Cameron

Prologue

Fredrick

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Daisy Ward Stayton leaned against the counter, mopping her brow. Another day’s hard work at the Stayton household. With eight boys, it was a constant struggle to keep up with everyone and everything. Things went well enough, with the older ones cleaning their rooms and doing some household chores. The youngest boy was not yet into the routine of picking up after himself, but the older ones were teaching him, mostly to get out of having to pick up after him. This need for organization was vital to her survival. Still, she could use more help.

She had started having children right after she and Tom were married. They were both nineteen, and Tom had just joined the Air Force. Tom was handsome, stout, and muscular; he was also short, being five-foot-seven. Tom’s vertical deficiency didn’t matter to Daisy, as she was even shorter at five-foot-two. He was due to leave for his basic training soon after they met, and it was a whirlwind romance. She was pregnant with her first child before the ink of the pastor’s signature dried on the marriage license. She went through the entire pregnancy while Tom was away doing his military schooling. Though she didn’t realize it, it was the beginning of the future pattern for her life.

Their first child, Matthew, was born when she was twenty, and thankfully, Tom had just finished up his technical school training, so he was able to be present at the birth. Best of all, the military paid for everything. However, one month later, Tom was off on his first tour of duty in South Korea, and she spent most of two years as a de facto single parent. Still, it wasn’t bad; she lived with her mother and father, and Matthew was a delight.

Once Tom’s overseas tour was complete, in early May, the Air Force assigned him to Sheppard Air Force Base, Wichita Falls, Texas. Daisy was a farm girl from Pennsylvania, so the isolation of the base wasn’t that big a thing, but the move was still a bit of a shock. The land was flat and dry, with occasional bumps and dips that the locals called hills and valleys. The vegetation was sparse, and what the Texan’s called trees were only tall, scraggly bushes to her. Additionally, the area was going through the worst drought and heat spell in a generation. She stopped counting the days that the temperature topped one hundred and ten degrees. This restricted much of their activities to air-conditioned indoor locations.

Tom loved his wife more than he could have ever imagined. Being good Christians undoubtedly helped both of them keep a proper perspective of their marriage vows. Later, when he and Daisy reflected on his time away, after only a few months of marriage, he told her of all his married comrades who became involved with local women and the large number that ended in divorce. Daisy knew she loved her husband more than life itself, and she showed him exactly how much with a wild night. By the end of the evening, Daisy was pregnant again.

Matthew grew, and so did Daisy’s belly. Around Thanksgiving, the weather started to change from summer to winter, fall being a forgotten season in this part of the country. Winter turned out to be the cold version of summers, with below-zero weather and a north wind that cut to the bone. There appeared to be nothing to interrupt the polar wind’s journey south from the north pole but one half-blown-down picket fence somewhere in Oklahoma.

Eventually, winter turned to spring, and for one month, the weather was delightful. In the lovely month of May, Mark was born. Matthew was now old enough to be less work, so Daisy was able to concentrate on caring for the new baby boy she cradled in her arms. Daisy was now twenty-three years old. She had a baby and a small child, and she was happy. She loved being a mother, and she excelled at the job. Tom was getting promoted ahead of expectations, and it appeared that the military fit his character. Everything was going great until New Year’s Eve, when a combination of alcohol and hormones led to Daisy forgetting her birth control pill. Two weeks later, the home test showed she was pregnant again.

It was bad enough being pregnant in a north Texas winter, but being in a state of advanced pregnancy during a hot north Texas summer was not Daisy’s idea of fun. But no matter, little John was born on the second day of September.

Now Daisy had a four-year-old darling little monster, one just into the terrible two’s, and a newborn bundle of joy. Her gynecologist, Major Madison, recommended that she take a break from having babies, but for some reason, Daisy just knew she would have a little girl the next try, and then she could stop altogether. On Thanksgiving Day, less than three months after the birth of her third son, John, she found out she was pregnant again.

