Summer was approaching and Henry and June were discussing possible vacation spots. So far, they were still just throwing out ideas for consideration.
“Henry, what about Disney World? The twins are old enough to enjoy it and Bryin will also find lots of things he’ll want to do.”
“Yes, that’s a great idea. Let me go online to find out what this would cost.”
About a half-hour later Henry came back to talk to his wife.
“I think this will work. We have two choices for travel. If we fly, we will be able to afford two days in Florida. If we drive, we will lose a full day each way for travel but we will be able to stay four days. There are lots of other things to do in the area so the kids shouldn’t get bored. What do you think?”
“Let’s drive. It seems such a waste to plan on spending only two days there. Go ahead and make all the reservations but let’s not get the kids all excited just yet. Let’s tell them only a few days before we leave.”
When the time came to leave, June had made all the arrangements for the house to be looked after. Tyler, her nephew who had just turned thirteen and lived only two streets away, would come by twice each day to check things out. She had left him a schedule for watering the houseplants and the yard. He also was to collect the mail and the newspaper so that the house would not look abandoned. Tyler was excited to be paid five dollars a day for doing this job.
The first morning that Bryin and his parents were away Ty went over to put the newspaper in the house and to check that nothing was wrong. That afternoon, as he was leaving to go to the park to play some ball with his friend Eddie, he reminded his mother that he would be home in time for dinner and that he would stop off to do the watering for his uncle and aunt. Ty’s mother, Melinda, was impressed at the responsibility he was taking. “I hope it lasts all six days,” she thought.
The routine continued for three days, but on the fourth day, just after Ty left for Eddie’s house, Melinda noticed that Ty still hadn’t finished mowing the backyard as he was supposed to. She decided to call Bunny Pfelgaur, Eddie’s mother, and ask her to send Ty back home before they left for the park.
“Hi Bunny, this is Melinda. Could you send Ty back home? He didn’t finish mowing the lawn and I don’t want him to get away with it.”
“Ty isn’t here. In fact, he hasn’t come by at all for the last few days.”
“What?” exclaimed a surprised Melinda, “he told me that he has been going over to your house after lunch to pick up Eddie to play ball in the park with the other kids.”
“Well, Eddie has been telling me that he and Ty were playing in the park all afternoon but I haven’t seen Ty here at all. Hang on, Eddie is grounded today because he lied to me about cleaning up his room. Let me ask him about this.”
Eddie, who had been reading in his room since his mother didn’t allow him to watch TV or listen to CDs on days when he was grounded, heard his mother’s half of the conversation and was getting nervous. What did Ty’s mom say and what should he say about where he and Ty had been going the last few days? A funny feeling began to overtake him.
“Eddie,” his mom called, “come out here a minute.”
Bunny didn’t need a road map to see that something was wrong with Eddie. Fortunately for her, Eddie was an extremely bad liar. He hadn’t yet realized (and Bunny hoped that he never would) that he unconsciously blinked twice before and after each lie he told.
“Where have you and Ty been going every afternoon?”
Blink, blink, “To the park,” Eddie answered. Blink, blink.
“No, you haven’t. Answer me truthfully. Where have you been?”
Blink, blink. “At the park.” Blink, blink.
“This is your last chance, young man, where have you two been going?”
Eddie knew that his mother had this uncanny ability to know when he was lying. He also knew that when she used the “young man” line he had better confess or he would really be sorry.
“To Bryin’s house,” he finally whispered.
“To Bryin’s house?” she repeated. “Why?”
“To play.”
“All afternoon?”
“Yes.”
“Why at Bryin’s house and not at the park?”
Blink, blink. “I dunno.” Blink, blink.
“Yes, you do know. Now, out with it,” shouted his mom.
Blink, blink. “We didn’t do anything wrong!” Blink, blink.
Bunny put the phone back up to her ear.
“Did your hear that?”
“Yes, Bunny, I did. Something is going on over at June and Henry’s. Can I come over to talk to Eddie directly?”
