✅ My Sister's Problem

128. Day Eight

"I..." I started, but I didn't really know what to say. I felt like there was something I was missing, some part of the conversation that had gone over my head. And before I could ask what she had meant, Hugo was opening the door to call us down for breakfast. Lindy hurried out right away, clearly not wanting to admit what she'd been thinking about. All those thoughts swirled around in my mind; could it be that after all her arguments, she'd secretly wanted to be babied all along? That she'd been aiming for the punishment?

No way. I couldn't believe that. But I knew that there was something else for me to think about. And more than that, when I thought about it, I was sure that if I'd even heard about somebody wanting to be treated like a baby, I would have thought it was crazy. A year ago, there was no way I could even have imagined my current situation. Maybe that was what Lindy meant: This was something I would have thought was too weird for words, not something that would interest me. But the way she said it, it felt like more than just something that she thought would be too weird for me.

I didn't ask again over breakfast. I planned to enjoy my last real day as a baby before heading back to school; even if that meant making it a little harder for Hugo to feed me. I laughed, and I could enjoy it when he got into the role and played along like I was a real kid. I think we were all having fun that morning, and I hoped that might be the end of the drama that had been plaguing us this summer; and perhaps I could start to forgive myself for setting off this whole business.

The sun was still touching the horizon when we got into the car. Lindy protested and struggled when she realised that she wasn't going to have a chance to change back to normal clothes before we departed; but Mum told her firmly that she didn't get a choice in this, and Lindy backed off quickly. I couldn't tell now if she was feeling really guilty about all the things she'd done, or if there was something to the suspicion that she might be enjoying it. Resigned or happy, I couldn't tell. And when Mum took her hands and pulled out the mittens, I couldn't help smiling just a little. She'd enjoyed teasing me so much when I was wearing them; and I wondered how she would feel now the shoe was on the other foot.

There were some downsides to setting off so early in the morning. Like the fact that we were dazzled by the sun for the first few miles of the journey, because it was still so low in the sky. Lindy had some sunglasses on, but I bet they didn't help too much. I was partly spared by the fact that I was in the back seat, and the sun was initially ahead of us, so the seat in front of me often made it easier to stay comfortable.

"Can we stop?" Lindy asked. "It's been hours!" I think she was exaggerating a little, but we had been driving quite a while.

"We'll be at Meldham soon," Mum said. "We can all stretch our legs at lunch time."

"But Mummy, I need the bathroom!"

"No you don't, baby," Mum answered. "Remember what you wanted to subject Sally to? Pee for Mommy. You can have a change at lunchtime."

"Mommy!" Lindy yelped, seeming surprised. I didn't know what she had been suggesting, but I guessed that it would be something pretty similar. "I did a wee!"

"Yes you did. Good girl. Now, can you watch the scenery go past a little longer? I don't want to be stopping all day this time, I'm hoping for an early night."

It was funny seeing Lindy in that kind of baby mode, For a minute or two afterwards, she seemed to have the vocabulary and attention span of a real little kid. But as I encouraged her to sing with me to pass the time, I found myself wondering if Mum was going to say the magic words for me as well. In a way, that was kind of exciting. But I didn't know if I wanted it or not. Hugo distracted me again by pointing at a sheep out of the window, and asking me like a little kid if I could remember what noise sheeps made. I laughed, and responded with a whole variety of animal noises, until we were all laughing together.

"Do you need a potty break?" Hugo asked a second later, while Lindy might have been laughing so much in the front of the car that she wouldn't hear. "I know it's embarrassing to ask, but I don't want you to be uncomfortable. Or would you rather..." He hesitated, and I nodded slightly, not yet able to say the words. Thankfully he might have been able to guess what was going through my mind. "Want me to say the words?" Another nod, and I said it. I couldn't help exclaiming that I'd had an accident, so Lindy still knew what had happened. And for the next few minutes, I felt like a little kid who really was impressed by Hugo knowing all the names of the animals. A warm diaper didn't make me uncomfortable at all, and I could relax even more as we drove on.

By the time we reached a little clearing in the woods, this trip was starting to feel like the best summer ever; even living up to all the ones we'd had when Dad was with us. And I knew I had to do something to show my gratitude; to make it extra special for Hugo as well, before we got home. But what could I do, right now, except enjoy his support and protection?