Trait Swapper: Thanksgiving Turkey (Patreon)

Nineteen-year-old Ben Kleeb was carrying the baby, his little brother Cliff.  Ben often carried the baby for his mother when they were out.  Ben and his three siblings, the aforementioned Cliff, his little eleven-year-old sister Jeanne and his fifteen-year-old brother Tom were with Helen their mother.

Helen was taking Jeanne out to buy some new clothes.  Helene wanted to buy some new dresses for Church on Sunday for Jeanne.  She already had the accessories that would go with them: shoes, tights, purses, and hair ribbons.

Jeanne is Helen's only girl and she treated her like a princess.  Helen liked her daughter dressed in pretty clothes, not just on Sunday but all the time.  Helen liked dresses and skirts on her daughter.  She spoiled her rotten when it came to those types of things.

Helen didn't know that Jeanne was a tomboy at heart.  Jeanne preferred to wear jeans and t-shirts, although Helen didn't really allow her to wear such things very often, certainly not to school.  Jeanne was always dressed in a dress or a skirt with a pretty top on school days.  Jeanne didn't have the strength of will to tell her mother that she didn't like those types of things.  She was only eleven years old.  Not all the time at least.  She had to wear dresses as her mother wanted and expected.

Helen took her whole family with her because she had to.  Cliff the baby and Jeanne for obvious reasons.  Tom was autistic.  Even at fifteen, he couldn't be left home alone.  His condition made him extremely nervous about being alone.  What was euphemistically called 'behavioral disturbances' would happen when Tom was left alone for long periods of time.  He had other signs of autism too, such as an abnormal tone to his voice, repeating phrases, and other problems involving social interaction with others, including family.

Ben didn't have problems such as Tom.  But he had a different father than his three other siblings.  Ben's dad died when Ben was very young.  This caused separation anxiety within him.  Always afraid that his mother would leave him as his dad had, Ben formed an unnatural attachment to his mother.  He needed to know where she was at all times and be with her as much as possible.  Ben dropped out of college due to this problem.  Ben was handsome and smart, but he was also a Mommas Boy.

Helen tried to help Ben, but when Cliff was born, she found that he was helpful with the baby in many ways.  Plus, soon after giving birth to her fourth child, Helen entered into menopause and found the symptoms somewhat debilitating.  When she was having her hot flashes or other symptoms, Helen was glad that Ben was around to help.  Ben also could keep an eye on Cliff.  It wasn't healthy for Ben to be with his mother so much, but she needed him, so she didn't complain.

Little Cliff was a happy, healthy baby who preferred to run off than to sit in a stroller.  That is why Cliff was holding him at this time.  The smart little tyke who was only twenty-months old had just started potty training.

The troop had arrived at the girl's section.  Helen had found a pretty dress for Jeanne.  It was a harlyn knit dress in rose.  It had a scoop-neck back with criss-cross ties and pockets in the front.  Its double-layered skirt had a white underlay that could be seen a full four inches under the overlay.  It was very pretty.

“What do you think of this?” Helen asked Jeanne.

“It's OK,” Jeanne said without enthusiasm.  She wished she didn't have to wear such things.  She wished she could tell her mother, but she couldn't.

The Trait Swapper was watching the family.  It knew all about them.  Each in the family had their own problems.  Problems that were going to be fixed.  The Trait Swapper would make sure of that.  One person would swap out his good traits for the family's bad ones.  The Trait Swapper would cut him to pieces like a Thanksgiving Turkey or a Christmas Ham.

Stephen Arnold happened by the family with his girlfriend Frances Watson.  His confident self was leading Frances through the store.  This unlucky guy was what The Trait Swapper was looking for.

Stephen stopped in his tracks.  He was sweating.

Frances noticed his distress.

“What's wrong?”

“I don't know.  I feel hot,” Stephen said as he started to take off his jacket.  “Do you feel hot too?”

“No.”

“It's not hot in here?”

“I don't think so.”

“Maybe I'm coming down with a cold?  I think I have a little bit of a headache and I feel tired too.”  He also felt some discomfort in his chest and his pants felt a bit tight on him, but he didn't mention that.

“Do you want an aspirin?”

“Yeah, I think I should take one.”

Frances fished through her purse to find the bottle.

As Stephen coped with Helen's menopausal symptoms, The Trait Swapper stuck again.  This time, Stephen became dependent upon Francis.

“There's a water fountain over there to wash them down,” Frances said.

“Come with me,” Stephen insisted.

“Sure, I'm coming.”

After taking his aspirin, Stephen said he wanted to go home.  But Francis who was fully in charge now, told him, “We came to get you a dress and we are here.  You'll be fine when the aspirins kick in.  Let's not waste the trip.”  Francis knew that Stephen didn't have any pretty things.  She was going to remedy that right now.  She would get him some pretty dresses, panties, and many of the things he needed.  She didn't know why he would want to dress like a boy.  He seemed so pretty to her.”

“OK, Frances,” Stephen said in resignation.  He couldn't go against her.  He was also afraid to make her angry with him.  Then she would leave him, and he would be alone which was worse than anything he could think of.

“Do you like this dress?” Frances asked.  It didn't matter if he did or not, Frances would get for Stephen what she wanted to.

After another hit by The Trait Swapper, Stephen answered in an overly loud voice “Yes, it's very pretty.  It's very pretty.”  Stephen loved Frances and needed her badly, but he couldn't look at her when he was talking to her.  He avoided her eye contact.

“Would you prefer it in white or in pink?”

“I like white.  I like white.”

Frances gave Stephen the dress.  “Go to the changing room.”

“To do what?”

“To try it on, silly.”

“Come with me.”

“I can't, it's the boy's changing room.”

“I won't go if you don't!” Stephen said loudly but he didn't look in her direction.

After the final interaction by The Trait Swapper, Stephen was wearing a diaper.  He promptly filled it up.  Frances didn't have to worry about Stephen entering the ladies' room any more than any other baby.

Besides Stephen starting to walk funny, Frances's nose told her what the problem was.

“Looks like little Stevie weavie had an accident!” Frances announced without any concern for Stephen's feelings.

Stephen continued to look away.  Frances took him by the hand and led him to the ladies' room.  She would change him there.

The Kleeb family had changed too, Cliff was still only twenty months old, but he was fully potty trained.  Jeanne informed her mother that she didn't want to wear dresses anymore and didn't have to again.  Tom had never been in special ed and was doing well in school with many friends.  Ben wasn't with his family at all, he was in one of his college classes.  Helen felt better than she had in months.  All her menopausal symptoms were not only gone.  She never remembered having them in the first place.  Stephen's trait sacrificed helped out an entire family of people.

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