The Fashion Towne Chronicles

Father's Rejection: Taylor's Story

The sound of Taylor's alarm was all that separated the Friday evening nightmares from the Saturday morning dread.

This was the second Saturday of the month; the day the Family Court had decreed was to be allocated for visitation by Taylor's non-custodial father.

They had never been close, and their relationship had become much more strained in recent years. Perhaps this was because Taylor had never been able to act macho-tough the way his father demanded.

Taylor's mom, on the other hand, had always been totally loving and supportive and encouraged him to explore a range of interests. She had a high-paying job and could to afford to indulge him with gifts and paying for activities.

Her practice was to let Taylor chose what he wanted, and the choices had included piano lessons, cooking classes, and creative dance. Recently she had encouraged Taylor to try the cheer dance class that the studio offered right after his creative dance.

Taylor turned off the alarm and reluctantly slid out of bed. He pulled a robe on and walked to the bathroom.

He thought for a moment before sitting to do his business. Mom was right, sitting made it easier to keep the bathroom clean.

After a quick shower, he went to the kitchen and grabbed a bowl of greek yogurt and cereal for breakfast before returning to his room to face the task of getting ready.

Looking in the mirror Taylor took a moment to admire his androgynous face. Taylor loved the way he looked now and was not looking forward to what would happen once puberty hit.

A quick glance confirmed that he had scrubbed off any hint of the eye makeup he had sparingly applied before going out to dinner last night.

He wondered for a moment how he had gotten talked into getting totally dressed as a girl, just to eat in a fine restaurant with Mom and her new lady partner. He wasn't sure if it had been obedience, politeness, or resignation to the inevitable. Wearing even age-appropriate makeup certainly did not make sense given what was scheduled for this morning.

Taylor's fingernails still showed hints of last night's dark pink nail polish, so he took a cotton pad and the remover and went to work cleaning thoroughly from the shaped tips down to the cuticles. The visit was going to be bad enough, but this added to the morning's hassles.

"Are you getting ready, Sweetie? Your father will be here soon."

"Yeah, I'm hurrying, Mom."

Taylor realized he did not have time to get the polish off his toenails. He shrugged and told himself it would be okay because a pair of socks would cover them up anyway.

He then began to search for one of his few remaining pairs of jockey briefs then changed his mind. A pair of smooth high-cut nylon panties would be more comfortable, and a solid color wouldn't show either. At least underneath I can wear my usual stuff, he thought.

The idea of wearing girls' underwear for the visit changed into an attitude of outright defiance as Taylor continued to get ready.

He was tired of trying to act like a boy just to satisfy the unreasonable expectations of a man who he really did not want in his life anymore. Maybe dressing in a more expressive way would make a statement, and possibly open a discussion that always seemed to be avoided during the paternal visits.

It would be wonderful if my father could accept that I enjoy a few stereotypical feminine interests. On the other hand, he thought, if my presentation leads to another blow-up it wouldn't be the end of the world. Shouting matches were a frequent part of the monthly visits so why not have one over something real?