Direct Line by Donnie_M72

 

Karl was an average twelve-year old boy, full of curiosity about all aspects of life… but lately he had become more and more fascinated with the topic of sex. Which is why (with no exact plan in mind), he had snuck into his parents’ bedroom while they were out grocery shopping. He didn’t really know why he was doing it, he just was. He started with the night tables— maybe there was something to discover there. He was quite titillated by the discovery of two condoms. If there had been more, he might have dared to open one up to look at it. He then turned his attention to the dresser. He was disappointed that it contained nothing but clothes and underwear.

His next try found him peering under the bed. No luck. He sat back on his heels and looked around the room. The closet, of course, he thought. He opened the spacious walk-in and scanned the interior. His mom and dad’s shoes were neatly lined up on the floor or in hanging racks. Sweaters and other clothing were neatly piled on the shelves. There didn’t seem to be much of interest here, either. Then, he saw the two large cardboard boxes on the top shelf. They seemed out of place—everything else was either out in the open or stored in clear plastic containers. He had to stand on tiptoe to get the first box down. He carried it to the bed and opened it. What the…? He cocked his head to the side trying to comprehend what he was looking at. Why are mom and dad storing my old baby diapers and plastic baby pants? A noise in the garage alerted him that his parents had returned home. He hurriedly returned the box to the shelf and ambled innocently into the kitchen asking his parents if they had bought anything good to eat.

Three days later, he was again by himself. His mind wandered back to the box and he soon found himself on tiptoe taking it down again. His parents wouldn’t be home for quite some time so he brought it into his bedroom. He removed the lid and picked up the baby pants. They were semi-transparent green and imprinted with baby turtles, crabs, and other sea creatures. He unfolded them and was amazed at how big they were. Turning toward the mirror, he held them up to his waist. These could still fit me today. To prove the point, he kicked off his shoes and pulled up the plastic pants over his regular pants. The plastic pants still fit a little bit loosely. He couldn’t figure it out.

He decided to go back and get the second box. He giggled at the crinkly-swishing sounds the plastic pants made as he walked. Back in his bedroom, he opened up the second box. A photo album sat on top. He opened it to a full-page picture of his dad and his Uncle Steve (his dad’s younger brother) taken when they were about eleven and nine and-a-half respectively. I’m sure glad we don’t wear clothes like that anymore! His dad (wearing a striped t-shirt and bright yellow corduroy overalls) and his uncle (wearing a similar striped t-shirt and red corduroy overalls) were pictured kneeling in front of a Christmas tree.

He flipped the page and received the biggest shock of his life. His dad and uncle were pictured in front of the same Christmas tree wearing their striped t-shirts but without their overalls. He could scarcely believe his eyes: they were wearing matching baby-print diapers and nearly transparent white plastic pants. Are they being punished? He turned back and forth several times between the first and second pages. His father and uncle were smiling and seemed very content in both pictures. He turned to another page and found snapshots taken on the same Christmas day. From these, he deduced that there had been a family gathering at his grandparent’s house. He recognized his great-grandparents (whom he never knew), grandparents, and some of his dad and Uncle Steve’s cousins, aunts, and uncles. He further deduced that his dad and uncle must have spent the greater part of the day wearing their diapers and plastic pants exposed. There were several shots of them in their diapers playing with a train set and then with a pinball machine. The last thing that struck him was that no one in the pictures seemed the least bit surprised or uncomfortable about his father and uncle being in diapers.

He looked down at the plastic pants he had on. A thought occurred to him that he couldn’t accept. He put the photo album down and took out a diaper from the first box. It was very large. He sniffed it. It didn’t have a stale smell like something that had been put away for a long time. On the contrary, it smelled just the clothes in his own bureau. There could be no doubt: this was his father’s diaper and it had been recently laundered. His dad still wore diapers!

He looked down again at the green plastic pants he wore over his regular pants. He giggled at the idea of his dad being diapered like a baby. For some unknown reason, he began feeling aroused. This scared him so he quickly took off the baby pants and laid them on his bed. He went back to the photo album. He was about halfway through it when he realized that he was still very aroused. He put the baby pants back on over his pants and felt his arousal increase even further. This time it didn’t scare him—in fact, it felt really good.

By the time he finished the album, he had seen his dad and uncle grow up in diapers. He estimated that his dad must have been about nineteen or twenty in the last pictures. There wasn’t a picture in which his dad and uncle were not wearing diapers. (Even when they were wearing pants, there was a telltale bulge around their middles.) He was astounded by how open they had been about it. While most of the pictures depicted family gatherings, there were also a number of pictures taken with kids their own age who were not family members (as far as Karl knew). There didn’t seem to be anywhere that they didn’t wear their diapers. There were pictures of them camping, hiking, hanging out in their backyard, at the family’s mountain cabin, playing basketball, at barbecues, and many other places he couldn’t identify.

He realized that his parents would be home soon so he packed up the boxes (but delayed taking off the baby pants as long as possible) and put them back on the shelf.

*****

That night, Karl’s dad was extremely tired. He undressed and got into bed.

“No didees tonight?” his wife asked.

“No, I’m really beat. I just want to get to sleep.”

“OK. Night night, baby.”

“Night night, mommy.”

She kissed him on the forehead and tucked in his blanket before getting into her side of the bed.

*****

The whole next day, Karl was distracted by thoughts of the picture album. The pictures kept replaying themselves over and over in his head. It was really quite embarrassing that he had to hide his almost constant state of arousal. He would die if someone noticed. Nonetheless, he couldn’t wait to get home from school and have another look.

He was very disappointed to find his mother home ahead of him.

“I had two appointments that cancel, so I thought I’d come home early and fix a nice dinner,” she explained.

“Cool,” he answered as upbeat as possible.

He went up to his room to get his homework done. It was a struggle, but not because the homework was hard— he couldn’t get his mind off the diaper pictures.

That evening, his dad decided that he would ‘relax’ when he got home. This meant changing out of his suit and tie and putting on a daytime diaper without plastic pants. This was typical when he was ‘relaxing’ with Karl at home. The daytime diaper was thin enough to conceal under his pants but the crinkling of plastic pants would have been a dead giveaway. It wasn’t his favorite way to ‘relax’ but it was better than nothing.

He took the box down from the shelf and opened it, removed a diaper and laid it on the bed. Just before closing up the box he stopped and picked up his green ‘turtle’ pants. They weren’t folded correctly. He always started by folding the crotch up to the waistband and then folding the left and right side to the middle. He cast his mind back to Sunday night when he had last put these things away. He shrugged and folded the plastic pants in the usual way. He put it out of his mind and prepared to diaper himself.

He retrieved four pins from a glass jar by the bathroom sink and a container of baby powder from his wife’s medicine cabinet. He powdered himself lightly and then pinned himself into the cotton prefold diaper. Even after all these years, he felt the tensions of the day drain from his body; a smile rose to his lips and he wished that he and his wife could have had some time alone right then and there. He went down to the kitchen to see if his wife needed help.

‘Hi baby,” she said as he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and kissed her neck.

“Do you think we can get rid of the kid for a few minutes?” he whispered suggestively.

“Henry, be serious,” she said turning around, a smile on her face. Then, noting the twinkle in his eye, she reached around him and patted his bottom. “Ah ha!” she said chuckling. “Sorry, dinner is ready but we can follow up on that thought soon… real soon.”

“That’s a promise?” he asked with mock seriousness.

“A promise and a deal,” she responded.

