Perfect Exit

by [email protected]

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright © 2001 by Donnie_M72

 

 

 

Except for one copy for your personal use, no part of this story may be copied, transmitted, or posted either electronically or in print form anywhere without the prior written permission of its author.

 

 

 

This is a work of fiction about young adults who wear diapers. If you don’t like the subject, don’t read the story.

 

 

Darryl Miver was anxious to be on the road. Ever since graduating from high school eighteen months ago he had been waiting for this day. He was off to state college. Better yet, he was off to state college after having put aside enough money to finance the next four years without having to take out massive student loans. Of course, his father being the owner of the construction business he worked at didn’t hurt. Nonetheless, he had earned his money. He was a good worker and the past eighteen months had taught him a lot about team work, responsibility and the value of money. But today was the day he was finally moving on and he was as happy as could be.

He had gotten up early and showered. Only partially dressed, he admired himself in the mirror. He wasn’t particularly vain but he couldn’t help but approve of what he saw. His 6’1” frame was well proportioned and had filled out nicely as a result of his construction work. Today, even his mousy-brown hair (which he normally despised) looked good to him. Any other minor imperfections relating to his personal appearance were also overlooked and forgiven. The crinkling sound that he made as he turned to pick up his shirt brought him back to the other reason he was so happy.

“Yes!” he thought to himself, “I’m going to be in diapers 24/7 from now on.”

He put the shirt down and looked at himself again, gently gliding his hands over the smooth surface of the diaper. He had decided to wear an overnight diaper because of the long car trip he was about to take. He quickly became excited.

“No time for that now,” he mumbled to himself, willing his excitement to go down. With a great deal of reluctance he put his shirt and pants on, covering up his beloved diaper.

Darryl had only recently made an uneasy peace with himself over his attraction to diapers. For years he had wanted to wear them again but he had been afraid that his diaper desires were unspeakably perverse. Only recently had he finally understood that his diaper fetish was a part of him that he couldn’t suppress. It was integral to who he was. As soon as he accepted this, the guilt he felt over wearing diapers greatly diminished. But, he still had a long way to go. For instance, he certainly wasn’t ready to admit to anyone else that he liked wearing diapers.

“Darryl,” he mother called up to him, “are you going to have some breakfast before you leave?”

“Yeah, some coffee and cereal, please,” he called back to her. “I’ll be down in a minute.”

He finished packing the last few toiletry items he had used that morning. As he moved around the bedroom checking for anything else he wanted to take with him he was surprised by how loudly his diaper crinkled. In the past, his TV or stereo has been on when he was in diapers so this was the first time he moved around in a completely silent room.

“I hope mom and dad don’t hear it,” he nervously thought. “It’s too late now anyway, all my regular underwear is packed in the car.”

Coming downstairs he was relieved to hear that the kitchen TV was turned on.

“We’re waiting for the weather report so that you can find out about the driving conditions upstate,” his dad explained.

“Good idea. Thanks,” Darryl said.

 Unlike most freshmen Darryl was beginning his college career in mid-January. So far the winter had been very hard. New snowfall and low temperature records seemed to be set every week. However, today’s weather report predicted a clear, sunny, and dry day- perfect driving conditions.

Now that her mind was relieved, Darryl’s mother turned off the TV. The kitchen became very quiet. No one knew exactly what to say. Darryl felt slightly guilty over his joy at beginning a new chapter of his life. He didn’t want his parents to feel that he was happy to get away from them (he wasn’t) so he tried to keep his enthusiasm down. For their part, his parents knew how important this day was to Darryl so they didn’t want to spoil it by saying how much they were going to miss him.

“I guess I’d better get on the road,” Darryl said.

“Yeah, you’ll want to arrive in early afternoon. It’s much easier to unpack before nightfall,” his dad agreed.

As Darryl stood up it seemed to him that his diaper crinkled thunderously. Luckily, his dad knocked over his half-full coffee cup at almost the same instant.

Darryl’s mother and father were too busy mopping up the mess to pay any attention to his embarrassment as he scurried from the kitchen.

Before putting on his jacket he decided to use the bathroom one more time. His stomach had been ‘nervous’ all morning. “It must be the excitement of the day,” he thought.

The car was packed and he headed back into the house to say goodbye to his parents.

“Will we see you at Spring Break?” his mother asked.

“Yeah, I guess so. At least for a few days. But, you know, you’ll have me all summer. Right, dad?”

“Of course, son. You’re a fine worker and you have a job whenever you want one,” his dad answered with pride.

