J is for Josie

He just stood and looked at me. He did realise that I wasn't serious, and he smiled.

"Wow, Joseph. You really do look rather like your mother. But hadn't you better wipe the lipstick off, I passed Duncan on the way down the road."

Hell. Duncan. He'd said he would come round and help with my Maths coursework if I'd let him borrow one of my computer games. I dashed back up, threw the wig into the bedroom and wiped the lipstick off quickly. And then I heard the doorbell.

After Duncan had left and after Dad and I had finished our meal, he did mention my dressing-up again.

"You really do look a bit like her though she always did like to wear more make-up. You'd need to go quite a bit further, with the clothes and the make-up and so on. I think you'd actually look quite a lot like her. So why did you do it?"

"I just saw the wig, Dad. I thought you might like to be reminded of her. Just a bit, that is."

And we said no more, but what Dad had said stuck in my mind.

'Go quite a bit further, with the clothes and the make-up and so on.'

Maybe I should. Which is why, two weeks later on a Friday again, I'd gone up to the bedroom and got out the wig again. And put it on. And an old pair of earrings Mum had left. And one of her sweaters. And a pair of her jeans over a pair of short nylon socks and her shoes. When I'd looked in the mirror I admit I had been disappointed. Then I realised that the clothing was right but the shape wasn't so I'd undressed again and put on one of her bras and some panties, stuffing the 'cups' of the bra with some rolled-up socks.

After that I'd inspected myself in the mirror again I'd been much more pleased. And even more so after I'd carefully applied some of Mum's make-up like Dad had said, just a little foundation over my face and some eye-shadow and lipstick. Yet again Dad had timed his return just as I'd finished so I didn't have time to reconsider what I was doing. I just grabbed one of the handbags she'd left behind and went down the stairs, carefully in the unfamiliar heels.