When they went to bed that night, the promise was kept. She started out unpinning him from his diaper and. after some mutually satisfying sex, she took charge and got him ready for bed. She retrieved a nighttime diaper and some plastic pants from the box and returned to the bedroom.

“Oh, that reminds me,” Henry said. “Did you go into the box yesterday or today, Madge?”

“Why, no. Why do you ask?”

“Nothing important,” he said as she washed his diaper area. “That feels really good!”

His mind was now focused entirely on his wife’s attentions to him. At the moment, improperly folded plastic pants were one of the least of his concerns.

*****

On Friday, it happened again. Karl’s father came home from work and noticed that, this time, his yellow teddy bear plastic pants were folded incorrectly. He again asked his wife if she had moved or touched anything in his diaper box.

“That’s the second time you ask. What’s up?”

“You’ll probably say that I’m overreacting but I believe that Karl knows about my diapers and plastic pants,” he answered. “Twice now, I’ve found my plastic pants folded in a way that I’m sure I have never folded them.”

“Oh dear,” she said. “I suppose that you’re sure…?”

“Yes, I’m sure. I’m going to call Steve (his brother) and Helen (his sister-in-law) and find out if we can talk this over with them later tonight. OK?”

“I think that that would be a good idea.”

*****

The adults retired to the den while Karl went in search of his cousin Peter whom he found at the computer in his bedroom.

“Hey,” Peter greeted his cousin. “What’s doing?”

“I don’t know,” Karl answered.

He wasn’t in a pleasant mood. When his parents had mentioned that they were going to visit his Uncle Steve, Aunt Helen, and cousin Peter, he had answered that he saw his cousin at school all the time. His parents, however would have none of it, saying that it wasn’t good for him to be alone so much: that he hadn’t visited his uncle and aunt in several weeks and that he needed to socialize more. His reluctance stemmed from the fact that he wanted to look at the diaper book (as he now called the photo album) again. Also, there was something comforting and exciting about wearing the oversized baby pants— even if they fit only when he wore them over his regular pants.

“What are you doing?” Karl asked, peering over his cousin’s shoulder at the monitor.

“I was looking around for stuff for a science project I have to do.”

“What kind of stuff?”

“Stuff about the weather. It’s kind of boring.”

“Yeah.”

There was a long silence that Karl eventually broke.

“Can I tell you a secret?”

“Sure,” Peter answered. “Did you do something to get yourself into trouble?”

“Not exactly. It’s about my dad and your dad.”

“What about them?” Peter asked with heightened interest.

“Well, I found this photo album in a place I wasn’t supposed to be and it was filled with pictures of our dads when they were growing up.”

Karl hesitated, unsure it Peter would get upset if he told him the truth.

“Well?” Peter prodded impatiently.

“You’re probably not going to believe me,” Karl hedged, “… but… well… I mean…”

“For crying Clive’s sake,” Peter said impatiently, “did you find the pictures of our dads in their diapers and baby pants?”

“You already know!” Karl shouted in surprise. “How come you never told me?”

“Well, my dad and mom said that I had to keep it a secret. They said that your dad would tell you if he wanted you to know.”

“How did you find out?” Karl asked.

“One night, last summer, I woke up feeling really bad. I went to my parents’ door and knocked. They didn’t hear me so I went in. My dad woke up and I told him I felt sick. He forgot that he was wearing a baby shirt, diapers, and baby pants. When he turned on the light I saw them.”

Karl’s eyes were still wide with amazement. “What did he do?”

“He turned real red in the face and then laughed,” Peter giggled.

“He laughed?”

“Sure,” Peter answered. “What else could he do? It was too late to hide them. He knew I had busted him.” Peter giggled again. “Anyway, he gave me some stomach medicine and he asked if I wanted to talk about his diapers. I wasn’t sleepy anymore so he put on some pajama bottoms and we went to the den. I was kind of nervous and curious at the same time. I thought that my dad would get mad at me because I started laughing every time I looked at him. Even though he had put on pajamas bottoms, they were real puffy because of his diapers and his baby pants made loud crinkly noises. Anyway, he let me see his photo album with all the pictures of him and your dad.”

“Do you think I could see the book someday?”

“Sure, why not?” Peter answered. “It’s not hidden or anything. Let me get it.”

Peter returned in a matter of seconds.

“Here, let’s sit on the floor” he said extending the book to Karl.

Karl eagerly took the book and they sat together at the foot of the bed. The first two pages were exactly like the book Karl had already seen. After that, though, the pictures were different, although taken at many of the same gatherings as in his father’s album.

“Did your dad tell you why they wore diapers?” Karl asked.

“Um, I think that my dad and your dad ought to tell you that,” Peter answered. “It’s not that I don’t want to tell you,” he said defensively, “it’s just that I’m not supposed to.”

Karl’s head was reeling from all this new information. He continued flipping through the album, smiling at some of the pictures as he went along.

“You like looking at these, don’t you?” Peter asked.

Karl felt his face heat up.

“It’s OK,” Peter quickly added. “I do, too.”

“Do you ever think about wearing diapers?” Karl asked in a barely audible whisper.

In lieu of an answer, Peter stood up and kicked off his shoes and dropped his pants, revealing the flannel prefold diaper he was wearing. Karl’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. His hand went up instinctively to touch the diaper as if to check if it was real. He realized what he has doing and quickly lowered his hand.

“It’s OK,” Peter said, “you can touch it. And,” he added with a giggle, “don’t worry, it’s dry.”

Karl gingerly touched the lower edge of the diaper and withdrew his hand.

“You’re not wearing plastic pants,” Karl observed.

“These are just my pretend diapers,” Peter answered.

“Huh? They look real.”

“What I mean is that they are real diapers but too thin to hold much pee. I wear these under my pants when I don’t want anyone to know that I’m wearing diapers.”

“Oh,” Karl said, still confused.

Peter walked into his closet and emerged a few seconds later holding another diaper and semi-transparent yellow plastic pants decorated with brown teddy bears.

“My dad has a pair like that,” Karl said, referring to the plastic pants.

“So does my dad. In fact, we each have two pairs. Anyways,” Peter continued, “this is a regular daytime diaper. See how much thicker it is? I wear this kind of diaper a lot around the house… with plastic pants, of course. Why don’t you try wearing one,” Peter suggested “And plastic pants, too.”

 “I don’t know. What would my parents think?”

“Well,” Peter answered reasonably, “your dad couldn’t get mad about it, could he?”

“But, he’ll know that I was spying on him and that I found his picture album,” Karl worried.

“Not necessarily. We could say that you saw my diapers and plastic pants and that I convinced you to try them,” Peter countered.

“I guess that would be OK,” Karl agreed.

While Karl was trying to hide his enthusiasm for the idea, Peter had no such inhibitions. He excitedly gathered the rest of the things they needed: pins and baby powder from the bathroom, and a changing pad from under the bed.

“You’re going to have to take your clothes off, you know,” Peter pointed out.

Karl was already regretting his decision.

“Maybe I should wait and tell my parents before I do this,” he said.

“Why?”

“I don’t know. Maybe they’ll get mad.”

“You know that’s not the real reason,” Peter said knowingly. “You have a stiffie, don’t you?”

Peter looked at the floor, shame written all over his face.

“Don’t worry about it. I do, too. It happens all the time when I think about diapers. But, don’t worry about it—this diaper is really thick and it won’t show. Now, come on—quit stalling.”