“I gotta go.”

One last round of hugs and kisses and Darryl was out the door. He took off his jacket before getting into the car. He waved one last time to his parents. He was so happy he wanted to scream at the top of his lungs. Instead, he sat down behind the wheel and started the engine.

He was overcome by an intense sense of freedom. But, his sense of freedom wasn’t a result of leaving his parents. They were not the least bit overbearing; after graduating high school they had treated him like an adult, respecting his privacy. Today’s sense of freedom came from the pleasure of knowing that he could now wear diapers whenever and wherever he pleased. He could fell the bulkiness of his diaper on his bottom and between his legs. He was beginning to get excited again. “Concentrate on driving,” he told himself. (For the next hour and-a-half, though, he would remain hard or semi-hard no matter what else he thought about.)

He pulled out of the driveway and waved to his parents. They waved back and closed the front door.

“Do you think that Darryl will ever share his diaper side with us?” his dad asked.

His wife wasn’t sure if he wanted an answer or not. She answered anyway.

“I think so,” she said, “At least I hope so. Right now, though, he would probably die if he found out that we knew. He might even think that we had been spying on him.”

“Let’s not beat ourselves up over that again. If the kid wanted to keep his diapers such a big secret he shouldn’t have left a wet one under his bed on house cleaning day. He knew you went into his room to dust and vacuum every Thursday. It was his own fault for leaving it there. I think that we showed marvelous restraint by not asking him about it,” his dad said. “Time for me to go to work.”

“I guess you’re right,” she agreed. Then, responding to his last remark, she added, “I’ll be coming in around 10:30 to finish up the payroll. Is there time for us to do lunch today?”

“Absolutely. I’d love to.” One quick kiss later he was out the door.

****

It was the perfect morning to be driving. Traffic was light and the interstate was dry and clear. Darryl was in a great mood. All of his energies for the last year and one-half had been focused on today. The only tiny disappointment was that he had had to use the bathroom just before leaving. He would have to wait a little longer before he could wet his diaper.

“It was probably just as well that I took care of business then,” he thought. “Besides, I couldn’t manage to pee right now anyway- not in my current state of excitement.”

As if to confirm this, he felt himself get even harder as he thought about peeing his diaper. “Life doesn’t get any better than this,” he thought.

He had intended to drive straight through to state college without stopping. Two hours into his drive he changed his mind. He was beginning to get a headache and his stomach still felt somewhat ‘nervous’. He mentally kicked himself for not having put on his sunglasses earlier. It had been stupid of him to drive for two hours while squinting because of the glare from the snow. His stomach, however, was more of a concern to him.

“I must be more nervous about going up to State than I thought,” he reflected. “I gotta relax.”

He pulled off at the next exit and, as luck would have it, there sat a service station for which his parents had given him a credit card. (They hoped that having a gasoline credit card might encourage him to come home more often. They also trusted him enough to believe that he would not abuse it.) He really didn’t need much gas but he felt awkward about using their restroom without also making a purchase. After filling up the tank he walked into the mini-mart. His head was pounding, his sinuses were clogged, and his bowels felt like they were ready to explode.

“This is just great,” he thought. “I must be coming down with the same flu that dad had last week. As soon as I use the restroom, I’ll ask if they sell flu or cold medicine here.”

Despite how awful he was beginning to feel, he got a rush as his gleaming diaper was revealed as he lowered his pants. He gently caressed the outer covering and carefully unfastened the tapes.

Sitting there feeling miserable again he was beginning to be unsure about what to do. He was two-thirds of the way to State so it didn’t make sense to go back home. But, could he continue to drive safely for another hour? Also, once he got there, he realized that he didn’t know where the infirmary was or how to go about getting assistance.

“Stop worrying,” he told himself, “there will be plenty of people around. I’m sure everything will be just fine. The worst thing that can happen is that I might miss the orientation meetings tomorrow. Big deal. I’ll figure it out on my own.”

Darryl left the restroom somewhat relieved but acutely aware that this was only the beginning of his flu. He walked over to the counter staffed by a guy who appeared to be about the same age as him.

“Hi. Do you guys have flu and cold medicine?”

“Yeah, sure. The medicine section is right over there next to the baby stuff,” he said pointing.

Darryl’s stomach made another flip-flop as he was walking back to the counter to pay for his selections. The clerk noticed that Darryl wasn’t looking very good: he was very pale and his walk had become somewhat shaky.

