Terry

Part 2

By the time they were finished, Trevor had set aside ten ‘school’ diapers, ten ‘home’ diapers, and six nighttime diapers, plus the appropriately sized plastic pants for each.

“Uhhh, do you really wear those?” Terry asked pointing to the stack of nighttime plastic pants.

Trevor blushed.

“I have to. They’re the only ones big enough to fit over my nighttime diapers.”

Trevor knew that Terry wasn’t asking about their size; he was asking about their style. They were semi-transparent yellow, blue, or green pants—all imprinted with various babyish looking figures. Trevor blushed even more under Terry’s uninterrupted gaze.

“It’s kind of hard to explain. I, uh… I … asked my parents to get them for me,” he blurted out.

“You did? Really?” Terry asked incredulously.

Trevor felt himself get hotter in the face as he became even more embarrassed.

“Yeah. You see, all day long I take care of my own diaper changes but, at night and in the morning, my parents diaper me. I actually kind of like the extra attention. I don’t know—it kind of makes me feel like a little kid again. These plastic pants kind of fit how I feel when they get me ready for bed.”

Trevor stopped and looked carefully at Terry to try to read his reaction. Terry picked up the topmost pant and looked at it. It was green and covered with toy cars, airplanes and trains. The corners of his mouth curved up into a slight smile.

“Yeah, I guess that makes sense. I kind of see your point.”

Trevor wondered how Terry would react to what he was going to show him next.

“There is one other thing. Do you wear pajamas at night?” Trevor asked.

“Yeah. My mom makes me. Why?”

“I bet that the pajamas you normally wear won’t fit over these thick nighttime diapers.”

“No, I guess not. What do you do?” Terry asked.

Instead of answering, Trevor asked a question of his own.

“What’s your favorite color? Blue, green, or yellow?”

“Green, I guess,” Terry answered hesitantly.

Trevor opened a dresser drawer and removed what appeared to be a light green pair of pajamas.

“Even if you buy bigger pajamas, you’re going to find out that it’s impossible to keep your pajama bottoms from sliding down because the plastic pants are so slippery. That’s why I wear this kind.”

He let the pajamas fall open to show that he was actually holding a one-piece sleeper (but without ‘feet’). Terry was shocked. Even his three-year old cousin had stopped wearing sleepers.

“These are for summertime. My winter sleepers are made of heavier material.”

(Also, his winter sleepers were ‘footed’ but Trevor didn’t want to get into that.)

“You wear sleepers every night over your diapers?” Terry asked.

“Uh, yeah,” Trevor answered timidly, still unsure how to read Terry’s reaction.

“Then, I guess I’ll have to wear them, too.” Terry said. “I mean, I’m sure my mom won’t let me go to bed without pajamas.”

There was something about the way that Terry said it that made Trevor hope that Terry was actually intrigued by the prospect of his mom making him wear sleepers. Trevor hoped so. He really liked having his parents zip him into his sleeper every night. It made him feel so safe and secure. He wanted Terry to feel the same way each night as he went to bed.

“But, do you have enough stuff left for yourself?” Terry asked seriously.

“Are you kidding?” Trevor laughed. “I’ve got just as many left as I’ve given you. Plus, if I think I’ll run out, I can go over to my grandparents’ houses or to my aunt and uncle’s and take back some of the stuff I’ve got stored there. I’ve got diapers and plastic pants all over the city,” he giggled.

Terry laughed, too.

“How will we get all this stuff to my house?” Terry wondered.

“I’ll get some bags or something,” Trevor said. “Here, fold this back up,” he said as he handed the sleeper to Terry.

Terry was surprised at how soft and the light the fabric felt. He folded it up and placed it on the bed with the other things. His eyes were drawn back to the babyish nighttime pants. He picked up a yellow pair. They were covered with brown teddy bears, very similar in appearance to his childhood teddy bear. He suddenly remembered that when he was four or five his parents used to diaper the teddy bear every night when they diapered him. Did they actually use a new disposable diaper on the teddy bear every night? he wondered. He smiled at the memory. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps in the hallway. He hurriedly put the pants back and waited.

“My mom got some boxes for us to use. My dad says we’ll drive you home when you’re ready to leave.”

It only took a few seconds for them to fill the two large boxes. Terry was uneasy that Trevor had put the colored baby pants at the top of one of the boxes. He would like to have hidden them, but he didn’t get the chance.

“Let’s bring these downstairs,” Trevor said. “You don’t have to leave right away, do you?”

“No, I don’t think so,” Terry answered. “Usually my mom and dad let me stay out until at 9:30, and sometimes 10:00, on Friday nights.”

“Cool,” Trevor exclaimed.

They decided to go to the den to watch TV. During a commercial break Trevor asked Terry if he had ever gone on a sleepover.

“Yeah,” Terry answered with a little sadness, “my friends Andy and Jarrod used to have sleepovers, especially around their birthdays. I guess I won’t be doing that anymore.”

“I’ve never been on one,” Trevor answered glumly. “I’m afraid of what might happen if the other kids find out about my diapers.”

“Yeah. I know what you mean,” Terry shivered.

They sighed in unison.

“I don’t know what you guys are so sad about,” Mr. Calewell said from behind them. “You can go on sleepovers if you want to.”

“Get real, dad,” Trevor objected. “No we can’t. The other kids would laugh at us.”

“I don’t agree that that’s true, but that isn’t what I’m talking about. I’m thinking that you guys can always have sleepovers with each other.”

The boys felt stupid to have missed something so obvious.

“Can we have a sleepover tonight?” Trevor asked excitedly.

“Whoa! Hold your horses! I think that Terry and his parents have a lot to talk about tonight, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Trevor said disappointed. “But what about tomorrow night? What do you think, Terry? Do you want to have a sleepover tomorrow? Please say yes,” Trevor practically begged.

“OK,” Terry agreed happily. “But, I’ll have to ask my parents.”

“Please ask them! Please!” Trevor pleaded. “It’ll be OK, won’t it, dad?”

“I think so. Your mom will have the final word, though.”

Trevor ran to the living room where his mom was reading. She had overheard the conversation and anticipated his request by telling him that he could have the sleepover. He came back to the den to give Terry the good news.

“Can you call your mom and dad now and ask?” Trevor wondered.

“I don’t know,” Terry answered honestly. “Sometimes they say no if they think I’m trying to force them into a decision. Maybe it’ll be better if I ask them after I get home. OK?”

“OK,” Trevor agreed with a measure of disappointment.

They watched another hour of TV, all the while talking about what they were going to do on their sleepover. When it was time for Terry to leave, Mrs. Calewell handed him a note.

“This is a list of the sites on the internet where we order Trevor’s supplies. I told your mom that I would send it over with you tonight… Are you sure that Terry has everything that he’ll need?” she asked Trevor.

“I think so,” he answered.

“Do you have baby powder at home?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Terry answered a little embarrassed.

“How about diaper pins?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Did you include any with the diapers?” Mrs. Calewell asked Trevor.

“Uh, no, I forgot,” he admitted.

She put a brand new card containing a dozen pins in with the diapers. Mr. Calewell and Trevor drove Terry home at 9:30. The Aldersens expected Terry to come home with some diapering supplies to try out but they were overwhelmed by the amount that the Calewells were allowing him to take.

“Oh, my goodness,” Mrs. Aldersen exclaimed, “surely we’re taking too many of your things!”

“Not at all,” Mr. Calewell explained, “Trevor has plenty more. This amount is just what Terry needs to get started. Believe me, there’s absolutely no need to rush these things back to us.”

“Well, thank you, very much,” Mrs. Aldersen responded. “I guess the only thing we need to do now is learn how to put these on properly.”

“It’s really not that hard,” Mr. Calewell said. “You’ll find that they’re much thicker than disposables and that they rise much higher. We find that four pins for the daytime ones is just right and, because the nighttime diapers are considerably higher-rising, it takes six pins to fasten them securely.”

“Terry, would you mind if Mr. Calewell showed us how to properly diaper you?” Mr. Aldersen asked.

“No,” he answered simply.

“OK,” his dad directed, “go take your shower. We’ll be waiting in your room.”

It took a couple of seconds for his dad’s words to sink in. He had just agreed to let himself be diapered in front of Trevor and Mr. Calewell!

“Don’t just stand there,” his mom coaxed. “Get a move on! Mr. Calewell doesn’t have all night.”

Terry nervously showered and then went to his room. His changing pad was already laid out on the bed, covered by a big nighttime diaper. He was very embarrassed to see that the yellow plastic pants with the teddy bears and the green sleeper were also laying on the bed. He wondered if his parents had said anything to Trevor and Mr. Calewell about the juvenile attire.

“Ah, there you are,” his dad said. “Take the towel off and let’s get started.”

He was numb with embarrassment as he unwrapped his towel. He was taken by surprise when his dad picked him up under the arms and laid him on the diaper.

“I think he’s too high up,” Mr. Calewell pointed out.

His dad pulled him down and picked up the powder and began sprinkling it on his front.

“The diaper is going to cover a much larger area than his disposables ever did. You’ll need more powder, at least up to here,” Mr. Calewell said, pointing to an area two inches above his navel.

Mr. Aldersen rubbed the powder in and then told Terry to roll over. He repeated the process on Terry’s backside. Once Terry was back into his original position, Mr. Aldersen pulled the diaper up between his legs. It felt so thick and huge! Mr. Calewell directed Mr. Aldersen to snugly fasten the top pins on each side first, followed by the bottom pins.

“The trickiest part,” he concluded, “is fastening the middle pins. You have to be careful not to poke your son with the sharp point.”

“I’ll say,” Trevor chimed in. “That really hurts!”

“You don’t have to make it sound like it happens every day!” his dad teased.

Now that he was pinned into the diaper, Terry started to relax.

“Now for the plastic pants,” Mr. Calewell said. “I’m sure that you know that it’s important to check that all of the diaper is securely covered. Any material that isn’t completely inside his plastic pants will wick wetness out to his sleeper and bedding.”

“I didn’t know that,” Mr. Aldersen said, “but it makes sense.”

Mr. Aldersen took a lot of time to check the leg openings and waistband of Terry’s plastic pants.

“You’ll get much faster at it once you’ve had practice,” Mr. Calewell observed. “The last part is the easiest—the sleeper.”

Terry’s mom had already picked it up and unzipped it. Terry noticed that the zipper didn’t stop at the waist but went almost all the way down to the ankle of the left leg. Mr. Aldersen guided his right leg and then his left into the sleeper. He asked Terry to lift up and inserted his arms into the sleeves. One quick zip and Terry was ready for the night. Trevor giggled when Terry practically fell over when he stood up.

“It takes a little time to get used to those thick diapers,” Mr. Calewell observed.

Terry was astonished by the huge bulk of material between his legs. He took a couple of cautious steps. Instead of being embarrassed by the situation, he actually found it comforting. Not even the loud rustling of the plastic pants bothered him and, to the contrary, he smiled. His parents looked at each other and were astonished, too. Was this the same boy who, for the last several days, had been moping around the house, depressed by his need for diapers?

“Honey,” Mrs. Aldersen said, “I’ve cleared some room in your dresser for your new things. Would you please put as many of them away as you can? Whatever doesn’t fit can go into the linen closet for the time being.” Then, turning to Mr. Calewell, she added, “Would you have a moment to go over the list that your wife made up?”

The adults left the room. Terry became uncomfortable over the way Trevor was staring at him.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Sorry,” Trevor apologized. “I’ve never seen anybody else who was my age wearing nighttime diapers. I always wondered what I looked like.”

“Do I look really stupid?” Terry asked with concern.

“No!” Trevor reassured him.

What Trevor didn’t say was that Terry looked just like a toddler. Personally, Trevor liked imagining himself as a little kid but he didn’t want to risk telling Terry.

“Do you want me to help you put your stuff away?” he asked to change the subject.

Terry opened the top drawer of his dresser and noticed that all his underpants and pajamas were gone. He said as much to Trevor.

“Why would you want to keep them around if you can’t use them anymore?” Trevor asked.

“I guess you’re right,” Terry said with a note of regret.

Meanwhile, in the den, Mr. and Mrs. Aldersen were thanking Mr. Calewell for everything that he and his wife had done. They still hadn’t gotten over how quickly Terry had changed.

“My wife and I did very little, really. It was Trevor who noticed that Terry was in trouble. The only thing we did was to advise him on how to approach your son, on how to let him know that he had a friend who wanted to help him. But don’t think that this is a one-way street. Trevor has also been changed by this experience. He has always been terrified of having anyone find out that he needs to wear diapers. Today was the first day that he ever allowed another kid to know about his diapers. My wife and I are extremely grateful that he now knows someone his own age with the same needs. I was astonished when I came home to find Trevor and Terry comfortable enough with each other to go around the house in just their diapers and plastic pants, acting as if they had known each other for years.”

“Terry did what?” Mrs. Aldersen exclaimed.