Karl undressed and lay down on the diaper his cousin had spread out on the floor. He couldn’t help but giggle when Peter rubbed the powder over his diaper area. He hadn’t known exactly how he would feel getting pinned into a diaper, but he certainly had not expected the overwhelming sense of security that came over him. He was speechless by the time the plastic pants were pulled over his diaper.

“Cool, huh?” Peter asked brightly.

Karl was still searching for words but the look of contentment on his face said everything that he couldn’t. He walked over to the dresser to see himself in the mirror. This was so much better than wearing his dad’s plastic pants over his regular pants.

“Now, you gotta help me get into a daytime diaper, too!” Peter said enthusiastically.

Peter could have put on his own diaper without help but he wanted to teach Karl as much stuff about diapers as possible. He reasoned that Karl would have to learn these things sooner or later… and that sooner was always better than later when talking about diapers!

“Let’s change shirts and then we’ll be done,” Peter suggested as soon as he had pulled up his plastic pants

He took two yellow t-shirts out of his dresser.

“Which one do you want to wear?” he asked, unfolding them.

One sported an embroidered panda bear and the other a tugboat. Karl chose the boat.

“Aren’t these too short?” he asked.

“No,” Peter explained. “We don’t want to cover up our plastic pants, do we? Besides, our moms will need to see when our diapers are wet, right?”

“I guess so,” Karl answered unconvinced. “But why does there have to be so much space between the bottom of the shirts and the top of our pants?”

Peter ignored the question.

“Come on, let’s go downstairs and show our parents.”

“Right now?” Karl exclaimed. “Can’t we wait a few minutes?”

“No,” Peter answered firmly. “It’ll be better if we go downstairs on our own before our parents call us down.”

Actually, the real reason he was being insistent was that he wanted to get Karl downstairs before he chickened out. He was sure that Karl would thank him for it later.

Karl glanced down at the smiling faces of his dad and uncle in the photo album and said, “OK, let’s do it.”

“You won’t be sorry,” Peter promised. Then, following his cousin’s gaze, he added, “I’d better put this away. You’re not supposed to know about these pictures.”

*****

For the better part of an hour, the adults had discussed the situation. They had concluded early on that if Karl had been into the contents of the first box (and they all agreed with Henry that that was a virtual certainty), then he must have also seen the photo album in the second. The question was whether to confront Karl directly about it or to wait for an opportune moment to ‘catch’ him at it.

“I don’t like the idea of baiting Karl,” his mom said. “I think it’s wrong to set up a situation and then swoop down on him like some kind of vice squad.”

“I agree with Madge,” Helen said. “Maybe it would be better to set up a situation where Karl could come and ask you about your diaper wearing.”

“How?” Henry asked.

“Oh, I don’t know. Perhaps you could ‘accidentally’ let Karl see you wearing them, like Steve did.”

“Now wait a minute,” Steve answered his wife good-naturedly. “That really was an accident.”

“Was it?” she teased. “Didn’t Freud say that ‘accidents’ don’t really happen?”

“Be that as it may,” Henry interjected before they got sidetracked, “wouldn’t we still be manipulating Karl?”

“Technically, I suppose so,” Helen answered, “but at least he wouldn’t be the one ‘on the spot’ so to speak. You would be.”

“Yeah, I guess I would,” Henry said blushing.

“Come on, Henry,” his brother coaxed. “You were always too timid. Be daring—let Karl ‘catch’ you in your diapers. It wasn’t such a bad experience once Peter and I talked it over. In fact, as you know, since then we’ve been closer than ever.”

“Care to join me in being ‘caught’?” Henry asked his brother.

“No, thanks. Once is enough.”

“I guess you’re right,” his brother agreed. “Besides, ‘catching’ his dad in diapers will be shock enough without involving his uncle, too.”

“Aren’t we missing something here?” Madge asked. “Is it necessarily true that Karl will be upset if he catches you in diapers? If he was going to be upset it would have happened when he discovered the album, right?”

“OK,” Henry agreed. “But what’s your point?”

“I don’t know,” Madge answered. “I just think that you’re making more out of this than Karl will. Who knows how long ago he first saw the album? Isn’t it possible that he’s completely recovered from any shock he may have felt?”

“Good point,” Helen agreed. “Maybe we’re overreacting…”

Whatever she was going to say got cut off by Peter calling down to the adults.

 “Mom, dad. Uncle Henry, Aunt Madge. Can Karl and me come down and show you something?”

The adults looked at each other and shrugged.

“OK, come on down,” Steve answered.

Karl wasn’t even aware that Peter was leading him by the hand until they were nearly at the bottom of the stairs and Karl tried to run back up.

“No, trust me. It’ll be OK,” Peter said soothingly.

The adults were stunned when the boys walked into the den. They were also acutely aware that any false move on their part could seriously damage Karl, who looked to be under severe stress.

“Um,” Peter said, “Karl saw my diapers and stuff and he asked if he could try them out? Is it OK?”

“What do you say, Karl?” his Uncle Steve asked.

“Well, I…” Karl said hesitantly. “It’s OK, I guess.”

“Really?” his father asked.

“Yeah, only… it wasn’t exactly like that. I didn’t see Peter’s things. I went into your closet and found your picture book and the other stuff.”

“We know,” his father answered. “That’s what we’ve been talking about for the last hour.”

“Am I in trouble?” he asked.

“We’ll talk about your sneaking around our room when we get home. Right now, I think I’m the one who owes you an explanation.”

“And me, too,” his Uncle Steve said magnanimously.

The story didn’t take very long to tell.

When Karl’s dad was a little boy, he had a lot of trouble with bladder control, especially when he was nervous or under stress. Coupled with this, he was small for his age and the constant butt of teasing and meanness from his peers in school. This led to a series of embarrassing pants wetting incidents. Eventually, the school psychologist recommended that Henry wear protection to school to help mask any accidents and to help him build up confidence that his problem was manageable. (He already wore diapers to bed at night and he understood that waking up in a wet diaper was a lot better than waking up in a cold and wet bed.) This strategy worked well for over a year and the other children seemed to have forgotten about his problem.

Then, one day near the end of fifth grade, his former tormentors discovered that he had been secretly wearing diapers and plastic pants. (One of them recognized the distinctive half-moon marks on Henry’s pants where his plastic pants had leaked.) Henry was devastated and his daytime and nighttime wetting became much worse. He started begging his parents not to send him to school in diapers. Then, his younger brother, Stevie, (who was in the fourth grade but was just as big as any fifth grader) took matters into his own hands.

Stevie knew his bother’s pride would be hurt if he took it upon himself to simply beat up the kids who were tormenting Henry. So, he decided to make himself a target of their taunting. He secretly wore Henry’s diapers to school one day and wet them until the plastic pants began to leak. During recess, he made himself obvious and, just as he had planned, one of Henry’s tormentors saw his wet pants and began mocking him. Stevie wanted to provoke a fight so he retorted by calling the kid (who was slightly overweight) ‘a stinky tub of cheese’. That did it. The two of them started mixing it up, which drew a large crowd including Henry. Stevie was obviously winning the fight so one of the allies of the ‘stinky tub of cheese’ picked up a rock with the intention of throwing it at Stevie. Henry saw this and was emboldened to come to the aid of his younger brother. He grabbed the rock out of the kid’s hand and started rolling around in the dirt with him. Henry wasn’t sure exactly what happened but before he knew it, the other kid was crying and begging him to stop. Just then a teacher came along and put an end to the whole thing. Henry and Stevie came out of it with the reputation of being kids who shouldn’t be messed with. Also, since it appeared that they both suffered from the same problem, it warned others that messing with one brother meant having to answer to both brothers.