Daisy was sure it would be the baby girl she prayed for, but the ultrasound technician at the base hospital had different ideas. She thought it was too early to tell after the first declaration that it was a boy, and then she felt the tech made a mistake on the next exam. However, by the third announcement, she had resigned herself to having another bouncing baby boy. On August 19th, James was born.

Little James was not the docile, sweet child that the first three had been. He came out screaming and never seemed to stop. He seemed angry all the time; he even ate his food angrily, but she loved him all the same and endured his temper tantrums with the patience of a mother.

During all this time, Tom continued to work on his military career and worried about how many children his wife would have. If he had not been in the military, he could never have afforded the cost. He was now halfway through his second enlistment and wondering if he should make the Air Force a permanent career.

As for Daisy, she became even more obsessed with the need to have a daughter. She began researching techniques of intercourse that would improve her chance of having her little girl. Tom just went with the flow. He loved all his sons and his wife, so he wasn’t concerned about the gender of the kids.

On October 10th, Daisy’s birthday, she informed Tom that she was pregnant again. Daisy was elated by the news, and she immediately moved John in with Mark and Matthew, James still being in her and Tom’s room. She then started decorating the third bedroom of their base housing unit in pink. Tom and she argued about names, but in the end, Daisy got her way. They would name their new daughter Freda Cameron Stayton, Freda, after Daisy’s great-grandmother, and Cameron, after Tom’s grandmother. She refused to get what she referred to as one of those lying ultrasounds. Tom and Daisy had done everything recommended to get the child’s gender correct, so she knew this child would be a girl.

July 6th, the estimated day for the delivery, came, and her water broke right on schedule. She arrived at the hospital, was wheeled into the delivery room, and in forty-eight minutes was wheeled back to her room holding her newborn son, Fredrick Cameron Stayton. 

If Daisy was disappointed, it never showed. Fredrick was, if anything, more docile than any of the others. He was small, quiet, and the perfect child. Daisy would spend hours rocking him in the nursery, and the pink walls seemed to calm both mother and child. Finally, the time came to move James out of their room and in with one of his brothers. With a look of sadness, Daisy painted the walls of the nursery a pastel blue, and John moved back into his old room to be with James. 

Things quieted down, and Tom heaved a sigh of relief that his wife had finally stopped popping out babies after number five. Tom was ending his sixth year of service, and the military informed him that it was time for another move. He had been at Sheppard AFB for almost four years, a long assignment. Now he had a choice, go on another unaccompanied overseas tour for a year, leave his family at Sheppard AFB, or move his family to Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan, for three years.

“The thing is that you would have to deal with all the kids by yourself if I go on another unaccompanied assignment,” Tom said.

“It’s not like I’ve never had to deal with the boys by myself,” said Daisy.

“I know, but this will be for a full year, and there’s five now, not just one or two,” Tom replied.

“The boys don’t want to move,” was Daisy’s reply.

“We’ll still have to move when I get back,” said Tom.

“Yes, but not outside of the country, and they promised you a recruiter’s position when you returned,” she said.

So, they decided that Tom would take the unaccompanied tour so that Daisy and the boys could stay in Texas. In September, two months after Fredrick’s birth and one month before Daisy’s birthday, Tom was on his way. 

The military has always been a pain in the ass, with unkept promises, sudden alterations of duty assignments, policy changes every time a new president or party took power, and NCOICs assigned by the Peter Principle. But despite all this, if nothing else, the military takes care of its own. During the year of Tom’s absence, Daisy would never lack any help when it was required. The other wives may or may not like someone and gossip nonstop, but when a fellow airman was somewhere else, doing his or her tour of duty, the other wives were there helping the family without question or hesitation. Tom left secure in the knowledge that Daisy and the boys would never lack anything they needed, but also knowing that with five children at home, no one would be hitting on his wife while he was away. 