When she arrived, she found an agitated Eddie sitting in the living room with his mother across from him, a hard look on her face.
“Eddie, is Ty over at Bryin’s house now?” asked Melinda.
Blink, blink. “I dunno.” Blink, blink.
“Yes, he is,” insisted Bunny.
“Is Ty expecting you to join him this afternoon?”
Blink, Blink. “No.” Blink, blink.
“Yes, he is,” Bunny insisted again.
“OK,” said Melinda, “let’s go find out what’s going on. I think Eddie should come with us.”
“NO!!… I mean, there’s nothing going on over there. You don’t have to go,” Eddie pleaded.
“Oh, I think you’ve confirmed that we do have to go. Now, get up and let’s take a walk over there.
Eddie has seen lots of TV shows and movies about condemned killers being led to execution and now he was sure he knew how they felt. He could hardly walk and he felt like all his insides were shaking.
“Have you and Ty been meeting somewhere else before coming over here?” Bunny asked.
Blink, blink, blink, blink. “Ah, he must have thought about lying and decided against it,” Bunny thought.
“I’m waiting for an answer, young man.”
They had arrived at the Bistwicks.
“No. I knock with the secret knock and if he’s already there he lets me in. If he’s not there yet, I wait on the front step.”
“Well, I think we can safely assume that he is already here; use your ‘secret knock’,” his mother sarcastically said.
Eddie raised his shaking fist to the door and looked back pleadingly at his mother.
“Knock,” she insisted.
Knock, knock. Pause. Knock, knock, knock. Pause. Knock.
In a few seconds, the door began opening.
“Hey, Eddie, I’m glad you showed up. Your diaper and plastic pants are laid out on Bry…”
Eddie was the only one who didn’t have a shocked look on his face. He also frantically hoped that no one else understood the significance of what Ty had just said.
For about a second everyone stood frozen in place before Ty’s mother entered the house closely followed by the others.
Ty thought about running but he realized that there was no point to it. His mother looked at him again and still couldn’t believe what she saw: her thirteen year old son wearing one of his cousin’s thick daytime diapers and plastic pants! She also noticed that he was wearing the white socks with the little diamonds up the side that he had refused to wear when she gave them to him because they were “babyish”. She was furious. Bunny, on the other hand, thought he looked rather cute. She couldn’t help but think that there had to be something “funny” in this family if both sisters had boys who wanted to wear diapers.
“Explain,” Ty’s mother said, between gritted teeth.
“I, uh…, uh…, they were there, and I, uh…, uh…,saw them, and I wore them.”
“That’s obvious- but, it’s not an explanation. Do you like wearing diapers??”
“Kinda.”
“That’s not an answer, either.”
“Well, I told Bryin he was lucky to wear diapers and then he let me try some of his, and then I liked them.”
“Bryin knows about this? How long have you been doing this?”
“I don’t know. A long time. Since second grade”
“Second
grade! You’ll be going into the eighth grade this fall. You mean to say that
Bryin has been secretly giving you diapers to wear for over five years?”
“I guess so- but not very often. Before they left on vacation Bryin said that I could wear as many as I wanted. The only thing was that I had to make sure that they were all clean when they came back.”
“Does aunt June know about this?”
“No.”
During the questioning Ty was becoming more and more nervous about the consequences of his actions. Would he be grounded? Would the money he was earning by taking care of his uncle and aunt’s house be taken away? (He had planned on buying disposable diapers with part of the money.) How would his dad react? Come to think of it, why was he admitting all of this so readily to his mom? He was increasingly unable to control the tears that had pooled in his eyes. They now started streaming down his face and sobs began wracking his whole body. He once again wanted to hide somewhere and never come out (as long as he could keep the diapers!).
Meanwhile, Eddie was relieved that no one was paying attention to him. Suddenly, though, his mother flashed backed to the words that Ty had said when he opened the door.
“Alright, Eddie,” asked his mother, “what about you?”
“What?” Eddie responded, with (he hoped) an innocent face.