“I should explain,” Mr. Calewell quickly added, “that Trevor doesn’t normally wear pants around the house when the family is alone. What I’m trying to say is that Trevor must really trust Terry if he was willing to do that in front of him.”

“And vice-versa!” Mr. Aldersen said in amazement.

The boys finished putting away the diapers and plastic pants. They joined their parents in the den.

“Should we take the boxes home?” Trevor asked his dad.

“That’s a good idea. We don’t need to burden the Aldersen’s with more trash and I don’t know if mom plans on using them for something else… Well, good night. It was a pleasure meeting you. I hope that my wife and I can get together with you real soon,” Mr. Calewell said to the Aldersens.

“It would be a pleasure, I assure you,” Mrs. Aldersen answered. “Thank you so much for everything.”

“Good night,” Trevor said to Terry and his parents. Then, almost as an afterthought he added, “Are you going to ask your parents now?”

“Trevor, don’t push it,” his dad warned.

“Ask us what?” Mrs. Aldersen questioned.

“He wants me to ask if I can go over to his house for a sleepover tomorrow night,” Terry explained.

“I don’t know, honey,” Mrs. Aldersen replied. “I think you’ve imposed enough on Trevor’s parents.”

“Not at all,” Mr. Calewell interrupted. “It would be no trouble at all. Besides, this is the first time that Trevor has ever asked a friend to sleep over.”

“Well, in that case,” Mrs. Aldersen relented, “I guess it would be alright. But… you still have your chores to do in the morning… and, you won’t leave here until all your homework is done, too.”

“Cool!” Trevor exclaimed. “When do you think you’ll come over?”

“Probably around one o’clock,” Terry’s mom answered, “… if he’s finished with all his work,” she emphasized.

“By the way,” Mr. Calewell added, “there’s no need to send him over with extra diapers. I’m sure we can handle all his needs from Trevor’s supply.”

After another round of good nights, Trevor and his dad left.

“You and Trevor seem to be getting along really well,” Terry’s dad observed.

“Yeah, I guess so,” he answered. “I can hardly believe that he’s been wearing diapers for so long.”

Terry related the story of how Trevor had gotten hit by a bus at the age of five and that he had been in diapers and plastic pants ever since.

“I hope you see the lesson here,” his mom observed.

“What lesson?” Terry wondered.

“Trevor’s been wearing diapers for five or six years and no one has ever suspected a thing. I hope you’ll stop worrying that your friends are going to automatically find out about yours.”

“I guess you’re right,” Terry conceded reluctantly. “At least the ‘school’ diapers and plastic pants are really quiet… You’re going to let me get my own, aren’t you?” he added with concern.

“Of course we are, honey. Tomorrow, we’ll order everything you’ll need.”

Terry and his dad went to the den to watch TV. By 11:00, Terry was sound asleep. His mother came into the room to tell Terry it was past his bedtime.

“Don’t wake him up,” his dad said. “I’ll carry him.”

“OK,” his mom agreed, “I’ll turn his bed down. You know,” she observed on the way to Terry’s room, “I thought I would have to give him another sedative. I can’t believe how much more relaxed he is tonight. I guess we should be grateful to Trevor for introducing him to cloth diapers.”

“I know,” his dad concurred, “I was absolutely dumbfounded that Terry agreed to be diapered and dressed in these baby pants and sleeper. I thought he would have a terrible time getting used to them. But, here he is sleeping… like a baby. I hope the little guy has found a measure of peace and will stop obsessing over having to wear diapers,” his dad said with genuine emotion.

“I hope so, too,” Mrs. Aldersen added.

*****

The next morning Terry woke up early. He felt relaxed… and wet, but he didn’t mind. In fact, he was happy. He let his hands travel down his sleeper. Once again, he was impressed by the softness of the material. He smiled slightly when he felt his plastic pants beneath the fabric. They crinkled noticeably as he pressed down on them. He suddenly felt self-conscious and guilty. He was supposed to be a ‘big boy’ and ‘big boys’ didn’t need to wear diapers, much less yellow plastic pants with teddy bears on them! Still, he had been happy ever since Trevor shared with him his longtime need for diapers. Trevor didn’t seem to worry about it. Why should he? On the other hand, what about his other friends? What would Andy and Jarrod say if they knew about his diapers, especially his nighttime wear?

His parents weren’t up yet and he wondered what he should do. He usually got dressed before going downstairs. Today, he really wanted to stay as he was. Last night, when he and Trevor were getting his diapers and plastic pants ready, Trevor mentioned that he took care of his own diaper changes during the day but that he really enjoyed his parents taking care of him at night and in the morning. Terry wanted this, too. He put on a pair of clean athletic socks and headed for the kitchen to find something to eat.

On the way there, he detoured through the living room to take a look at himself in the big mirror. He once again felt an odd mixture of self-consciousness and excitement. Trevor had risen to the status of hero in his eyes. They had each been forced into wearing diapers for the rest of their lives and Trevor had not only accepted it, he had made a game out of it. Surprisingly, Terry was discovering that he was enjoying the game, too. He was looking forward to being changed by his parents every night and morning; he would be very disappointed if he had to do it himself. Even the crinkly baby pants made him happy, even though he couldn’t figure out why. He particularly liked how (in the case of what he was wearing this morning) the teddy bears were visible through the thin material of his sleeper. But, he shuddered at what might happen if Andy and Jarrod found out. In the very least, he would be mocked and humiliated. What if they completely shut him out or told everyone else? He took comfort in the knowledge that Trevor had already been successful in hiding his diaper wearing for many years.

Terry was spread out on the floor watching a DVD when his mom came downstairs.

“Couldn’t sleep, honey?” she asked.

“I slept fine,” he answered. “It’s you and dad who slept late,” he giggled

Glancing at the clock, she had to agree.

“You haven’t gotten dressed yet?”

“Uh, no” Terry admitted. “I … I … uh wasn’t sure if I was supposed to. You know, because dad put my diaper on… and everything.”

Mrs. Calewell had spoken to Terry’s mom about Trevor’s apparent love of being diapered at night and in the morning. Even though Trevor had never said anything to them about it, it had become obvious how attached he was to this treatment. She had counseled Mrs. Aldersen to ‘go with the flow’ with whatever Terry seemed to be asking for.

“I understand. I’ll get my coffee and then I’ll change you into a fresh diaper. OK?”

“OK,” he agreed.

He smiled broadly the whole time he waited for his mom to come back. And his mom smiled, too. She was happy for him. He had been so miserable over the last month that, up until last night, she had feared he would need counseling to help overcome his depression. She also had a secret reason for being happy—a reason that made her feel a little bit ashamed. She had always wanted another child. She loved caring for infants—the baby clothes, the smell of baby powder, the rustling noises of diapers and plastic pants— all these things gave her joy. She hoped that she had been successful in hiding her ecstasy when Terry had asked her to diaper him. She was going to enjoy the nighttime and morning diaper changes every bit as much as him.

Neither of them was disappointed. Terry loved how his mom got him out of his sleeper, plastic pants, and diaper. She even took the opportunity to tickle him when she was pinning on the new diaper. He giggled genuinely and without embarrassment. She was thrilled that he chose to only put on a shirt and socks to do his chores. She hoped that this signaled his intention of going around in just his diapers at home.

Terry was so looking forward to the sleepover that he finished his chores and homework, and had gotten his things ready, by 11:00. Naturally, his mother wouldn’t let him go over that early.

“But why not?” he complained.

“Because you can’t just invite yourself to lunch. They’re expecting you at 1:00. So, instead of complaining about it, why don’t you help me go online and order your diaper supplies?”

“Shopping! Do I have to?” he complained.

“Well, no, you don’t have to” his mom answered. “I just thought you’d like to see what you’ll be getting.

“I don’t need to see,” he whined, “as long as it’s just like what Trevor has.

“OK,” she agreed, “but you’ve just lost the right to complain later on. Understood?”

“Yeah, I understand,” he answered as he ran up the stairs to his room.

His mom called him down for lunch an hour later. As soon as lunch was over he was ready to go.

“Can we go now?” he asked anxiously.

His dad, who was supposed to drive him to Trevor’s house, answered, “Sure. But aren’t you going to put your pants on first?”

“Of course I am!” Terry answered impatiently.

However, the truth was that he had completely forgotten that he wasn’t wearing his pants. Boy, would Trevor have been mad if I showed up at his house like this! he thought. And, what if I forget when Andy or Jarrod come over? He trembled at the very idea of it.

*****

Trevor was as even more excited about the sleepover than Terry. He had been impatient and testy all morning. He couldn’t concentrate on anything and it was only his parents’ threats to cancel the sleepover that got him to finish his chores and homework. He saw Terry drive up with his dad and he ran downstairs to greet them at the door. This took his parents by surprise since he always shrank away from open doors and windows when he wearing only his diapers and plastic pants.

“Hi!” he screamed excitedly, “let’s bring your stuff up to my room then we can start having fun!”

“Well,” Mr. Aldersen said sardonically, “I guess I don’t have to worry about Terry not feeling welcomed.”

Mr. Calewell laughed. “I’m sorry about Trevor’s manners. He knows better than to run away like that without greeting a guest.”

“It’s nothing, really. You didn’t exactly see my son greeting you effusively either!”

“They are excited, aren’t they?” Mr. Calewell said stating the obvious. “Oh, before I forget, there is one thing I need to ask. At what time may we bring Terry home? Would seven or eight o’clock tomorrow night be too late?”

“No, no… that would be fine. But you don’t have to put up with him all day tomorrow. Feel free to end the sleepover in mid-afternoon if you want.”

“I don’t think we can do that,” Mrs. Calewell said, joining the conversation for the first time. “We promised Trevor that if he behaved we would allow Terry to stay through dinner tomorrow… if you said it was OK.”

“In that case, it’s OK with me… as long as Terry also behaves.”

Trevor told Terry to put down his stuff in the corner of the room. There was a pregnant pause as the boys looked at each other.

“Did you wear your pants at home this morning?” Trevor asked.

“Uh, no,” Terry answered.

He kicked his shoes off and began unbuckling his pants.

“But, what are you wearing?” he asked Trevor.

“Well, uh, you see, I loaned you all my white ‘home’ diapers,” he explained. “My parents got me these after I started wearing the plastic baby pants at night.”

Terry couldn’t believe that his friend was wearing a baby-print diaper under his nearly transparent plastic pants. He wasn’t sure, but it looked like it was imprinted with baby blocks.

“You’re not mad are you?” Trevor asked in a worried voice.

“Uh, no. I… uh…” Terry responded.

In fact, Terry didn’t know what to say. He wasn’t upset about them; he was just surprised. “”Does this mean that I’ll have to wear diapers like that, too, while I’m here?”

“Yeah, I guess so. They’re all I’ve got left.”

“OK,” Terry answered with a shrug. “I guess it’s OK… if you’re going to wear them, too, I mean.”

“Oh, yeah, I’ll be wearing them,” Trevor answered with a broad smile.

Trevor was relieved. He hadn’t really planned things this way when he loaned Terry the white ‘home’ diapers. It was a surprise to him this morning to find out that there were no white ones left. He had simply lost track of the fact most of his ‘home’ diapers were baby-print. If he had dared tell Terry the truth, he would have admitted that he much preferred wearing baby-print diapers to plain white ones. Maybe he felt more secure in them because they were thicker and higher rising.

“I’ve got some movies picked out for us. Do you want to watch one now?” Trevor asked.

Terry agreed but, when they got to the den, they found out that Mrs. Calewell wanted them to play outside.

“Aw, gee, mom. How come?” Trevor protested.

“Because it’s a beautiful day and you should be outside enjoying the fresh air,” she answered.

The real reason (that she didn’t mention for obvious reasons) was that she wanted them to get plenty of physical activity so that they would sleep that night. The last thing she wanted was overactive boys at 2:00AM. The boys went upstairs to put their pants back on.

“So, what are we going to do?” Terry asked.

“How about throwing a ball around the backyard?”

They went out and played for a half-hour and got bored. They sat down against the back fence and talked.

“Have you ever been mad at yourself because you have to wear diapers?” Terry asked.

“Why would I be mad at myself for that?” Trevor responded.

“I don’t know,” Terry continued, “maybe mad is the wrong word. Don’t you ever feel like screaming at somebody because of it?”

“Oh, well… I don’t know… sometimes I get scared. Is that what you mean?”

“I don’t know, maybe,” Terry said, tears beginning to fill his eyes. “I guess I get scared sometimes… like, what if my friends found out?”

Trevor heard the upset in Terry’s voice before he saw it in his eyes.

“I know,” he said with a smile, “let’s scream at the world!”

“Huh?” Terry responded, confused.

“Let’s run around the yard screaming at the top of our lungs.”

“What for?”

“Because we’re mad at the world because we have to wear diapers,” he said simply.

In fact, Trevor didn’t feel that way at all. Over the years, he had gotten used to his diapers and he could no longer remember life without them. He made the suggestion because he thought that it might help make Terry feel better.

“Gee, I don’t know. Won’t your mom and dad get mad at us for making a lot of noise?”

