Sister's Passport - Flying Off To New Life - Part 5

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Now this was something that all women understood. Tina and Sarah smothered Ken with hugs and brought out a big box of tissues.  

"You know," Tina said thinking, "I may have some things upstairs that might look good on you."  

"Excellent!" said Sarah. 

"You go and look and we'll be up in a minute. Eat!" she commanded, pointing at the second cheeseburger.  

Ken wiped his eyes and took another sip from his milkshake. It was empty! Sarah gave him a second one: strawberry.  

"I think this is going to work!" Tina called from upstairs, excited. "Come on up!"  And so, gathering up the remaining food, Ken and Sarah went upstairs to Tina and Brian's bedroom.  

"Cool!" Sarah said admiring the circular bedroom, situated in the second story of the tower. 

"Now, here's what I've got," Tina said, warming to her task.  Tina had so many clothes! Not only the clothes in her closet but boxes and boxes of dresses and skirts and blouses and suits and jackets and on and on.  

"How about this?" Tina pulled out a silk halter dress with a plunging neckline.  "Ooh! How cute!" Sarah enthused.  

"Too low-cut, please ladies! It's only a first date! We're just friends, not lovers!" Ken blushed.  

"Well, not yet!" Tina said grinning wickedly.  

"Tina!!" Ken said truly shocked.  

"Well, why not Kathy?" she shot back. "After all, he's handsome, tall, young, from a good family." 

"and well hung I bet!" Sarah teased.  

"Please stop!" 

Ken said his face beet red, but enjoying the teasing nonetheless.  And if that wasn't bad enough, Ken had to insist on dressing in the closet. 

After all, he had to hide his falsies. 

And anything that might reveal them, he could reject without showing them.  

"What?" Sarah asked. 

"We're all just women here! Please, there's nothing to be shy about."  

"Please, no I just can't, I." Ken stammered.  

"Hush Sarah." 

Tina waved her aside. 

"If Kathy wants to dress in private, well, they do things differently in Britain. They're more reserved there." 

She pushed Ken into her walk-in closet to change. "Go ahead honey, I understand."  

Ken had never felt more pampered and appreciated. He tried on shirt dresses, sweater dresses, skirts with bolero jackets, little black dresses, one hideous pumpkin orange bridesmaid dress (causing no end of giggling), short mini skirts, flowing shifts, and many other things Ken couldn't even exactly name, but all of them gorgeous. 

For every outfit, Sarah and Tina would exclaim how thin and beautiful he was!  

"Almost too thin," Tina said a bit jealously.  

"Definitely too thin," Sarah agreed, with a knowing stare at Ken. "But we're working on that, right, Kathy?" 

"Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to put on a pound or two," Ken said tentatively. 

"Or five or ten!" Tina said confidently. "Now, go try on this evening gown."  

"But, this is way too much!" Ken cried out. "It's just a simple date. And it's already after midnight! Don't you have to get to bed?" 

"You don't worry about us," Sarah said. "I haven't had this much fun in years." 

 "Try it on!" Tina thrust the gown in his arms and pointed to the closet.  

"But"  "Go!" 

Ken reluctantly went into the closet and shut the door. 'What was Tina thinking??' he wondered.  

"I can't wear this!" he called out through the door. "It's strapless!" 

"In the back," Tina advised, "center drawer, you should find some strapless bras." 

Ken rummaged through the drawer, amazed at the wide variety of colors and styles, until he finally found a strapless one at the bottom.

 Putting it around his chest, he fastened the hooks as tight as possible in front before turning it around and lifting it into place.  

"This might work." 

Ken muttered to himself as he slipped in his falsies.  Stepping into the gown, Ken pulled it up his body. Holding it in place, he tried to reach the zipper in the back.

"Uh, I can't, I mean" Ken called out.  Suddenly the door opened and Sarah stepped in. She turned Ken away from her and efficiently zipped him up, closing the gown about his torso. Ken nervously adjusted his breasts and pulled up the neckline.

 Were his fake breasts showing? Turning him back around, Sarah smoothed out the bodice.   

"Fabulous!" Sarah said swinging the door wide open and pushing Ken out into the bedroom. 

"Whoah," Tina said followed by a low wolf whistle. 

"Take a look!" She turned Ken towards the full-length mirror.  

Ken looked at himself. The dress was absolutely gorgeous. It was made from a brilliant teal taffeta with a pleated bodice, a long classic A-Line skirt lined on the inside with tulle. 

