✅ My Sister's Problem

51. The Problem

Author's Note: I wrote this quickly; two chapters came out really easily. I hope I've not made any mistakes with writing faster than usual, but if I have then please let me know. It's better to fix things if anyone spots them. Thank you!

Ice cream melts fast on a summer day, and we ended up drinking the last of it. Then Nadine was off to spend time with Jim again, and I knew I should be heading home. I took the scenic route, enjoying the flowers along the cycle paths through suburban neighbourhoods and taking a high road from where I could see greenery all the way to the mountains in the distance. It was quite late in the afternoon before I got back, and I wondered if Mum would have anything interesting to say.

"You're joining us, then?" she said with a smile. I passed her on the driveway, tossing a couple of jute bags into the car. "Have you caught the sun? Your arms look a little red. Better than sweltering inside, though. We've had no energy for anything today. Going to the supermarket if you want to help carry stuff. Get takeout on the way back."

"No thanks," I said, shaking my head. "I need a shower before dinner or I'll be stinking up the place. Sweating so much right now, you know?"

"Sure, baby. Get yourself nice and clean, and Mummy will be back soon with your dindins." I blushed at that; the words still had the power to make me feel so small, even when I'd had so many chances to get used to it. I couldn't help glancing around to see if any of our neighbours were in hearing range. They weren't, of course. I knew Mum wouldn't have said it where anyone could hear. But it still made me feel so small and helpless, and brought up a little giggly excitement from somewhere deep in my mind. Somehow after all my nerves about the game, it felt right to be treated like a child. Those few words vented the pressure much more than an ice cream break, or taking the scenic route home.

I skipped into the house, almost dancing. Sometimes it was like just a few words could have me feeling like a real kid again, and today it hit me harder than ever. I heard the TV was on, and stuck my head into the lounge to see if Lindy was up to anything interesting. She didn't acknowledge my presence, rendered sleepy and docile by the oppressive heat. She was sitting on the couch with her head to one side, and fighting a losing battle against Morpheus. She was watching some documentary about sharks, but I doubt she would remember much of it by the time Mum got back with dinner. I said hi, but she barely registered, so I closed the door again and then headed upstairs to the bathroom.

Should I take a bath or a shower? I felt like a long soak would be good for my muscles, as well as helping me to relax. But I also knew that I was pretty tired, and it would be easy for me to fall asleep in the bath if I let myself relax too much after all that exercise. The shower would be better, I decided. I gathered up my stuff and carried it across the landing to the bathroom. I pulled off my clothes, literally dripping with sweat, and threw them in the direction of the laundry hamper. They went straight in; perhaps that was a side effect of all the time I'd spent learning to judge where a thrown ball would land this summer. And then I looked down at my diaper. These ones were supposed to be refastenable, so I could put it on again. But it was already soaking up some of the sweat from my exercise, and I thought that in this heat, it would be better to put on a new one after my shower.

I went out to the landing, and opened a cabinet in the corner. There were a couple of diapers in there; an emergency supply in case we really needed to change when Mum wasn't home. For the duration of my punishment I was supposed to ask for every change, but Mum was smart enough to know that wouldn't always be possible. She was also kind enough to have let me know that I could ask her when she returned if there was no chance of Lindy finding out, and that probably applied. But I was still smiling from a few moments of Mum talking down to me on the driveway, and I didn't want to think of myself as a big girl right now.

Thick diapers, and a summer dress that didn't do much to cover them, would certainly have me feeling a little giddy and relaxed this evening. Self-conscious too, but somehow that was in a good way. Lindy wouldn't understand why I was happy, and would probably try to tease me. I didn't mind that at all. I looked down at my diaper again. I would have to throw it out now it was soaking up so much sweat. And for just a moment, I wondered if I should use it before I changed. That was crazy; why would I ever do that? But once the thought crossed my mind, I could see how easy it would be to press 'play' on that short recording and let the chimes make the choice for me. Standing up, of course, so I wasn't at risk of falling asleep too. But I shook my head and dismissed the idea. I wasn't a baby; and I didn't know why that thought had even occurred to me.

I shrugged, and checked that everything I needed was in the bathroom. Clean clothes, clean diaper. Water warm, but cooler than the stifling air. Body wash and shampoo, and a sponge on a stick for washing my back. I quickly pulled out a makeup wipe and cleaned off the barely-visible remnants of an attempt at eyeshadow. Then I reached down to take off the diaper, and was interrupted by a panicked shriek from downstairs.

"Lindy?!" I called out, opening the door again and forgetting for a moment that I was just in a diaper. "Is something wrong?"

The words that reached me were barely comprehensible, a mix of anxious squeaks and words she shouldn't have been old enough to know. I threw on my robe and ran down the stairs, not sure if I was expecting to find some intruder or a vase carelessly dislodged from its shelf.

What I wasn't expecting was Lindy standing in the middle of the lounge in a clear panic, but no obvious signs of destruction. I didn't know what was going on until I looked down and saw a damp patch on her shorts. I followed it, and saw a similar mark on the couch where she had been sitting. I'd been lucky enough that I hadn't needed to deal with that problem, especially after Mum had insisted that I wear the thicker ones for my punishment, but I knew what a leaking diaper would look like. Had she decided she was too tired to interrupt her siesta for a bathroom break, and overestimated the absorbency of the Underjams she was allowed to wear now? I didn't know what was happening now, but I could see she was in trouble. And as the big sister, I knew that it should be my responsibility to make sure she was okay.

"It isn't–!" she yelled as soon as she noticed me in the doorway. "I didn't– I... Niall phoned and I knocked my drink over reaching for it! I need to clean up, what's Mum going to say?"

I hesitated for a second. I knew she'd been on the phone to this Niall a lot recently, and seemed to be more than usually distracted afterwards. Niall's opinion mattered to Lindy more than anyone else's, and I could imagine her being clumsy. But I could also see her phone sitting on the wireless charger next to the TV, and a glass of lemonade sitting calmly on the coffee table. Still, there was nothing to be gained by arguing with her now.

"If we get this cleaned up before Mum gets back, she won't have to say anything." I said, and took a quick look around the lounge. There was a damp patch on the floor as well; it must have been a significant leak. But I was already pulling a plan together for how I could get my sister out of trouble. Sure, I could have left her to deal with it herself, or even called Mum for advice. This wasn't something I'd done; there was no reason to feel guilty. But I didn't want my sister to be upset, and she clearly was now. Plus, if I did everything I could to help her, it might make her think twice if she ever considered resuming her series of pranks.