“You know what I mean. It obvious from what Tyler said that “your” diaper and plastic pants are ready. You’ve been wearing Bryin’s diapers too, haven’t you?”
Blink. Blink. Blink. Blink.
“Yes.”
Bunny and Melinda looked at each other in amazement. They had talked about Bryin and how he seemed to have an uncanny ability to make people accept him in spite of his diapers. And now their sons wanted to imitate him. Since Melinda wasn’t saying anything, Bunny took charge.
“OK, Eddie, prove it.”
“Huh?”
“Prove it,” she repeated, “come here.”
Warily Eddie approached his mother.
“Oh, come on, I’m not going to hit you. Come here so I can undress you so you can go put your diaper on.”
“Oh,” he whispered.
He allowed the removal of his shirt, shoes, and pants before he objected to her pulling down his underpants.
“Mom, not in front of Mrs. Hardymon!”
“If you guys are serious, I’m sure both of us will be seeing your diaper areas on a regular basis.” Holding his elbow, she removed his last bit of clothing.”
The battle already lost, Eddie nevertheless attempted to preserve his modesty by covering himself with his hands.
“Can you put your own diaper on?,” she asked.
“Ty usually helps me.”
“Can Ty go help him?” Bunny asked Melinda.
“Yeah, sure.” she answered bewilderedly.
“OK, you boys can go,” Bunny announced.
Eddie took off like he was being chased by a snake. He was at the top of the stairs and running into Bryin’s room in just under three seconds. Tyler was close behind.
“Where does June keep her old shopping bags?” Bunny asked Melinda.
“In the laundry behind the kitchen… Bunny, what are you doing?” she added in an exasperated tone. “Why are you letting Eddie put diapers on?”
“Let’s talk in the laundry where the boys won’t hear us.” she answered. “It’s simple, really. They claim they want to wear diapers- like Bryin does. Bryin wears his without pants inside the house and in his yard. Everyone knows that. Well, when the boys come back to the living room we’ll fold their pants, shirts, and underwear into this bag,” she said, picking one up, “and announce that it’s time to walk home. I’m sure they’ll freak out at the thought of going outside in diapers, especially out on the street where their friends could possibly see them. So, when they refuse, we order them to take the diapers off, and threaten to tan their hides if they ever pull a stunt like this again.”
The two mothers walked back to the living room.
“Melinda, call up to Tyler and ask him to bring all his clothes down when Eddie is ready.”
In the meantime, Eddie and Ty were nervously discussing the situation in Bryin’s room.
“I don’t get it,” Ty was saying, “why is your mother making you wear a diaper too? Obviously, my mother isn’t happy about me wearing one. I’m really scared about what my dad is going to do and say when my mom tells him.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean. Ever since my dad died my mom has always done enough yelling for two parents. I don’t know about your mom, but I think my mom is going to ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’ over me being in a diaper and try to embarrass me into not wearing one again.”
“You’re probably right.” Ty agreed. The diapering continued in silence until Ty’s mom called up to him to bring his clothes down. Eddie was just finishing, adjusting the plastic pants over his diaper.
“We’ll be right down,” he answered, “Well, Eddie, here goes nothing. I guess we’re going to get it now.”
“OK, guys,” Melinda began, “it’s time to tell the truth.”
“That’s right,” added Bunny, “total honesty is what we need right now. Sit down.”
Eddie and Ty were shocked at their mothers’ calm. Was this a trick? What would happen if they did tell the truth?
It was now Bunny’s turn to receive a shock, albeit a rather pleasant one. When Eddie sat down, he sat right next to his mother and gave her a hug and thanked her for letting him wear the diaper.
Eddie monopolized the conversation, explaining how much he loved the feeling of diapers, how they made him feel safe and secure, and how having Bryin and Ty to talk to about diapers made him feel better about his own desires. Ty didn’t add too much to the conversation except an occasional “Uh huh” to agree with Eddie.
