The boys were still in the back seat, checking out the neighborhood as best they could.
“I guess the coast is clear,” Eddie speculated. “At least, I don’t see anyone.”
They both got out on the same side, toward the bushes that lined the driveway, thinking that this offered them better protection. They quickly gathered the bags from the trunk and headed for the house. They were almost there when Mark Haddlin silently approached on his bike. He stopped across the street and stared at the retreating boys. “What are they doing outside in diapers?” he thought. Just a few hours ago his mother had told him about seeing them walking in the neighborhood in nothing but diapers and plastic pants. Now they were in front of Ty’s house, their diapers and plastic pants almost as exposed as earlier. He hadn’t really believed his mother when she said that she had seen them in diapers. Now, it was obvious that it was true. He desperately needed to find out more.
Melinda told the boys to put the bags in the den and to sort out half for each of them. Ty’s would go up to his room and Eddie’s would go back into the bags for him to take home.
“Mom, what do we do with our wet diapers and plastic pants?” Ty asked.
“Keep them in the plastic bags. We’ll take them back to uncle Henry and aunt June’s to wash with the others you wore.”
They had finished sorting the two piles when Ty heard Josie’s bus drop her off.
“Oh God,” he said nervously, wondering how his sister was going to react to his diapers.
“Mom, mom,” Josie called, “we got to ride horses today.”
She was so anxious to relate the experience to her mother that she didn’t even glance into the den as she went by.
“Let’s get out of here,” Ty whispered to Eddie. “My stuff needs to go up to my room anyway.”
They headed up to Ty’s room and closed the door.
“I don’t know where to put all this stuff,” Ty announced uncertainly. “Let’s just dump them here by my dresser.”
“You know, you can’t avoid your sister forever,” Eddie sensibly pointed out.
“I know, it’s just that she already thinks Bryin is weird. Now she’s going to say the same things about me. I hope my mom and dad don’t let her get away with a lot of teasing.”
Downstairs Josie had finished telling her mom and Mrs. Pfelgaur about her day. She headed off toward the den to watch TV.
“Mom, what are all these diapers and plastic pants doing in our den?” she shouted to her mother who was still in the kitchen.
Upstairs, the boys heard Josie calling to her mother.
“Oh, great, now it’s starting,” Ty worried.
“Yeah, I guess so,” Eddie agreed. “but, you know what? Your sister isn’t looking at Bryin’s diapers and she’s not looking at yours- she’s looking at mine. I guess I know what you mean about your sister finding out. I’m not very comfortable at the thought that she’s seeing my diapers and plastic pants up close.”
“Ty, come down here and finish sorting out these things,” his mother shouted to him.
“Can’t we finish later?” he asked, stalling for time.
“Come on,” Eddie encouraged, “two minutes more or less isn’t going to matter.”
Eddie had already opened the door and was heading down the hallway. Ty had no choice but to follow. Since she heard the boys coming downstairs, Mrs. Hardymon held off calling Ty a second time. She did, however, decide to keep a sharp ear out while Josie found out the truth.
“Please put those down,” Eddie said with all the dignity he could muster. (Josie had picked a pair of his plastic pants and was examining them closely.)
Turning around she let out a sharp squeal of surprise. “Eddie! Why are you wearing Bryin’s diapers?”
“These aren’t Bryin’s, they’re mine.”
“Yours?”
“Yes, mine.”
It was at this moment that Eddie became aware that Ty had not followed him into the den.
“Does Ty know?” she asked.
Ty finally got up enough courage to enter the den.
“Yeah, I know,” he answered.
Josie’s second squeal was louder and longer than the first.
“Josie,” her mother admonished her from the kitchen, “keep your voice down. The neighbors will think we’re torturing you.”
“But, mom,” she answered, “this is too funny. How come Ty and Eddie are in diapers?
“You’ll have to ask them.”
“Please put my pants down,” Eddie repeated.
“Oooh, does the little boy not want anyone touching his baby panties?” she mocked.
“That’s enough, Josie,” Ty warned.
“I don’t know if wearing diapers and baby panties is good for you guys. It seems to make you really crabby,” she continued.
“Give me my pants,” Eddie insisted.
“Just do it,” Ty said.
“Oooh, the babies are getting frustrated,” she teased, waving the pants above her head.
Eddie got mad. He grabbed the pants she held over her head and yanked them. This threw her off balance causing her to fall and bang her head against the glass-topped end table.
