WHO IS WHO
"What is your name Sir?"
"My name is Billie Lilstones. You may call me Bill. What would you like me to call you?"
"Strangers call me Tommie. But I've been called Snowflake for so long I think of it as my name."
"Is that what you want me to call you, Snowflake?"
"Please Sir!"
"OK. I know you are afraid, and you don't know what you are getting into. Let me assure you. I like you and will never do anything that is not in your best interest. IF I ever do anything that really frightens you and you want to stop just tell me your melting'. If I ever hurt your mind, heart, or body; you are to say, I'm melting' or `your melting me'. I will stop whatever is happening, we will discuss it, and fix it. Do you understand me, Snowflake?"
"Yes, Sir. I kinda feel like I'm melting now. But you already seem to be fixing it!"
"GOOD! But tell me what you are going to do if you feel this especially afraid again?"
"I'm melting or your melting me."
"CORRECT!"
We drove in silence for quite some time. He kept his head down looking at his knees when he wasn't asleep. He looked younger than twenty-two, perhaps eighteen or so. His shirt was filthy and torn. His pants were dirty as well and had seen better days. He wore old sneakers with old looking white socks. I'd seen his blue eyes and blond hair. He seemed reasonably muscled but still looked frail and had little tan. His face looked almost feminine with a cute little nose with wide nostrils. His ears were small and nearly flat against his head. His fingers were slender and long. Altogether though, he was a rather a small being.
"Sir, where are we going and what do you do?"
"We're heading to the little town of Higginsville, KY. I have a small home that sits on thirty acres of woods with some open land. It's a small place two-bedroom one bath with attached garage. I have another building for farm equipment and a shop. One of the bedrooms has been converted into an office and photo processing lab. I'm a free-lance photographer like your Dad. The house sits back off the road behind a photography studio. You'll like the place it's quite private and pretty. I am single. I had one photography assistant, but he just left to go back to college. Perhaps you would like to learn about photography and take his place for a while. Now how about you tell me something about yourself?"
"I've lived on the street for as long as I can remember. My father left when I was very young. He would come around off and on over the years. He has never been very nice to me or Mom. He would always tell me how weak and frail I looked. He would call me his sissy son. He's the one that started calling me Snowflake. My Mom was an alcoholic, but she tried hard to take good care of me and protect me. She made me finish high school. She would leave me at times to stay with guys. She would always seem to have cash when she came back. Most of the time we stayed in a little corner where three buildings came together. There was enough of an overhang we didn't get wet when it rained. No wind blew in there. But it did get very cold in the winter. I went behind the restaurants to get food. Being little, I was picked on by the other boys. I was teased and not treated very nice. They liked to get me down, steal my clothes, and leave me naked in the street. Like my Dad, they called me a sissy, a fag, a femboy, and other bad things. I don't like to talk about the other bad things they did. Please understand why I don't trust anyone."
"Rest and relax my friend. I hate to say it, but I don't think it will take much to improve your life. I think you will find your new situation very comfortable. How did you feel about being naked?"
"I didn't mind being naked if they didn't try to do bad things to me. When it was warm, I would have stayed naked except for that. Mom kept telling me that I had to find more clothes, or the Social Workers would take me away. I or Mom would always find me something to wear."
"I like you just the way I see you! I'm sure you will like my private and warm little place. Please don't be afraid of me. If I tease you it will be only in fun. I will never be mean to you. We'll get you cleaned up and shiny as a new penny. We'll throw away those nasty rags your wearing and get you some nice new clothes you can wear in town. If you like you may run naked around my place when just you, me, and our friends are around. I don't always bother to get dressed when I piddle around at home."
"I'm feeling some better. You seem nice and sincere. Let's just see how it all works out."
"That's all I can ask. You are free to leave at any time, but let's give it a few days for adjustment."
The rest of the trip was quiet. Snowflake made a few comments about things he saw out the window but for the most part was quiet. I didn't want to pry any more into his thoughts. He was having a hard time with everything that was happening to him. But he seemed to have hope.