Bunny and Melinda allowed the boys to express themselves fully, but they weren’t happy about it one bit. They couldn’t help but feel as if they themselves had done something wrong to make their boys turn out this way. They remained determined to get the boys to renounce diaper wearing once and for all.
“Alright, boys. You certainly answered honestly. Now, it’s time to go back home. We all need more time to think about this. Eddie, give me your foot, I’ll put your shoes on for you.”
“Gee, mom. I’m not a baby,” he objected.
His mom’s gentle tug on his plastic pants made Eddie turn red with embarrassment, mostly for having fallen into such an obvious trap.
“Ty hand me your clothes so I can put them in this bag,” Melinda casually said as Ty was tying his shoes.
Unthinkingly, he handed them to his mom. A few seconds later Eddie realized what was happening. (Eddie knew that they had walked the two blocks from home but he didn’t know if Ty knew that. Maybe Ty was under the impression that they had driven over.)
“You mean, we have to walk home in just our diapers?” Eddie asked with a quavering voice.
“What?!” screeched Ty in response.
“Of course,” Bunny insisted, “Bryin thinks nothing of going around diapered in front of his neighborhood friends. I don’t think anyone around here will think it’s very strange at all. And, it won’t be long before all our neighbors find out about your diapers. There really is no reason to postpone the inevitable.” Melinda and Bunny exchanged a smug look as the observed the dismay on their sons’ faces.
“Can we have a few minutes to talk about it privately?” Ty asked.
“Of, course,” Melinda agreed. “Come on, Bunny. Let’s go up to Bryin’s room and see how much damage the boys have done to his diaper supply. I imagine that we’ll need to come back to do at least one load of laundry. Don’t take too long, guys.”
Once their mothers had left, Eddie turned to Ty. “Are you sure you want to do this? You didn’t say very much before and I was wondering if you were backing down.”
“Well…, sure…, I guess… I don’t know. I nearly peed my diaper when you said we’d have to walk home!”
“I’m scared about that, too. But, I still want to do it. If we say we won’t walk home like this, we probably won’t ever have another chance to wear diapers again. They’ll be watching us like hawks.”
“You know what else I just thought of?” Ty added, “Bryin is also going to get into trouble now that our moms know he has been supplying us with diapers. Heck, my dad is probably going to ground me for a hundred years. I may as well enjoy them in diapers. OK, I’ll do it.”
“Kewl,” Eddie affirmed as he high-fived Ty. “Hey, I’ve got an idea that may get us our shirts and pants back. Shhh. Here come our moms, look serious and follow my lead,” he whispered to Ty.
At the foot of the stairs, Bunny asked if they have reached a decision.
“Yes,” Eddie answered, “We’re ready to go home.”
Melinda and Bunny looked crestfallen. They couldn’t believe what they had just heard. Before they could respond, Eddie continued, “That is, unless it might get you into trouble. We wouldn’t want anyone to see us with you and have them call the police to report cruelty to children...”
Melinda was visibly shaken by this but Bunny what wasn’t fooled. “Oh, no you don’t. You’re not turning this into our problem. This is your problem. There are two choices for getting home- you go dressed as you are in diapers and plastic pants or we give you back your clothes and regular underwear and you never touch another diaper again.” Turning to Bunny, she explained, “Everyone in this neighborhood has either seen or heard stories about Bryin in his diapers. Two more boys in diapers isn’t going to raise an eyebrow. I hope our boys won’t make a habit out of going around in just diapers but if they want diapers, this is the price they have to pay.” Melinda agreed.
Eddie and Ty adjusted themselves to the inevitable. Going home in just diapers was imminent (and somehow exciting).
“Let’s get going,” Melinda said, picking up the bag with the boys’ clothes in it and heading out the door. The others followed.
“Hold up guys,” Melinda announced “I’ve got to find the key so I can lock the deadbolt.” She winked at Bunny to indicate that she was deliberately stalling so that the boys would get “maximum exposure” time. Bunny winked back to say that she understood.
Meanwhile, the boys were nervously scanning the street and sidewalk for anyone who might see them. Luckily, the closest people seemed to be a group of girls sitting and talking on someone’s lawn down the street and too far away to be a threat. Or so they hoped.