Daisy had her hands full during the year Tom was gone, but it wasn’t all that different in reality. Military wives had to handle life as if they were single parents all the time, with husbands having odd duty assignments and extended periods of training. So Daisy got by, the boys grew, and everything carried on. Tom returned once on leave to spend a few precious weeks catching up with his family, but otherwise, everything became routine.

Tom’s assignment was extended twice due to his position being essential, but finally, after close to two years, it ended, and he returned home. He also re-enlisted. Daisy and Tom celebrated this combined event with a rare night out without the boys. Three weeks later, Daisy informed Tom she was pregnant again.

Daisy was no longer obsessed with having a girl; it would happen or not. In June of the following year, Benjamin was born. Ben was a robust child who smiled all the time, and Daisy spent the next six months in the pleasurable task of caring for her infant son. It was starting into the Christmas season, and she marveled at how different all her boys were, each so unique, but only Fredrick gave her concern.

Fredrick was now three, going on four, and continued to be small, almost delicate. He did not get into his other brothers’ rough-and-tumble play, preferring more calm and sedate games. He also liked to play with his brother’s GI Joe’s, but not as soldiers, but rather as mother and father figures in a makeshift dollhouse of cardboard. Daisy looked at him and was troubled. She figured he’d grow out of it, but her concern resurfaced as the boys all presented their traditional Christmas want list.

Matthew, now nine, asked for a metal detector and a football, and Mark, six, wanted a fort with cowboy and Indian figures. Then there was John, five, who wanted a bow and arrow set, and his brother James, four, asked for a punching bag and boxing gloves. But Fredrick, at three, asked for a Barbie dollhouse with Barbie and Ken dolls, a baby doll, and all the furniture and clothing to go with them. That night, Daisy talked with her husband.

“I’m worried about Fredrick,” Daisy told her husband, “he’s picking out girly things from the toy catalog. He’s behaving completely different from his brothers.”

“He’s not even four, Daisy; it’s just some phase, you know how kids are. John wanted all that pottery stuff last year, remember,” Tom told his worried wife.

“That’s not the same,” she replied, “John painted monsters on the vases and shot them with Matthew’s slingshot.”

“Ya, that’s right,” said Tom, giving a little laugh.

“Be serious. I’m worried,” Daisy said.

“I’ll talk with Fredrick and see what’s up. For now, you plan on getting him the outdoors camper Ken, an outdoors Barbie, and that RV camping thing instead of the dream house. That should be safe enough,” he told his wife, ending the conversation.

So Christmas came, and everyone seemed happy. At least if Fredrick was disappointed in Santa’s substitutes, he didn’t show it. Tom felt they handled everything correctly and that Fredrick would soon grow out of this phase of his. However, Daisy wasn’t sure, especially after she caught Fredrick dressing Ken in Barbie’s clothes.

 Tom’s promised recruiter duty finally came through, and the family was preparing to move to New York. Tom’s assignment was a recruiting station in the suburbs of Albany. It wasn’t the best neighborhood, but it was in the US and closer to both their families in Pennsylvania. Maybe all the confusion of moving caused Daisy to miss a couple of days of her birth control pills, but whatever the cause, the day before they were to start driving from Texas to Albany, Daisy announced she was pregnant again.

Tom had hoped to stop having kids after he had enough for a polo team, and then he set his hopes on basketball, but it turned into an ice hockey team, and now it looked like water polo. He said a little prayer that they weren’t headed for a baseball or even a football team. Still, Daisy was a wonderful mother; it was her calling, and he loved all his boys more than life itself, so he wasn’t upset.

Daniel was born on January 2nd, and he had just missed being a New Year’s Day baby by forty-three minutes. He was a handsome child with a good set of lungs. Tom thought he’d be a swimmer, but Daisy was betting on a singer. Matthew was doing PeeWee football, while Mark and John were now into Little League sports, with James just starting soccer. The Little League Mom syndrome had kicked fully in for Daisy, and she was beginning to reach her limit. Fredrick showed no interest in any sports and continued to be a concern to his mother. He was an introverted child, preferring to be alone. He wasn’t unhappy, but he wasn’t like the others. 

