Chapter 7

[Julia] Late May

"What we're talking about, here," Gerald Magnuson said in his most forceful manner, "are kids who would not fall under the legal definition of abuse, but whose home situations are intolerable." He was addressing a group that included Julia, two other local psychiatrists, the director of County Children's Services, a lawyer for the county, and two counselors from regional school districts.

One of the counselors spoke up immediately. "Mr. Magnuson has identified a very real problem. Sometimes, these are the most heartbreaking, frustrating students we deal with. There is not enough to have the kids put into foster care," she said with a nod to the director, "but we can see their lives and their futures being ruined by their parents' actions or inactions."

"Ruined how?" Gerald asked, liking the way the discussion was going.

"It is hard to overestimate the damage being an outcast or an outsider can have on a teen. The very strong can weather anything and come out seemingly triumphant. But I did some post-graduate work on this very subject. It focused on puritanical religious families with children in public schools, and of course, not all problem students come from that background. What I found was that in later life, the incidence of relationship problems and clashes with authority from these children was three to five times that of their peer group."

"Just how would this group environment address the problems just mentioned?" One of the psychiatrists asked.

"After a lot of discussion and research, we believe that the key is control. The common denominator with most of the victims, if I may call them that, is that they are over-controlled by their parents to a ridiculous degree. In typical cases, even the most trivial parts of a teenager's life, areas that should be left to their discretion from years earlier, are dictated in detail by the parents.

"Therefore, our center would be built as heavily as possible on resident operation and control. We believe that the resident children would be willing, eager, even desperate to control as much of their own environment as they could. The complete contrast from their home environment would be the best defense against the long-term psychological crippling that was just mentioned. Of course, control of their dress, the music they listen to, who they make friends with - that control would be given to them immediately."

The county attorney asked "But won't that lead to anarchy? Aren't you afraid that grades and behavior will just fall apart?"

The third psychiatrist jumped on that question immediately. "There are two answers to that. First of all, we could not just recommend any teen who thought their parents were too strict. It would take some careful screening. The other answer is that teens want responsibility - they are hungry for it. They would be so happy for the new freedoms that they would consider them too precious to abuse."

Discussions in that vein went on for most of the next hour, interrupted by a light lunch. By agreement, the tough question had been left until the end. It was Gerald who asked it. "If we had this place, is there any legal way that teenagers could live there without their parents' consent?"

In a bit of a surprise, it was the county attorney that responded first. "Let's look at it from a different angle. Let's suppose a teen boy gets to this place, and you accept him. The parents find out, don't like it, and want him back. Now, there does not happen to be anything in state or county law that specifies that a dependent child must be housed at the parents' domicile.

"Suppose the child is not truant, has no untreated medical problem, and no police record. The parents would have no legal basis for demanding his return home. In an interesting twist, if the parents did not provide at least minimal support while he stayed here, then the county could step in officially. Sixteen is the age at which some things change. Of course, at eighteen, the parents no longer have any say."

"Thank you so much," Julia said with obvious glee. "You seem to have done a lot of research on this."

"This is more than just a job to me," the attorney explained. "Our idiot neighbors have a fifteen-year-old son who is the nicest kid. They treat him like a three-year-old, and I doubt if he has had a compliment in the last five years, despite almost straight 'A's'. We have been his refuge. I would personally move him in the first day your center opened."

Gerald asked "Are you saying we could just set up the place, let kids show up, keep the parents from physically taking them out, and forget the law?"

"I'm sure you will want to get some more opinions, but that's the way I read it," the attorney replied.

"I'm not sure how comfortable I am with that scenario," the director said. "I makes what we do seem rather irrelevant."

"Not at all," Julia objected. "You deal with the cases where there is a legal basis for removing a child from home. We would deal with those that fail that test. For example, I would prefer to see the parents able to visit their child at the center, just as they might at another home. The control on such visits would have to be very, very tight, but I believe it would be important. After all, the objective should be to change behavior so that the family can function properly for all of its members. That takes communication."