Finally, Melinda “found” her key and they started walking, with the boys staying close behind. The first block and a half went well- they met no one. But, just as they were approaching the final turn onto their street, Ty’s mother said, “Isn’t that Mark Haddlin’s mom walking her two year old? What’s his name? Sean??” Of course she knew the answers to all these questions. She was just getting Ty and Eddie ready for their first encounter with someone they knew. And, worst of all, this was the mother of one of their classmates. “Well,” thought Ty, “everyone’s going to know now.”
“Hello, Martha,” Melinda and Bunny chimed simultaneously. “How’s everything?”
“Oh, just fi..fine,” Mrs. Haddlin answered, doing a double-take as she noticed the boys behind their mothers. “How are you?”
“Just great. Fantastic.” answered Bunny and Melinda. “Sean sure is growing fast!” Melinda gushed.
“Y..Yes, he’s just fine,” countered Mrs. Haddlin, wondering to herself what was going on here.
“You know,” Bunny added, “no matter how much they grow up, they’ll always be our babies.” Melinda almost burst out laughing, barely containing herself.
The boys, of course, wanted to melt into the sidewalk. They didn’t dare look at Mrs. Haddlin and concentrated at looking down at the ground. Noticing that the boys weren’t watching, Melinda hand signaled to Martha that she would call her later and explain what was going on. Martha relaxed visibly, and, as she continued on her way she couldn’t resist saying to the boys, “Well, I see you guys found a unique way to stay cool and comfy on a hot day like this. Mark was wondering if you were around these days. I’ll let him know that you haven’t gone anywhere.”
“Boys, look at Mrs. Haddlin when she’s talking to you. And thank her for letting Mark know that you’ll be around the neighborhood all summer.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Haddlin.”
“You’re very welcome, boys. I’m sure Mark will be over to see you soon.”
***
Melinda called Luke to tell him of the events of the day. For the first ten minutes his head was reeling from the overload of information Melinda was giving him; during the next ten he was angry; and finally, by the end of the conversation he asked to speak to Ty. Nervously, Ty took the phone from his mother.
“So, Ty, your mother has just told me quite a story. First off, I want you to know that I don’t know yet exactly how I feel about this. Probably less shocked than someone else would be because of your cousin Bryin, but still very shocked. Your mother says that you want to start wearing diapers fulltime right away. Shouldn’t you think about that a little bit first? Think about your friends’ reactions. And are you really serious about wearing them to school, to soccer? I’m really worried that you’re rushing this.”
“Dad,” Ty answered, “I know it’s all new for you but not for me. Bryin, Eddie, and I have talked a lot about this. I know I don’t need more time.” Ty sounded a lot more confident than he felt but he sensed that this would probably be his only chance to get what he wanted so he might as well go all the way.
After a short pause Ty’s Dad answered with a simple “I see. Put your mother back on the phone.”
“Well,” Ty’s dad started, “I just don’t know what to say. I don’t want to be angry, but I am.”
“Tell me about it;” answered his mother, “what are we going to do?”
“You’ve talked to him longer than I have; what do you think?”
“I think that until he tries it, there will be no peace around here. Bunny thinks the same thing about Eddie, too. If anything, he’s even more adamant than Ty. I would rather know what they’re doing than having them sneak around behind our backs. I think we should buy a short-term supply for now and see what happens. Although my gut tells me that neither Ty nor Eddie is going to change very soon.”
“Yes, I understand,” answered Luke, “of course, there is another issue here: what’s the sexual tie-in? They’re just coming into puberty so where will this lead? I’m not too comfortable about that.”
“I’ve thought of that, too, but the time doesn’t seem quite right. No matter what, it is our obligation to guide him, but we won’t be able to control that behavior.”
“Yeah, that’s the truth, for sure. Well, go ahead and do what you think you have to. If Bunny agrees, take the boys to the medical supply store and make sure they ask the salesperson for diapers for themselves. Maybe when they understand this, they won’t be so keen on the idea.”