“Oww,” she shrieked as she rubbed her head just above her ear.
Eddie was the first to notice the blood on Josie’s fingers.
“Quick,” he ordered Ty, “get a towel and some ice. And get your mom in here.”
The second order was unnecessary as both mothers had coming rushing from the kitchen when they heard the crash.
“What’s going on?” Mrs. Hardymon demanded.
“Josie fell and hit her head against the end table. I think she cut herself,” Eddie explained.
Josie was now sobbing and looking toward her mother for comfort. Her mother gingerly examined the wound. “I think it’s just a cut. There doesn’t seem to be a gash.”
Ty came back with a small baggie filled with ice and a towel.
“Give me those,” Mrs. Hardymon said. “Honey, cuts on the head bleed a lot but that’s OK. The blood flow will help protect you from infection. But, we’re going to have to go to the emergency room so a doctor can look at it. I’m going to help you up. Your head will probably hurt as you begin to stand but the pain should go away quickly. Now, let’s get you up.”
“Oww, it hurts,” Josie protested.
“I know, honey, I know,” she said sympathetically. “Let’s get this towel on the cut and then you can hold the ice in place and the pain will start to go away.”
Mrs. Hardymon and Josie left for the emergency room. Mrs. Pfelgaur stayed to watch the boys.
“Alright, Eddie, what went on to cause Josie to bang her head against the end table?” his mother asked.
“She had a pair of my plastic pants and she kept calling them panties. She wouldn’t give them back so I grabbed them and she (Blink, blink.) just fell (Blink, blink.),” Eddie explained.
“She ‘just fell’?” Mrs. Pfelgaur asked incredulously.
Blink, blink. “Yes.” Blink, blink.
“Eddie…” his mother warned.
“I didn’t mean to push her,” Eddie confessed. “I just wanted to get my plastic pants back- they’re not panties. She was making fun of me,” he ended lamely.
“Eddie, you could have hurt her seriously. We’ll be very lucky if Josie only has a cut. You do realize that I’ll have to pay for the emergency room and whatever other treatment Josie may require, don’t you?”
“What about insurance?”
“It’s still going to cost something. We’ll finish this discussion later, after Josie and Mrs. Hardymon get back. Where’s Tyler?”
“He went up to his room.”
“One last thing before you go. You’re going to have to learn to control your temper. Josie won’t be the only person to make fun of your diapers.”
“Yeah, I know,” he agreed sullenly.
Eddie went upstairs to Ty’s room while Mrs. Pfelgaur went to check on dinner. Ty was laying on his bed listening to a CD. Eddie stared at his friend for a few moments. He always enjoyed looking at the way diapers and plastic pants puffed out, especially when someone was laying on their stomach.
“Whatcha doing?” he asked. No response. “Ty,” he said a little louder. No response again. Eddie reached over and touched Ty on his back, just above the waistband of his plastic pants. “Hey, Ty…”
Ty simultaneously jumped in surprise and rolled over onto his back, hitting his head against the headboard.
“Oww,” he moaned, “my head.” He ripped off his headphones and held his head in both hands.
“Oh, no,” Eddie cried, panicking, “not again. Is it bleeding? Where does your head hurt?”
“Right here,” Ty said, jumping toward his friend and grabbing his hands to wrestle him onto the bed. They playfully fought each other until they fell off the bed into a tangled heap of arms and legs.
“Gotcha,” Ty said triumphantly.
“You scared the crap out of me,” Eddie complained.
“Oh, really? How come I don’t smell anything coming from your diapers?” he laughed.
“You know what I mean,” Eddie answered seriously. “I hope there’s nothing wrong with your sister.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Ty assured his friend. “My mom used to be a nurse. She’s pretty good at diagnosing stuff- she’s almost always right.”
This new piece of knowledge reassured Eddie. If only Ty hadn’t said ‘almost always’ he would have been completely at ease.
*****
Mr. Hardymon arrived home before Josie and his wife. He was surprised to find Bunny Pfelgaur finishing up the dinner preparations. She quickly informed him of Josie’s accident and of his wife’s diagnosis of her injuries. None of this helped to improve his mood. All the way home he had gotten madder and madder as he thought about Ty’s behavior.
“Is Tyler here?” he asked.
“Yes, he and Eddie are upstairs.”
“Tyler, get down here now,” his dad yelled up the stairs.
