I grabbed a parcel from the mailbox as I passed; somebody must have forgotten to check earlier. Then I kicked off against the box and drifted up the drive, wondering how far my momentum would carry me. It turned out that I had judged it exactly right today, coming to a halt right in front of the door without having to move a muscle. That had to be a good omen for all the things that were starting today. My new attempt at adulthood; the new school year that would be starting soon, and whatever else was changing today.
"Parcel for you, Mum," I called out as I stepped out of my boots, and glanced at the branding printed around the package. "Says... Kidicate. You ordered something?" I wouldn't normally be nosy, but the border around the edge of the box got my attention. A series of little curves, abstract forms that might be taken as simple pictures of sleeping babies. I didn't see why she would be buying anything child-themed right now; and I figured I'd have to tell her clearly that I was going to stop being treated like a kid now, except for maybe an occasional break. I hoped she wouldn't be too disappointed; that was something I hadn't even thought about.
"Oh, thank you dear. Yes, I got a coupon and it seemed worth the price. Probably just junk, you know the outrageous claims that ads are full of these days, but when the price is so low..."
"Yeah," I nodded, and smiled. Probably some kind of cosmetics then. Skin softening cream, or yet another magic balm. Wouldn't live up to its claims, but the offer made it cheaper than any other moisturiser or whatever. That seemed natural; and the weird name didn't sound that out there compared to some of the other brands I'd seen.
"Anyway, does the little baby need a diaper change? Let me check you."
A smirk from Lindy in the next room told me that she was listening too. I started to blush, the embarrassment over my sister's response fighting against how little and childish I would feel. Mum stood up and moved towards me, and it was only when I shifted position slightly and felt the swollen bulk between my legs, and remembered that my diaper was wet now. If Mum found that, she would think that I had a real problem, and I might have to keep on wearing them even after I'd decided it was better to stop. Or she'd think I did it deliberately, and I couldn't stand anybody thinking that. I wasn't that kind of degenerate... except that today, to mark the special occasion of wearing my last diaper, it was true.
"No thanks!" I said. "You said the punishment ends when I get home today, right? So I can change myself. I mean... I can take the diaper off, and I don't need to wear one anymore. I'm a big girl now, Mum."
"Awww, she had an accident!" Lindy's laughter drifted through the doorway. How could she possibly know?
"Linda!" Mum growled, but there wasn't any real assertiveness in the objection. I knew that I wasn't going to get out of this so easily. I'd thought that her punishment was over; but I still had a few more minutes. And now I might have extended it, just when I had decided that my curiosity was satisfied. For a second I wondered if I was going to cry. But instead I turned away and ran up the stairs to my room. It might have been a clean escape, except for Mum right behind me,
"I'm sorry about your sister, dear," she said. "She's upset today. Somebody told her that there's a tradition when you start a new school that it's good luck if the boyfriends and girlfriends walk through the gate together on the first day."
"That sounds like a reasonable superstition, but I never heard of it."
"No, most of the other parents haven't either. But it seems Lindy asked somebody if they might... you know. And the response wasn't what she hoped. So now she's angry and lashing out at easy targets."
"Niall?" I guessed, trying not to be offended by the implication that I was easy to pick on. I guess being in diapers wouldn't have helped with that.
"She didn't say. She just said she wanted to do that because it would help her to be less nervous, then she made a phone call, and she's been grumpy ever since. I don't want to blame her. But in any case, I believe I asked if you need Mummy to change your diaper."
"Look, I thought... you said the punishment ends when I get home today. Right?"
"Of course. It's your choice, but I'll let Lindy assume I checked you. I'm kind of disappointed by her sudden change in mood; I could tell she was feeling guilty about her lies until that, and I think she might actually have apologised if she weren't scared of getting her own punishment. If her mood hadn't suddenly turned sour, I expected that she would have at least said sorry to you once the punishment was over."
"You knew?"
"I've seen how conflicted your sister looks when I said something particularly embarrassing to you. I wasn't sure to start with, but I can see her guilt. I care about my babies, Sally. And I did tell you that you can tell me to stop if it's too much. Even if it had been true, a sincere apology will end most punishments. Remember that. You always have a way out, unless you've really hurt someone. Did I go too far?"
I thought about it for a second. She had actually asked me if I was okay with her talking to me like a baby just before she found the diaper. I couldn't believe I'd not realised that the offer applied to the punishment as well. But the punishment itself... humiliation and baby talk, having to wear diapers, having to beg for a change every time Lindy did the trick with her water bowl... In reality it made me feel nurtured. Safe. It was the extreme humiliation I could still remember from a dream, and I knew that if I'd not experienced it I would still be curious. I shook my head.
"It... satisfied my curiosity," I said carefully. "I found out how it feels to be babied, and it was nice. Maybe I can try that again at some point. But not as much as I have this summer, just occasionally if you want to. I think it's a good time for things to come to an end."