Their parents were not at all pleased with their behavior but they grudgingly admitted that Stevie had probably ended the tormenting of his brother for good. Stevie, however, insisted that Henry had solved his own problem by taking on that other kid. Regardless of which view was correct, they were still left with a dilemma. Should they allow Stevie to continue wearing diapers to keep up the illusion that both boys were dependent upon them? After much discussion, it was decided to let Stevie continue wearing them through the end of the school year. What they hadn’t counted on was Stevie actually liking to wear them. They soon discovered that he didn’t seem to care who saw him in his diapers. They also discovered that Henry became more relaxed about them, too. In the end, they let their boys do as they pleased and the photo albums were the result.

Karl had trouble sorting out his feelings. He felt sad that his dad had been picked on, proud that his uncle had come to his rescue, and giddy that he had a story that he could use against his dad if he himself ever got involved in a fight at school. Everyone was staring at him, waiting for his reaction.

 “You had a fight at school?” he asked his father in amazement. “What did grandpa and grandma do to you?”

Karl’s dad and uncle suddenly looked sheepish.

“Go ahead, boys. Answer the question,” Madge said smugly.

“We got punished, of course,” Henry answered.

“How?” his wife pressed.

Henry hesitated.

“We may as well tell him,” Steve cut in. “He’s the only one here who doesn’t know.”

“Doesn’t know what?” Karl asked impatiently.

“Doesn’t know that our dads got spanked!” Peter said gleefully.

“Peter, let dad and Uncle Henry tell the story,” Peter’s mom said.

“Spanked!” Karl exclaimed. “But you were in the fifth grade!”

“Grandpa was really strict in those days,” Karl’s dad explained. “He was really mad at us. He said that we’d embarrassed him in the neighborhood and at work, especially since the ‘stinky tub of cheese’ was the son of one of grandpa’s coworkers.”

“But I got the worst of it,” Steve said with a large measure of pride. “Grandpa gave me thirty-five swats because it was my idea and your dad only got twenty-five.”

Karl couldn’t resist giggling at the thought of his dad and uncle being spanked.

“What’ so funny?” Karl’s dad asked.

 “You really got spanked?”

“Yes,” Karl’s uncle answered. “And then grandma oversaw the rest of our punishment. We got a one-day suspension from school and grandma made us spend all day weeding her gardens… in just our diapers.”

Karl’s dad and his Uncle Henry began laughing.

“What’s so funny?” Karl wondered.

“After school let out, Leo, a friend of Uncle Steve’s, came by on his bicycle. He was so surprised to see us out in the front yard in diapers that he lost control and slammed into a tree.”

“Really!” Karl’s Aunt Helen chided. “You guys should be ashamed of yourselves… making fun of that poor boy. He could have been seriously hurt.”

“I guess you’re right,” Karl’s dad agreed, “but the look on his face… well, it was priceless!”

“Whatever,” Steve said, bringing the discussion to an end. Then, turning his attention to Peter he said, “ Why don’t you go back upstairs and get Karl set up with enough stuff to last him two or three days?”

*****

Karl took to diapers as eagerly as his uncle had all those years before. He reveled in all aspects of diaper wearing. He loved the feel of the bulky material between his legs, the new roundness of his profile, the crinkling of the plastic pants, the freedom to wet at will, and, most of all, the notice he received from his dad and mom. That first night, he had been nervous about showing his excitement during his first diaper change. His dad, though, was very understanding and told him that he should not worry about it.

There were a couple of matters, however, that had to be dealt with: Karl’s invasion of his parents’ privacy and Peter’s attempt to lie to his parents about how Karl had come to know of the family’s diaper history. Their parents acted immediately the morning after Karl’s first night in diapers.

“Was it hard to sleep in your diapers?” his dad asked as he unpinned him.

“A little,” Karl said.

In fact, the diapers themselves weren’t the problem—it was the excitement that Karl felt at the mere thought of being in diapers that kept him awake most of the night.

“”You’ll get used to them—it you want to, that is,” his dad said encouragingly.

“I do!” Karl said quickly.

“I see,” his dad said smiling. “Well, you certainly didn’t waste any time wetting them, did you?”

Karl blushed deeply.

“Don’t be embarrassed,” his dad chuckled. “That’s what they’re for, isn’t it?”

Karl relaxed and let his father remove his soaking diaper.

“Hurry up and take your shower.”

Karl felt a little sad putting on his regular underwear and pants. He wished he could go to school in diapers like his dad and uncle had done.

“You’re to go home with Peter after school today,” his mom said to him at breakfast. “Dad and I will join you there and let you know what we’ve decided about your punishment for going into our closet without permission. I image that Peter will also find how he is going to be punished for lying to Uncle Steve and Aunt Helen.”

“Can’t you just tell me now?” Karl asked.

“No, it will have to wait. Now, hurry and get your books or you’ll miss the bus.”

Peter and Karl went directly to Peter’s house after school.

“Do you think that it’ll be OK if I wear another one of your diapers?” Karl asked.

“Sure. Why not? You wore one of mine last night, didn’t you?”

“Naturally,” Karl answered with a smile. “I’m just wondering if my parents are going to punish me by saying that I’m not allowed to wear diapers for a while.”

“I hope not,” Peter answered sincerely. “Ever since last night I’ve been wondering if we could maybe spend more time together.”

Karl understood what he really meant: spend more time together in diapers.

“I’ve been wondering the same thing.”

“Awesome!” Peter exclaimed. “Let’s get our diapers on right now!”

The boys ran up to Peter’s room and were pleased to see that Peter’s mom had left two diapers and matching plastic pants on the bed.

“Maybe this means that your mom and dad aren’t going to punish you by taking away diapers,” Peter observed.

“I hope you’re right,” Karl agreed.

The boys excitedly diapered each other.

“You really like this, don’t you?” Peter asked as they sat on the floor of his room.

Karl could hardly contain his excitement; his words tumbled out so fast that Peter had trouble following his line of thought. One thing was for sure: they had almost identical feelings about diaper wearing. They talked themselves out in about forty-five minutes. Since neither of them had had much sleep the previous night, they began yawning and having trouble keeping their eyes open.

“Mind if I take a nap?” Karl asked.

“No, go ahead. I’m kind of sleepy, too. You can have the bed; just let me have the pillow.”

And this is how their mothers found them an hour later—Karl stretched out on the bed and Peter curled up on the floor with his pillow. They were so sound asleep that not even the bright flash from the camera woke them.

“Aren’t they just adorable in their matching Bugs Bunny plastic pants?” Karl’s mom asked.

“A half-size version of their dads,” Peter’s mom chuckled. “Should we wake them?”

“I don’t know about Peter but Karl didn’t get much sleep last night. I heard him tossing and turning until the early hours.”

“It sounds like his mother didn’t sleep much, either,” Helen observed, arching an eyebrow. “I guess they can sleep for another half-hour, until Steve and Henry arrive.”

The family meeting that followed their fathers’ arrival didn’t go as badly as they had feared: grounded for two weeks (not unexpected); no internet access except supervised access for school assignments for two weeks (not unexpected, either); and, only diapers outside of school. The last condition needed explaining.