It was Gerald's turn again. "Even though it looks like we could operate without legal problems, there are still a lot of hurdles. Funding, of course, is a big one. I have no doubt that we could find contributions to build the initial facility and support a number of residents. The problem is that we really could not expect any revenue stream."

"That's right," Julia asserted. "I believe many of our residents would arrive with just the clothes on their backs. If we do this, I would want the kids to have access to all of the things they would in a normal home: fashionable clothes, computers and Internet, video games, cars for those old enough to drive, musical instruments - you get the idea. Except for the clothes, I assume most of those things would belong to the center, but each new resident would still need a startup stake.

"It would be important for them to attend the same schools, at least if they wanted to. That might leave some of them vulnerable to physical 'capture' by their parents. I have just named a few of the issues we would have to deal with."

The director asked "Are you thinking of separate boys and girls facilities?"

"Absolutely not!" Julia answered quickly. "I believe one of the things that parents over-control is dating and contact with the opposite sex. The center should not aggravate that problem. My concept is to treat them as if they were brothers and sisters."

"You mean co-ed wings, shared bathrooms, and everything?"

"I certainly would prefer that rooms be intermixed," Julia said. "We would have to think about the bathroom issue."

"Aren't you afraid of orgies, pregnancies, and all of that?" the director asked.

"Remember, we are looking for good kids," Julia explained. "Hand-picked in a way. Good kids given realistic sex education are not going to have pregnancy and STD problems."

"Would you restrict sexual activity in any way?"

"My initial concept is to try to influence and motivate rather than restrict. I see operations and discipline in the hands of the residents as much as possible."

"I really think you are expecting too much of these teens," the director opined.

"I know at least three perfect examples of what we would be looking for," Julia said. "I assume you know Lindsey Hall's story, don't you? Well, this idea is hers and she wants to fund several scholarships from her album revenue. I am quite familiar with another young woman and a young man who would have been perfect candidates. A third girl went on the streets to escape. I believe we could have prevented that. She did not want to be a bad girl, but she had to get away for very justifiable reasons."

"How do you expect to find these, uh, angels?"

"The key word is find. We would set up a referral network and do a good deal of research before we ever contacted the prospective resident."

"Well, it does sound too good to be true," the director continued. "I have to be honest, though. I am jealous. I wish I could provide that level of care to our subjects. I am not blind to what the foster system is like."

"Does that mean that you would not begin or support legal action against us if we proceed?"

"No, I would not fight it. I would ask for the chance to keep close contact with the operation, if that would be acceptable."

Julia had to pause a moment before she answered "You are a true public servant and not just a bureaucrat. You and others who think like you would have an open door and a warm welcome."

There was more detailed discussion before the meeting disbanded after another twenty minutes.

[Dale] Late May

Dale could see the deterioration in Faith since he told her he had to leave. It tore at him, adding still more heartache to the agony of having to leave. There was nothing he could do to cheer her up and he was certain that her eating problems had returned with a vengeance. Just after finals, sitting in the cafeteria, he told her "Faith, I love you. You know that, don't you?"

"Yes, I know that. But why do you have to leave me?"

Here was the really tough problem for Dale. It was cruel to leave without a really good reason. On the other hand, how could he tell her what her mother had done. If it got back to Mercedes, Catherine would be in trouble. He loved Faith romantically, but he loved Catherine, too, as the dearest friend he ever had, outside of his mother and Faith.

"Faith, we have been over this. I have to ask you to trust me that I would not leave if I had any choice. There is something serious that I need to tell you. You need to leave here, too. I know you have a luxurious life with everything you need or want. I believe it is slowly killing you, though. I am terribly worried about what will happen to you after I leave."

"But you're not worried enough to stay," she said with just a touch of anger.

"Honey, don't you believe that I would stay with you if there was any way?"