“OK, I’ll give it a try,” Melinda agreed, “but, even though they got scared during our walk home, I’m pretty sure they won’t change their minds. See you later, drive safely. I love you.”
“Well?” Ty queried.
“He said to go to the medical store, BUT you will have to ask for the diapers and plastic pants yourselves and you will have to make sure the clerk knows who they’re for. Is that clear?”
The boys looked at each other questioningly, but they answered “Yes!” simultaneously and enthusiastically.
Their mothers now searched for something suitable for them to wear over their diapers and plastic pants. The best they could find were a couple of Ty’s gym shorts. When they sat down opposite each other in the den waiting for their mothers, they giggled when they saw that the side slit in the gym shorts exposed about two inches of their plastic pants.
At the store, the boys piled out of the car with Eddie leading the way. Suddenly, he stopped causing Ty to slam into him.
“Jeez, what’s the matter? You want me to break a leg or someth..?”
Ty stopped in mid-sentence as he too saw what had caused Eddie’s sudden halt. Behind the counter was Mr. Goodwin, the vice principal of their middle school. Having heard the door open, he greeted the boys and their mothers.
“Well, hello. I bet you’re surprised to see me here,” he began. “My father-in-law owns this place and every summer I spend a few weeks here so that he can have vacation time. Come on in. How can I help you?”
Melinda and Bunny were thrilled at this unexpected good luck. Surely, the boys would be too embarrassed to ask Mr. Goodwin for help in buying diapers and plastic pants. In fact, standing behind the boys, Melissa thought she could see them shaking, especially at the knees. Bunny noticed the same thing and hoped that this would be the end of this “diaper thing”.
Both boys stood tongue-tied for several seconds; their mothers were hoping that they would back down. Mr. Goodwin, experienced in these things, had already sized up the situation. In the fifteen years he had helped out his father-in-law, he had already seen similar scenes played out. His major concern was whether or not the boys were being forced into diapers. If true, that would be cruel and he couldn’t allow any parent to do that. He didn’t believe that Melinda and Bunny were that kind of parent but he would report them if they were. Mr. Goodwin told himself that he would have to tread carefully so that he could protect the boys, if need be.
Meanwhile, the boys had regained their composure. However, Ty was acutely aware that out of nervousness he had just wet his diaper.
“I’m here because I need some diapers and plastic pants,” Eddie stated, his voice sounding louder than he had intended.
Ty noticed that Eddie had not included him in the request. He couldn’t let his friend down, so he added, “Me, too.”
Eddie suddenly thought about a story they had read in history class last year. Something about Julius Caesar and how he had thrown a die across a river… or something. It was supposed to mean that he had made a decision and acted upon it in a way that could not be reversed. He knew that he and Ty had just done that. “Oh, boy,” he thought, as he too wet his diaper.
“OK,” Mr. Goodwin answered, “Excuse me for saying this but you boys are wearing rather short gym pants and I can see that you are already fairly thickly diapered. Do you want the same kind of diaper or do you want something else? Also, if those diapers were purchased here maybe you know their stock number. That would simplify things.”
Melinda spoke up before the boys could answer. “Actually, Mr. Goodwin, the diapers they are wearing belong to Tyler’s cousin Bryin. Since he is about a year younger than these guys, I think we need to start from the beginning and measure them for new diapers.”
“I see. And by the way, please call me Paul. I know who Bryin is. Let me look up his records in the computer to see what sizes he wears.”
After a few keystrokes and clicks of the mouse Bryin’s record was displayed. Eddie and Ty approached to get a look at the screen.
“Normally, I wouldn’t let you look at someone else’s record, but since you’re family I guess it’s OK. Hmmm, according to this he wears a DTR12 diaper and a P12L plastic pant. May I take the boys’ waist measurements?” Mr. Goodwin asked.
“Certainly,” answered Bunny.
“Sure, go ahead,” Melinda seconded.