“This means that after school you will either come here like you did today or go to Karl’s house,” Peter’s mom explained. “Aunt Madge or I will come home early to change you and supervise you. You will only wear diapers after school and on non-school days. Do you understand?”

This hardly seemed like a punishment but the boys kept their mouths shut. (Their parents knew this also. The point of this last condition was to give the boys a safe ‘out’ if anyone should discover them in their diapers.)

“I guess so,” Peter answered and Karl agreed.

“Good. It also means that we, not you, will pick out your clothes when you’re diapered.”

The boys agreed again; their parents were pleased… very pleased.

*****

The boys impatiently awaited Friday afternoon. They ran the entire mile from the bus stop to Karl’s house, arriving out of breath and sweaty. They had calculated that during the weekend they would be in their diapers for over sixty hours straight.

“There are our babies!” Karl’s mom exclaimed. “Put your stuff upstairs and get undressed. I’ll be right there.”

The boys fought each other to get up the stairs first.

“And try not to bring the house down!”

The boys threw their backpacks into the corner and hurriedly took of their shoes, pants, shirts and underwear. In the last few days of being diapered, Karl had lost all his inhibitions about being naked in front of his parents or his aunt and uncle. Peter was already used to it, so he didn’t think about it at all.

“OK, off with the socks, too,” Karl’s mom said as she entered the room. “You both need a good bath.”

“A bath!” Peter and Karl objected. And then, continuing alone, Karl added, “Are you sending us to bed early?”

“No, of course not,” she laughed. “I just want my babies nice and clean. Now, hurry up.”

“And, while we’re on the subject, Karl you will call me ‘Mommy’ when we’re playing baby games and, you, Peter, will call me ‘Auntie Madge’. Got it?”

“Yes, Mommy.”

“Yes, Auntie Madge.”

They smiled as she poured childish bubble bath into the water. She gave each of them a play tugboat and helped them get in. Starting with Peter, she thoroughly washed each of them head to toe.

“You can have five minutes to play before I come back and rinse you off,” she advised them.

The boys had already started playing with their boats and by the time she returned they had created big waves (a hurricane at sea) and had nearly caused the water to overflow onto the floor.

“I think that’s enough of that!” she chided.

She pulled the plug and finished their bath with a good rinsing. After drying them she led them back to Karl’s bedroom. Two very thick baby-print diapers awaited them.

“OK, hop on.”

In a matter of minutes, the boys stood in front of the mirror, smiling approvingly—they looked like their fathers in the diaper album. Their outfits had been selected with care: they wore Sesame Street print t-shirts and diapers (Elmo for Peter and Big Bird for Karl). By way of contrast, Peter wore yellow corduroy overalls while Karl’s were red. They turned from side to side admiring their large diaper bulges.

“OK, boys. Why don’t you go downstairs and watch TV… and try to stay clean. We’re going to grandma and grandpa’s for dinner.”

“Cool!” the boys exclaimed in unison.

They went downstairs but were too preoccupied with going to their grandparents’ house dressed as toddlers to pay much attention to the television.

“Does your mom dress you in stuff like this often?” Karl asked his more experienced cousin.

“No, never,” he answered. “And I’ve never had such thick diapers, either!”

“Have you ever gone to grandpa and grandma’s dressed in your diapers?” Karl wondered.

“Yeah,” Peter answered smiling broadly, “all the time. And, my dad wears his, too…, but under our regular clothes.”

“He does?” Karl asked in amazement.

“Yeah, and he wear diapers almost all the time at home… just like me.”

“Gee,” Karl responded dreamily, “I wish my dad would…”

Karl’s mother’s was standing just outside the den and overheard the conversation. She walked away smiling to herself.

*****

“Hi, boys,” Karl’s father greeted them. “All ready to go to grandma and grandpa’s?”

“Which is more than we can say about you,” Karl’s mom said, greeting her husband with a kiss.

“OK. OK.” he answered with mock resignation. “I’ll shower and change right away.”

“Good,” she said smiling. Then, turning to the boys, she added, “We’ll be ready to leave in thirty minutes. Peter, your mom and dad are going to be meet us here and we’ll all go together in your car.”

(This made sense since Peter’s family owned a spacious eight passenger SUV.)

The doorbell rang about twenty minutes later and Karl’s mom called from upstairs for him to answer it. He walked to the door a little apprehensively, hoping that it was his uncle and aunt and not one of his friends. He was very relieved when he saw his Auntie Madge standing on the doorstep. She and his Uncle Steve walked into the house. He was momentarily distracted as she kissed him and made a fuss over his outfit. He then turned to greet his Uncle Steve.

“Uncle Steve?” he half-exclaimed, half-questioned.

Then he began laughing and giggling uncontrollably. This drew Peter’s attention, who came out to investigate.

“Daddy!” Peter exclaimed as he, too, began laughing and giggling.

Steve had obviously joined into the spirit of the evening. He was wearing exactly the same outfit as Peter, with the exception that he wore very short shortalls instead of overalls. Other than that, though, he and Peter matched exactly—his extremely thick diapers bulged out on all sides, his shirt bore the same Elmo pattern, and his shortalls were the same vivid yellow as Peter’s overalls. Karl suddenly felt a pang of envy intrude on his good mood. He tried very hard not to show his disappointment but he was sure that his dad would never join in on this. He wished that his father wasn’t so uptight and conservative. He was feeling pretty sorry for himself and resentful of his dad by the time his mom joined them.

“Stevie,” she said in greeting, “you’re such a cute little boy! Come give auntie a kiss.”

Steve played along by burying his head in his wife’s shoulder like a shy little boy. They all laughed for several seconds.

“Where’s Henry?” Madge asked.

“Oh, you know him,” Helen laughed. “He never leaves until he thinks his clothes are perfect!”

Everyone except Karl laughed at this. He was beginning to build up a big resentment against his father.

“And what’s wrong with that?” Henry objected as he walked down the stairs.

As soon as he entered the living room, Karl’s jaw dropped.

“Daddy!” he shouted, jumping into his father’s arms.

“Whoa, there, big guy,” his father said trying to regain his balance.

“Thank you! Thank you!” Karl exclaimed while hugging his dad tightly around the neck.

His father had dressed up, too! His outfit exactly matched Karl’s with the exception that he, like Steve, wore very short shortalls instead of overalls.

“Well, I’m glad you like it,” his father said. “But, you know, grandma made the rules for tonight. Uncle Steve and I had to wear what she chose.”

“You did?” Karl asked in surprise.

“Of, course,” Karl’s dad answered, “you know the rules: mommies make all the decisions when you’re wearing diapers.”

“You’ve got that right,” Madge and Helen agreed. “Now, let’s get going or someone is going to get spanked for making us late!”

The ‘boys’ ran to the car as fast as they could. None of them noticed the four large diaper bags that got loaded into the back of the SUV.

*****

Karl knew that this was going to be the most fun night of his life. The moment he saw his father dressed in toddler clothes he knew that something special was planned. He didn’t know what to expect but he was sure that Peter and he were going to like it. This sense was reinforced when his Aunt Madge threatened to spank anyone who might cause them to be late. His dad had immediately put him down and grabbed his hand as they ran together to the SUV. It was delightful. Peter and his Uncle Steve were ahead of them and he enjoyed watching them run/waddle to the car. (He giggled at the thought that he and his dad must have presented the same picture.) On top of this, he also reveled in the combined rustling and crackling noises made by their plastic pants. It also occurred to him that some of the neighbors might see them but he was having too much fun to care.