"I ... I believe you, but I don't understand," she answered. "I guess it's not so great for us here, though. Now, we can only see each other at school, and Mother knows about every minute we're together."

"Someday, we will be together all we want. That's my goal, Faith. I wish I could tell you how it will happen, and I wish it was right now."

Faith realized that her subservience to her mother was a barrier between them, although she was loathe to admit it. Her mother did not want her to be with Dale, and she had the power to prevent it. As painful as the admission was, he was right to leave. Even more painful was the knowledge that it was her fault for not standing up to her mother.

Being with Dale was the first time she had honestly evaluated her life in terms of what she gained and what she had to give up. She was not yet ready to leave her privileged existence, but now there was a price for living as she did, a very, very painful price.

"Faith, remember one thing. If you ever want to leave here, you can come to me. I cannot give you the things you are used to. Perhaps someday I can, but not now. I promise you, though, that you will have all of the love I can give you and you will be able to be your own person."

Crying in the cafeteria was not something either of them wanted to do, so they changed the subject of their conversation.

[Julia] Late May

Just after Memorial Day, Barbara Ventri asked for a meeting with Julia, and Julia set it up for lunch. "You look happy, Barabara," Julia said in greeting. "Things must be going well between you and Derek."

"It's amazing how you can redial to twenty-some years ago and recapture something that you've not quite reached since then," Barbara observed.

"Does that mean I'm going to be losing you at the Tee," Julia asked, not unkindly.

"Well, that's one of the things I wanted to talk about," Barbara admitted. "I'm not giving notice or anything, but you need to start thinking about when it would work for me to leave."

Julia just shook her head. "That's so typical of you, Barbara. Wouldn't you like to spend time this summer with Derek and the girls?"

"Oh, we'll have our time. Just remember, Julia, without you and the Tee, I would never have Derek back."

"Do you really think your body matters that much to him?"

"It sure does to me. I would not have wanted him to see me ... before."

"I appreciate you giving me some time to find another manager for the men's side, Barbara."

"That brings up the second issue," Barbara said. "I don't know how to sugar coat it, but in my opinion, we should abandon the men's program."

"Oh?" Julia was doing her best to under-react.

Assuming that was her cue to explain her reasons, Barbara went ahead. "I wasn't in on the original planning for the Tee, so I don't know what you anticipated would be the most effective aspects. Besides your expert counseling and treatment and the immersion, I believe the group dynamics have been a huge factor in our success."

"I couldn't argue with that," Julie said. "We have all been thrilled by it. Let me guess. You don't think the same dynamic exists on the men's side."

Barbara made a big show of looking upset. "You mean I sweat bullets about mentioning this and you already knew?"

"We knew that the men's results were not blowing us away like things on the women's side were. You, though, are on the floor all the time and you see a lot more. What do you think is the heart of the problem?"

"A couple of things. I hate to use analogies from the animal world to talk about people, but it's what I see. Women are herd animals and men are solitary bulls. The women are eager to form relationships and share. The men are more concerned about pecking order."

"There haven't been any ugly incidents, though," Julia pointed out.

"No, there haven't. But I get the feeling that the benefit the men are getting has nothing to do with the nudity, the isolation, or the other key aspects of immersion therapy."

"They could find themselves just as well signing on as a freighter hand or working a ski lift for a winter, you mean?" Julia probed.

"Lady, you are damn frustrating sometimes!" Barbara's smile belied her words.

"I need to confess, Barbara, that you just beat me to setting up this lunch. Truthfully, I was concerned about how to broach the subject to you."

"You shouldn't have been, Julia. You know I would rather strip and be with the women. In fact, that's the second point I wanted to make. Once the women get to the point where they know there is no choice, they like being naked."

"Mary Hall," Julia commented.

"Exactly. Being naked with males around gives us an absolutely unique sensation. When a man massages us or does something else a little personal, it makes us feel special."

"And the men don't feel that way?"

