The Obsession "Look at the funny duck mom" 8 year old Bobby shouted. It was that shout that first drew the man's attention. 31 year old Carl Tedford dressed in jeans and a tie-dye T-shirt was leaning against the rail of the beaver display at the Portland zoo. Only 20 feet away, his head was turned by the boy's shout. Carl was on one of his "sightseeing" outings when he noticed Bobby. Usually it was a public place but sometimes it would be the bedroom window of a private home, or maybe just driving around observing occupants of other cars in traffic. Carl turned away from the beaver display towards where Bobby and his mother Tammy stood looking in to the platypus display. Tammy was almost six feet tall and easy on the eyes. Standing behind bobby, she was giving him a good view of her shapely figure. Wearing faded jeans and a light pink polo style shirt she seemed to tower over her son who was just a little under four feet tall. The thirty-something Carl walked a little closer. Working to avoid eye contact, he passed by them. The man came to a stop on the far end of the three foot tall wrought iron fence. It surrounded the small pond and island that was the home of the flat nosed beavers. Scanning the child, his eyes spotted it instantly. The bulge and the inch of shiny plastic that was poking out over the boys gray soft cotton shorts were what Carl was waiting so patiently to see. Bobby was wearing a diaper. "That's a platypus, Baby, it's like a beaver but it has a bill like a duck." Tammy then asked, "Are you wet, Sweetie? You're looking a little puffy back there." She smiled at Bobby, waiting for an answer. She could also see the bulge and knew it was swelling. "Only a little bit " he said, obviously embarrassed to talk about that. The child didn't make eye contact with his mother when he answered her question, Carl thought to himself. Interesting. Is he being punished? Has something happened to him to make him need diapers? This was too much to pass up. "Let's go to the bathroom, okay?" Tammy knew that Bobby's diaper was probably ready to be changed. She had last changed him in the Yukon at noon when they arrived at the zoo. Her digital watch read 3:20pm. They had hot dogs and orange sodas for lunch at 12:30 so it was time for a check. Walking in to the ladies room bobby noticed how much cooler it was than outside. as they came in to the center section of the ladies room, fear soon replaced the comfort that came from being out of the heat. Not fear like a monster under the bed, but rather a fear brought on by the shame of his diapered status. His 8 year old brain was running scared that someone would see that he wore diapers. He knew that as crowded as this place was that he would be laughed at and teased by the smaller children in the room. The restroom had bright white walls of painted cement block. Three stalls with doors lined the same wall as the sinks. On the back wall were trashcans, vending machines and fold out changing tables. Bobby was soon feeling the heavy weight of shame as he and Tammy stood waiting for one of the changing tables to open up. It seemed as if everyone was looking at him. Maybe wondering why he was wearing baby diapers. Was he stupid? Was he a retard? You can't be a big boy if you wear diapers. all of a sudden the world was again too frightening a place to stay in. Tammy could feel Bobby's grip on her hand tighten. She looked down at him and could see the tears starting to well up in his eyes. Squatting down she hugged him. "Sshh Hunny, It's okay," she sing-songed in his ear. "It's okay, Baby. No one is going to make fun of you in here, okay?" Bobby had started crying and buried his head in Tammy's shoulder. She hated this. The whole thing had been a nightmare. First finding out, then having to pick up the jagged pieces of what was there lives and with nothing but a mothers love, try to glue them back in to some resemblance of the life they had before or at least thought they had. It was taking them forever to come out of that ladies room. Carl wanted so bad to find a way to look in. That must have been some diaper change. Geesh, what is taking so long he thought. Just then Tammy rushed out of the room with Bobby in her arms, and he was bawling What brought this on? Did he get whipped for having wet pants? She didn't seem mad with him when she suggested a change. Did he get hurt? This was too good to miss. Carl knew that he would have to invest a lot of time in this one. Tammy carried bobby out of the restroom without ever getting to change him. He was just too worked up. There was asphalt poured everywhere even around the trees. it looked as if they had grown right out of it. She found a bench under a large oak tree, and sat with Bobby crying even harder now. She was getting worried when finally his sobs started to diminish. She continued to rock back and forth with him hoping that this would ever get easier to deal with. After about five minutes she looked down and bobby was dozing off in her arms. "too much whine women and song" Tammy's dad would say when she was growing up. After he had dosed off Bobby's mother tried again to get his diaper changed. She stood up with the boy still in her arms and started walking for the parking lot. She figured that they had both had enough of the zoo for one day. Also It would be easier to change Bobby in the Yukon again. not so many people around she thought. On the way out to the parking lot she felt her hand getting wet. Looking down she saw that Bobby's diaper had leaked. With her hand still damp from the leak she fished her keys from her purse. Almost at the Yukon she noticed that the rear passenger window had been smashed. "Dammit" she gasped, looking for anyone still in the SUV. Looking around it was obvious they had found her. The radar detector and her CD case was still there. Hoping that she had bad taste in music and her CDs weren't worth stealing she continued looking at the Yukon. The tires were all still up. The glove box was open and the black carpet of the Yukon was covered in papers. They must be trying to find her address she thought. "Shit!" she exclaimed, they would follow her. She knew it. Were they watching her now? God! she thought to herself. How was she going to get away from them this time. It was the strangest thing Carl had ever seen. Either she was just having a bad day, or this lady was in some sort of trouble. He watched from his car as she looked around then put the child in the front seat then climbed in the driver side and took off.