“Come on,” Trevor said standing up, “let’s go.”

He started whooping and hollering as he ran around the yard. Terry giggled and joined him.

“What in the world are those boys doing?” Mrs. Calewell asked. “The neighbors probably think we’re murdering them! I’m going out there to stop that racket.”

“No, don’t do that,” her husband urged. “I don’t know exactly what they’re up to but they were sitting against the fence talking before they started running around. Give them a few more seconds and then we’ll tell them to quiet down.”

Almost as soon as he had said it, they quieted down when Trevor tackled Terry and they began to wrestle each other. Terry giggled and Trevor was glad that his friend’s mood had changed for the better. They rolled around the grass, each trying to get the upper hand on the other.

“Ouch!” Trevor exclaimed.

“Sorry,” Terry answered, loosening his grip.

“Ha! You fell for the oldest trick in the book,” Trevor said as he sat on Terry’s middle and pinned his hands above his head.

“No fair! Get off of me,” Terry objected.

“Everything’s fair!” Trevor exulted. “Admit it. I gotcha.”

“I can see your diaper and plastic pants, you know,” Terry said in an attempt to distract Trevor.

“So what? I can see yours sticking out of your pants, too.”

“Yeah, but mine aren’t sticking way up the way yours are.”

“They will once you get changed,” Trevor retorted.

“How come?” Terry wondered.

“I told you… they’re a bigger size. My mom bought these big so that I could grow into them.”

“I forgot,” Terry responded seriously. “Speaking of diapers… I sort of need to change now.”

“OK, let’s go up to my room.”

Trevor let go of Terry’s hands. Terry grabbed the bottom of Trevor’s shirt and pulled it off at the same time that he pushed Trevor off of him.

“Hey! Give me back my shirt,” Trevor yelled.

“Come and get it,” Terry said running away.

Trevor chased him around the yard and eventually tackled him to the ground. Terry was laughing wildly as Trevor unsuccessfully tried to grab his shirt back. Suddenly, Trevor switched tactics and began unbuckling Terry’s belt. Terry fought back by doing the same to Trevor. In a few seconds, they each had succeeded in ‘de-pantsing’ the other. Actually, neither had fought it very hard.

“OK, now you have to take your shirt off,” Trevor said.

“Make me,” Terry answered as he took off running across the yard.

“Henry, come and look at this.” Mrs. Calewell said to her husband. “What do you think is going on?”

“I think the boys are happy that they don’t have to hide their diapers from each other. I think we should leave them alone

“But what about the neighbors?”

“I don’t know about Terry but I’m sure that Trevor has thought about it. Maybe this will help him get over his paranoia about others finding out that he wears diapers.”

“I hope you’re right,” she answered hesitantly. “I’m still going to call them in. Their diapers are so heavy they’re ready to fall off!”

Mrs. Calewell called to the boys to pick up their clothes and to come inside.

“Are we in trouble?” Terry asked nervously.

“I don’t think so. Maybe my mom thinks we’re getting too much sun.”

Terry suddenly became self-conscious about being outside in just his diaper and plastic pants.

“I guess we should put our shirt and pants back on,” he said.

“What for? We need to change our diapers anyway.”

The boys entered the house through the kitchen door where Mrs. Calewell waited for them.

“Trevor, look at how wet your diaper is. You know better than to let it get to that state. You don’t want another diaper rash do you?”

She didn’t say anything to Terry but he knew that she was scolding him too. Trevor colored with embarrassment that his mom had mentioned his diaper rashes in front of Terry.

“OK,” he answered his mom. “We’ll go change.”

“Before you do, let me see your clothes.”

They handed their shirts and pants over to her.

“Look at these grass stains!” she chided. “And you’ve ripped Terry’s shirt, too. It’s a good thing it came apart along a seam. I’ll have to wash and mend these things before you wear them again.”

“Just like a mom,” the boys thought. “She sends you outside to play and then she complains that you get dirty.”

As they left the kitchen Mrs. Calewell overheard Terry telling Trevor that he hadn’t yet put on his own diapers—that someone else had done for him.

“Wait a minute,” she said, “I’ll help you.”

Terry’s intention in mentioning it was to ask Trevor to do it for him; he was a little uneasy with the idea of Mrs. Calewell seeing him naked. Trevor smiled encouragement to him as they went up to the room. The supplies were taken out and arranged for Terry’s use. He gulped at the diaper that was laid out for him; not only did it look huge but it was imprinted with babyish cars, trains, and airplanes in vibrant primary colors. Mrs. Calewell helped him out of his plastic pants and thoroughly soaked diaper.

“You need to be more careful, Terry. Your skin is beginning to look very raw,” she said as she cleaned him with a baby wipe. “I think both of you boys need to pay more attention to the condition of your diapers.”

Terry was very tense as she sprinkled powder on his diaper area and rubbed it in. He didn’t relax until she folded the big diaper over his stomach and began pinning it on. It was so soft! And fluffy! He didn’t mind at all that it rose so high up on him; in fact, he rather liked the feeling. Lastly, he was put into his plastic pants. They weren’t the semi-transparent white that he had worn up to this point. Rather, they were a semi-transparent silver color that showed off the baby print a little more than he would have liked.

Trevor could have had plenty of time to change himself during Terry’s diaper change but he didn’t. All he did was to take out a fresh diaper and plastic pants and lay them on the bed. It was no secret to his mother that he preferred to have someone else change him.

“OK, next!” she said brightly.

Trevor hopped onto the bed and waited patiently for his mom to come back from washing her hands. He delighted in the special treatment that she gave him. Terry was pleased to see that Trevor was getting put into an equally babyish diaper (yellow, blue, and coral farm animals) and the same kind of silvery plastic pants.

“OK, back outside with you,” Mrs. Calewell declared.

“Can’t we watch a movie now?” Trevor whined.

“Later, after you’ve been outside another hour.”

Trevor picked up a couple of his handheld games to take with them. All of the boys’ inhibitions had returned. They felt quite nervous (and downright silly) being outside in their diapers. Worse, they didn’t have the security of having their pants and shirts close at hand. They sat in the shade and competed against each other for three rounds of games.

“What do we do now?” Terry asked.

“I don’t know,” Trevor answered.

He stretched out on his back and looked up at the sky. Terry joined him as they pondered the clouds for several minutes, each boy lost in his own thoughts.

“You really like wearing these baby diapers and other things, don’t you?” Terry asked.

Trevor hesitated before answering.

“Why do you say that?”

“Because of all the stuff you’ve got… baby diapers, plastic baby pants, and sleepers. And, last night, you said that you asked your parents to buy you the nighttime baby pants… Just now, I watched you pick out the diapers we’re wearing. You skipped over less babyish ones and chose these… on purpose.”

“I don’t exactly know why I like wearing them, I just do,” Trevor confessed. “I guess if I have to wear diapers I want to go all the way.”

Trevor felt that his answer was lame but he couldn’t think of anything to add.

“You think that I’m weird, don’t you?”

Terry hesitated over his answer, too.

“Of course not. I… I’m starting to really like wearing them, too,” he blurted out.

“Really?” Trevor said, sitting up and looking intently at Terry. “That is so cool!”

Both boys giggled.

*****

The boys went inside to watch their movie. They plopped down on their stomachs side be side in front of the TV, their plastic pants lightly brushing together. Every time something funny of exciting happened they nudged each other at the hip, causing them to move closer together until their plastic pants were in full contact. Rather than feeling that their space had been invaded, they felt comfortable and content.

Mrs. Calewell unwittingly broke this mood by insisting that it was time for her to check their diapers. Trevor was genuinely put out, while Terry was tremendously embarrassed, when Mrs. Calewell ran her fingers inside the leg openings of their plastic pants to check how wet they were.

“All right, both of you… upstairs.”

“Aw, mom, we’re not that wet,” Trevor protested.

“I’ll be the judge of that,” she countered. “Now, march!”

The boys paused the movie and reluctantly headed upstairs. This time, they selected matching pastel diapers in a checkerboard pattern—the most babyish of the lot—and some more silvery plastic pants. (Actually. Terry didn’t see any other option.) Mrs. Calewell smiled at their decision to dress like twins.

“OK, who’s first?”

Mrs. Calewell was concerned about the condition of the boys’ skin so she applied diaper-rash cream to each of them. They headed back downstairs to finish their interrupted movie. They turned the corner to enter the den and practically ran into a young man and woman.

“Marsha!” Trevor screeched. And then, remembering that he was dressed in only a diaper and plastic pants, he tried to cover them with his hands. “You promised! Why are you doing this?”

Terry was stunned and for a moment didn’t know what to do. He had no idea who these people were but he felt himself color under the young man’s gaze. Trevor ran back up to his room with Terry close behind. Trevor slammed the door and, with tears running down his cheeks, repeated over and over again, “She promised!”

Terry was really in a panic now. His breathing was labored and his heart was pumping fast. He jumped when a knock sounded at the door.

“Trevor, let me in. please. I’m sorry. I didn’t do it on purpose… please, let me explain.”

“Go away!” Trevor screamed through his tears. “Leave us alone!”

“Please!” the voice pleaded.

“No!” Trevor screamed in reply.

Terry didn’t know what was going on but he was on the verge of crying, too. The realization that strangers had seen him in his baby diaper was beginning to hit home. He suddenly couldn’t hold back and began sobbing deep, heart-wrenching moans. He felt utterly humiliated. He was so absorbed in his misery that he was surprised to suddenly realize that Trevor’s mom was holding him in her arms, stroking his hair and consoling him. He gradually became aware that Trevor was also sitting by his side trying to calm him down.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have panicked like that. That was my oldest sister, Marsha, and her boyfriend,” Trevor explained.

His eyes were still red from crying but he was almost completely back under control.

“Your sister?”

“Yeah, she promised that she was going to be gone all day with Tom—he’s her boyfriend. Tom doesn’t know about my diapers or, I guess I have to say, he didn’t used to know about them. That’s why I got scared.”

“Oh,” Terry answered.

“Yes, that’s right,” Mrs. Calewell confirmed. “Let me explain to both of you what’s happened. This afternoon, Tom asked Marsha to marry him and she accepted. They came here to tell us the news. Originally, Marsha asked Tom to wait out on the patio but, when she heard our voices upstairs, she told him to come inside and to wait in the den. Before she could settle him there and come up to warn you, you guys came bounding down the stairs and ran into them. They’re both very sorry about what happened. Won’t you please allow them to apologize?” she asked in a motherly tone.

“Well, I guess so,” Trevor agreed.

“Good. Wash your faces and then we’ll go downstairs.”

The cool water helped Terry finish calming himself. When Mrs. Calewell began absently straightening Trevor’s diaper and plastic pants, he understood that they would be going downstairs exactly as they were dressed. He shot a look of appeal toward Trevor who shrugged his shoulders.

“My sister’s seen me like this a zillion times,” he explained. “If she’s really going to marry Tom, I guess he’ll see my diapers a lot, too.”

That sounded very logical as far as Trevor’s circumstances were concerned but Terry wondered what that had to do with him. He wasn’t part of this family and he didn’t want Tom and Marsha to see his diapers again.

“Please,” Trevor suddenly said, “I don’t want to go downstairs alone. Please come with me,”

Terry could hardly refuse. He would feel like a traitor to Trevor who seemed to be feeling just as scared as he was about the whole thing. He felt warm all over when Trevor gave his shoulder a squeeze just before they walked into the den.

“Thanks,” Trevor whispered.

“It’s okay,” Terry answered.

The apology went very well. It turned out that it was Tom who had the most trouble getting over his embarrassment. He kept apologizing over and over and promising the boys that he would keep their secret.

“Tom, I think my brother and his friend get it,” Marsha eventually said.

“Yeah, we believe you, don’t we?” Trevor asked and Terry agreed.

“Good, I’m glad that’s settled,” Mrs. Calewell said.

Marsha and Tom then announced their plans. They would wait a year after they graduated from college to get married. (This meant they planned on marrying in about 14 to 16 months.) Trevor seemed to be really happy for his sister and Terry began feeling good for them, too.

“Tom, do your parents know yet?” Mrs. Calewell asked.

“They know that I planned on asking Marsha today. They don’t know her answer yet,” he smiled.

“Why don’t you call them? I think this calls for a celebration. Sammie and my husband will be home soon so we’ll all be together.”

A questioning look on Terry’s face made Trevor explain that Sammie was his other sister, who was sixteen and a sophomore in high school. Seeing that Trevor wasn’t making a move to get dressed, Terry resigned himself to another introduction dressed in just a diaper and plastic pants.

*****

While the evening didn’t turn out anything like they had expected, Terry and Trevor had a lot of fun. Since his shirt and pants were still in the washer (and, in any case, not suitable for the restaurant they went to), Terry borrowed some things from Trevor. It made Terry feel that he and Trevor had become almost like brothers. He also learned a lot about the Calewells. They seemed very close and teased each other constantly (but never, never made any references whatsoever to Trevor’s diaper wearing). He figured out early on that this was one of the ways they showed love to each other. They also seemed truly happy for Marsha and Tom. He felt kind of envious, as if he had been missing out on something all his life. For the first time ever, he seriously wondered what it would be like to have a brother or a sister.