They got into the van and Peter and Uncle Steve sat in the third seat; he and his dad sat in the second; and Aunt Madge and his mom were up front. It only took a few minutes to reach their grandparents’ house. They were welcomed effusively. Their grandma gushed over their attire and their grandpa promised to take lots of pictures. Grandma made his dad and Uncle Steve blush by asking them if they were wet. Not believing their answer, she checked and declared that even though they were somewhat damp they could probably last another hour or two. Peter and Karl were flabbergasted: they themselves were still dry! Each secretly vowed that their fathers were not going to get more diaper changes than them!

“While you’re all still nice and neat, let’s take some pictures by the fireplace,” grandpa said.

“That’s a good idea,” grandma agreed. “The ladies and I will finish getting dinner on the table.”

Peter and Karl didn’t need a second invitation. They ran to the fireplace and posed exactly as their fathers had in the first picture of the diaper album. Grandpa took several shots and then declared himself satisfied.

“This is so much nicer than the old days,” he said. “With the digital camera I can look at the results right away. I’ll probably be able to download all the pictures to CDs before you leave… Now, are you guys ready to take picture number two?”

“You mean like in our dad’s diaper albums?” Peter asked with a smile.

“That’s right,” his grandpa answered.

The boys stood up and made to undo the bib of their overalls.

“Uh, uh, uh!” their grandfather said. “Babies aren’t allowed to change their own clothes.”

“Oh, yeah,” they answered, looking over to their dads.

“Don’t look at us,” Uncle Steve answered. “We’re not allowed to change ourselves or you, either.”

Grandpa helped them out of their overalls and meticulously folded them on the couch. (It was easy to see where Henry got his habit of always wanting his clothes to be perfect.) The boys returned to their positions in front of the fireplace but grandpa made them get up so that he could adjust their diapers and plastic pants to his satisfaction.

“OK, Henry and Stevie. Your turn,” grandpa said.

They dutifully went over to the fireplace and knelt next to each other.

“No,” grandpa said, “I think it would be cuter if you sat Indian style.”

They looked reluctant to do so and Karl and Peter understood why as soon as their dads were in position. Their plastic pants and diapers stuck way out from their very short shortalls. The boys started giggling at their dads’ discomfort. Peter gasped as he noticed something else.

“Look at our dads’ arms and legs,” he whispered into Karl’s ear.

It took a second for Karl to notice what Peter had seen: their dads’ arms and legs were hairless. The boys looked at each other.

“Wow!” Peter said.

“Yeah,” Karl agreed. “Our dads have really gone all out for us.”

They felt a tenderness towards their dads that they hadn’t felt for a very long time. It was really nice of the boys to think warmly of their dads but they were overlooking one thing: despite appearances to the contrary, their dads were having every bit as much fun as they were.

*****

Dinner was served: mashed potatoes, meatloaf, green peas, and gravy. The boys had large bibs tied around their necks and were seated next to the adult who was going to feed him. Karl and Peter were to be fed by their mothers, Henry by grandma, and Stevie by grandpa. Plates were prepared and each adult took charge of feeding their boy with a rubber toddler spoon piled high with food. The boys opened their mouths as wide as they could but not all the food could get in. By the end of the meal, they were quite giggly despite their cheeks and chins being smeared with mashed potatoes and gravy. Their faces were cleaned using their bibs and their chairs were pulled away from the table.

“No dessert?” Karl’s dad whined.

“Of course there is, sweetie,” grandma answered. “Run along with papa and we’ll serve dessert once we get everything cleaned up,” she said to the boys.

They went into the den to watch TV. The boys all sat on the couch while grandpa sat in his easy chair. After a few minutes, grandpa had to separate Henry and Stevie who kept poking each other in an attempt to get more space. Stevie pouted until grandma came into the room carrying a tray of ice cream.

“Yeah,” Stevie cheered, “chocolate ice cream!”

“With marshmallow sauce,” grandma added.

“Oh boy!” they all shouted.

“This is going to be messy,” Karl’s mom said. “I think we’d better undress you down to just your diapers and plastic pants. You’ll all need diaper changes soon, anyway.”

The look of surprise on Henry and Stevie’s face was priceless. Karl and Peter suddenly realized that their dads must have known about the previous events of the evening, but being stripped down to their diapers was obviously something they hadn’t been told about. Their shortalls were removed and their very soggy diapers revealed. Karl and Peter were just as wet but they couldn’t help gigging over their fathers’ embarrassment. All their t-shirts were removed (Karl and Peter’s dads’ chests were also hairless) and they sat together on a blanket to eat their ice cream.

Karl’s mother had been right. The combination of ice cream and marshmallow sauce was very hard to handle with a rubber toddler spoon. By the time the boys had finished, there was ice cream and marshmallow sauce everywhere— all over their faces, chests, plastic pants, and even the blanket.

“It’s a good thing we took precautions, isn’t it?” grandma said. “Let’s get you babies all cleaned up and ready for the night. Helen and Madge, will you take the older boys while I take care of the little ones? ”

Judging by their father’s reactions, this was another surprise. They were led away to separate bathrooms to be cleaned up. Afterwards, Karl and Peter were led to grandma’s bedroom and their dads to the guest room. A changing pad, thick nighttime diapers, plastic pants, and pajamas were already laid out on the bed.

“Karl, we’ll start with you, I think.”

He didn’t need a second invitation—nighttime diapers were his favorites. He loved to feel the heavy bulk between his legs, and the noisy, crackly baby pants made him want to giggle with each step he took. His wet diaper was removed and his grandma gently washed his diaper area. He blushed at his inability to hide his excitement. His grandma slid the diaper under him and pulled it between his legs. His eyes widened in surprise.

“I thought you’d notice how thick this new diaper is. Do you like it?” his grandma asked.

“Yes, thank you, grandma!” Karl excitedly agreed.

Peter was also excited by the idea of thicker diapers.

“Can I see, grandma?” Peter asked reaching for his new diaper.

“Of course, honey,” she answered as she began pinning Karl’s diaper.

He picked it up and marveled at the extreme thickness of it.

“Wow, this must have eight layers of terry cloth in it!”

“Ten, honey,” his grandma said with a smile.

“Do our dads’ diapers have the same number of layers?” Peter asked hopefully.

“Of course, dear. What’s good for one baby is good for another.”

The boys could hardly wait to see them. Grandma used six pins on Karl’s diapers before pulling on his new baby pants. They were imprinted with brightly colored baby blocks. She invited Peter to get up on the bed and she treated him to the same care as she had given Karl. His baby pants were covered in brightly colored baby blocks, too.

“OK, time for your jammies,” she said.

She picked up the first of two light yellow garments. Unfolding it, it became apparent that it is was a baby-style sleeper, complete with ‘feet’. A teddy bear was embroidered just below the left shoulder with Karl’s name written in childish handwriting just beneath it. She helped him into it and zipped him up. Peter was now very excited to get put into his sleeper, too. It was identical to Karl’s, except for the name embroidered under the teddy bear, of course. They ran to grandma’s closet to inspect themselves in the mirrored doors. They were very pleased, especially since the design of their baby pants was visible through their sleepers.

“OK, boys. Let’s go back downstairs.”

The boys waddled noticeably in their heavier diapers. Grandpa gave each of them a big hug and asked if they wanted their pictures taken again. They agreed readily.

“I’ll go see what’s taking the other boys so long,” grandma announced.

