He dressed like a girl

Long time ago, many people in my town believed that in order for a family to have a baby girl, the child before him/her should be dressed like a girl and also have her/his hair long.  The total appearance should be like a girl.

Lope and Guadalopi already have five children – all boys.  The joke of the neighbors was that they were forming a basketball team.  They long dreamed to have a baby girl.  They believed on this and when Guadalopi was pregnant for the sixth child they wanted it to be a girl.

The child before the sixth was a baby boy.  In fact, all their children were boys.  The fifth son was himself a ‘carefully’ cared one since when he was born, his umbilical cord was tied around his neck and there was a white spot in his eyes.  In addition to this, the boy, Nonito, whom they called ‘Nonita’ had two hair cowlick (puyo) which they also believed that when the boy grew up he will be a mischievous son.

So at the age of two or three years, ‘he was dressed as a girl.’  He was powdered, with long hair, hair pins and a ribbon.  All clothes and shoes for him were for a girl.  He went to church and other functions like birthday parties of cousins in a girl’s dress.  So people would laugh at them but they also believed on the old saying that they too wanted the family to have a girl. 

But after nine months of pregnancy, Guadalopi delivered a bouncing baby boy.