Tom’s parents went directly home from the restaurant and Marsha and Tom went off together to continue their evening alone.

“Well,” Mrs. Calewell sighed with satisfaction, “this has been an event-filled day.”

She was referring to more than Marsha and Tom’s news; she was also thinking about Trevor’s new friendship with Terry and how it was changing each of them. (She still couldn’t believe how they had chased each other around the yard in their diapers!)

“OK, time for you boys to change for the night,” she said snapping her thoughts back to the moment.

“But we want to stay up tonight!” Trevor complained.

“OK, OK,” she answered impatiently, “I didn’t say go to bed I said change for bed. You can still stay up late.”

“Do you want me to help you?” Sammie asked.

“Sure,” Trevor answered immediately.

Terry literally peed his diaper in surprise. Did Trevor answer for both of them or would Mr. or Mrs. Calewell still take care of him?

“Thank you, honey,” Mrs. Calewell added, “I am a little tired.”

Terry was in a daze as he walked up to Trevor’s room.

“You sister is going to change my diaper!?” he said in alarm.

“Oh, sorry,” Trevor responded. “She and Marsha do it all the time… I didn’t think. Do you want me to ask my mom to come up to change you?”

Before Terry could answer Sammie entered the room.

“I’ll get the changing pad, the diaper rash cream, and baby powder while you guys get your diapers, plastic pants, and sleepers ready.”

The boys stood staring at each other.

“Something wrong?” Sammie asked.

“I forgot my sleeper,” Terry answered with a knowing smile in Trevor’s direction.

“I can lend you another one of mine,” Trevor said poking him in the ribs.

He took a yellow sleeper out of his dresser and laid it on the bed. The boys went to retrieve the diapers and plastic pants. Trevor selected matching Spiderman plastic pants while Terry carried the big nighttime diapers. The last thing Trevor did was to grab another yellow sleeper that was hooked onto the back of the closet door. Terry was extremely happy that, once again, they would be dressed exactly alike.

“Guests first,” Trevor said.

Terry nervously got onto the changing pad.

“I don’t think Terry ever had a girl change his diaper,” Trevor explained.

“His mom must have changed him… and she’s a girl,” Sammie teased.

“You know what I mean!” Trevor answered.

Terry wished that Sammie would get on with it. Now that he was ready, he wanted things to move fast.

“OK, then,” she said turning her attention to Terry, “I’ll try to do as good a job as your mom.”

“Actually,” Terry answered, “your mom does a better job.”

Sammie thought that that was funny and laughed.

“That’s probably because she’s had lots and lots and lots and lots of practice with… you-know-who.”

“OK, OK, we get the picture,” Trevor half-seriously complained.

“Well, anyway,” she continued, “the way I figure it, my mom and dad have changed him at least 5,000 times, so I guess they should be considered experts.”

“Enough,” Trevor complained again.

“Well, it’s true isn’t it?” she said defensively.

Trevor stuck his tongue out at her and she reciprocated. Terry wondered if they were mad at each other but a few seconds later they laughed.

“You should feel honored,” Sammie said as she picked up the plastic pants. “These are Trevor’s favorites.”

“Sammie!” Trevor said blushing furiously.

“Well, they are, aren’t they? … Boys can be so dumb sometimes. What’s so hard about telling someone else that you like them?”

Trevor began blushing even more furiously. Terry came to his rescue.

“Thanks,” he said. “I like them, too.”

“You’re welcome,” Trevor responded without looking up from the floor.

*****

The boys went downstairs to finish watching their movie. Terry was concerned that he had caused problems between Trevor and his sister.

“I’m sorry I caused you and Sammie to fight.”

“Fight? That wasn’t a fight. We always talk like that to each other. Promise not to tell her, but I kind of like her. I think she’s a pretty cool big sister.”

For the second night in a row, Terry fell asleep in front of the TV… and so did Trevor.

Terry woke up first the next morning. He and Trevor were in Trevor’s big bed. He wondered if he had walked up on his own power or if he had been carried. He was a little embarrassed to think that Mr. Calewell may have carried him upstairs. He was even more embarrassed to think that Trevor may have seen him being carried like a baby.

Trevor rolled over and faced him but he didn’t wake up. The night had been warm and they had kicked the covers off. Terry smiled to himself at the sight that Trevor presented. The bright red and blue of the Spiderman plastic pants shone through the thin yellow material of the sleeper. Additionally, the thick diapers gave his bottom a rounded toddler-like look. Terry knew that he himself must look just the same and this caused his smile to broaden.

“Hi,” Trevor said, rubbing sleep from his eyes. “What are you laughing at?”

“Oh, nothing.”

“Come on, if we’re going to be friends, we have to tell each other stuff,” Trevor persisted.

“I was just thinking that we look pretty funny with our big diapers and Spiderman plastic pants.”

“Yeah,” Trevor giggled. “But I think it’s pretty cool, anyway.”

“Me, too,” Terry agreed.

It was only seven-fifteen and nobody else was up. Terry and Trevor went down to the kitchen. They toasted some toaster tarts and went into the den.

“Do you want to finish the movie or watch cartoons?” Trevor asked.

“Cartoons,” Terry answered without hesitation.

“Cool,” Trevor answered.

Terry was beginning to notice that cool was one of Trevor’s favorite words.

He also learned things about himself during the sleepover. He discovered that he had never had a friend like Trevor before; that is, someone he could say anything to. By comparison, he now realized that he only talked about shallow things with Andy and Jarrod—happenings at school, TV shows, sports results, and the like. In the short time he had known Trevor, they had already talked about their biggest fears and shared some of their secret joys. To be fair, though, Trevor and he shared a personal problem that was still a secret to Andy and Jarrod. If he told them, would it make them closer friends or would they completely reject him? He and Trevor talked a little bit about that but they couldn’t figure out which reaction was more likely..

*****

In the last month before the school year ended, Terry had no problem balancing his time between Andy and Jarrod and his new friend, Trevor. Andy and Jarrod were very involved in the spring play and had little time for Terry on weekdays. This suited him well. He could spend more time with Trevor and it created an acceptable reason why he and Trevor had become close. Now that school was over, he hoped that the four of them could become friendly together.

The second day after school let out, Jarrod arrived all excited at Terry’s house. Luckily, Terry was just leaving for Trevor’s so he had his pants on.

“I’ve got something to show you,” he said with a big smirk. “Your mom isn’t around is she?” he asked in a whisper.

“Yeah, she’s out on the patio, reading the paper,” he answered.

“Then, let’s go up to your room,” he said bounding up the stairs.

Terry’s heart skipped a beat.

“No, wait,” Terry answered. “We can’t. It’s a mess.”

“Who cares? You’re going to love what I’m going to show you.”

“No, let’s go to your house.”

Jarrod ignored him and continued on his way upstairs. Terry ran after him but he was too late. Jarrod stood in the doorway of Terry’s room, a confused look on his face.

“What’s this stuff?” he asked.

The ‘stuff’ he was referring to was the diapers and plastic pants that he had returned to his room and left on the bed. All of his diaper supplies had arrived within two weeks of his mother placing the orders. Since then, he hadn’t exactly become casual or careless about leaving them in plain sight; rather, this morning, he was planning on putting them away after he got back from Trevor’s. Terry’s eyes were intently fixed on the bed but he could sense that Jarrod was staring at him. He was tongue-tied and he began to feel beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

“They’re… They…” Terry stammered.

“Why do you have baby diapers in your room?” Jarrod insisted.

“Because… they…” Terry stammered again.

His heartbeat pounded in his ears; he was feeling lightheaded; his legs felt wobbly; and, his hands were shaking.

“Are they yours?” Jarrod asked. Then, suddenly, he seemed to get very angry. “You wear baby diapers, don’t you?”

Terry felt like he was in the middle of a nightmare. He couldn’t move or talk. Jarrod grabbed him by the wrists and pushed him onto the bed.

“Is baby wearing diapers now?” Jarrod asked mockingly.

He roughly pulled Terry’s shirt out of his pants. The diaper and plastic pants came into view. This seemed to enrage Jarrod even more. Terry was frozen with fear. All his strength left him and he was too paralyzed to fight back. Jarrod started undoing Terry’s belt.

“No! Please, no!” Terry pleaded through tear-filled eyes.

“Listen to the baby cry,” he ridiculed.

He pulled Terry’s pants below his knees and backed away.

“You’re disgusting,” he spat, “…nothing but a disgusting diaper-wearing baby!”

Terry had imagined all kinds of negative reactions if Andy and Jarrod discovered that he wore diapers, but nothing as horrible as this. He completely lost it and began to cry uncontrollably. His mom heard the commotion and she decided to scold the boys for their bad behavior.

“Don’t ever talk to me or look at me again!” Jarrod shouted as he left the room.

He ran for the stairs and started stomping down them. He couldn’t wait to get away from here. He was one-quarter of the way down when Mrs. Aldersen startled him by asking what was going on. He missed the next step and tumbled the rest of the way. The sickening sound of breaking bone stunned both of them.

“Oh my God!” Mrs. Aldersen exclaimed.

Jarrod was lying in a twisted position at the foot of the stairs. His right foot pointed in a most unnatural direction.

“Don’t move,” Mrs. Aldersen instructed him.

She ran to the phone and dialed 911. She described the situation and she was given instructions on what to do until the emergency services arrived.

Terry was still upstairs crying. He was only vaguely aware that something had happened. His mom called him twice before her voice penetrated his consciousness.

“Terry, come down here. I need you,”

“In a minute,” he answered.

He didn’t want his mom to see how much he had been crying. What’s she want, anyway? he thought.

“Not later, now,” she answered testily. “Jarrod’s had an accident.

Good, he thought.

“Terry, get down here now!” she said in a no-sense sort of way.

He wiped his eyes with his shirt and buckled his belt. He was still sniffling as he descended the stairs. He was shocked to see Jarrod lying all twisted up. Despite her concern for Jarrod, she noticed that Terry was very upset. She knew that they had been fighting. I’ll get to the bottom of this later, she thought, but first things first.

Jarrod was in extreme pain. Mrs. Aldersen’s efforts to stop him from moving were mostly successful. Terry was still angry enough to feel smug about Jarrod’s plight and he moved quite slowly getting the blanket and pillow that his mom had requested.

“I don’t know what you two have been fighting about but that’s no reason to be acting this way,” Mrs. Aldersen scolded Terry.

This really stung him. It was Jarrod who had been mean—he was the one his mom should be angry at. She left the two of them alone so that she could call Jarrod’s mother.

The ambulance and Jarrod’s mother arrived almost exactly at the same time. The first thing the EMTs did was to take his vital signs. One of them opened Jarrod’s shirt and was surprised to see two magazines stuck into his waistband. He removed them and handed them to Mrs. Aldersen. She looked at the first one and was startled to see that it was a rather raunchy girlie magazine; so was the second. This was mystifying. Is this what they had argued over? She jumped when Jarrod screamed in agony as he was strapped onto a backboard and then lifted onto the gurney. Despite his upset over what Jarrod had just done to him, Terry felt very sorry for him.

Once the ambulance carrying Jarrod and Jarrod’s mom had left, Mrs. Aldersen confronted Terry with the magazines. The genuine look of surprise on his face convinced her that he didn’t know anything about them.

“If not this, then what were you fighting about?” she demanded.

She was stunned when Terry immediately became hysterical. Tears streamed down his face and he was totally incoherent. She was even more surprised when he threw himself into her arms and clung tightly to her. It took a full five minutes to calm him down.

“Here, honey. Wipe your eyes and blow your nose,” she said handing him some tissues. “Do you feel better now?”

He apparently wasn’t sure of himself because he only nodded his head.

“Can you tell me what’s wrong?”

He chocked out a yes and recounted what happened after Jarrod saw his diapers and plastic pants on the bed. He had to stop three times to collect himself before finally getting to the end of his story. Mrs. Aldersen was appalled. She couldn’t imagine why Jarrod had acted like that. She wasn’t sure what to do, but now was not the time to get to the bottom of it.

“Are you still going over to Trevor’s?” she asked.

“I don’t feel like it,” he answered.

“Well, then, you’d better call him to let him know.”

Trevor heard the upset in Terry’s voice right away.

“Are you OK?” he asked.

“Not really,” Terry answered.

“Then, can I come over to your house instead?”

*****

Tears filled Trevor’s eyes as Terry told the story one more time.

“What a f—ing creep!” Trevor barked. “What a lowdown f—ing creep!”

Terry giggled at Trevor’s crude language, which he took as a sign of Trevor’s absolute support.

“What are you going to do?” Trevor wondered.

“I don’t know. But, he’s already been paid back, sort of…”

“Good,” Trevor said after Terry told him about Jarrod’s broken leg.

“Yeah, I guess so. But it was so scary when they took him away. He was really screaming.”