“Ok, boys. Raise your shirts, please, so that I can take accurate measurements.”
The boys glowed red as they raised their shirts and exposed about two inches of their diapers and plastic pants while Mr. Goodwin took their measurements.
“Ok, you can lower your shirts now. I think they should move up to the next size, DTR16 diapers and P16L plastic pants.” Mr. Goodwin announced to the mothers. “They will be somewhat thicker, but they have almost outgrown the DTR12’s and it wouldn’t seem to make sense to buy more of that size. By the way, I am presuming that you want to stay with the flannel diapers. They are somewhat more expensive but they do absorb the best and they do last the longest.”
“Don’t ask us,” Bunny said. “That’s the boys’ decision to make.”
“Uh, yeah, that’s what we want,” Ty stammered. “Isn’t that right, Eddie?”
“Yeah, that’s right.” Eddie echoed.
“Good. How many of each?” Mr. Goodwin said, glancing toward the mothers whom he presumed would make the decision.
“I think Tyler will start with 30 diapers and 18 plastic pants. Twelve plastic pants that fit over one diaper for daytime wear and 6 that fit over two diapers for nighttime,” Melissa instructed Mr. Goodwin.
“The same for Eddie,” Bunny concluded after pausing for a few seconds.
“Fine. Is it OK if the boys come with me to the storeroom to pick up these supplies? It would save me a few trips,” Mr. Goodwin inquired of the mothers.
“Sure, that’s fine,” they agreed.
Mr. Goodwin really did need their help, but what he was most interested in seeing was the boys’ reaction to the diapers and plastic pants. Boys who were being forced into diapers didn’t want to stay in the storeroom any longer than necessary and they carried the diapers and plastic pants as if they were infected with the plague.
So, as soon as he saw the awe and wonder in their eyes and the poking and giggling they were doing he knew that they were going into diapers enthusiastically. He piled as many diapers and plastic pants as they could carry onto their outstretched arms. The rest he brought out front himself. The combined order made quite a stack on the counter.
“How about diaper pins, wipes, powder, and rash cream?” Mr. Goodwin enquired.
“What do you suggest?” Melinda answered.
“Well, if you’ll step over here I can show you what most of our clients prefer...”
Meanwhile, Eddie and Ty were becoming increasingly uncomfortable in their wet diapers. In their enthusiasm and nervousness earlier in the day neither had done a good job of diapering himself. In fact, Eddie hadn’t even remembered to use powder so he was really beginning to itch. Ty was beginning to get annoyed at his mother. What was taking so long? How hard could it be to pick out powder and cream? He glanced back at the animated conversation that was going on. “Jeez,” he thought, “how interesting can that stuff be? Why don’t they make up their minds?” Eddie saw Ty’s growing discomfort and asked him what was wrong.
“I really have to pee and I know I’m going to flood my diaper real bad.”
“Oh,” Eddie answered. “I’ve already wet my diaper twice and now I’m getting real itchy. We forgot to put powder on me.”
“Oh yeah, sorry about that.”
Finally, their mothers were heading back to the counter with Mr. Goodwin. Eddie was so itchy that he couldn’t help squirming and rubbing the back of his plastic pants. For his part Ty had flooded his diaper just as he had predicted.
Mr. Goodwin noticed the strong pee smell as well as Eddie’s squirming so he asked Melinda and Bunny if they wanted to change the boys’ diapers. Both mothers answered that Ty and Eddie were on their own in that department, at least for the time being. Mr. Goodwin then asked the boys directly. Although profoundly embarrassed, Ty and Eddie were so desperate to get out of their soaked and itchy diapers that they agreed.
“Alright,” Mr. Goodwin answered encouragingly. “Let me show you to the changing rooms. It will be OK to wear these new diapers because we pre-wash them for you. Here, you’d better take this box of wipes and some powder.”
Mr. Goodwin pointed them toward the rooms and then returned to the front of the store to finish processing the order.
As soon as Mr. Goodwin was out of sight, Eddie knocked on Ty’s dressing room door. “Can I come in,” he whispered.