“Hey, man, are you OK?” he asked with concern.

“I’ll be OK, I think,” came the shaky response. “I’m pretty sure that I’m coming down with the same flu my dad had last week.”

“Bummer,” the clerk commiserated.

“You can say that again,” Darryl agreed.

Before he could continue with what he had intended to say an unexpected shot of pain hit him in the bowels. Before he could react, his bowels let loose and started filling his diaper with extremely smelly diarrhea. But that wasn’t the worst. The worst was that he promptly passed out right there at the counter.

****

Darryl had the strangest dreams.

In the first dream it was as if he was there and not there at the same time. He couldn’t see what was going on. He clearly heard voices talking about him- a male and a female voice- but he couldn’t figure out what was happening. He wasn’t scared though- it was clear that they were on his side. He felt very comfortable and then the dream ended.

In the second dream, the guy from the mini-mart was changing his diaper. The guy was very gentle and speaking to him as if he were a baby. Darryl was very excited as the guy was cleaning up his diaper area. The guy put him into cloth diapers and plastic pants, just like the ones his mother used to put on him. During the last part of the dream the guy was encouraging Darryl to go ahead and wet and mess his diapers. The guy said he would be happy to change them again.

****

Daryl half-woke up. He was in bed. It was dark. He felt warm and comfortable. Why was he surprised by this? Why did he think he was supposed to be uncomfortable? He was so tired. “I’ll figure this out tomorrow,” he said to himself as he fell back into a sound sleep.

Darryl woke up again. This time it was no longer nighttime. He was confused: where was he? One second later it all came back to him- the gas station, the mini-mart, his diaper…

“Shit,” he mumbled under his breath.

Looking around the room he could tell that he wasn’t in a hospital. This was clearly someone’s guest room. His musings were interrupted by a gentle knock followed by a woman’s head peering around the door into the room.

“Good, you’re awake. How are you feeling, Darryl?” she asked pleasantly.

“Pretty good, actually.”

His mind was running furiously.

“Who is she? How does she know my name?” he wondered.

The woman saw the confusion written all over Darryl’s face.

“I’m Marsha Duncan”, she said, “Jack, my son who works at the gas station, called me when you passed out in the mini-mart. Don’t worry, I’m a doctor. I diagnosed you with the flu and decided to bring you here rather than to the hospital which is thirty miles away, anyway. Porterville isn’t even big enough for a school, never mind a hospital.”

“Oh…, thanks for taking care of me, doctor,” he said.

“But, how did I get into this bed?” he wondered. “If Dr. Duncan undressed me, did she tell Jack about my diaper? If it was Jack who undressed me…. oh, God…”

Darryl blushed at the thought.

“Darryl, you’re looking a little flushed. Are you alright?”

“Yeah, it’s nothing. I’m OK, doctor,” he said.

“Please, call me Marsha,” she insisted, “not even my little patients call me ‘doctor’.”

“Little patients?” he asked.

“I’m a pediatrician,” she answered.

At that moment Jack blew into the room.

“Well, how is our little patient today?” he asked.

Without waiting for an answer, he brushed Darryl’s hair aside and laid his hand on Darryl’s forehead. After a few second he removed his hand and picked up Darryl’s wrist and began taking his pulse. Darryl was too shocked to react.

“Hmmm, no fever and pulse rate is back to normal. That’s good. Do you know if you need a diaper change or should I just check it for you?”

“I… I…”

Darryl couldn’t speak. He was blushing one hundred shades of red.

“Jack, now you stop that. You’re embarrassing Darryl,” she scolded her son.

“What? How could I be embarrassing him? He knows he wears diapers. I just want to make sure that he doesn’t get a rash,” Jack explained.

Marsha, who her knew her son better than anyone, decided to change the subject.

“Are you hungry, Darryl?”

“A little, yes,” he said.

“Alright, I’ll get something ready. I think you should start out easy. Some soup, toast, and juice ought to do the trick. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Turning to her son, she added, “Jack, try to behave until I return.”

Jack flashed her a broad smile and said, “Don’t I always?” With that, she left the room shaking her head.

“So, you’re on your way to State, huh?” Jack stated.

“Uh, yeah,” Darryl answered somewhat uncomfortably. “Did these people go through all my stuff?” he wondered.

