CHAPTER 4
I always thought that Lenny had a hot body. When we dated back in high school, he was really buff. He wasn’t that tall, less than six feet, and had thick curly hair. I think what really got to me was his smile. He had this crooked, goofy grin that simply made my heart melt whenever I saw it.
We were together for the longest time. Eventually the day came when we both sort of decided that the relationship had run its course, and we went separate ways. Someone told me later that he’d dropped out of college and was dealing marijuana. I hadn’t seen him in over two years when he knocked on my door last week, looking for a place to crash. He was gaunt, almost emaciated. His curly hair was thinning; he flashed that old familiar smile and I just had to help him in any way that I could.
I slept very well, evidently Leon did as well. He didn’t stir when I got up to make coffee. Somehow things made more sense this morning. I was beginning to understand what was happening, almost as if I were given some knowledge or wisdom while I slept.
“Are you awake?” I could hear him moving about in the bedroom, and then saw him scamper into the bathroom, but he’d yet to make an appearance. “Come out here so I can measure you.” It wasn’t a request, it was an order. It was important to set the tone.
He stood in front of me, dressed only in his baggy underpants, arms folded defiantly across his chest. He’d definitely gotten smaller during the night. Leon was now an adorable, albeit unhappy, little boy, no more than four years old.
Cooperatively, he stretched against the door jam. As he strained against the wood, struggling to have every inch of his diminishing height recorded, his underpants suddenly dropped to his ankles. He squatted, grabbed the elastic waist band, and pulled them back up.
“Don’t be shy,” I giggled. “I took a peek last night when I got you ready for bed.” I think it took a moment for him to understand what I was saying. He suddenly turned crimson red. “I think it’s cute.”
He’d lost at least six inches. For some reason, I wasn’t the least bit alarmed. I was sure that Lenny would soon stop regressing, and I knew that it was all part of a plan. I simply needed to wait for all to be revealed.
Lenny turned and looked at the marks. His mouth dropped open, and his eyes grew large. “I thought so! I’m getting smaller!”
“So it would seem,” I mused. “You might want to get dressed; we’re going to have some company.”
“Company?” Lenny asked incredulously. “How can you be so calm? We have to find the old man! Look at me! I’m turning into a baby for Christ’s sake!”
I got down on my knees, and I still had to look down at poor little Lenny. I can’t imagine what it was like for him, suddenly becoming so small. “Lenny, you’re going to have to trust me. Somehow I know that this is all going to work out.” I reached out and pulled him toward me, and to my surprise he didn’t struggle. I held him close, enjoying the feeling of his soft, naked, skin, burying myself in his smell.
“My friend George is going to watch you while I go out and pick up a few things,” I announced. “And this afternoon we’ll go out to look for the old man.”
My friend George is a big bear of a man, with wavy red hair, and a full flowing beard and moustache. We met in grad school, and he quickly became my very best friend. Life had recently thrown me some major curves, and George was there to support me through all of my problems. Why is it that the best ones are either married or gay?
I really felt bad about lying to him, but there was no way he’d believe the truth.
“This is Lenny, my sister’s kid.” Lenny sat at the dining room table eating a bagel that I’d toasted for him. The poor little guy looked so sad and forlorn! His legs hung over the front of the chair and his feet dangled off of the floor. His feet were covered up by the legs of his baggy pants. He looked dazed. “Lenny’s going to be staying with me for a few days.”
“Well, Hi Lenny!” George gushed. He leaned down, placing his hands on his knees, and got right next to Lenny’s face. “How old are you?”
“He just turned four,” I interrupted. “He doesn’t talk very much. You’re awfully shy, aren’t you Lenny?” I rubbed the top of his head, running my fingers through his thick, curly hair. Irritated, Lenny scowled and jerked his head away.
“It’s OK to be quiet,” George replied, sounding suddenly a lot like Mr. Rogers. “We’ll just watch some television while Aunt Mary does her shopping.” He retrieved the remote and sank heavily into the recliner.
I had a very busy morning. I returned the clothes to Wal-Mart, and bought lots of new things in the right size. I also picked up some other items that I knew we’d need. Shopping was incredibly easy; I seemed to know what to buy without even thinking about it. Within an hour, I was stashing my booty in the trunk and back seat of my car.
I thanked George and dismissed him with a kiss on the cheek. He told me that Lenny was no trouble at all, and he’d be happy to help anytime I needed him. George is such a dear!
Poor Lenny was huddled in the corner of the couch, staring vacantly at the television, smothered in his oversized jeans and t-shirt. He was making a point to ignore me.
“Your friend is a fucking pervert!” He suddenly shrieked, so loud and shrill it made me jump.
“What?” I asked, startled by the sudden outburst.
He scowled comically. “He made me keep the door open while I went to the bathroom.”
“Big deal,” I teased. “He thought you were a little kid. He was watching out for you; that’s what babysitters do.”
“He wiped me, Mary. I told him I could do it myself, but he wiped me.” His bottom lip trembled, and he looked like he was on the verge of tears.
I shouldn’t have laughed out loud, but I couldn’t help myself. In fact, I laughed so hard that I had to sit down; it probably took a couple of minutes for me to regain my composure. George wiping my boyfriend’s bottom! The thought was perfectly hysterical.
“Try this stuff on,” I said, tossing a bag of clothes onto the floor beside the couch.
“Stop laughing!” He barked, dragging the bag into the bathroom. “We’ve got to find the old man, and we have to find him now!”
“And you need to put on some clothes that fit,” I replied calmly. “Let’s take this one step at a time.”
It seemed to take forever for little Leon to try on his new clothes. Finally, he stepped out into the living room. The clothes were just a tad small. The brown corduroy pants had an elastic waist and fit there, however the legs were a bit too short. The shirt wasn’t quite right either. When Lenny lifted his arms, his tummy was exposed. For a fleeting moment, I was disappointed. And then it hit me.
The clothes would fit perfectly tomorrow.