The neckline was a wide, beaded stripe that went straight across Ken's upper chest.  

"Wait!" Tina said. 

"Try this." 

She placed a wrap around his shoulders. 

"Like this," she demonstrated, pulling his hands together and then letting the wrap fall off his shoulders so that it elegantly draped down behind his back.  

"Oh, my gosh." 

Ken said. Ken looked at himself in the mirror, his shoulder-length hair gently draped around his shoulders, his elegant hands clasped gracefully together in front, his exposed shoulders were bare, and his surprised face was.

"I'm I'm a."  Sarah kissed him on the cheek. 

"You're beautiful, Kathy."  

Ken's eyes welled up with tears of joy. 

"I'm a beautiful woman," he whispered.  

But of course, Ken couldn't wear a long evening gown just to go out on a simple dinner date. Such a gown would only be appropriate for fancy black-tie events. 

So in the end they chose the black crewneck jersey dress made of some amazing silky fabric. 

The bodice had this fun pleating which emphasized his bosoms and the Empire waist looked amazing on his figure. It was flirty and fun.  Ken looked at the label. 

"Oh my god," he said shocked. "It's Versace! Tina! I can't wear this!"  "Shush!" Tina said. 

"Of course you can! It's perfect."  

"You look amazing," Sarah chimed in. "Wear this and I guarantee you, Tim will not stand a chance." 

"But, it's only one date." 

Ken said worried. "I mean, I don't want."  

But the ladies wouldn't take no for an answer.    

"Oh my goodness," Kathy sighed, "everything was sooo wonderful, Tim! Magical. I don't want this night to ever end. 

The dinner, the show," Ken purred contentedly.  

Tim and Kathy were back from their date, holding hands, standing on the front walkway of the Johnson's house.  "Well," Tim looked around. 

"Maybe we could just sit and chat for a while?"  

Kathy looked at him. 

"Chat? But... I'm getting a bit chilled."  

"Here." 

Tim took off his black blazer and placed it around Ken's shoulders.  

"Mmmmm," Ken said feeling Tim's body warmth from the jacket. 

"Thank you." 

Tim guided Ken over to the porch swing.  

"Oh!" Ken said feeling Tim slip his arm around Ken's shoulders.  Tim pulled Ken in closer to snuggle. 

"So, tell me, Kathy, what do you want to be when you grow up?"  

"What do I want to be?" Ken relaxed a bit and let his head fall back onto Tim's shoulder. 

"You know, I never really thought about it. I have no idea, really. I know that I like taking care of children."  

"Really?" Tim said. "Do you want to have children of your own, someday?"  "Well, sure," Ken said not thinking too much. "But I doubt that it will ever happen." 

"Why not?" Tim asked.  

"Uh," Ken tensed up. "Oh, I don't know. I just doubt anyone would ever want to have children with me, I guess."  

"Are you crazy?" 

Tim said turning Ken's face so they could look at each other. "I mean, my god, you are the most beautiful, I mean you're cute, you're funny, you like children, you're incredibly smart and you make everyone around you feel good."

"Oh please," Ken blushed at the compliments.  "No, seriously." 

Tim leaned in a bit closer.  Ken looked up at Tim. Was he?  

"I mean, why wouldn't anyone." 

Tim whispered, getting even closer, "want to be with you" their foreheads were touching, "and have children with you," their lips were touching.

"Oh, Tim!" 

Ken said, turning his head slightly to avoid the kiss and pulling Tim into a hug. "You are the sweetest bloke that 

"I have ever known."  

WHAT AM I DOING? 

Ken thought furiously to himself. 

I ALMOST KISSED HIM! WHAT AM I DOING?  

"But seriously," Tim said pulling back so they were facing each other again. "Do you plan on going to college after you're done being an Au Pair?"  "I guess so, I just don't know what I'd do."  

"What about architecture?"  "Architecture? Why would you suggest that?"  

"I don't know. I guess, just the way you were talking about the renovations at dinner. You really seem to like it. And you really love this old building. How's your math?" 

"Pretty good, I guess." 

"Well, there you go. A love of old buildings and good math skills. Sounds like an architect to me." 

"Architect," Ken mused to himself. "My friend, I mean, my Dad, I mean, my adopted Dad, a friend of the family, really."

 Ken sighed, trying to figure out how to describe Sandra, "he's an architecture critic in England. 

Do you really think I could?"  Ken looked up at Tim and somehow their foreheads were touching again.  

"Of course you could," Tim said softly. "You're smart, you're organized and you see how things should be. 

