Chapter 4 – Home is Where the Mom Is
Rob had already showered and Matt was in his folk’s bathroom so I went to the hall bath and got showered and ready for school. I felt an odd sort or regret as I pulled on a pair of striped boxers, wearing normal underwear for the first time in nearly three days. I’m going to have to be careful I reminded myself thinking back to the ease I had grown accustomed to of wetting my pants. I walked back to Rob’s room and pulled on my jeans and a shirt then grabbed my backpack and gym bag and headed downstairs for breakfast.
The school day passed without incident and as much fun as I had at Aunt Sarah’s over the weekend I was looking forward to sleeping in my room and seeing my mom again.
The bus dropped me off two doors down from my house and I admired the beautiful afternoon as I walked across our yard to the side door. Finding the door unlocked, which indicated that Mom was indeed home I found myself in the laundry room on the side of the house. I put my gym clothes in the mesh laundry bag which mom would wash at the end of the week and went upstairs.
I found mom in the kitchen sitting across from Aunt Sarah talking over a cup of coffee. I hadn’t realized quite how much I missed her until I was hugging her and asking how her trip was.
“It was great and I got you something, too!” She said giving me a bag, which I opened and pulled out a T-Shirt with “Oregon Wilderness Patrol” on it.
“Thanks!” I said holding it up, the shirt would become one of my favorites and it established a long standing tradition of Mom brining me a T-Shirt from each new place she went.
“Your Aunt said you were well behaved. Of course she’s lied all her life, that’s why she’s a lawyer”
“No lie, he WAS good, honest” She said before telling me “ Your mom has always been stubborn as a rock, that’s why she’s a geologist.”
They both laughed at their friendly jabs. Aunt Sarah drained her coffee cup and said “We’ll I’ve got to get, I was just getting away from the desk and that musty office to let the fumes dissipate on the stripper.” Sarah said jingling her keys for emphasis as she got up.
“Ok hon, Love you and thanks again for watching Todd” Mom said hugging her sister before. I hugged Aunt Sarah briefly and then she was gone.
“Your Aunt tells me you had a good weekend.”
“Yes ma’am”
“She dropped a few things off for you, she said you accidentally left them behind. So I just put them in your room for you.”
Odd I don’t remember leaving anything there, oh well. I needed to put my books up anyways so I took my stuff to my room and set my backpack on my desk. I refilled my gym bag and that’s when I noticed at the foot of my bed was one of the brand new package of diapers we had gotten at SaveMax. I opened my underwear drawer and there next to my boxers and the couple pairs of briefs I still owned were about six pairs of plastic pants, some with snaps and some pull on.
I was dazed, almost sick to my stomach. MOM KNEW. Mom’s voice broke my confusions and startled I spun toward my door.
“Your Aunt explained how she deals with Rick’s and Rob’s wetting problem. She also said you were open to trying them while you were there. She said you probably liked waking up dry, but she thought you would be too embarrassed to ask me on your own. So if you want them I don’t mind at all, in fact I think it’s a great idea and will help save on laundry.”
“You don’t mind?”
“Oh Todd, how could I mind if it makes you comfortable, happy and lets you sleep through the night?”
I almost wanted to cry but managed to keep my composure. I never knew Mom had worried so much about my problem. I had always assumed selfishly that it was only bothering me.
“Well get your homework done because dinner will be ready soon.”
After we ate we watched a little TV together and talked about her trip and how much the extra money was going help. It was about 9:30 when mom told me I should think about getting ready for bed. I walked down to my room and mom followed I had assumed she was going for a coke or something but instead of the kitchen she followed to my room.
“I will help you until we are sure your skin does okay with this. If you are comfortable with me helping you that is?” She said taking a changing matt juts like Robs out and spreading it out on my bed.
I went ahead and kicked off my jeans and shirt and lay down on the pad. Mom opened the can of powder and peeled the foil off a tube of diaper rash cream. Mom picked up the package of diapers and opened them along their seam and pulled one out and set it beside me. Mom hooked her thumbs into the waistband of my boxers and pulled them off leaving me naked and exposed.
“Roll over onto your tummy” She told me and I complied felling vulnerable with my butt exposed.
She rubbed the cold cream into my butt then had me roll back over onto the diaper she had unfolded. She rubbed more cream into my groin and then powdered me liberally before bringing the front up and taping it into place just over my navel.
I stood up then and stepped into the plastic pants she held out. These were fire truck print pants just like some of Rick’s that I had seen drying in their bathroom. I imagined Aunt Sarah raided Rob’s plastic pants stash or had some new ones in reserve, either way I hoped I wasn’t putting anyone out.
Mom pulled them up over my diaper and then handed me a pair of PJ bottoms to put on. My PJ’s were sized to fit over underwear, not diapers, so they did little else but accentuate my diapered state. But before you know it I was sleeping good and waking up in a dry bed, and so a routine was established that I would follow for the rest of my life.
Chapter 5 – On the Unlikeliness of Chance Encounters in a Restroom