept looking at Tanya out the corner of his eye and, although Tanya didn't seem to be looking at him, Angelo felt that Tanya had to be glancing at him too.

Finally, Tanya let out a sigh and announced to Angelo in a judging tone, "Well, I must say. You at least look like a girl."

Angelo didn't reply. First of all, he was shocked that Tanya had been told his secret. Secondly, he could tell Tanya was not pleased with this meeting. He deduced that she must have thought it was weird that a boy would come dressed as a girl, and she probably had argued with her mother about having to come.

Angelo was right, and it was only for Mary Elizabeth's sake that Tanya relented and agreed to do this. The girl had always liked Mary Elizabeth who had cared for her when her mother was hospitalized for a month about a year ago.

"You planning to always be a girl?" Tanya pressed.

"I think so," Angelo answered softly, trying so hard to sound girlish.

The two sat there for a while, with Tanya now staring at Angelo, sizing him up. Finally, Tanya's mom handed Tanya some money and suggested she take Angela and go find something to eat.

Reluctantly Tanya agreed and headed to get food. There was a little bit of a line at the Burger Barn stand, and they got in it behind two teenage boys.

The boys were laughing and making fun of everything around them, just being typical teenage boys. Angelo was glad he didn't have to take part in their banter.

"Hi, girls," the taller of the two boys looked at Angelo and Tanya and said, after a couple minutes.

Angelo noticed the boy had on athletic shorts, flip-flops, and a blue tank top. He and the other guy with him looked to be a year or two older than Angelo and Tanya.

"I'm Gary and this is my friend, Jason," the boy continued. "Who are you?"

There was no response, and Gary spoke again, "Cat got your tongue? We don't bite."

Finally, Tanya answered, "Hi, I'm Tanya and this is Angela. She's just a friend of my mom's."

Her response seemed to indicate to the boys that she was not a friend to Angelo but had to be at the mall with him because her mother told her to.

The two boys looked at Angelo and he gave the same tentative "hi," hoping it sounded girlish enough.

"She's shy," explained Tanya.

"Well, you shouldn't be, Angela. You're a cutie," the other boy, Jason said.

Angelo observed that Jason had a slender, wiry body, bright blue eyes, and a crew-cut. He was wearing a tight white tee-shirt and golf shorts.

Angelo blushed. That this sparkling, lively boy would think he was "cute" sort-of excited Angelo.

As they waited at the counter for their food, Jason asked Angelo and Tanya if they would join them at their table, but Tanya explained they were with their mothers.

"Well, give us your phone numbers at least," Gary joshed.

Tanya laughed. "No way. We'll see ya' around."

As they walked back to the table, Tanya spoke to Angelo. "You're going to have to learn how to handle yourself around boys if you're gonna try to be a girl, Angela."

"I know. Thank you for helping me."

"You know, Angela, you really are pretty and kinda nice. Maybe we can come here again, just you and me, next Saturday. Maybe those boys will be here too. They were really cute."

Angelo only nodded his head. He wasn't sure how he would handle being a girl with boys like those. He could imagine the conversation at their table, now. He knew they would be debating which of the two girls they had just met was the hottest.