Trevor remembered his bus accident and how afraid he had been.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. We shouldn’t gloat. Having an accident is really scary.”

They spent the rest of the morning quietly, avoiding the subject of Jarrod. However, neither of them could get it out of his mind, especially in relation to the central question: what exactly would Jarrod do with his new knowledge?

Mrs. Aldersen received a phone call in mid-afternoon from Jarrod’s mom. He had just gotten out of surgery for his right leg. He had broken both the tibia and the fibula; luckily, each was a ‘clean’ break. Unfortunately, his left knee was very swollen and the doctors weren’t sure what treatment, if any, he would need.

“Thank you for calling,” Mrs. Aldersen said. “I’ll pass the news on to Terry.”

“Yes,” Jarrod’s mom said hesitantly, “I guess that would be good to do.”

Mrs. Aldersen wondered how much Jarrod’s mom knew about what went on before Jarrod fell down the stairs.

“Did Jarrod express a wish that Terry not be told?” she asked.

“No, no,” Jarrod’s mom said, “he’s still in the recovery room—not totally conscious yet. It’s just that Jarrod said something very strange on the way to the hospital… He said that God had punished him for what he did to Terry. I’ve been worried ever since. What did Jarrod do to Terry?”

“Oh dear,” Mrs. Aldersen answered. “I was hoping to avoid this conversation until tomorrow. You must be exhausted… perhaps this can wait until a better time.”

“No, I’d rather know now. Jarrod will be in the recovery room for at least another hour. May I come over and talk to you?”

Jarrod’s mom arrived a few minutes later. Mrs. Aldersen had made a fresh pot of coffee and some sandwiches.

“I thought that perhaps you hadn’t had a chance to eat yet,” she said by way of explanation.

“How nice. Thank you. On the drive over I realized that I had a slight headache, probably due to not having eaten all day.”

“Can I get you some aspirin or ibuprofen?” Mrs. Aldersen enquired solicitously.

“No, no. I’m sure this wonderful sandwich will do the trick, thank you.”

The social niceties having been dispensed with, Jarrod’s mom asked to be informed about what was troubling her son. Mrs. Aldersen tried to speak as objectively as possible so that Jarrod’s mom wouldn’t get defensive. She started by laying out Terry’s recent health problems and the solution that had been implemented, before going into that morning’s events. Jarrod’s mom listened attentively and sighed at the end of the narration. A long silence followed as both mothers contemplated the situation.

“I’m so sorry,” Jarrod’s mom apologized. “Terry must have been crushed. Is he alright?”

“Yes, I think so.” she answered. “He has another friend, Trevor by name— maybe you’ve heard of him? He’s in the same class as our boys… Anyway, Trevor knows about Terry’s diapers and he came by this morning and spent time with him. When he left shortly before lunch, Terry seemed much better.”

“Good, I’m glad.”

There was another period of silence during which Jarrod’s mom seemed to be trying to make up her mind about something. She finally spoke.

“I think I know why Jarrod reacted so… so unkindly. When he was in first grade we had some problems with him. He suddenly began wetting his bed again… three or four times a week. My husband and I concluded that he was doing it on purpose, as a way of not having to go to school. In order to break him of this, we threatened to put him into overnight diapers for two full weeks each time he wet his bed more than once in four days. So, we took a calendar and hung it in his room. Every night that he wet, we wrote the word BABY in big letters on that date. It took us several months, and many nights of crying as we forced him into diapers, before he finally kept his bed dry every night. I don’t know what we could have been thinking. It sounds so cruel now that I say it out loud.”

“I’m sure you were doing your best,” Mrs. Aldersen said charitably.

“Perhaps, but it’s clear to me that seeing those diapers in Terry’s room revived all those awful memories. I’m sure that he regrets what he did and that he probably doesn’t even know why he reacted as he did.”

“May I let Terry know about this? As a way of explaining what happened, I mean.”

“Certainly, and be sure to blame me… and his father… for all of this. Please apologize to him for us.”

“Aren’t you being too hard on yourselves?” Mrs. Aldersen asked with concern.

“We deserve it, believe me!” Jarrod’s mom answered. “And, we are certainly not out of the woods as far as our son is concerned.”

“I’m sorry to hear that his condition is so serious.”

“That’s not what I meant” Jarrod’s mom said. “When the surgeon informed me of Jarrod’s condition after the surgery, he stressed that Jarrod could be off his feet for four to six weeks… three, for sure. It’s actually his left knee, to be exact, that is the source of concern. They didn’t do anything to it because it is too swollen for them to know what sort of damage may have been done. They are giving him anti-inflammatory drugs to bring the swelling down but it will take time. And, even after the swelling goes down, it will probably take an additional week or two to decide what to do. Therefore, he suggested that I speak to the pediatric nurses about how to change diapers on an immobilized boy. He’s going to have an awfully hard time accepting that… especially considering what we taught him about boys who use diapers!”

“Oh dear,” Mrs. Aldersen sympathized. “Terry went through a big depression before he finally accepted wearing diapers. Perhaps he could speak to Jarrod, to make him feel better about it.”

“You’re being very kind,” Jarrod’s mom answered, “but I doubt that Terry will even want to speak to Jarrod after what Jarrod did to him, never mind try to help him out. Thanks for the offer, though.”

“I’m not so sure that Terry wouldn’t do it,” Mrs. Aldersen countered. “He was certainly very upset by Jarrod’s behavior but I also saw a lot of sympathy in his eyes as Jarrod was being carried out. I think he still values Jarrod’s friendship and that he would be open to reconciliation. Let me speak to him about everything you’ve told me and I’ll let you know.”

Jarrod’s mom left for the hospital ready (but not anxious) to tell Terry about his temporary need for diapers. Mrs. Aldersen promised to speak to Terry and to call Jarrod’s mom as soon as she had some news. They traded cell phone numbers to speed up the process.

Mrs. Aldersen decided that she, too, should speak to her son immediately. She went up to his room and found him at his computer. She could barely suppress a smile as she gazed at his adorable cartoon character diaper. Terry listened patiently, as his mom had asked, until she was finished.

“Will Jarrod walk again?” he asked with concern.

“I think so, honey. He may need a lot time to recuperate, though… and a lot of painful physical therapy.”

Terry thought of Jarrod’s agonizing screams as he was put onto the gurney. Terry wasn’t sure what to say. He still felt very hurt by the treatment that Jarrod gave him even though he sort of understood what could have caused him to act like that.

“Can I talk to Trevor before I make up my mind?” he asked.

The call didn’t take very long. Fifteen minutes later, he found his mom in the kitchen.

“Trevor and me think that we should talk to Jarrod together.”

“Really? Is Trevor going to tell Jarrod about his diapers?”

“I told him not to, but he says that he wants to.”

“Do his parents know this?”

“He says he’s going to tell them. He says that his parents have been wanting him to trust other kids with his secret.”

“What about you?” Mrs. Aldersen asked. “Are you sure that you want to talk to Jarrod about wearing diapers?”

“Yeah, I think so,” Terry answered. “If Jarrod is really sorry for what he did, it’ll be OK.”

Mrs. Aldersen marveled at the resiliency and trust of young people. She hoped that Jarrod would agree to talk and that things would turn out well for all of them.

*****

As arranged, Terry and Trevor were brought to the hospital the next morning. Mrs. Aldersen and Jarrod’s mom went down to the cafeteria for coffee.

“You know,” Mrs. Aldersen began, “I apologize, but I don’t even know your name. I’m Doris—Doris Aldersen.”

“How silly of me,” Jarrod’s mom answered. “I’m sorry for not having introduced myself. I’m Nora Broadly.”

“Is there anything new in Jarrod’s prognosis this morning?” Mrs. Aldersen asked.

“No, Doris,” Nora Broadly answered, “things are still up in the air.”

“How did Jarrod take the news about…?”

“Better than I expected,” Mrs. Broadly answered. “He was obviously upset and his eyes did tear up a few times but I think he’ll survive. He did brighten up a bit after you called. He’s a little nervous about facing Terry and Trevor but I think he’ll get over his embarrassment fairly quickly.”

“I just hope that Terry doesn’t say something to stir up the pot again!” Mrs. Aldersen worried.

“Don’t even think it!” Mrs. Broadly laughed. “In any case, it’s Jarrod who has to take responsibility for ‘stirring up the pot’ as you say.”

As their moms talked, Terry, Trevor, and Jarrod were nervously testing each other.

“Thanks for coming, guys,” Jarrod said.

“That’s OK,” Trevor answered. “We wanted to come, didn’t we?”

“Yeah. That’s right,” Terry agreed. “Does it hurt a lot?”

“Kind of,” Jarrod said. “It’s funny but my left leg hurts more than the one I broke… and my back hurts, too.”

A short silence followed.

“I’m sorry.” Jarrod said to Terry. “My mom told me about why you need diapers. I shouldn’t have…”

His voice cracked and he was unable to finish the sentence. He wiped tears from his eyes. He tried to speak again and failed.

“I know,” Terry said magnanimously. “It’s OK, don’t cry.”

Terry’s understanding attitude made Jarrod feel even worse about his behavior the previous day. It took several minutes to get himself under control. The boys were uncomfortable with all the emotion that was in the room. Trevor decided to break the tension by revealing his secret to Jarrod. He told him about his accident and about how scared he had been to let anyone know about his diapers. He even raised his shirt so that Jarrod could see the Disney-character diaper and silvery plastic pants that he was wearing. Jarrod was speechless.

“Do you know that I’m going to have to wear diapers for a while?” Jarrod asked.

“Yeah, my mom told me,” Terry answered. “Trevor knows, too, because I told him.”

“The worst part,” Jarrod continued, “is that I won’t be able to go into a bathroom for at least three weeks.”

Terry and Trevor looked politely at Jarrod who could tell that they hadn’t figured out what he meant.

“I have to poop in them, too,” he said sullenly.

“Oh!” Terry and Trevor answered in unison.

Jarrod sat there biting his lower lip, desperately trying to keep himself under control.

“That’s awful,” Terry commiserated.

“When are you going home?” Trevor asked in order to change the subject.

“Maybe the day after tomorrow, if the x-rays come back OK.”

“Do you think your mom will let you have a sleepover sometime?” Trevor wondered.

Terry smiled at the question. He wondered if Trevor would ask to have a sleepover every time he told somebody else about his diapers.

“Would you really want to have one? I mean, we couldn’t do very much stuff if I have to stay in bed.”

“We could think of plenty of things to do,” Trevor said confidently.

“OK. I’ll ask,” Jarrod agreed.

Terry and Jarrod’s moms walked into the room just as Jarrod was speaking.

“Ask what?” his mom wondered.

“When I go back home, can Terry and Trevor and I have a sleepover?”

“We’ll see. It’ll depend on what the doctors say.”

Their moms were happy that they had made up and apparently wanted to continue being friends. Later that day, Mrs. Broadly was surprised to learn that Trevor also wore diapers on a permanent basis.

*****

Jarrod got out of the hospital as predicted. However, the doctors were very concerned about his left leg. They were pretty certain that he had done major damage and that he would eventually need surgery. His mom and dad decided to keep this news to themselves for the time being. He was brought home in an ambulance and wheeled on a gurney all the way to his bedroom. His bunk bed had been put into storage and a hospital bed sat in its place.

“Cool!” he said approvingly.

“Just remember that it’s not a toy,” his dad warned. “Besides, if you move your legs around too much, you’ll do more damage to them.”

The first few days he was home he mostly slept. Terry, Trevor, and Andy visited him each day but they couldn’t stay long since he got tired so easily. By the end of the first week, though, Jarrod was feeling much better. (He even stopped trying to hide his diapers under the bed sheet.) Terry and Trevor decided that it was time for them to let Andy know about their diapers. They consulted Jarrod who agreed that they should tell Andy about them at the same time that he, Jarrod, got permission to have a sleepover. That permission came at the end of the second week.

“I don’t know if you guys want to do this, but my mom and dad said that I can have a sleepover this weekend, Friday and Saturday nights.”

“Cool!” Trevor answered first. “Count me in”

“Me, too!” Terry seconded. Then he added, “Before you say yes or no, Andy, me and Trevor have something to say.”

They told Andy their stories. He was surprised but respectful. Terry, in particular, was relieved (although Trevor was nervous about it, too).

“I won’t tell anyone, I promise,” Andy solemnly swore.

This was good enough for them.

They carefully planned the sleepover. Jarrod’s parents agreed to move their television to his room and Terry brought over a portable DVD player to plug into it. They collected their favorite DVDs together so that they would have lots of choices. They also brought over handheld games and board games.

“This is great! Thanks for coming,” Jarrod said.

The guys set down their sleeping bags and other stuff all over the room. Mrs. Broadly came to check on them. Because of the cramped condition in the bedroom, she had made arrangements for Terry and Trevor to bring only enough diapers for one day. Saturday and Sunday morning one of their moms would bring another day’s supply and take away their wet diapers and plastic pants.