"First of all," Barbara explained, "I don't think they ever get to enjoy being naked. I suppose there is the occasional exhibitionist, but he's the exception. When the women do something personal for them, it's too much like 'that's just the natural order of things'."

"I think women feel the same way about the order of things, but it makes us feel good because we have 'enforced' that order with our sex appeal," Julia said. "Your analysis is just what I would expect. Now, we face the problem of what to do about it. Do we give up on immersion therapy for men? Do we have them dress and change some other things?"

"Personally," Barbara said, "I don't think any of that matters as long as you depend on the group approach. That's women's way, not men's."

Julia mused "Don't know how we missed something that obvious in the planning. So, what do we do with the section? And without men's and women's, what use is the center 'all-nude' section?"

"Isn't there a backlog of women waiting?"

"Yes, there are a few. My concern, though, is that our wonderful dynamics are rather size dependent. If we have two or more sections, how do we assign women to a section? How much interaction is there between sections?"

"Another idea," Barbara said, "is to open a section for women who just want to correct their physical situation, women who wouldn't qualify now based on psychological issues, but could use the help."

"You mean have a 'psyche ward', like now, plus a 'nudie fat farm?'" Julia joked.

"I see what you mean," Barbara admitted.

"There's another idea for the old men's section," Julia said.

"So, you've already decided to stop the men's program?"

"After talking with you, yes," Julia said. "You hit me over the head with the obvious. Even I learn that way."

"Ha, ha!" Barbara retorted. "What other use?"

"You won't believe what our Lindsey has come up with this time," Julia said. "She..."

[Missy] Late May

The various negotiations had taken over a month longer. During that time, Missy lost the most recent fifteen pounds of the puffy weight she had 'purposely' put on. It was not hard to control her eating, since she became so frightened at the thought of undressing that sometimes she could hardly eat anything.

In the middle of the third week in May, Missy was flying with a female social worker who had been assigned to deliver her to the Tee. The court had allowed Missy to finish the school year, which she did with her usual top grades. Melanie had raised the predictable fuss about not being able to accompany her daughter, but Roberta and Julia had maneuvered well to keep the Farnsworths away from their daughter for as long as possible.

Roberta and Julia had both recommended a stay of four months. The jail sentence would have been six months, though, and the juvenile judge handling the agreement insisted on that term.

Julia met Missy and her attendant at the door, signed a number of forms, and bid the attendant goodbye. As soon as the woman had left, a door opened and three naked women entered. The first was Norma, whom Missy had already met. Behind her was a spectacularly-built woman even taller than Missy. "Hello, Missy. I'm Barbara Ventri, Norma's sister-in-law. I've been through just what you're facing. In fact, I was the very first one. I'll show you my 'before' pictures a little later. Now I work here, on the men's side."

As Norma was saying hello and Barbara was introducing herself, another woman was mostly hidden behind them. As Barbara stopped talking, the third woman stepped out. "Hello, Missy, I'm Lindsey Hall."

"Not ... not ... not the Lindsey Hall that sings?" At Lindsey's grinning nod, Missy's terror took a vacation. "Ohmygod! Ohmygod! Ohmygod! I can't believe it! But why... ?"

"I volunteer here as much as I can. I heard about you, and I wanted to help make your first day as easy as possible."

"But you're naked ... the men... !"

"Missy, the guys working here are the nicest in the world. One of them is my fiance Mark. He's Norma's son."

Snapping her head toward Norma, Missy kept on babbling in disbelief. "You mean you and your son ... naked together! Isn't that ... isn't that?"

"Missy, it took some getting used to, but I believe it has brought us closer than we ever thought possible."

Introductory chatter went on for a few minutes before Missy visibly stiffened again. "I ... I guess it has to happen, doesn't it?" Lindsey was the key. Missy seemed to draw tremendous strength from her as she quickly stripped down.