As if reading his mind, Jack said, “After you passed out I called my mom and she recommended that we bring you here. I moved your car out of the gas station and parked it in our driveway. We didn’t know who to call because you don’t have any phone numbers in your wallet. We looked through some of your stuff trying to find a number. All we found was your registration material for State. My mom wanted to call State to try to get a home phone number for you. I convinced her that calling your parents (if you have any) might only upset them more than necessary. When she was convinced that you weren’t in any real danger she agreed. So, that’s how come we know you were on your way to State. I’m sorry if we invaded your privacy buy we didn’t see that we had any other choice.”

“It’s OK. What you did makes sense. Thanks for not calling my parents. They’re OK and everything but my mom would have freaked out.” To himself, Darryl added, “And they probably would have found out about my diapers!”

Thinking about his diapers made Darryl blush again. He was so embarrassed that this guy had found out about them. Darryl comforted himself with the thought that they would probably never see each other again.

“There is one other thing. When I looked over your registration materials I saw that you were supposed to be at orientation yesterday. When it was obvious that you weren’t going to make it I called them to let them know that your were sick. Everything is cool. Your room and registration are still active.”

“Yesterday!” Darryl said in surprise. “Orientation was yesterday?”

“Yeah, you’ve basically been asleep for almost two days.”

“What time is it now?”

“Just past 11:30am, Thursday.”

Jack’s mom came back with a bed tray.

“Jack, help Darryl sit up so that I can serve him his lunch.”

As Jack was rearranging the pillows, Darryl pushed himself up into a sitting position. He noticed that he was wearing pajamas he had never seen before. In fact, they had a zipper instead of buttons. Realization hit him all at once. He reached under the covers and felt the ‘pajamas’. They were one piece—he was wearing a baby-style sleeper! “Mrs. Duncan is a pediatrician,” he thought, “maybe this is what she uses on all her patients.” In any event he started blushing again.

“Darryl, you look flushed again. Are you sure there’s nothing wrong?” Marsha asked.

Before he could answer, Jack jumped in.

“I think Darryl just figured out that he’s wearing a sleeper. That’s why he’s blushing.”

“Jack, please. Let Darryl answer for himself.”

“No, I’m OK, Marsha,” Darryl said. But, he did wonder how Jack could so easily read his thoughts.

“Alright, then,” she said, “I have to go into the office. As soon as you’ve finished eating, Jack will take the tray away. And Jack, Darryl will need lots more sleep. I don’t want you talking his ear off all afternoon.”

“Gotcha,” he said giving him mom a good-bye kiss.

Darryl picked up his spoon as soon as Marsha had left.

“Whoa,” Jack interrupted, “I’m an expert at setting up patients to eat in bed. You really do need to tie a napkin under you chin or you’ll spill soup all over your sleeper,” he said as he tied the big white cloth napkin around Darryl’s neck.

Darryl blushed again at this infantile treatment he was getting.

“Did you ever think of renting yourself out as a traffic light?” Jack asked.

“What?”

“Well, it seems like I can’t say anything to you that doesn’t make you turn bright red.”

Darryl didn’t have an answer to that. For one thing, it was very nearly true. He did blush almost every time that Jack said something to him.

Darryl finished his lunch and Jack started taking the tray away.

“You know, I was serious before. If you need a diaper change, say so. As I’m sure you know, diaper rashes are no fun.”

Darryl had just been contemplating that very issue. While he had been eating he had wet his diaper- knowingly and freely. It had felt wonderful. From the feel of it now, though, he must have also wet while he was still asleep.

“Uh, yeah,” he said, trying desperately not to blush, “I could use a new diaper. Could you tell me where my diapers and wipes are?”

“Oh, those,” Jack said wrinkling his nose. “I don’t want to hurt your feeling but those diapers are next to useless on guys our size. We wet way too much for them to be effective. If you wear those to bed you’ll leak all over the place. I think the only effective diapers for people our size are cloth ones with plastic pants. Those are what you’ve been wearing for the last two days.”

Darryl couldn’t believe his ears. Did Jack include himself in reference to diapers? Was he a diaper wearer, too? Did he have a disability? Would Jack be mad if he found out that Darryl’s diaper wearing was purely recreational? Or, maybe, Jack was talking clinically about bigger people who wear diapers. That must be it. How silly to think that Jack could be a diaper wearer.

“Then, can I please have a diaper to change into?”

“Do you know how to fold cloth diapers?” Jack asked pointedly.

“Uh… no,” Darryl admitted.

“Then changing your diapers is going to remain my job for a little while longer.”

“What?” Darryl practically screeched. “You’ve been changing my diapers?”

“Of course.”