Tom’s recruiting job wasn’t exactly what he was led to believe. The neighborhood was rough. The kids were unruly and even downright violent, but he met his quota, and his NCOIC was satisfied with his work. Things stayed reasonably quiet at home, or at least as calm as seven boys can be in one household, and everyone was happy. Then, at Daniel’s two-year birthday party, Daisy announced, one last time, that she was pregnant. 

Daisy finally had to admit enough was enough. Following Joshua’s birth in September, she had a tubal ligation, and that was that. But she was also stretched beyond her ability to cope. Tom helped as much as he could, and so did the older boys, but there was only so much any of them could do. Daisy sat Tom down and told him she needed help. But their investigations showed the cost of hiring someone would be prohibitive, especially on Tom’s Tech Sergeant pay. 

“I just don’t know what to say,” said Tom, “we can’t afford to hire anyone at this time. I’m up for promotion to Master Sergeant this year, so maybe we can hire someone with that bump in pay. Can you hang in there for another six months or so?”

Daisy told her husband she could, and they dropped the conversation for now. So, Daisy continued to cope, getting whatever help she could, but they weren’t living on an Air Force base, and there was no military community to come to her aid. Another year passed, and Matthew was now fifteen and a freshman in high school, with all the problems that entailed. Mark and John weren’t far behind. Daisy could see no prospect of having enough extra money to hire anyone. Soon, they would all be dating girls and wanting cars. Then, suddenly, in an unexpected way, Daisy found her help, and everything changed.

* * *

Daisy wasn’t feeling well. She had come home early from the Little League game that John and James were playing, as they were both on the same team. Matthew and Mark were watching the game and also taking care of their brother Benjamin. Daisy kept Daniel and Joshua with her, and they were both asleep in her arms. She put her two youngest down on the den’s floor to sleep until she could use the toilet. Tiptoeing up the stairs, she went into her room, and there stood nine-year-old Fredrick, wearing her clothes, wig, makeup, and all.

There was nothing either of them could do. Daisy couldn’t let this pass as a phase. Fredrick, for his part, couldn’t deny or explain away his actions, so he fell to the floor, crying and saying over and over that he was sorry. Daisy was upset, but she knew that Fredrick was different, and the truth was, this was not beyond her ability to believe. Daisy paced back and forth, asking Fredrick what he was thinking and going on and on about how this was unacceptable. She had her number five son stand back up, and she looked at him. Daisy had to admit that he was rather pretty as a girl. She shook the thought from her head and told him to clean up and change back into his clothes. Then she left to check on the other two children sleeping in the den; her need to use the toilet was temporarily forgotten, so Daisy called Tom to come home early, preferably now, to discuss something important about Fredrick. When Tom arrived home an hour later, Daisy pulled him into the kitchen to talk.

“I caught Fredrick dressed in my clothes, makeup and all, wearing my wig and everything,” Daisy told her husband.

To say Tom was upset would be an understatement. He had always known Fredrick was different, odd came to mind, but he hadn’t expected this.

“What should we do? Do we need to get him counseling? If the school finds out about this, there could be a problem,” Tom ranted as he paced, “Is he doing anything to Ben and Dan? Do you think he’s gay? Where’s Fredrick now?”

“Calm down, Tom. Fredrick is upstairs in his room. I don’t think he’s doing anything with the younger boys, and this appears to be something he does by himself only. He would hardly talk to me about it,” Daisy said.

“He’ll damn well talk to me, or I’ll tan his hide good,” said Tom, obviously upset.

“That’ll help the situation,” said Daisy, now getting mad at her husband, “he’ll really trust us after that. Just calm down Tom, he’s still our son.”