“Sure, it’s not locked. I was hoping you would come and help me,” Ty answered.
Ty had already taken off his shorts. He saw that the store provided large plastic bags into which they could put their wet diapers and plastic pants. Now that Eddie was here he felt more at ease. He began by carefully unpinning his diaper and placing both the diaper and plastic pants inside the bag.
“If it’s not too gross, would you help me finish getting cleaned up?” Ty asked sheepishly. He was desperately trying not to have an erection but he was losing the battle real fast.
“No problem,” Eddie said willingly. “I’ll wipe your back side, but you’ll have to wipe your front.”
This was as close as Eddie came to acknowledging that he had noticed Ty’s erection. After a thorough cleaning, Ty folded the diaper on the changing table and lied down on it. Eddie helped him pull it up firmly between his legs and fasten two pins on each side. Each boy expressed amazement at the extreme thickness of the new diapers. Lastly, Ty pulled up his new plastic pants and Eddie double checked that all the diaper material was properly encased inside.
“Kewl, I think you’re going to really like the thickness of these new diapers,” Ty predicted.
“Now, me,” Eddie said. “My diaper is so full, it’s practically ready to float away.”
Despite his nervousness at changing in a public place, Eddie’s pleasure was nonetheless evident. Finally, the boys retrieved their shorts and began putting them on.
“Uh, oh,” Ty said first. “I think we’ve got trouble.”
“Yeah, I know. I can’t get my shorts over the diaper. They’re way too tight.”
“Wait, I think I’m getting it…” Ty began.
A sudden ripping sound was following by a loud “Shit!” from Eddie. The side seam of the gym shorts couldn’t handle the bulk and had come apart.
“I’m sorry,” he said to his friend, “I just ripped the shorts you loaned me.”
“They were old, anyway. But how are we going to leave the store now? I can’t get my shorts to fit either. If I pull any harder these will rip, too.”
A knock at the door interrupted the conversation.
“What’s taking you boys so long?” Melinda asked.
Tyler opened the door and explained the problem to his mom.
“Well, there’s nothing we can do now,” she said. “We’ll get you boys some bigger shorts and pants later but, right now, we need to get home. Josie will be back from day camp soon and I need to fix dinner. We’ll solve this problem tomorrow. Until then, it looks like you guys will only have diapers to wear.”
“But, mom, what about Mr. Goodwin, and getting to the car…” whined Tyler.
“Hey, you guys wanted this. You’ve already been seen in just diapers- one more time won’t matter. Besides, Mr. Goodwin won’t go around telling anyone and it won’t be long before all your friends will know anyway. Come on, the car is parked right out front. I’ll go out first to open it up.”
Seeing the condition the boys were in and guessing at what the problem was, Mr. Goodwin volunteered to take the four enormous bags of diapers and plastic pants out to the car. Melinda opened the trunk and the driver’s door and sat behind the wheel. Bunny and Mr. Goodwin came out next. Because the boys were anxious to get into car, they raced out from the store when it looked like no one was out on the street. Unfortunately, Melinda hadn’t yet unlocked the other doors and the boys were left outside tugging on the door handle.
“Mom, open the door,” Ty screeched in a near panic.
“Let go of the handle,” Melinda responded
It took three attempts before the boys released the door handle to synchronize with Melinda’s pushing of the “unlock” button. In the meantime, Eddie and Ty’s hollering caused passersby to notice them. Finally seated inside, Ty was pretty sure that nobody on the street knew who they were.
“Well, I guess no damage was done,” Ty said.
While driving home, Melinda asked Bunny if she and Eddie would like to stay to dinner. She justified the invitation by saying that she, Bunny, and Luke had some talking to do. Bunny agreed.
As they got closer to home, Eddie and Ty began to understand the permanence of their situation. Eddie whispered to Ty, “Man, we gotta talk, too. What will the guys think of us now?”
“OK, boys,” Melinda said pulling into the driveway and popping open the trunk, “get the packages into the house while we get dinner started.”