“Uh, oh,” Ty said to Eddie, “my dad’s home. And that’s his ‘mad’ voice.”
“Do you want me to go down with you?” Eddie wondered.
“Nah, your mom will probably yell at you later. But thanks for offering.”
Ty headed downstairs. He couldn’t miss his father’s look of disgust as he watched him come down the stairs.
“Into the den,” Mr. Hardymon ordered.
Ty hesitated for a second. What would his father say when he saw Eddie’s diapers and plastic pants laying on the couch? Unknown to him Mrs. Pfelgaur had already straightened out the room. Eddie’s things were sitting by the door in two plastic bags. Also, she had cleaned up the small smudge of blood on the end table where Josie hit her head. Mr. Hardymon noticed the bags of diapers and plastic pants.
“Are those your new baby pants and diapers?” he asked sarcastically.
“Uh, no,” Ty said hesitatingly.
“No?” his father questioned, a confused look on his face.
“Mine are already in my room. Those are Eddie’s diap… things.”
“You mean that mom bought you this much stuff, too?”
Ty could see that his father was getting more irritated with each question. As afraid as he was to answer, he was even more afraid not to answer.
“Yes, sir.”
“How many did she get you?”
“Thirty diapers and eighteen plastic pants. Plus pins, diaper rash cream, and baby powder.”
Mr. Hardymon was stunned. He didn’t know what to say. When his wife had said that they should get a small supply of diapers and plastic pants he thought she was talking about half a dozen or so.
“Well,” Mr. Hardymon said, stating the obvious, “I guess your mother had decided to let you be in diapers for quite a long time. Is that what you want?”
“Yes,” Ty stated simply.
Mr. Hardymon let out a long sigh as he ran his fingers through his hair.
“In that case, I guess you’ve made your bed, so to speak. There’s a lot of money invested in those diapers and you’re going to wear them until they’re completely worn out. I think you’re making a big mistake by following your cousin’s example. Why do you want to do this?”
“I don’t know, exactly,” Ty admitted. “I just think that they’re fun.”
“Fun?” Mr. Hardymon exclaimed loudly. Then, lowering his voice and getting himself under control he continued, “How much fun are you going to have when your friends find out? Do you really think that they’re going to accept you like this? Bryin seems to have gotten away with it, but he’s never been out of diapers. His friends don’t know him any other way. You can’t just show up in diapers all of a sudden and not expect your peers to react unfavorably.”
These were things that Ty had considered. Even though he was still fearful of the reaction he would get, the urge to wear diapers was overwhelming. This afternoon when his mother caught him he had found himself unable to resist the opportunity to wear diapers permanently. He took comfort in the fact that at least Bryin and Eddie would understand his motivations. He hoped that some of his other friends would, too.
Mrs. Hardymon and Josie returned from the hospital. Josie had to get five stitches to close up the cut. Since it was just above the ear it would be hard for her to cover up the area that had been shaved so that the stitches could be put in and kept clean. She looked tired and miserable.
“Honey, why don’t you go lie down. I’ll call you when we’re ready to eat.”
“Don’t bother,” she answered testily, “I’m not hungry.”
Eddie heard her climbing the stairs and decided that he should apologize for what he had done. But Josie would have none of it.
“Just leave me alone,” she said curtly, “I don’t want to talk to you.”
Eddie went downstairs to join the others. From the look that Mr. Hardymon gave him, it was obvious that he blamed Eddie for what had happened to Josie.
“Mrs. Hardymon,” Eddie began, “is Josie going to be alright? I’m really sorry for what happened. It was an accident, really. I didn’t mean to push her or for her to fall.”
“I know that you didn’t mean for it to happen. Except for a headache that might last a couple of days, she’s going to be OK. All the x-rays came back negative.”
“That’s a relief,” Mrs. Pfelgaur said as she joined them.
But, Mr. Hardymon was losing his patience again. “You’d better hope that she’s going to be OK,” he snapped at Eddie, “because if your assault on my daughter causes any…”
“Luke!” Mrs. Hardymon cut him off, “Josie isn’t one-hundred percent innocent in this, you know. She was taunting Eddie and she wouldn’t put his things down. She had no right to behave that way, either.”
“Are you defending this diaper-wearing weirdo?” he yelled at his wife. “I don’t believe what the world is coming to. Teenage boys wanting to be put into diapers…”
With that he stormed out of the house intending to take a drive while he cooled down. Seeing that his wife’s car was blocking him in the driveway, he decided to talk a brisk walk.