“I understand from your moms that you like to get ‘comfortable’ when you’re at home. Feel free to do the same here,” Mrs. broadly said leaving the room.

Terry and Trevor blushed. They had debated whether to wear their white ‘school’ diapers or their normal ‘home’ baby-print diapers. They chose to wear their baby-print diapers for two reasons: they were thicker and would require fewer changes and, besides, Jarrod had already seen them.

“What’s my mom talking about?” Jarrod asked.

“Um,” Trevor answered, “our diapers are kind of thick and bulky. We like to take our shoes and pants off at home so that everything isn’t so tight.”

“That’s cool,” Andy said smiling.

“Yeah,” Jarrod agreed, “do whatever you want.”

Terry, with a funny expression on his face, looked over to Trevor. Trevor shrugged and kicked off his shoes and stepped out of his pants. Terry followed suit and in a few seconds both boys stood nervously in front of their friends. If Andy and Jarrod were shocked to see that they wore baby-print diapers and that their diapers were already wet, they hid it very well.

“What will we do first?” Jarrod asked excitedly.

The weekend was a success on all fronts. Jarrod, who had been suffering from severe cabin fever, benefited greatly from having his friends with him. Terry and Trevor overcame their initial shyness and even became comfortable with Mr. & Mrs. Broadly seeing them in their diapers. They had to put up with a little bit of teasing over their huge nighttime diapers, Spiderman plastic pants, and sleepers, but it was all done in fun. For his part, Andy, felt honored that his friends trusted him enough to let him see them in diapers. At first, he had been nervous about what to do when they guys needed a change. By Sunday afternoon, he was helping to do them! Luckily, Mrs. Broadly took care of all of Jarrod’s poopy-diaper changes.

A week after the sleepover, Jarrod was ready for crutches. At the same time, his parents told him that his left knee would probably need arthroscopic surgery before summer’s end. In the meantime, he was outfitted with a leg brace. He quickly learned how to get around on his crutches although he complained of back pain. The doctors attributed this to his having been in bed for so long. He was prescribed a regimen of daily exercises aimed at strengthening his muscles. This did nothing to reduce the pain. Additionally, he was having trouble going without diapers. After a couple of embarrassing wetting accidents, he asked his parents if he could go back to wearing diapers, day and night, until he was sure that he could get to a bathroom in time. His parents acquiesced and communicated their concern to the doctors. They ordered tests to be performed.

Two days later he sat with his parents in Dr. Phalp’s office. She only had unsettling news for them.

“It appears that Jarrod’s fall also did extensive damage to his bladder and surrounding tissue. Unfortunately, this went undetected because of all his other injuries. The bruising and resulting infection have left extensive scar tissue. This means that his bladder capacity and control are severely limited for at least the time being.  We’ll need to wait several months before we can evaluate if further treatments or surgery might provide a cure. In the short term, he’ll need to decide what kind of protection he wants to wear. This brochure describes various options from urine bags and clamps to shields and protective briefs like he’s wearing now.”

Jarrod was devastated but at least he had the good fortune of having friends he could talk to. They were taken aback at his announcement.

“Gee,” Terry said, “that really sucks, not knowing how long you’ll have this problem. What are you going to do?”

“I guess I have to keep on wearing diapers. Only, they’re so noisy. What will I do when school starts again? Everybody will know!”

Terry and Trevor understood the problem exactly—and they were surprised that Jarrod hadn’t figured out the solution.

“You don’t hear our diapers very much, do you? That’s because our plastic pants and diapers are a lot quieter than your disposables,” Terry pointed out. “At school, we wear thinner diapers so you can hardly tell they’re there.”

“Yeah,” Trevor added, “and our ‘school’ diapers and plastic pants are white, just like normal underwear.”

“Aren’t they expensive?” Jarrod asked.

“Insurance helped to pay for mine,” Terry pointed out, “and you can use them over and over again instead of throwing them away all the time.”

Jarrod asked his parents for cloth diapers and plastic pants that same afternoon. After they agreed, Terry and Trevor loaned him some of theirs to use until his supply arrived. Jarrod’s only reservation came when his mom asked Terry and Trevor to teach her how to properly pin him into cloth diapers. He was as red as a tomato as his friends gave his mom a step-by-step demonstration on how to do it. They even made him stay on the changing pad until they had pulled up his silvery plastic pants and checked that no diaper material was sticking out. Mrs. Broadly was utterly enchanted with how Jarrod looked in his baby-print diaper.

Jarrod’s cast came off on the eleventh of July. X-rays showed that the bones had healed perfectly. His left leg was also x-rayed and he finally got some good news regarding his knee. It seemed to have healed on its own. The doctors decided that all he needed was to undergo therapy to get both legs back in action. A therapist would come to the family home three times a week for four weeks. Another evaluation would be made at that time to determine if more therapy would be needed.

His therapist turned out to be a twenty-something young lady by the name of Carmen Diar. She introduced herself and got down to business.

“Our workouts are going to last between thirty and forty-five minutes. Sometimes you’re going to hate me and think that I’m asking too much but, believe me, I’m good at what I do and your total recovery is my goal, too. So, let’s get to it. First, I need you to change out of those cargo shorts and into something less restrictive—a bathing suit would do,” she said.

“I don’t think that his bathing suit will fit over his diaper and plastic pants,” Mrs. Broadly replied.

 “He wears diapers? No problem… Just take off your pants and we can get started,” she said to Jarrod.

His hands were shaking so much that his mom had to help him get his belt and pants undone. He felt totally embarrassed that he was wearing a pastel blue, green, and yellow baby-block diaper.

“Today, I’m going to show you some basic exercises that I want you to repeat at least three times a day on your own, but not more that six. We don’t want to overdo things in the beginning. They’re going to be different for each leg so pay close attention.”

Focusing his mind on what Carmen was teaching him helped him to forget about his diaper and plastic pants. It took about twenty minutes for him to learn the routines.

“You’ve done very well for the first day. Now, you get your reward. I have a portable massage table in the car that I’m going to bring in now. I’ll give you a ten minute massage that I’m sure you’ll enjoy.”

Later that day as he was describing his therapy to the other guys they were very envious of the massage he had received.

“Hey, wait a minute,” Trevor said. “What were you wearing during your massage?”

Jarrod covered his face with a pillow and giggled. He didn’t want to tell them that he did his whole therapy session in just his diaper, plastic pants, and t-shirt… and that Carmen asked him to remove the t-shirt for his massage.

“You only had on your diaper and plastic pants, didn’t you?” Terry asked accusingly.

Jarrod giggled into the pillow again. The other guys understood his answer and giggled too.

By the following week, Jarrod no longer needed to use crutches; he was able to make do with just a cane. The guys were still very curious about his therapy sessions.

“I asked my mom and she says that, if you’re at the house when she comes, you can stay and watch, unless Ms. Diar says you have to leave.”

Andy was going away with his family for a few day but Terry and Trevor said they wanted to see the next session. They even agreed to keep their pants off, too. (Unbeknownst to them, Mrs. Broadly talked to Ms. Diar about the boys witnessing a therapy session. Carmen’s only concern was that Jarrod might be reluctant to been seen in his diaper by the other boys. She was taken aback (and a little titillated) to be told that the other two boys would be wearing exactly the same kinds of diapers and plastic pants.)

Terry and Trevor arrived a half-hour before the session.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” Trevor marveled.

“Me, neither,” Terry agreed.

Jarrod giggled and said that they were going to like Carmen, that she was nice… even though some of the therapy really hurt. Carmen arrived right on time and was immediately smitten with the two rather shy boys she met.

“OK, since you guys are here, you can help me.”

“Really?” the boys asked in amazement.

“Yes, you can. Now, let’s see… Jarrod and I are going to use this space right here after we do the warm-ups… so, if you guys lay down on your stomachs over there,” she said pointing to an area in front of the TV, “you’ll be able to do some spotting for me.”

Having said this, she winked at Mrs. Broadly. She didn’t really need help but she thought the boys would look especially cute in that position. The boys scurried to their places and she started Jarrod on the warm-ups.

“Sorry, Jarrod,” she said, “but today we’re going to have to go further than last time. This is going to hurt some.”

“I understand,” he said nervously.

The boys admired the way Jarrod went through the obviously painful process without complaint.

“OK, now here’s where I need your help,” Carmen said to Terry and Trevor. “I’m going to ask Jarrod to walk in a straight line toward you. I want you guys to watch his feet and see if he’s laying them down straight and flat. This is what you’re looking for,” she said demonstrating with her hands. “I’ll be checking from over here, too.”

Jarrod walked the few steps towards Terry and Trevor and then turned around and walked back.

“Well, guys, what do you think?” Ms. Diar asked.

“His right foot was OK but his left one twisted a little bit as he put it down,” Trevor said.

“That’s what I was going to say, too,” Terry agreed.

“Well, you’re right,” she said. “This is because a damaged knee is a lot trickier to fix than a broken leg. But,” she said to Jarrod, “you’re doing great. Most patients I work with take six or seven weeks to get where you are in only three. I’m going out to get my table now. Today, I’m going to concentrate on massaging your leg muscles, especially your left leg.”

The boys watched with great interest as she massaged Jarrod’s legs. They were fascinated by her descriptions of what she was doing and why it was important. They blushed furiously when she thanked them effusively for their help.

*****

By the end of August, Jarrod was finished with therapy. He was back to normal, except for his bladder problems. It was still too early to tell how much healing his body would do on its own or how much medical intervention might be necessary. All Jarrod knew for sure was that, day or night, he wet frequently, and without warning.

“Next weekend is the last weekend before school starts,” Terry said one afternoon. “Do you guys want to come to my house for a sleepover? My parents have already said that I can have one.”

This was greeted with enthusiastic approval. The guys arrived at seven o’clock on Friday night. They watched a Terminator DVD and started (but never finished) a couple of computer games before being told it was bedtime. Mr. & Mrs. Aldersen helped Terry, Trevor, and Jarrod get into their diapers and sleepers while Andy looked on. Mr. & Mrs. Aldersen told them to brush their teeth and left with a forewarning that they had another half-hour to talk and then it would be lights out. The guys rolled out their sleeping bags and, each in turn, brushed their teeth in the bathroom. It was now time for Terry, Trevor, and Jarrod to put Andy to the test.

“Andy, do you think that we’re dorks because we wear diapers?” Terry asked.

The question surprised Andy but he replied truthfully.

“No. Why do you ask?”

“No special reason. I just wondered.”

There was a short pause in the conversation.

“You guys don’t think that I would rat on you, do you?” Andy wondered.

“No way,” they answered, “we trust you.”

“Yeah,” Jarrod added, “even though you don’t know how scary it is to wear them in public— especially to school.”

“Exactly,” Trevor chimed in, “I spent six years really afraid that someone might find out but I don’t mind that you know… even though you don’t have to wear diapers yourself.”

“Is it really that scary?” Andy asked innocently.

“Well, not here, right at this minute,” Terry explained. “When I first started wearing them to school, though, I was really terrified. Of course, I was wearing noisy disposables then.”

(The conversation now took a turn in the direction the boys hoped it would.)

“Did it take you a long time to get used to the feel of wearing diapers?” Andy wondered.

“Sort of,” Jarrod answered. “But once I started wearing cloth it didn’t take much time at all.”

“I agree,” Terry added. “I thought that cloth diapers were real easy to get used to.”

“What I like about them,” Trevor said, “is that they practically never leak. I only have problems if I wait too long to change… now, that’s scary— having wet pants in public, I mean.”

“So you guys are saying that you don’t mind wearing cloth diapers and plastic pants.”

“Of course we mind,” Trevor contradicted him, “we’d rather not have to, but it’s better to wear diapers and plastic pants than to be forced to stay home alone all the time.”

“Sorry,” Andy apologized, “I didn’t man it that way. I meant that you guys sound satisfied with the way your diapers and plastic pants work.”

“You’ve got that right,” Terry agreed. “It’s a great feeling to know that you’re protected from accidents.”

“So, what do diapers and plastic pants feel like?” Andy asked pointedly.

“I don’t know how to explain it,” Terry answered. “Could you describe what wearing underpants feels like?”

“No, I guess not,” Andy admitted.

“Wait,” Trevor interrupted, “there’s an obvious answer to this.”

“There is?” the others responded with varying degrees of surprise.

“Yeah, the only way to know what underpants feel like is to wear underpants. Right? … So, the only way to know what diapers feel like is to wear diapers!”

“But I can’t do that!” Andy responded. “What if someone found out?”

“See,” Trevor answered without hesitation, “it’s working already! You’re already feeling afraid just like we do almost every day. Please say you’ll try it.”

“I don’t know,” Andy said hesitantly.

“Please, try,” Terry and Jarrod said in their most pleading and pitiful voices.

“OK, I guess I am curious to know what it’s like.”

“Great!” Terry said while collecting the supplies. “But, we’ll have to hurry and finish before my parents come to tell us that it’s time for lights out.”