"Missy, the guys all stay away until you are more ready," Norma explained. "Don't worry about them now, OK?" That did make it easier, although Missy hated to have women see her disgusting body, too.

Norma and Lindsey stayed right with Missy the rest of the first day. Barbara stayed for an hour, but had to get back to her duties on the men's side. Missy's awe at being with a star that she idolized put her in a state of mind where she hardly knew what was happening to her, and that was a good thing. Lindsey's presence also impressed on Missy from the first that the world she had stepped into was totally different from what she knew. She was well aware that Lindsey was doing it just for her. No one, except sometimes her brother Richard, had ever given up anything just for Missy.

Missy's check-in day turned out to be not much worse than most of the other residents'. It was late afternoon before she was ready for any of the men. Then, having heard that Norma's husband worked there, she asked to meet him first. Norma and Lindsey held onto both of Missy's arms as they led her toward Paul's little office, and she sagged to her knees on the floor at the first sight of him.

Using instincts that had grown steadily stronger, Lindsey left Missy's side and wrapped her arm around Paul. Ignoring Missy's distress, Lindsey pulled Paul forward and said "Missy, this is the nicest man you will ever meet. He was a father to me when I didn't feel like I had a real father."

Paul got right down on his knees in front of Missy. "Hello, Missy. I'm really glad to meet you. I know that you've had a rough time. I want you to know that all of us guys here want to help you in any way we can. Please don't worry about us seeing your body. And don't worry about how you look, because that's all going to change so fast you will hardly believe it.

"Missy, you're going to find that people here really care about you. I know you haven't had much of that in your life. I hope you can just forget about being naked and just let us pamper you. Think you can do that?"

"F ... forget? H ... how? I don't think ... Ohhh!" Missy knew she was babbling, but there was nothing she could do about it. It took several minutes before she could even stand up, and she was still not able to put sentences together.

Being an avid Lindsey fan, Missy had read all about her engagement. There had been a number of articles about Mark, as well, and Missy had memorized them. When she was finally able to exchange a few words with Paul, she stammered out "C ... c ... can I m ... meet Mark?"

"Sure, I'll take you to him," Lindsey said quickly.

"N ... no. Can he c ... come here?" Lindsey went hurrying off to fetch her lover. "This feels like f ... family," Missy said as they waited, then, almost breaking Norma and Paul's hearts with her sad tone, she added "I guess."

When Mark arrived with Lindsey hanging on his arm, Missy was able to face him and shake his hand. She was even able to talk freely. "This is crazy! I mean, this awful body is bare, but this is the best thing that's ever happened to me. I've listened to you a thousand times, Lindsey, and I've read about you, Mark. And here you are, trying to make things easier for me." That was as far as she got before disintegrating in tears.

Lindsey put an arm around Missy and waited for the tears to stop. "As soon as you're out of here, I want you backstage for one of my concerts, OK?" Lindsey told the distraught girl.

When Missy calmed down, she seemed to almost forget her nudity as she talked with Lindsey and the Ventris. They all stayed in Paul's office for a half hour, before Missy gave out a sigh and said "I want to meet the other guys, now."

The men did not strip for any pool or hot tub activity that night out of deference to Missy.

Early the following morning, Julia stopped in and called all of the staff present into her office for a quick meeting. "I know I don't really have to talk to you about how to treat our residents, but I just want to emphasize what a special case we have in Missy. I think she literally has not been shown any real kindness and love in her life, except by her brother, who has been away from home for a long time. The case worker who got her in here thinks there is a really great young lady hidden in that unattractive body. Let's do our best to bring her out, and simple kindness is the key."

Missy's initial measurement session with Mark was predictably traumatic, and Lindsey was allowed to stay with Missy the whole time. Missy still ended up crying, but she did not beg to skip any of the pictures or to have Mark go away. She seemed to worship Mark almost as much as she did Lindsey, and when he showed the computer projections of her 'finished' body, she almost swooned.