"Very well. But I do stick to my word, baby, and I said your punishment lasts as long as you're wearing that last diaper. When that diaper comes off, you're back to being a big girl and making your own choices. That's true whether one last diaper check reveals a naughty girl who needs punishment for lying to Mummy, a soggy baby who needs comforting, or a sweet little one who has earned some praise for staying dry. Now, can you change out of your sports clothes yourself, or do you need help with that for now?"
"I..." I mumbled, trying to think clearly. Was she saying what I thought she was saying? That while this was my last diaper for some time, she wouldn't mind if I chose to wet it before being changed? That I could choose if I wanted to be coddled or punished, just for that short time? And then I thought more carefully about the words she'd used. My babying lasted until the diaper was off; and no punishment would extend that. "I'm a big girl, Mummy. I can find some nice clothes."
"Good baby," she said, and I blushed as I returned to my room. The first thing I did was head to the bathroom to get that diaper off. After all, then I wasn't bound by the rules anymore, and I couldn't be punished for not letting her check me. As much as I would have loved to be babied, I wasn't ready for her to know that I'd wet myself without Lindy's trickery. It was a one-time thing, not something I would do again.
I cursed when I took a pack of sanitary pads out from the cupboard under the sink and found there was only one left. I hadn't even looked this week, because it seemed kind of redundant to add extra padding when a diaper was already capable of absorbing whatever nature threw at it. One more. Well, that was probably all I needed. I could wear a diaper again tonight, just for convenience, and then remember to buy more some time in the next couple of weeks.
Mum didn't say anything when I emerged from my room in comfy clothes and went downstairs again. She did give a little speech, making sure we were both aware of the rules now that the punishment was over, but it was pretty much what she'd told Lindy last week. We were both free to choose if we thought it was sensible to wear some kind of protection, overnight or during the day. There was to be no mocking or teasing about it, and Mum didn't care about accidents so long as we could clean up after ourselves. The only thing we would get any grief for now was bullying, lying, or any problems we couldn't clean up on our own.
"That means you gotta wear diapers still," Lindy concluded with a snarky grin. "Pee on the couch again and you're in soooo much trouble."
I was sure then that Mum was right. My sister was upset about something, and taking it out on me. Normally she would have been too collected; she would have remembered not just that she had wet the couch, but that I'd managed to clean it up during the barbecue. If she didn't already, Mum probably had a very clear picture of what had actually happened.
When Mum went to get dinner, I tried asking Lindy what was wrong. If there was anything I could do to make it better. I didn't like seeing her uncomfortable, even after she'd tried to get me in trouble for no real reason. All I got was that Harper and I were to blame; presumably for her not having a girlfriend to walk into school with on the first day back. I didn't want to push it, and after dinner I sent Harper a message asking if she knew what was going on. Anything I could do to help my sister, I would do.
* * *
I opened my eyes, and saw that the only light was from a thin sliver of moon outside. Still night time, and I'd been woken by the insistent demands from my bladder. I stood up, shaking my wrist and using the dim glow from my watch to find the way to the bathroom. I pulled the pull-up on again, and gave a little smile. It had been a longtime since I'd started sleeping in them, and nothing had changed my opinion about how comfortable they were. A part of me might miss the soft padding, but I needed to put childish things behind me now that the curiosity was satisfied. After tonight, the remaining pack of SleepSafe under my bed was just for special occasions, once in a blue moon when I felt I needed a little extra comfort, or if Mum was particularly missing her babies.
I looked at Lindy as I passed. Her duvet was over her head, but her legs were sticking out of the other end and I could see she was still in diapers too. She would deny it, of course, but she had enough self-awareness to believe there was a real chance of an accident. I hoped that after a month or two, she would realise that was over and be able to stop worrying. I did think for a second about playing a certain mp3 for her again, in retribution for all the sly barbs when I'd been trying to help her. But I knew I wouldn't do it. She was my sister, and no matter how bitchy she was, I was there to support her.
Mum had told me that the ZoneWatcher thing hadn't created a video she could see through the parental management thing; but she hadn't said that to Lindy. She also let me know that my sister had installed the app too, perhaps suspecting I might try doing the same to her. But any suspicions Mum might have had were almost certainly dismissed when we'd come to pack all the toiletries and she saw that the cheap plastic bath boat had developed a large crack which turned it into an unwieldy tray for carrying shampoo bottles.
We were both safe now, guarded by video recordings. No more accidents. No more revenge. Just sisters watching out for each other, a peaceful vacation ahead free from any humiliation, and then whatever adult concerns would be thrust on us during the new school year. A new story starting, after what came before had been neatly wrapped up. It was the start of a new part of my life.
I smiled, closed my eyes, and drifted back to deep, dry sleep.