The boys had a marvelous time diapering their friend. Andy started out being stiff and fearful but he relaxed after the diaper was completely pinned on. The other guys wouldn’t let him stand up to put on his plastic pants explaining that they needed to check his diaper carefully to make sure that no material was sticking out. He balked at wearing the sleeper until he had proven to himself that his own pajamas wouldn’t fit.

“Well,” Trevor asked, “what does it feel like?”

“I don’t exactly know,” Andy answered. “The diaper is much softer than I thought it would be. It’s kid of like wearing a pillow, I guess.”

The other boys approved of his answers. Andy still seemed nervous and kept looking at the bedside clock.

“What’s the matter?” Terry asked him.

“Isn’t it time for your parents to come and tells us to turn out the lights?”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Terry confirmed. “I guess we should turn them off and be quiet. I think you get the idea of how scary wearing diapers can be sometimes.”

In fact, Mrs. Aldersen didn’t come to check on the boys for another half-hour. She was pleasantly surprised to see that they were already asleep. Since the night was relatively warm, Terry’s guests were sleeping on top of their sleeping bags. There was just enough light for her to see that Andy was wearing a diaper, plastic pants, and a sleeper, too. She smiled to herself. Boys.

Andy woke up just after dawn. He really needed to pee. He thought about going to the bathroom but he was afraid that Mr. or Mrs. Aldersen might hear him and come and investigate. He decided to hold it until the others got up but he couldn’t. He thought about waking Terry up or simply taking the sleeper and diaper off and putting his own pajamas back on, but he didn’t want to do either of those things. If these guys can pee their diapers I guess I can, too, he thought.  This proved to be more difficult than he had guessed. Eventually, his need was so urgent he was able to relieve himself. He was amazed at the volume of pee that the diaper could hold. He also was amazed that he enjoyed the way the diaper felt warm and snug. He fell back asleep, relaxed and content.

Andy woke up again around 7:45. The others were still sleeping but he could hear Mr. & Mrs. Aldersen stirring in their room. He started worrying about how he would explain the wet diaper to the others.

“Hey,” Andy said to Trevor when he saw him waking up.

“Hey,” Trevor responded. “Is everybody awake?

“Only Mr. & Mrs. Aldersen. I heard them go down to the kitchen.”

“I hope the others wake up soon, I’m hungry.”

“Me, too,” Andy agreed. “But first, will you help me to take off the diaper and everything?”

“OK,” Trevor agreed.

Before Trevor and Andy got a chance to do anything, Terry and Jarrod woke up.

“Mmm! I smell bacon,” Terry said.

“Yeah,” Trevor agreed. “Let’s hurry and get Andy out of his diaper so we can go downstairs!”

His words were barely out of his mouth when the door opened. It was Mrs. Aldersen.

“Good morning, boys. Did you sleep well?” she asked brightly.

Andy tried to hide behind Trevor.

“I’m making bacon and pancakes. Are you guys interested?”

“Yes,” they agreed enthusiastically. (All except Andy who was beginning to panic.)

“Let’s go to the kitchen and get it while everything’s hot.”

Andy pretended to have lost something and ducked down behind the bed.

“You, too, Andy,” she said. Then, in an attempt to make him feel less embarrassed, she added, “Did the other guys put you up to this?”

“Sort of,” he said, raising his head above the level of the bed.

“Well, never mind. You fit in nicely with the others, now. I think it was sweet of you to agree to it.”

She took him by the hand and walked him to the kitchen. No other comments were made about his attire.

“That was really good. Thank you Mrs. Aldersen.” Trevor and Jarrod said while patting their stomachs through their sleeper, plastic pants, and diaper.

“Thank you,” Andy and Trevor added in a less flamboyant manner.

“So, do you guys still want to go to the movies today?” Mr. Aldersen asked.

“Uh huh,” Terry answered for the group. “The show is at 12:00. We’ve got lots of time.”

“Be that as it may,” his mom said, “you still need to get out of your night diapers now. Come on, all of you—upstairs!”

She took them one at a time, starting with Trevor. Jarrod followed and then she asked Andy to lie down on the changing pad. He felt a flutter of excitement as Mrs. Aldersen unpinned his diaper and cleaned him up. The flutter became a wave of excitement when she put a daytime diaper under him and began sprinkling baby powder on his diaper area. His rational mind told him that this was wrong, but, for some unknown reason, he didn’t want to disappoint Mrs. Aldersen. She pinned him up and pulled a pair of silvery plastic pants up his legs. The other guys didn’t tease him at all. In fact, they acted as if the whole thing was completely normal.

“I can’t believe you let your mom diaper me,” Andy said to Terry.

“Me? Why is it my fault? You’re the one who should have asked her to stop.”

“I couldn’t,” Andy admitted. “But it wouldn’t have happened if you had put my underwear on the bed instead of a diaper.”

Terry didn’t want to argue that point because it really did have some merit. He had deliberately put the diaper there to see what his mom and Andy would do.

“What’s the difference now? We’ll be going to the movies in a little while and your pants will cover your diaper. Nobody will know.” Trevor pointed out.

The matter was dropped for the moment. Andy felt like complaining that he had been given the most babyish diaper to wear (which was true—green and blue toy trains and airplanes over a background of small blue and yellow dots) but he was afraid that that would sound really silly.

“All set to go?” Mr. Aldersen asked. “Just in case, have you got extra diapers and plastic pants?”

“Right here, dad,” Terry said holding up a gym bag.

He drove them to the Cineplex. As Terry was getting out of the car, Mr. Aldersen asked him if he knew what to do,

“Yes, dad,” he answered irritably.

“What was that all about?” Andy asked as they approached the ticket booth.

“The theater inspects all bags that you bring in. My dad knows the manager and wants me to ask for her to inspect it.”

The manager was waiting for them as they approached the entrance.

“Are you Terry?” she asked.

“Yes, ma’am,” he answered.

“Good. Will you let me have the bag, please?”

She discretely unzipped it as if she knew what it contained (which she did) and gave it a cursory look through.

“This is fine… Do you see the red door that says “Employees Only’? My office is through there. If you boys need a change, just come on in and I’ll have it ready for you. OK?”

“Yes, ma’am. Thanks,” Terry said.

The boys found seats and waited for the movie to begin.

“Does that lady really know that we wear… you know?” Trevor asked.

“Well, yeah,” Terry answered. “My dad had to tell her the truth, you know,” he added in a defensive tone.

“I guess so,” Trevor agreed. “I just feel weird that someone else knows.”

“Me, too,” Andy said.

Ironically, Andy was the only one who needed a change before Terry’s dad came to pick them up. This led to some teasing from the others and the creation of a new rule. Andy would have to stay in diapers for the whole sleepover unless he managed to remain dry from one diaper change to the next. Unfortunately, he never succeeded at it and he had to stay in diapers the whole time.

*****

School started up and the boys fell into a typical, unexciting routine. October rolled around and, with it, Jarrod’s birthday.

“My parents are going to let me have a party and a sleepover for my birthday. Will you come?”

The party was held on Friday night and included the boys being invited to dinner. They arrived at 4:30; Jarrod had already made himself ‘comfortable.’

“Come on,” he said, “let’s put your stuff in my room and then come back and watch TV.”

Now that Jarrod’s regular bunk bed was back (instead of the hospital bed) there was more room to put their stuff.

“OK, Andy,” Jarrod said with mock-seriousness, “it’s time for you to get diapered.”

“What?” he exclaimed.

“Sleepover rules. You didn’t keep one single diaper dry at Terry’s sleepover so you have to try again during my sleepover,” he explained.

“But your parents…” Andy worried.

“They already know. I told them all about it.”

“You told them that I wore diapers at Terry’s sleepover!”

“It’s only a game… right?”

“Yeah, but…”

“No but’s… Well, actually, one butt… your butt in a diaper.” Jarrod laughed.

The other guys rolled their eyes at the awful pun while Andy took off his pants and underpants. Jarrod diapered Andy while Terry and Trevor got ‘comfortable.’ They went down stairs to watch TV until dinner was ready.

“Whatever we’re having for dinner sure smells good,” Trevor observed.

“My mom is making all my favorites: homemade spaghetti and meatballs and mile-high chocolate cake.”

“Awesome,” Terry said.

“Yeah, I love chocolate cake,” Andy added.

There was a knock at the side door. Whoever it was, walked right in afterwards.

“Hi, dad. Hi, mom,” Mrs. Broadly said.

“Who’s that?” Trevor asked.

“My mom’s parents. They’re having dinner with us and they’re going to stay for the party.”

Terry, Trevor, and Andy would have loved to run back to get their pants but there wasn’t time.

“Where’s the birthday boy?” his grandfather called out walking toward the den.

“Hi, grandpa,” Jarrod said giving his grandfather a hug.

His grandmother appeared next and gave Jarrod a hug and a kiss.

“Hello, Terry,” she said. (They lived two houses away from his house.) “Your mom told me that you’d be here this weekend… And who are these other boys?” she asked Jarrod.

He introduced Trevor and Andy as schoolmates. She wished them all a happy weekend and headed for the kitchen to help out. Jarrod’s grandfather went in search of the newspaper.

“You did that on purpose,” Andy accused Jarrod.

“Did what?” Jarrod asked with outrageously non-believable innocence.

“You know what! We’d have kept our pants on if we’d known that your grandparents were coming.”

“Oh, yeah. I guess I forgot.”

The other boys didn’t believe him for a second, especially since he couldn’t keep a superior smirk off his face.

“Besides,” Jarrod continued, “they don’t care if you’re wearing diapers. I’m sure that my other grandparents won’t mind either.”

This last announcement was too much. They dog piled onto Jarrod and only stopped when he told them that he was afraid to hurt his knee again.

“I still say that that was a really dirty trick,” Andy said.

“Yeah, and your grandparents live in my neighborhood,” Terry added. “Now they know that I wear diapers.”

“They’re not going to tell anyone,” Jarrod said reassuringly. “Anyway, how can you be sure that they didn’t already know?

This wasn’t something that Terry wanted to hear. This got him thinking about the number of people who knew that they wore diapers.

“You know,” he said, “there are probably about forty or fifty people who know that we wear diapers.”

“So many!” Trevor responded.

“Yeah, think about it. All of our parents know—except yours, Andy,” he teased. “Then, if I start counting, my grandparents know, and my aunt and uncle know, and my two little cousins might know—but I hope not. If you add up all the people in your families who know, it’ll come out to a lot.”

The boys did a little arithmetic and were surprised by the results—at least sixty-four people knew about one or all of them wearing diapers.

“That’s an awful lot of people who might blab,” Trevor said sadly.

“Yeah, let’s hope they don’t.”

Jarrod’s other grandparents arrived and they sat down to dinner. Afterwards, they left the table so that Jarrod could open his presents. He was very satisfied with the assortment of games and clothes that he received. The cake was cut and Jarrod’s grandparents left right after the clean up was finished.

“Let’s load these pinball games onto my computer,” Jarrod suggested.

“Diaper changes first,” his mom said.

Since it was past nine o’clock the boys were changed into their nighttime diapers, plastic pants, and sleepers. So far, the fall had been colder than normal so the boys had switched to wearing their heavier, footed sleepers, which took Andy by surprise. These weren’t solid colors like the summertime sleepers; they were patterned. Terry’s was royal blue with old-fashioned railroad engines; Trevor’s was aqua with smiling green frogs; Jarrod’s was gray with monster trucks; and, Andy was given a dark blue one covered with soccer balls.

“These have ‘feet’ on them,” Andy observed in surprise.

“Yeah, isn’t it cool,” Trevor answered enthusiastically. “You don’t have to wear slippers!”

The boys played Jarrod’s new pinball games for the rest of the evening. The Broadlys had trouble getting them down but by twelve-thirty the room was finally quiet.

“We are so lucky that Jarrod has support from these other boys,” Mrs. Broadly whispered to her husband.

“Yes, and these guys are really funny, too.”

“What do you mean funny?”

“I mean funny, humorous, good senses of humor. They’ll keep each other’s spirits up.”

“Yes, I see. And,” she said with a motherly thrill in her voice, “they’re so cute in their diapers and sleepers!”

“Just don’t let them hear you say that,” her husband cautioned. “The last thing that boys their age want to be called is cute, especially if you add diapers and sleepers to the equation.”

Trevor wasn’t asleep yet and he listened to the whole conversation. He curled up in his sleeping bag. His last thought before drifting off to sleep was that he didn’t mind being called cute even if it involved diapers and sleepers.

*****

The next birthday to come up was Andy’s, in late November. (He was the one who had held the first birthday sleepover, three years previously.)

“So what are you doing for your birthday?” Terry asked by way of a broad hint.

“I don’t know,” he answered. “Haven’t decided yet.”

“Are you expecting any cool stuff from your parents?” Trevor asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe.”

“If you get any cool stuff, will you invite us over?” Jarrod wondered.

“OK. OK. I get it,” Andy said in exasperation. “I’ll ask my parents if I can have a sleepover.”