“I apologize for Mr. Hardymon’s behavior, Eddie” Mrs. Hardymon said, “I’m sure he didn’t mean it. He’s just upset by everything that has happened today.”
“That’s OK, Mrs. Hardymon, I understand. I think Mr. Hardymon has every right to be mad.”
“That very kind of you, Eddie. But, Mr. Hardymon was wrong to take his frustrations out on you.”
“Yeah, that’s right. He has me to take his frustrations out on,” Ty said in an attempt to relieve some of the tension in the air.
The joke wasn’t that funny but his mother and Mrs. Pfelgaur reacted as if it was hilarious. Obviously, they needed an outlet for their tensions, too.
Dinner was a quick affair. Josie chose not to come down. There wasn’t much to say and everyone was done in about fifteen minutes.
About a half hour later the boys approached their mothers who were drinking a last cup of coffee in the kitchen.
“Ummm, uumm…” Eddie started hesitantly. “We need to go to the bathroom.”
“So?” his mother responded.
“Are we supposed to get your permission or can we do it on our own?”
“Oh, I see.” Turning to Mrs. Hardymon she enquired, “What does Bryin do?”
“Normally, he informs his mother when he has to do number two or and she unpins his diaper and then repins it when he’s done. Unless, of course, he needs a change.”
“OK, come here and let me unpin you?” his mother questioned.
“”We also need a diaper change. Can we change ourselves or is someone else going to change us?”
“What do you think, Melinda?,” Eddie’s mother asked.
“Bryin is usually changed by his mother or father. Is that what you guys want- for us to change you?”
“Would you?” Ty answered his mother hopefully.
“Yeah, would you, mom?” Eddie said to his mother.
Melinda and Bunny were once again taken aback. Melinda wished that Luke were here to discuss this.
“OK, come here and let me unpin your diaper. Call me when you’re finished,” Melinda told Ty.
“The same goes for you,” Bunny instructed Eddie. “Stay in Ty’s room after you’re done.”
The boys went to Ty’s room to use his bathroom.
“This is getting more and more complicated,” Melinda admitted to Bunny. “I feel like I’m in way over my head. The few times I talked to my sister June about Bryin’s behavior she always made of point of mentioning how manipulated she felt by Bryin. Now I know what she meant.”
“Yeah, did Iever make a mistake this afternoon when I thought I could shame Eddie out of wanting to wear diapers! So, now what?”
“Well, I guess we go change a couple of diapers in a few minutes. I think we ought to lay down some ground rules while we’re at. Bryin has to pretty much take care of his own diaper supply. We’ll need to get some diaper pails and show the boys how to rinse their diapers and put them in the pail. We’ll also need to show them how to hand wash their plastic pants.”
“That sounds good to me,” Bunny agreed. “But what about Luke? What if he doesn’t go along with this?”
“Then he shouldn’t have walked out like he did,” Melinda said peevishly.
The boys called for their mothers. Melinda stopped at the linen closet to pick up some towels since they didn’t have a changing pad yet. Figuring that they should imitate Bryin’s behavior, the boys had removed their diapers and were waiting for their mothers. They were instructed to lie down on the towels as their mothers grabbed some wipes with which to clean their diaper areas. The feelings of satisfaction and pleasure that the powdering and diapering gave them were indescribable- even better than they had imagined it would be. Melinda noticed how Ty seemed to be transported to another world, a look of contentment lighting up his face, as she pulled his plastic pants over his diaper. She knew that she had a terrible problem on her hands. How could she possibly reconcile Luke’s anger over his son wanting to wear diapers with Tyler’s obviously irresistible urge to be in them? For the moment, though, there were practical things for Ty to take of.
“Before it gets too late you’d better get over to aunt June and uncle Henry’s to water the lawn and pick up the mail,” Ty’s mother directed.
“Can you drive me there?” Ty pleaded. “My bike is still in their yard. I’ll ride it home but please don’t me walk there by myself.”
“Sorry, you’ve always gone back and forth alone and that’s how it’s going to be tonight, too. There are not going to be any exceptions to the normal routine just because you’ve chosen to wear diapers. Here’s the key- go.”
“I’ll go with you,” Eddie volunteered. “I can, can’t I, mom?
“I suppose so, but you come straight back. We’ve still got some talking to do,” Mrs. Pfelgaur noted.