Because of some concern about Missy becoming too fixated on Mark, Paul did her workout orientation, something he very seldom did. She was totally unfamiliar with any type of exercise, and just having to lay on the benches in such an exposed fashion was even more traumatic for her than for most new residents. Her orientation took almost three hours, and even at the minimal starting weights, she was exhausted.

Norma had commented to Julia the first day that Missy seemed to instantly bond with Paul. Julia speculated that he was the first adult male that she could look to for any real help or support. She really did not have a good concept of what a father should be. She was in a situation of incredible stress, and Paul represented what she thought a supportive father should be.

When Paul asked Missy, after her orientation in the pool, "Ready for your massage, now?" she was totally shocked.

"Massage? You mean? ... I've never had..."

"It will help keep you from getting sore. You aren't used to exercise, you know."

"But ... but I'm bare, and..."

"Missy, you will be bare for the next six months. The women all think that the massages are one of the best things about the Tee."

"The Tee?"

"Oh. That's the name we usually call Transformations. Come on, Missy, don't worry about being naked. You trust me, don't you?" She could not respond, but she let him help her onto the table. He took his time working her shoulders and back.

"Missy, we never massage anywhere you don't want us to. But you know, your legs and your bottom have muscles that will get sore, too. Do you want me to massage anywhere else?" When she did no reply, he asked "How about if I start on your lower legs while you decide?"

As shy and as nervous as Missy was, she had never felt anything as good as what Paul had done to her back. She could not remember her father ever touching her in a soothing or affectionate way, and Paul's hands were sending unfamiliar but wonderful sensations through her. She managed to squeak out an "OK", and Paul went right to work on her legs.

With a little time to think and more of those wonderful feelings, Missy could only agree when Paul asked if she wanted her thighs done. As he worked to the top of her thighs, she tightened up and squeezed her legs together. Paul took a chance and rested his hand on her bottom as he spoke to her.

"Missy, Honey. Before very long, every one of us guys are going to see every little bit of your body. There's nothing to be embarrassed about. We're used to it, and we all respect you gals. I can do a much better job if I can get at the inside of your thighs. Do you want me to do your bottom, too? Just relax and let me do a good job."

She did not open her legs much more, but he did not make an issue of it. Without asking again, he went ahead and worked her buttocks. She tightened up for a while, but he just kept massaging until she relaxed. When he was finished, she was almost too limp to walk.

That evening, Lindsey was still buddying Missy when Mark stripped to join them in the hot tub. Fortunately, Missy was already sitting down when Mark entered the tub, otherwise she might have injured herself falling. He obviously was her very first naked male.

It took a few minutes before Missy could even look at Mark, and even longer before she could talk to him, despite the fact that they were sitting in the water. When she seemed to have gained some control, she had to do it all over again when Paul walked into the tub naked.

The next morning, Lindsey was there to meet Missy at breakfast, naked again. "I have to leave for a concert date at about noon today, Missy. This is Trish," she said, introducing the equally naked redhead. "She'll stay right with you today.

"Now, I have some good news and and bad news for you," Lindsey continued. "Terry Torvold is going to do your workout and your massage today because Paul has to go to a client site. You haven't met Terry yet, so hold onto your panties - uh, so to speak. He is an unbelievable hunk. That's the good news. The bad news for you is that he's taken - by Trish."

It wasn't fair, and Julia had talked about it briefly in staff. For a sheltered sixteen-year-old like Missy to be exposed to all of the young staff guys was bordering on cruel. Julia admonished them all to make sure that Missy was told about the guys' existing relationships immediately. There would still be unrequited crushes, but at least no false hopes.

At the same meeting, Julia had told them "I have more bad news for any of you unattached females. We are hiring another male attendant. His name is Dale Rubens. He just completed his freshman year at Thurston College. His scholarship there was canceled by the mother of the girl he is in love with. Dale is built about like Terry." She paused for the predictable good-natured oohs, aahs and mildly ribald remarks from the women.