Actually, Andy wasn’t opposed to a sleepover; he just wondered what his parents would feel about the other guys wearing diapers. His parents, however, didn’t have any problems with it and consented without a second thought. The sleepover would start with Andy’s actual birthday, the day after Thanksgiving, and continue through to Sunday morning.

“Because it’s a holiday my parents say that you can come anytime you want,” Andy announced. “But, remember, you can’t get ‘comfortable’ in front of my parents.”

The consensus opinion was that they would arrive around 11:00. It turned out to be a rainy day, which cut out all outdoor activities. Nonetheless, there were lots of activities to keep them busy all afternoon. The unwrapping of his gifts followed dinner. Andy was very thrilled at the PlayStation 2 accessories he received. His grandparents (who lived out of state) sent him clothes and a couple of handheld games.

“Here, open this next,” his mom said.

Feels like a coat or something, he thought while opening the box. No, it’s a weird sweater.

“Go ahead, take it out and look at it,” his mom coaxed.

His mouth dropped open when he realized that it was a footed sleeper just like Terry, Trevor, and Jarrod wore. It was purple with airplanes, helicopters, fanciful space ships, and white clouds all over it.

“Do you like it?” his mom asked.

He buried his glowing face in the sleeper. The other boys looked at each other and giggled.

“I think we’ve embarrassed him,” his dad said. “We thought that it would be better if you had your own so that you wouldn’t have to borrow them anymore.”

“You know about the sleepovers?” Andy said in a very little voice.

“Yes,” his dad said, “it’s OK.”

“Well, go ahead,” his mom coaxed again, “what do you think of the other one?”

The other sleeper, which he hadn’t even noticed in the box, featured blue- and red-shirted teddy bears over a red plaid background. This time, Andy giggled, too.

“Thanks, mom. Thanks, dad.”

His dad placed a very large box in front of him. Andy was almost afraid to open it. Could it possibly be something associated with the sleepers he just received? His heart started beating fast. He would be terribly disappointed if it wasn’t and terribly embarrassed if it was! He tore through the paper and his heart beat faster. The box was the box his mom’s new microwave had come in— whatever was inside had been specially packed by his parents. He tore the tape off and opened the flaps. He was too excited to attempt to hide his happiness. He face was radiant as he took out the eight semi-transparent baby-print plastic pants. The remainder of the box was filled with eight glistening, soft nighttime diapers.

“Well, do you approve?” his father teased.

“Yes!” Andy said as a new wave of blushing overtook him.

Andy almost objected as the box was taken away; however, a bigger one replaced it. This time there was no hesitation. He ripped through the paper and again noticed that it was a box he had seen in the garage. (Don’t my parents ever throw anything away?) Inside, he found eighteen ‘home’ baby-print diapers and their companion silvery plastic pants.

“Wow!” he exclaimed, realizing that he had just received enough diapers and plastic pants to wear every day.

“Check if there’s anything else,” him mom said.

Diapers and plastic pants flew in every direction as he dug into the box.

“’School’ diapers!” he said in amazement.

He had it all! Diapers for home, school, and nighttime! He hugged his parents who were genuinely relieved that they had guessed correctly about his desires.

“Let’s clean up some of this mess so that I can serve the cake and ice cream,” his mom said.

The boys jumped to quickly clean up the living room.

“After you’ve finished eating, I think it’ll be time to change into your night clothes,” Andy’s mom announced.

“OK,” Andy agreed quickly, expectation and excitement written all over his face.

“Let us pick which sleeper and plastic pants you’ll wear,” Trevor suggested.

“OK,” Andy agreed again.

The boys selected the red plaid sleeper with the teddy bears and a pair of yellow plastic pants that had light and dark brown teddy bears on it.

“Teddy bears, huh?” Andy noted.

“Yup,” the others said snickering.

The source of their amusement was soon revealed. Each of them had brought teddy-bear-themed sleepers and plastic pants.

“You knew!” Andy exclaimed. “You planned this!”

The others laughed and Andy joined in.

“When did you find out?” he demanded.

“Oh, about a month ago,” Trevor said smugly.

“And you didn’t tell me!” Andy complained.

“Of course not. We wanted you to be really surprised,” Terry said.

“It wasn’t easy keeping our mouths shut, either,” Jarrod added. “Once, I was sure you had heard us talking but I guess you didn’t.”

Andy, as the guest of honor, was diapered first. Unlike the other parents, Andy’s mom didn’t need any help; he had worn pin-on cloth diapers as a baby.

“It’s like what they say about riding a bicycle—you never forget,” she explained.

After they were ready, the boys went to watch TV. Andy’s mom stood for a long moment gazing at them. She then joined her husband who was cleaning up the kitchen.

“The guys are watching TV?” Andy’s dad asked.

“Yes,” she answered dreamily.

Her husband stopped and turned toward her.

“Having regrets?”

“Oh, no! Just the opposite! They look so darling in their teddy bear sleepers I can hardly tear myself away from them.”

Her husband smiled.

“Don’t give me that look!” she said. “You’ll say the same thing once you’ve seen them.”

*****

Andy was too wound up to concentrate on the TV and the others weren’t that interested either.

“Do you guys know how my parents found out?”

“Yeah,” Terry answered, “I do. My parents told them after my sleepover in August.”

“All the way back then!”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Terry confirmed. “But I didn’t know that until your mom and dad asked us to help pick out stuff for you.”

“Did your parents tell my parents that I wore diapers again at your sleepover?” Andy asked Jarrod.

“Not exactly. Your parents called up and asked if you had worn them. A couple of days later, they asked me, Terry, and Trevor to suggest stuff for them to order for your birthday.”

“You sure gave them a lot of suggestions,” Andy commented.

“Maybe, But they’re the one who actually bought the stuff,” Terry pointed out.

“So,” Trevor said, coming to the point, “are you going to wear it all? You know, the ‘school’ diapers, and everything else.”

That was a good question. Andy had thought a lot about his friends wearing their diapers 24/7 and it had excited him. Up until today, he imagined that he would only get the occasional chance to wear diapers at three or four sleepovers a year.

“Would you mind if I did?”

“Why would we mind?” Trevor asked.

“I don’t know… because you have to and I don’t? ”

“What difference does that make?” Jarrod asked.

“I don’t know,” Andy repeated. “Don’t you think that I’m weird for wanting to wear diapers?”

“I don’t,” Trevor answered. “There are a lot of advantages to wearing diapers, you know. You don’t have to run to the bathroom all the time and… you’re going to think that I’m weird… but I think it’s kind of cool to feel your pee soak into your diaper.”

“Don’t you mean warm?” Terry teased him.

Trevor punched him in the arm. Jarrod and Andy laughed.

“And you remember what happened to Kenny Basslee last year when he peed his pants in the middle of the play. No one would have know if he had been wearing diapers and plastic pants,” Jarrod said.

“Yeah, and, last year, when I went skiing with my mom and dad, I saw this kid walking back to the lodge. He was older than us and his mom was yelling at him because he had wet his pants,” Terry said, getting into the spirit of things.

“OK, OK, I get it,” Andy said. “I never said that I wouldn’t wear them, you know.”

He was understating things when he said that. In fact, he was overjoyed to wear them and it showed in his demeanor for the rest of the sleepover. Before going to bed that night,  he cleaned out all the underwear and pajamas from his dresser and replaced them with as many of his diapers, plastic pants and sleepers that would fit. No one doubted that he would be wearing ‘school’ diapers on Monday and for many days and months thereafter.

*****

Jarrod’s next appointment with Dr. Phalps fell two weeks before Christmas. At her request, he had been taken to his regular pediatrician for a routine physical exam the week before. He found this extremely embarrassing even after he found out that the pediatrician already knew about his diapers. He also wondered what good any of this would do. It was obvious to him that there had been no improvement in his ability to control his bladder.

“Do I have to go?” Jarrod complained the morning of the appointment.

“Of course you do. Dr. Phalps is only trying to help,” his mom answered. “Don’t be so negative.”

“But nothing’s going to change!”

“We don’t know that… give things a chance. It’s almost time to leave. Do you need to be changed?”

Jarrod wondered how come his mom didn’t see that her question only proved his point. He had been put into this diaper at 9:00 and, already, at 10:45 it was soaked.

They arrived promptly at 11:30. Dr. Phalps spent about forty-minutes examining Jarrod and asking him questions about his daily routines, including whether or not he usually felt the urge to wet, how many times he was surprised to find that he was wetting or had wet his diaper, and how many days on the average he woke up dry in the morning. Jarrod answered that he rarely knew when he was about to wet and that he never woke up dry in the morning. She asked him to get dressed and they moved into her private office.

“I see from your pediatrician’s report that Jarrod is in excellent general health. He could stand to put on a little weight but, with some many overweight children today, I guess we shouldn’t complain,” she quipped. Turning more serious, she said, “I told you several months ago that I’d need time to come a conclusion regarding a diagnosis and long term prognosis for Jarrod’s control problems. Frankly, I was hoping that by now you would have regained a higher degree of control than you describe. This points to a severe problem that has both neurological and muscular causes. As I see it, you have two choices. First, do nothing. Your condition has stabilized and I doubt that it will get worse over the years; however, it won’t improve either. You’d have to use some sort of protective garment or urinary collection device for the rest of your life.”

“And the other choice?” Mrs. Broadly asked.

“We could use aggressive methods to try to eliminate or, at least, mitigate the problem. The most common treatment would involve a combination of surgery and long-term medication.”

“What does that mean?” Jarrod asked.

“We would run an MRI to get as good a picture of the problem as possible and then decide if surgery would help you regain muscle control. Then, if that surgery is successful, you would be prescribed certain medications to get at the neurological side of your condition,” she explained.

“What are the chances that this treatment will work?” Jarrod’s mom asked.

Dr. Phalps thought for a few moments and then answered, “Optimistically, seventy-five/twenty-five— against. And, there is about a five percent chance that things could get worse.”

“I see,” Mrs. Broadly answered. “Thank you for your honesty. I think that we’ll need to talk about this as a family. May my husband call you if he has questions?’

“Certainly. And either of you should feel free to call, too. Take your time discussing it. There’s no urgency one way or the other.”

“See, I told you,” Jarrod said as they were driving home.

His mom opened her mouth to say something but she stopped. She realized that it was unfair to Jarrod to make the situation seem rosier than it was. On the other hand, she felt that she needed to say something so that Jarrod wouldn’t go into a depression over it.

“In one way, honey, you’re right—twenty-five percent doesn’t seem like such good odds. On the other hand, that’s still a fairly big number. We need to think about that, too.”

“But she said optimistically. Doesn’t that mean that she was exaggerating a little bit? And, what if something goes wrong and things get worse?” he asked.

“I don’t know. That’s why we need to think about it.”

As soon as he got home, Jarrod asked to go to Andy’s house where he knew Terry and Trevor also were. He told them what the doctor had said. The guys were divided about what to do.

“I agree with Jarrod,” Terry said. “The odds are too stacked against him. Why go to all that trouble if you’re practically sure that it won’t help?

“But that’s not what the doctor said. She said that there was still a twenty-five percent chance of success. Twenty-five percent is big,” Trevor pointed out.

“Not on a math test,” Terry answered.

“This isn’t the time for jokes,” Trevor chastised him.

“Sorry, but you know what I mean. Twenty-five percent isn’t a lot.”

“What do you think, Andy?” Jarrod wondered.

“I don’t know. I kind of understand how you feel. The odds are against you, On the other hand, there’s only a five percent chance that you could wind up worse but a twenty-five percent chance that you’ll get better. I think I would want to take the chance and hope for the best.”

Jarrod went home more unsure about what to do than before. That night, he and his parents also discussed the issue extensively. He felt that his mom wanted him to do it and that his dad didn’t. He thought about it for a long time before he fell asleep. When he woke up the next morning he thought of something that no one else had thought of and he made his decision.

“Mom, dad,” he said during breakfast, “I’ve made up my mind. I don’t want to do it right now.”

“Oh, honey, are you sure that you don’t need more time to think?” his mom said in a worried voice.

“No, I don’t. The doctor said that things wouldn’t get worse if I did nothing, right?”

“Yes, that’s right,” his mom admitted.

“And, medicine gets better all the time, right?”

“Yes, honey, that’s mostly true, too,” his mom answered.

“The way I figure it, if I wait until I’m older, the odds won’t get any worse and maybe they’ll get a lot better. Doesn’t that make sense?” he asked.

“Yes, Jarrod, it does,” his dad answered. “You just let us know when you’re ready and we’ll be there to help you.”

Jarrod felt good about his decision. He was doubly please that his friends approved.

“I really didn’t want to go back into the hospital again,” he confessed, “especially if there was such a small chance of getting cured.”

“So you’re saying that you’d rather keep on wearing diapers,” Andy teased.

“Not exactly,” he answered. “But I did think about what I would do if I got cured.”

“And…” Trevor prompted anxiously.

Jarrod let the suspense build before he finally answered, “I thought that I would want to be like Andy and keep on wearing them forever.”

Andy smiled at him before they all dog piled onto Jarrod.

 The End