Jack opened the top dresser drawer and took out three thick diapers, a pair of pale yellow plastic pants, and a plastic pad decorated with babyish designs. He began folding the diapers together.

“Now, watch closely. You’ll have to learn how to do this for yourself. Of course, for daytime use you’d only use one diaper and a smaller pair of plastic pants.”

He then opened the night table and removed a tub of baby wipes, some baby oil and powder.

“OK, let’s get you changed.”

The whole time that Darryl was watching Jack he was getting harder and harder. He was now crimson with embarrassment and fright over how Jack would react when he saw how he couldn’t control himself. The sight of the diapers and plastic pants was driving Darryl over the top. He was powerless to control his reactions.

Jack pulled down the covers. Darryl saw his footed sleeper for the first time. Just as he had suspected it was totally babyish. Next, Jack unsnapped the legs and pulled the sleeper out of the way. Darryl’s diapers were completely exposed. He was wearing semi-transparent plastic pants which did nothing to hide his wet condition.

“Lift up your bum so I can slide the changing pad under you,” Jack directed Darryl.

He then pulled down Darryl’s plastic pants and placed them in a diaper pail sitting near the dresser. An aroma of pee filled the room. To his horror, there was also the aroma of something else. Evidently, Darryl had also messed his diaper as he slept. Instead of causing Darryl to lose his erection, this new discovery only made him become harder. He was on the point of exploding.

Jack took the four pins out one by one and cleaned off his friend’s bottom as best he could with an unsoiled part of the diaper.

Looking down at Darryl’s diaper area he quipped, “I’m glad to see that I have your full attention.”

So much blood was rushing to Darryl’s face that he was sure that his head would explode. Jack asked Darryl to roll over so that he could clean his behind. Darryl had only messed a little bit so it was easy to clean him up. Darryl rolled over again and Jack started cleaning his front.

“OK, tell me what you want,” Jack said. “I can clean up your front or you can do it yourself.”

After a few moments of hesitation, Darryl responded. “You look like you know what you’re doing, you can finish it off.”

“OK, we aim to please.”

Jack took another wipe and began cleaning Darryl. As soon as his penis was touched Darryl began to shudder. Two seconds later he exploded. Jack continued his job uninterrupted, seemingly oblivious to the effect he was having on Darryl. Darryl became even more confused and embarrassed.

Jack started pinning Darryl into the clean diapers.

“This is so embarrassing,” Darryl admitted.

“Embarrassing, how?” Jack asked.

“Well, you know, I mean I’m embarrassed that you found out about my diapers and everything. I guess I was lucky that your mom had all this stuff that I could use while I was sick.”

“What do you mean? The diapers and stuff have nothing to do with my mother.”

“But, isn’t she a pediatrician?”

“Of course she is,” Jack answered. “You don’t get it, do you? A pediatrician treats little kids or kids who are twelve of thirteen, tops. None of them would need diapers and sleepers in these sizes. The diapers are mine. So are the plastic pants, sleepers, and all the other stuff.”

Darryl was speechless again.

“Yours? But you look so healthy. Why do you need diapers?” he finally asked.

“I don’t need diapers. I want diapers. Isn’t that true for you, too?”

“Yes,” Darryl admitted.

“That’s great,” Jack exulted. “That means we’re the same, you and me. Since you’ve been honest with me, I need to tell you that the sight of you in diapers and plastic pants has sent me over the top several times in the last few days. Now, let’s finish getting you dressed,” he quickly added.

Darryl wasn’t sure but he thought that he saw some color rise in Jack’s face as a result of this last admission.

Darryl was feeling exhausted again.

“It looks like you need to get some sleep,” Jack observed. “Would you like some juice or something for when you wake up?”

“Yes, please, juice sounds good.”

Darryl was already asleep when Jack returned with the juice.

****

It was almost dinnertime when Darryl woke up again. He felt much better than he had in the morning. He decided that he needed to get up and move around. But first, he hoped that Darryl had brought some juice while he was asleep. He felt around for the bedside lamp. He turned it on and found the juice- apple juice- a whole baby bottle full! Shrugging, he decided to give it a shot. He laid back against the pillows and began sucking. It took him a few seconds to figure out how to get the best flow. He was about half finished when Jack walked in unannounced. He was wearing a very juvenile looking striped shirt and yellow corduroy overalls.

“Ah, good. I was hoping that you liked apple juice.”

Darryl was turning crimson again.

