Sarah and Kathi entered the pharmacy. As they stood in the counter area, they already smelled the typical pharmacy smell of medicines and ointments and the like. The counter area was empty. Sarah's thoughts circled back and forth like crazy, should she really buy diapers? And then for herself as well? Would someone who knew her see her and if so what should she answer? The truth was definitely not the best idea, she realized that much. In the worst case scenario, how would she manage to escape the situation with a more or less black eye? Several possibilities ran through her mind. One would be the possibility to say that she has a problem at night, that would be a good reason here in the pharmacy when she would ask for the diapers. On the other hand, she could perhaps use Kathi as a shield, although she only wanted to use that in the most extreme of cases. It had to be possible somehow without further problems to walk into a pharmacy, buy diapers, leave the pharmacy and go home with the purchased diapers. Other people robbed banks and that's more complicated by far. So why was Sarah so worried about the whole thing again? Just get in, buy, get out, done.
"Deep breath." she said to herself.
"Sarah I'm going to ask one very last time just to be on the safe side. You really want to do this don't you?"
"Yes," she breathed softly to Kathi.
"Just in case I can't handle it, can you back me up?"
"How would I do that?"
"I don't know. Just think of something then."
Suddenly, they were both jolted out of their conversation as a young middle-aged woman, she might be 30 at most by Sarah's estimation, kindly asked them how she could help them. Sarah strode towards the saleswoman, thinking with every step that her knees were about to give out. Step by step she approached. It seemed to her like half an eternity until she finally stood in front of the saleswoman. Kathi meanwhile stayed in the background. Sarah took another deep breath and finally answered the saleswoman's question:
"Yes, they may be able to help me."
"What can I do for you?"
"Well, I have a little problem." said Sarah meekly, blushing.
"What's the problem?"
"I have a problem with compliance. I've been wetting my bed a lot lately and I'm looking for.... because of it." she faltered, something inside her didn't want to say what she was looking for, no matter how hard she tried, the simple word "diapers" wouldn't leave her mouth.
"Are they looking for medication for bedwetting? Or do they want to protect their bed?"
"Um...how do I think about protecting?"
"You must know diapers for babies, right?"
"Yes"
"There are also diapers for older people who wear diapers either because they are completely incontinent or because they wet the bed. These are of course correspondingly more absorbent and larger than those for babies. Have they thought of something like that?"
Sarah nodded.
"Well do you know roughly what you need yet or do you need some advice on the subject?"
"Um...I read something about a diaper called Abri Something that is supposed to be very good. Would they have them there?"
"Abriform, I'm sure you mean. I'd have to call my colleague who usually deals with incontinence products. Why don't you take a seat for a moment?"
Sarah sat down on one of the nearby chairs and tried to get her pulse down a bit by taking several deep breaths.
She waited a few minutes until the colleague in question, a pharmacy employee, appeared. Sarah's heart almost slipped into her pants. Shit, she thought. Said colleague was not a stranger, worse, she even knew her very well. It was her best friend's mother. Sarah knew exactly that she worked here, but still hadn't thought that she could have met her and now it was the very colleague who took care of incontinence products. It could hardly go better. In her head, scenarios were already playing out in which Sandra, her best friend, had found out about her passion and would turn her back and mock her. How could she save herself from this situation now? She looked at Kathi and tried to show a facial expression that in her opinion would bundle all her fear and despair about this situation in such a way that Kathi would notice it, no even had to notice it and would then throw herself protectively in front of her. Before Kathi could even react, the mother of Sarah's friend had already responded to those present.
"Hello how can I help you? My colleague....Sarah is that you? Well, this is a surprise. What brings you here?" she said with such a nice smile on her face that it was almost awkward again.
"Hello Sabine. I...I..." Sarah just couldn't get it out. Something in her head seemed to paralyze her tongue and she seemed unable to speak.
"Yes, what can I do for you?" asked Sandra's mother again.
"Nothing at all for Sarah's," Sarah heard it sound from behind her.
Phew she thought to herself, Kathi would handle things now and she would get out of this predicament without any problems.
"I just didn't want to ask for anyone so directly. I'm a little embarrassed about the whole thing and I'm shy too." Kathi told Sandra's mother meekly.
Sarah knew very well that Kathi was just putting on the acting performance par excellence, since she hadn't shown any insecurities about the diapers so far.
"Sarah who is your friend? She looks familiar from somewhere."
"That's my cousin Kathi. I don't know if you remember her?"
"Hmmm, it's been a while, but you can tell you're family somewhere. So Kathi how can I help you? You don't need to be afraid here everything is confidential and stays within these four walls, even Sarah doesn't need to know about your problem, although I rather assume she knows, otherwise how could you have sent her ahead."
Kathi looked around the room sheepishly, moving her foot restlessly on the floor to symbolize nervousness.
"Um...I...have a problem with keeping up. But only at night." said Kathi.
"Don't be embarrassed, it's not just you. God knows you're not the only teenager who comes in here with this problem. Have you been to the doctor with it yet?"
"Um...no it just developed during my vacation here and now I want to do something to stop waking up in a wet bed all the time. What exactly are my options, but I don't want any medication right now."
"Kathi, without a doctor we will definitely not stuff you with medication, we are not allowed to do that. One option you would have would be to wear incontinence briefs."
"Of what?" asked Kathi, playing her role of complete ignoramus almost so perfectly that even Sarah believed Kathi was really here at the pharmacy for this problem and not for any other reason.
"Simply put, these are adult diapers."
"I'm sorry, what? You want me to put on diapers like a baby?" Kathi also feigned a bit of exasperation.
"Kathi this is not as bad as it sounds. It's not like you're automatically a baby just because you wear "diapers". You need them for medical reasons, and most importantly, you only need them at night, so no one else will get to see them except your family, if at all, and I don't think your family will raise you in them."
"I guess that's true. But how do I know if it's really right for me?"
"I can offer you samples if you want," Sabine said.
"I don't know. Do they really help?"
"There are many people with such problems and they swear by incontinence briefs. Whether you want to wear them, you can still decide for yourself. If you want to try them, I just need to know how big your waist is and how much fluid you lose. Oh and I also need to know if you'd rather have pull up ones so something like absorbent underpants or a tape down diaper."
"Hmmm...I don't know if it's the real thing...Sarah what do you think?" Kathi looked at Sarah.