Tim leaned in closer, their noses were touching, "amazing."  

What am I going to do? Ken's mind was whirling, his eyes wide.  

"Uh," Ken whispered.  

"Yes?" Tim whispered back, his breath gently stroking Ken's cheek.  

Their lips brushed against each other.  

"Oh no please." 

Ken struggled, but before he knew it, they were kissing. And then the rest of the world just fell away all his worries, all his concerns, everything forgotten as Ken's entire being became caught up in this one kiss.  

'What am I doing?' Ken thought frantically to himself.  

But then, after another second he couldn't help himself. Ken opened his mouth slightly and began kissing in earnest.  And just at that moment, something clicked. 

Something that Ken had been subconsciously resisting all his life was set free. Ken finally knew who he really was.  

He was Kathy now, an independent, self-aware, beautiful young woman of his own.  

And now Kathy wanted more. She reached an arm up, put it around Tim's waist, and brought him in for an even closer kiss, her hand on his back. Tim's eyes opened in surprise but then surrendered to his newly assertive date.  

And they kissed and kissed and Kathy thought it had to be the most wonderful thing in the world.    

"What am I going to do about Tim?"  

Kathy stomped back and forth across the backyard, working out her frustrations by aggressively cleaning out the accumulated brush and trimming back the trees around the pool and patio.  

"I can't be in love with him," she reasoned to herself. "I just can't! 

One date. I mean, it was just one date!"  She picked up a pair of hedge clippers and started to attack the bushes that bordered the pool deck.  

"Life just isn't fair! Why did he have to show up now? 

Why couldn't I have met him in England? What am I going to do?"  Kathy stopped for a moment.  

"Why?" she said softly, wiping away her tears. 

"Why'd it have to be so perfect?" 

"Are you okay?" 

Kathy jumped and twirled around, clippers armed and ready.  

"Woah!" Tim stepped back, narrowly avoiding evisceration, holding up his hands. 

"I'll go quietly! I swear!"  

"Oh, Tim!" Kathy said, breaking out into fresh tears. 

"What's the matter? There, there." 

Tim held her in a warm embrace. 

"Why are you crying?"  

"'Cause," Kathy said her words coming out between sobs, "I, had... such a good time last night."  

"Well... but that's a good thing, right?" Tim asked, confused in the way that men have been confused for generations.  

"NO! It's not!" Kathy said sharply before breaking out into fresh tears. 

"I'm I can't I mean. It's just all wrong!"  

"Hush, there, hush," Tim said stroking her arm. 

"I know you're worried about going back to the UK and all." 

"Yes."  

"but all I can say is that I really, really like you."  

"Really?" Kathy looked up into Tim's eyes.  

"Yes, really. And I think that if two people really, really like each other... well, I just don't think there is any problem too big to solve." 

"Oh, Tim!" Kathy broke out into fresh sobs.  

"Oh, my darling Kathy... please, don't."  

Tim planted small kisses on Kathy's head as she cried.  But through her tears, all Kathy could think was 'He likes me! He really, really likes me!'  And then her head just automatically turned towards Tim and sought out his lips. and they were kissing again and it was heaven. Kathy's sobbing subsided as she lost herself in the kiss, feeling Tim's arms around her, lifting her arms to hold him tighter, letting the warmth of the kiss create a little safe bubble around them.  

"Tim..." she started, backing away suddenly, "I, I have to tell you something..."   "Of course," Tim said looking at her with affection.  

"It's just that, I mean, I'm... or rather, I'm not." 

"KATHY!"  Kathy and Tim jerked apart as Julie raced towards them.  

"Mom said I could help you with the backyard. Can I help? Can I? Can I? Can I?"  

"Of course you can, Julie!"  Jolted back to reality, Kathy thanked her lucky stars that she hadn't gone through with her confession. 

What was I doing? Kathy thought to herself.  

"Okay, everyone," she continued loud. 

"We need to get this yard back into shape. The pool men are going to be here on Monday to start work. So, let's sweep the deck, cut back those bushes, and clear out that brush over there."  

The next few weeks went by in a blur. The renovations continued at a break-neck pace, with the inevitable problems encountered along the way. First, there was the sagging beam.  

"Yeah, after years of punching holes in it to run water and electrical, this one's not gonna last much longer," Marc announced.  So they had to take a week to expose the old beam, jack everything up, and install a new one.  Then there was the issue of the missing trim.  