“Now why are you blushing? Geez, it’s my bottle, you know. I gave it to you. You’ve got to chill out a little,” Jack mock-scolded him. “Let me hold it for you. It’s even more fun that way.”

Darryl heard Jack’s plastic pants crinkle as he approached the bed.

“You’re wearing diapers,” Darryl observed.

“Of course, I am. I always wear diapers and plastic pants.”

“Really? How come I didn’t hear your plastic pants crinkle before?”

Incredibly, Jack blushed.

“Well, um, these are special,” he said sheepishly.

“Special? How?” Darryl pressed.

“I’m wearing my Roadrunner/Wily Coyote plastic pants.”

Darryl burst out laughing.

“Don’t laugh at me,” Jack said semi-seriously. “I happen to really like the Roadrunner.”

“I do. too,” Darryl said. “I’m laughing because I don’t believe you. Prove it.”

“OK, I will.”

Jack stood up and dropped his overalls. Sure enough, he was wearing a pair of plastic pants covered in little Roadrunners and little Wily Coyotes.

“What a cute little baby,” Darryl teased.

“I know,” Jack responded. “Tell me, who was your favorite cartoon character?”

“Bugs Bunny,” Darryl answered without hesitation.

“Interesting. Now, do you want to get up for dinner?”

“Yeah. But first, I’d like to take a shower.”

“OK. Let’s get you undressed and into the shower. Call me when you need me to diaper you. I’ll be in the kitchen fixing dinner.”

Darryl finished his shower and walked back into the guestroom. He noticed that Jack had made the bed and had straightened up the room. The changing pad and clean diapers were already laid out on the bed. Darryl called Jack to come and give him a hand.

“Alright, little one, up onto the changing pad,” Jack ordered.

“Where do you get off calling me ‘little one’. I’m at least an inch taller than you. And, moreover, my plastic pants don’t have cartoon characters on them,” Darryl teased.

Jack didn’t respond in words. He merely sniffed haughtily and ordered Darryl onto the changing pad a second time. It took only a minute for Jack to pin Darryl into his diaper. He reached into the dresser and pulled out a yellow pair of plastic pants decorated in a Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd motif.

“And,” Jack sniffed haughtily again, “as to your plastic pants not having cartoon characters on them, I think not.”

Darryl conceded defeat graciously and allowed Jack to put him into the plastic pants. When he stood up he found out that they were as noisy as Jack’s.

“What about the rest of my clothes?”

“I think you’re making a total fashion statement as is. But, you’re right. My mom would kill me if I allowed you to walk around like that while you’re still recuperating.”

He sat Darryl on the bed and finished dressing him in clothes similar to what he himself was wearing. The biggest difference was that Darryl’s overalls were fire engine red. He loved them.

Dr. Duncan came in around six-thirty. Dinner was simple but it allowed Darryl to closely observe how Jack and his mother interacted. It became obvious to him that they loved each other very much. It also made him reflect that his relationship with his parents wasn’t so different. He began to think that he could talk to his parents about his diaper desires.

After dinner, Marsha left the guys alone in the den. They spent the evening talking about all sorts of things: their childhoods, their likes and dislikes, funny experiences they had had, etc. Darryl had never felt himself growing so close to anyone so quickly. He wished he could stay here with Jack forever.

Near the end of the evening, Jack turned serious.

“You know,” he admitted, “I usually have trouble making friends. Probably because my mouth is usually two steps ahead of my brain. But, do you think we have a chance at becoming best friends?”

“I think we already have,” Darryl answered simply.

Jack smiled a crooked smile and said, “I feel that way, too.”

Darryl and Jack sat quietly for a few moments.

“I wish I didn’t have to leave tomorrow,” Darryl said.

“Me, too,” Jack agreed ambiguously.

“What do you mean? Are you leaving, too?”

“Well, of course. I’m a second-semester freshman at State and the semester begins on Monday, doesn’t it?” Jack dead panned.

“What? You’re going to State, too, and you never told me!” Darryl said as he jumped on top of Jack who was laughing hysterically.

The boys started wrestling each other. Very quickly, Darryl discovered that Jack was extremely ticklish. “Aha,” he thought to himself, “here’s a weapon I can use against him someday. A weapon against which he has no defense and a weapon that can’t be used against me since I’m not ticklish at all.”

After they had exhausted themselves, Darryl was on the floor looking at Jack.

“What are you smiling about?” Jack asked.

“Nothing, really. I was just thinking that when I turned off the interstate the other day I didn’t realize that I had found the perfect exit.”

 

The end.