Grandma came back a few minutes later just as grandpa was finishing up.

“They were being a little fussy,” she said enigmatically, “but I straightened them out. You won’t have to give any spankings, at least not this time.”

Karl and Peter were amazed. Was grandma kidding? And, what about grandpa when he answered, “Good. They’d better not forget that they’re never too old to get punished when they deserve it.”

Their fathers came down looking sheepish. They were dressed identically to their sons. Their diapers and baby pants were just as prominent and their names were written out in the same childish scrawl.

“Now,” grandma said sternly, “are you ready to behave?”

“Yes, mommy,” they answered quickly.

“Good boys,” she said softening her tone. “Daddy wants to take pictures. Would you like to do that?”

The rest of the evening passed quickly. Despite their afternoon naps, the boys were still quite tired and had trouble keeping their eyes open. Karl had a vague recollection of being carried out to the car and then being carried up to his bed and tucked in. He woke up once during the night and took great delight in wetting his diaper.

*****

Their two-week punishment passed quickly (mostly because they spent so much time together enjoying their diapers) and their privileges were restored. For Karl, however, there was an added provision should he misbehave—not only would he be grounded and lose Internet privileges, he would also lose diaper-wearing privileges.

“Gee,” Karl commented to Peter, “has that ever happened to you? Having your diapers taken away?”

“No,” Peter answered. “Sometimes my mom threatens it, but my dad never does. I think it’s because he wouldn’t want to lose his diaper privileges, either!”

Karl and his dad settled into a routine that he found very pleasant. They wore their diapers and plastic pants around the house almost all the time. When the family went out, they more often than not wore thinner diapers without plastic pants. This definitely wasn’t as good as ‘real’ diapers since they couldn’t wet them, but it was better than nothing. Evenings were Karl’s favorite time of the day. He and his dad would be heavily diapered and put into their sleepers. They now had three: yellow with the embroidered teddy bear, green with an embroidered kiddy train, and blue with black and white soccer balls. (They were always dressed as twins.) He particularly like sitting with his dad in his big recliner to watch television.

*****

One day, after school, Karl asked Peter a question.

“Would you like to wear diapers all the time?”

“Of course, I would,” he answered immediately.

“Yeah, me too,” Karl agreed. “Our dads were lucky to be able to get away with it.”

“It’s too bad that one of us doesn’t have a history of bed wetting that the other kids knew about,” Peter sighed.

The boys talked about this a few more times, but they couldn’t imagine a diaper-wearing scenario that would be believable.

*****

“How would you guys like to go on a fishing trip up to grandpa and grandma’s cabin on Columbus Day weekend?” Henry and Steve asked their sons.

The cabin was actually as comfortable as a regular house. Most importantly, there was a washer and dryer (installed specifically for Henry and Steve’s needs as boys).

“Really?” they answered excitedly.

“Yup, just the four of us.”

The boys were flying high as kites when they left Thursday after school. After a stop for dinner, they arrived at nine o’clock.

“OK, early start tomorrow,” their dads said. “Let’s get ready for bed.”

By nine-thirty they were all diapered for the night and snug in their ‘soccer’ sleepers. They were in bed and asleep by ten o’clock. Nonetheless, morning came too quickly for Karl and Peter. At five-thirty, their fathers were shaking them awake.

“Aww, can’t we sleep a few more minutes?” Karl begged.

“”None of that,” their fathers answered pleasantly. “The fish are waiting right now for us to catch them.”

They pulled the covers off the boys and unzipped their sleepers. In a few minutes, the boys were in fresh daytime diapers but still barely awake. It wasn’t until they were in the bathroom being handed their toothbrushes that they woke up completely. This was when they noticed that they were dressed in long sleeve onesies and bright red corduroy overalls.

“”We going fishing dressed like this?” they giggled.

“I don’t think the fish will care,” their fathers answered.

The boys then noticed that their dads were similarly dressed in bright blue corduroy overalls. They ate a quick breakfast and were out in the middle of the lake shortly after six o’clock. There were several other boats out on the lake. The morning started out cool and the boys were glad to keep their jackets on to cover their juvenile red overalls and bulging diapers. However, by eight o’clock the sun was up and the temperature was rising fast.

“It’s getting too warm to keep your heavy jackets on,” Karl’s dad advised.

The boys hesitated.

“Uncle Henry’s right,” Peter’s dad added. “I can see that you guys are sweating. Take your jackets off like we did.”

The boys reluctantly handed their rods to their dads and removed their jackets. They were relieved that the other boats had actually drifted farther away and that no one seemed to be paying attention to them. By ten o’clock, they had caught five nice looking trout. Only Peter’s dad hadn’t caught anything and Peter himself had caught three. They returned to shore and were tying up the boat when an older man approached them. Karl and Peter were somewhat embarrassed but their dads greeted him warmly.

“Mr. Barrett!” Henry said warmly. “Did you just get here?”

“Yup. Me and the missus pulled in about two hours ago. How have you been?”

“Very well,” Steve answered. “It’s been a while since we’ve been up here at the same time. Do you remember my son Peter?”

“This is little Peter?” Mr. Barrett exclaimed. “Why he was only so high (indicating about two and a half feet tall) when I last saw him.”

“And this is my son Karl,” Henry added. “Boys, say hello to Mr. Barrett. Mr. Barrett and grandpa used to work together. They bought these cabins up here at the same time. We used to spend a lot of time together.”

“Those were the days, weren’t they?” Mr. Barrett chuckled. “I’m glad to see that some family traditions haven’t changed, though,” he added with a twinkle in his eye.

Karl and Peter blushed while their dads chuckled along with Mr. Barrett.

“Well, anyway,” Mr. Barrett continued, “Flora and I noticed that you were out in the boat so she’s busy preparing lunch if you’d like to join us later.”

“That would be very nice,” Steve answered. “We’ve got some fish to clean and diapers to change. What time would you like us there?”

“Twelve o’clock would be fine. See you all later.”

“Dad!” Peter complained as soon as Mr. Barrett had left. “Did you have to mention that Karl and me needed diaper changes?”

“Who said I was talking about you?” his dad answered smugly.

Even Karl, who had been feeling uncomfortable about the whole situation, laughed.

Mrs. Barrett turned out to be a nice old-fashioned lady. She fussed over her four ‘boys’ and was genuinely happy to see Henry and Steve.

“Now, you boys (meaning Peter and Karl) will call me Auntie Flora like your dads used to, OK?”

Lunch was more fun than Peter and Karl thought that it would be. Mr. Barrett was a great storyteller and Mrs. Barrett’s homemade chocolate was wonderful.

“So, what have you got planned for this afternoon?” Mrs. Barrett wondered.

“We thought we’d take the boys down the hill to the air museum,” Peter’s dad said.

This was the first that Peter and Karl had heard of it and they became immediately anxious to leave.

“It’s not polite to eat and run,” Karl’s dad reminded them. “Besides, we have to help Mrs. Barrett clean up.”

Despite her protestations, the boys pitched in and helped with the table and the dishes.

“That was very kind of you. Eddie (Mr. Barrett) and I were planning on going down the hill, too. Now we can leave earlier.”

The boys and their dad went to change into more ‘normal’ clothes before heading out to the museum. Nobody needed a diaper change but a diaper bag was prepared for later on. They were in very high spirits when the accident happened.