"The problem is," said David, the architect, "we just don't have pictures of the inside. Tons of pictures of the outside, but really we don't know how the original architects would have finished the inside trim."  

So Tina spent hours trying to locate pictures of the interiors of period houses so they might have an idea of what to do.  

"If only there was some, you know, 'Home and Garden' spread or something, you know?" Tina said.  "Wait! What did you just say?" Kathy looked up from where she was playing 'Chutes and Ladders' with Julie.  

"You know, a 'Home and Garden' spread?"  

A huge smile crossed Kathy's face. "Come with me!"  And so all three girls, Julie included, went to the second story, where Kathy led them into Brian's closet.  "Kathy?" Tina asked, surprised. 

"Have you been snooping?" 

"Remember that day I was trapped while playing hide-and-seek with Julie?" 

"Tag! You're it!" Julie said whapping Kathy on the thigh.  

"Well, I was looking for something, you know, like a piece of cardboard, that might open the door, when I ran across these."  

Kathy opened the box in the back and uncovered the magazines.  

"Architectural Digest, 1952," whispered Tina.  Picking up the magazine gingerly, she opened it up to the table of contents.  

"Oh my god, look at this!" she said excitedly. 

Shingle Style Homes, the new standard for American Architecture by Vincent Scully.

They opened it up to page 32 and there it was, the Johnson home in all its glory.  "Says here it was built in 1897," Tina said. 

"Look! Pictures of the living room! 

Oh my god, Kathy! This is perfect! Thank you!"  Just then Tina's cell phone rang.  "It's Brian," she said nodding towards Julie.  

"Of course!" Kathy said. "Julie!" she called out, "let's go to the park, shall we?" 

'What the hell is going on?' Brian wondered, hanging up his cell.  Tina was acting weird, there was no way around it. Normally he would call, they would discuss the events of the day, he might say 'hello' to Julie and then that was that.  

But when was the last time he had talked to Julie? Hm. Brian thought back. It had been a couple of weeks, at least. Was something wrong?  

But if there had been something wrong with Julie, Brian would have heard it in Tina's voice. Instead, he had heard something else, Nervousness? 

Fear? and, excitement? 

Something was definitely up and Brian began to worry.  

"Maybe I should try and get home early..."  

"How was Ballet tonight?" 

Tina asked, pulling out a dress from her closet and holding up to Kathy.  The two were picking out a dress for Kathy to wear to the post-ballet concert party. Tina had offered to hold the party in her new (nearly) renovated home and Sarah had gratefully accepted.  

"It was wonderful!" 

Kathy enthused. "We finally got to dance in costumes and the girls are so cute."  

"Well, Julie certainly loves hers," Tina mused, pulling out a skirt, a sweater dress, and a couple of blouses.  

Ken took the dress into the bathroom to change.  

Julie had raced around the house about a dozen times showing off her ballet costume. She had refused to take it off until Kathy had finally convinced her that it would get ruined if she slept in it.  

"Well, well!" 

Tina whistled when Kathy emerged, dressed. 

"Not bad at all. You look good in a sweater dress. Look at those curves, I bet you just drive Tim wild."  

Kathy blushed as Tina fussed with the drape of the skirt. Things with Tim had been going very well. 

Far too well, in fact. Kathy still had not had the courage to tell him her secret and he hadn't pressed her for information. Thank god things hadn't progressed beyond kissing and heavy petting.  Tina sent Kathy to change into a second dress. 

"How's Sarah?" Tina called out.  

"Oh, blimey, she's almost completely mad! She's only had 7 hours of sleep all week!" Kathy stepped out with the next dress.  

"Nope, not this one," Tina said. "Too frumpy for such a cutie like you, here try this."  

Kathy stepped back into the bathroom.  

"Well, at least the recital's tomorrow," Tina said. 

"Then hopefully her life will get back to normal."  

Kathy stepped out.  

"Woah," Tina said. 

"That's the one."  

"I can't wear this!" Kathy said looking at herself in the mirror. 

She was wearing a mini skirt with a V-neck striped sweater.  "Why not?"  

"It's I mean, it's way too short!" 

Kathy tugged at the hem, feeling embarrassed to be so exposed.  

"Nonsense!" Tina said brushing her concerns away. 

"It looks fabulous on you. And Tim's eyes will just bug out! I'm going to tell him you chose it just for him." 

"You wouldn't!" Kathy gasped. 

"Yes, I would!" Tina laughed. "Now hush, while I get you some boots to go with."  Kathy looked at herself in the mirror and just couldn't stop grinning.