At that moment, Matthew, Mark, John, and James, with Ben in tow, all walked into the kitchen.

“Y’all talking about Fredrick,” Matthew asked?

“Yes, what do you know of all this,” Tom asked curtly. 

“James, take Ben to the den right now and both of you stay there,” Matthew ordered his brother.

Once James and Ben were gone, Matthew, Mark, and John came over and sat at the table.

“James and Ben don’t know about this, but we do,” said Matthew.

“So, tell me, how long has he been wearing my clothes,” Daisy asked her three sons, still in shock over it all, now compounded by the fact that her three oldest sons appeared to also know about Fredrick’s activities.

“I think he started last year,” said Matthew, “at least that’s when we first caught him.” 

“That’s why he does some of our chores,” said John, to a shut-up stare from Matthew.

“You know about this and didn’t say anything,” Daisy asked incredulously?

“And you’re blackmailing your brother to get out of chores,” Tom asked?

“Yes, and yes,” said Matthew, giving John an ‘I’m gonna beat you up later’ look.

“I’m thinking all you boys are gonna need a tanning,” said Tom angrily.

“Stop,” said Daisy, giving her husband a look of frustration, “I have a better idea. I need help with the younger boys and with all the housework. I will assign Fredrick as my helper. He’ll get tired of being treated like a girl fast enough.” 

“I think that’s a great idea,” said Tom, “and you boys will start doing all your chores from now on.”

“Yes, sir,” the three boys echoed together, and rather sadly.

“I don’t think it’s gonna work,” Mark suddenly said.

“What do you mean,” Tom asked?

“I think it’s a good idea, but not as a punishment. I think Fredrick will enjoy doing girl’s work. I don’t think he’ll get upset about it at all,” said Mark.

“Mark’s right,” agreed Matthew, before his father could say a word, “Fredrick is just girly. He doesn’t get along with anyone at school except a few girls. But he doesn’t seem to act towards the girls like a guy, more like another girl. In first and second grade, he would play Barbies with the other girls at school. We three, including James, have had to keep the other boys from beating him up since he started school. But we’re not all in his school anymore, so it’s getting harder to protect him. James knows he’s girly but doesn’t know about the cross-dressing.”

“Well, I think it’s worth trying,” said Tom, “dress him up like a girl when he’s at home helping you. Tell him he can stop when he stops acting like a girl.”

All three boys shook their heads, and Daisy seemed doubtful but agreed to give it a try. So Tom and she sat down with Fredrick and told him what they decided. He would be his mother’s helper, doing housework and taking care of his younger brothers after school, and he was to stop doing his brother’s chores. They told him he would dress the part of his brother’s sister and explained that he could stop when he got tired of acting like a girl. 

Daisy, with some misgivings, took some measurements and, leaving Tom home to watch the children, left to go shopping for girl clothes for Fredrick. While she was gone, Tom cleaned out the large walk-in closet off the upstairs hallway and moved Fredrick’s bed and dresser and a few other items into the new small bedroom that he would occupy while learning his lesson. 

“Can’t have a girl sharing the bedroom with boys,” he told Fredrick.

Meanwhile, Daisy arrived at the department store and went straight to the adolescent girl section. As she picked through the racks of girl clothes, she started to smile. This was not what she wanted for her son, but she had to admit it was something she had always wanted to do for the daughter she had never had. She spent a long time fussing about what to buy for her new daughter, Cameron, as Daisy now thought of Fredrick. She finally returned home and took Fredrick to his new room, dumping all the new clothes on the bed.

“As soon as you come home from school, you will change into one of these outfits and start helping me around the house. When you finally decide you don’t want to be a girl, you can stop and go back to being a boy,” she told him, “but until then, your name at home will be Cameron. Do you understand me?”

Fredrick nodded yes as he eyed the panties, training bras, jeans, blouses, skirts, dresses, and pumps, then he started to smile. Daisy instantly knew that Mark was right.