They were nearing the foot of the hill and slowed down to make a left turn. Halfway through the turn a car came careening down the road they were turning onto. The impact was so violent that their SUV was pushed almost 200 feet down the road. Henry and Steve were badly shaken and Karl and Peter appeared to be unconscious. Their dads panicked when the saw blood coming from both of them. Luckily, the Barrett’s were only about thirty seconds behind them. Mrs. Barrett was a practicing nurse and her training took over automatically. With the assistance of her husband, she got Henry and Steve away from the car. While her husband went to check on the other driver, she gingerly climbed into the SUV to check on the boys. She immediately saw that Peter probably had a broken arm or wrist. She couldn’t see any other external injuries on either boy. She also felt reassured that their vital signs appeared to be pretty strong.

Mr. Barrett returned from examining the other car.

“I don’t know,” he said. “It looks pretty bad. How are these guys doing?”

“Fine, I think. Have you called for help?”

“Yes. It’s on its way.”

“How about Henry and Steve?”

“I told them to stay put.”

Karl started to wake up.

“What happened?” he asked.

He looked at Peter and panicked.

“Don’t worry,” Mrs. Barrett said soothingly. “He’s going to be OK.” Then, turning to her husband she said, “Get the blanket out of the car so that we can keep these guys warm.”

Karl and Peter’s father had now sufficiently recorded to be able to walk. Mr. Barrett intercepted them before they reached the car.

“Flora is tending to them. I need you to help me get a blanket and her medical kit.”

Actually, Mr. Barrett thought that it would be better if their dads didn’t see them right away, especially since Peter still seemed to be unconscious. They had just retrieved the blanket and medical supplies when the paramedics arrived. Mrs. Barrett gave them a quick report of what she had observed. She went over to the boys’ frantic dads and tried to calm them.

“They’re a little banged up and Peter may have a broken arm but, otherwise, they seem alright. I took their vital signs and they were good. Now, how about you?”

She managed to distract their dads until the boys had been taken out of the SUV on backboards and stretchers. Peter had regained consciousness. Flora determined that neither dad had any obvious injuries. The boys became genuinely scared when they couldn’t see their dads.

“Dad!” Karl called out. “Where’s my dad? Is he alright?”

“I’m right here,” Henry said approaching the gurney his son was resting on. I’ll be with you the whole time.”

“Same here,” Steve assured his son.

They were loaded into ambulances and brought to the nearby county hospital with the Barrett’s following close behind. Henry and Steve called their wives to tell them what was happening. Henry managed to convince them not to leave right away, at least not until they knew if the hospital they were going to was their final destination. The boys were tended to first. The doctor on duty ordered x-rays to determine if there were internal injuries and another set to check on Peter’s arm. In the meantime, Henry and Steve were given a more thorough checkup. The doctor cleared them and wrote a prescription to take care of the aches that he was sure they would feel later on. An embarrassing moment occurred when the doctor asked Henry and Steve what medical condition was at the root of them and their sons needing to wear diapers. Steve blushed and said simply that there was no medical problem, that is was just a “family tradition.” The doctor looked at them oddly but let it drop.

The police showed up next to take statements. Neither Henry, who was driving, not Steve could offer much information. The car had seemingly come out of nowhere and rammed them.

“Did you hear the screeching of brakes?” one police officer asked.

Neither dad could remember.

“We understand,” the police officer said sympathetically. “We’ve towed the vehicles to the police impound. I’m afraid your vehicle is a total loss. Here’s my card. Have your insurance agent contact me, if necessary. I hope your boys are going to be OK.”

“It looks good so far,” Steve answered.

“I’m glad,” the office said sincerely. “Well, thank you for your help. You have my card; if you need anything, please let me know.”

“Thank you,” Henry answered. “Before you go—there is one thing. What happened to the other driver?”

“It’s pretty serious but they that he’ll make it.”

*****

Karl and Peter were released from the hospital the following Tuesday. They both had nasty bruises and, as Mrs. Barrett had foreseen, Peter’s wrist was indeed broken. It was decided that they would be kept out of school until the following Monday to allow them to get more rest and to give their bruises additional time to fade. As far as their fathers’ injuries were concerned, they had a few days of stiffness but nothing really serious.

“Dad,” Peter asked the first night he was home, “can Karl and I wear diapers all the time now?”

“Have you and Karl been talking about this?” his dad asked in return.

“Yeah, there wasn’t much else to do in the hospital.”

“I think this needs to be discussed by everybody,” his dad suggested.

“You mean you’ll think about it?” Peter asked excitedly.

The meeting was held the following night.

“What you guys are asking for is pretty radical,” Karl’s mom pointed out. “Have you thought about how the other kids will react?”

“Yeah,” Karl answered. “But we’ll never have a better chance—coming back to school after the accident, I mean.”

“Are you going to lie to your friends about why you’re wearing diapers?” Henry asked.

“No,” Peter answered. “We figure that we won’t have to tell them why we’re wearing diapers. We’ll just say that we are, without giving a reason.”

“How long do you think you can get away with that?” Peter’s dad followed up.

“I don’t know,” Peter admitted. “But you didn’t have to wear diapers, either. Only Uncle Henry had to.”

“That is true, Steve,” Peter’s mom agreed.

“Yes, but times are different now. Kids are harder on each other,” Henry interjected.

“But we never had a fight in school,” Karl said defensively.

Actually, the decision was a foregone conclusion, given their dads’ history. The following Monday, they went to school wearing regular daytime diapers. Their friends were really happy to see them back. Peter’s cast caused a lot of comment and he had many requests to sign it. They were asked questions about the accident but they had to admit that they didn’t really remember any of it. Nobody noticed that they were in diapers so it came as a shock when Peter and Karl told their friends. (They were very careful, however, not to lie.)

“There is one thing Karl and me want you to know,” Peter said introducing the topic. “We’ll have to go to the nurse’s station a couple of times every day from now on.”

“Why?” one of their friends asked.

“To change our diapers. We’re going to be wearing them all the time now,” Karl explained.

“Is this because of the accident?” another wondered.

“Yeah,” Karl continued, “it’s related to the accident, but we really don’t want to talk about it. OK?”

Their friends were shocked and sympathetic, so they let the matter drop. Word got around school quickly and some of the boys who didn’t know Karl or Peter thought that twelve year-old boys in diapers was really funny. This led to a near fight during lunch. Kevin, who played AYSO soccer with Peter and Karl overheard a kid laughing about Karl and Peter so he called him out. Luckily, Karl and Peter were close by and they could intervene.

“No, Kevin, don’t get into trouble because of us. We don’t care if this kid thinks it’s funny that we wear diapers now.”

The kid was surprised that Karl and Peter were so open about their diapers. Nonetheless, he started calling them names directly to their face. In fact, he was so intent on mocking them that he didn’t notice that a teacher had also come onto the scene.

“Kelly, I think you’d better come with me,” the teacher said. “And you two boys,” he said to Peter and Karl, “you certainly are acting very maturely. I’m going to ask Mrs. Pelson (the principal) to tell your parents how well you’ve behaved.”

Peter and Karl would rather have not had their parents learn about the altercation but there didn’t seem to be any way to stop it. At least one good thing came out of it: the kid was suspended on the spot and this stopped any others from making blatant comment about their diapers. In fact, it only took a couple of weeks for the whole novelty of the thing to die down and everybody started treating them normally again. They continued participating in soccer and they felt comfortable changing for PE class without worrying about snide comments.

Peter and Karl could not have been happier. They definitely felt like the luckiest kids in the world.

 

 

 

The End