Trading Post

Come on, guys, only 4 more likes to go. We can do it. Then we'll get a chapter on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

Start smoking & stop exercising 

I have a feeling you're harder on yourself than anyone else is 💕 Though I very much appreciate the compliment! Is this Hiking to a New Life? I've had it bookmarked, but I haven't started it yet... though I have plenty of time in the next few weeks 😁 Chapter Twenty-One: Dawn of the Tenth Day Unlike with lunch, Chana left Adam on the couch when preparing dinner and was allowed, finally, to watch whatever he wanted, so he chose Star Trekking (of course). About halfway through an episode where Mr. Spork was saving the day yet again, he felt a turn in his gut that he assumed was hunger and ignored it. Ten minutes later, he felt another and realized it was much deeper in his gut than his stomach. He gulped. Looking down at Little Boja, he started piecing together the days… which was difficult, as so much had happened in such a short period of time. And without access to his phone (which he assumed was destroyed by now), the days were sort of running together and also felt like eternity. He thought back and realized this was only his fourth full day as Ma Adam. Three, if one only started counting from the ceremony, which he didn’t. He counted from the moment a diaper was taped on him. Then, he traced back his bowel movements and grimaced in the realization that he hadn’t yet consciously pooped in a diaper. The ceremony was… well, skipping over that awful memory, he presumed his near-death spanking experience (perhaps a little dramatic, but it was how he chose to think of it) had caused an unintentional mess, and yesterday, nothing. He grumbled, also realizing this was the most effort he had ever put into recalling his bowel movements in his life. One would think the point of diapers was to not have to pay attention to that, yet here he was, recounting and plotting. Curling his nose up, he stood up on the couch to peer over the back and stare down the hall towards the rooms and bathrooms. He looked down at his waist and cursed his avoidance of paying attention to the diaper brands. He could recognize the ChagaChaga Wigglers by their feel, and whatever the nighttime brand was because they were enormous, but all others were presently a mystery to him. He sucked on a tooth in thought, wondering if all brand tapes would be too strong for him, or if dear old grandmother’s recent choice would allow him to poop on a toilet. Presuming someone didn’t stop him. He briefly shot a look at Boja, who didn’t move. His eyes flashed to Chana, who was watching him from the kitchen, and he waved to her; she beamed and waved back, and he sat down on the couch. He surveyed the area, and his eyes landed on a wooden box with a corner of a blanket peeking out. Grinning, he jumped down and walked over, grabbing the corner and tugging. “Aaaargh,” he groaned as he pulled hard, making progress, but it was slow. He briefly glanced at Boja, who made no move to help, and the blonde dramatically rolled his eyes. He then looked to the kitchen and pointed to the heavy lid, loudly whining (unable to remember the word she taught him to call her), “Grandmaaaaa!” Immediately, she came to his side, her face bright and happy, and opened the lid. ‘Bingo,’ he thought as he peered in, seeing it was full of blankets and some pillows. He looked up at her, pointed in, and gestured to the couch. “Please?” he asked in Goryeoan, and she gushed, immediately helping him pull out all of the contents and setting them upon the couch. He winced through a few cramps as he dragged pillows over and threw them, then bowed and thanked her, which set her off in kisses and compliments, and had her glowing on the way back to the kitchen. He blushed through it, grateful for her help, and set to task setting up a private fort in the corner of the sectional couch. Boja, the ever-watchful, unhelpful, and annoyingly nosy tiger, looked up from his bed and shifted his head to the side. “What are you doing?” he asked. “What does it look like?” Adam scoffed, gesturing dramatically to the stacked pillows that flanked the corner before tossing an edge of the blanket over the back. “I’m building a fort!” “I see that,” Boja replied dryly. “Why?” The blonde buzzed his lips in irritation at how quickly Boja could pick up on his mischief, but he grinned as he shook his head, climbing on the inside. “Because it’s fun, Mr. Party Pooper,” he deflected, bursting out in a laugh at his ironic choice of words, and then began to bury himself in the makeshift fort. He peered over at Boja from a viewport, who appeared to raise a skeptical furry eyebrow, but said nothing. He also didn’t look away. Adam curled his nose and continued to bury himself in until he felt he had sufficient privacy. Sitting in the corner, he shimmied his pants off easily and then started feeling around his waist through the onesie for the tapes. “Yesss,” he whispered as he found the edge of one. He made a slight tug, and nothing happened. He licked his lips and pulled a little harder and – “Yes! Shit,” he quickly celebrated and cursed, slapping a hand over his mouth, and he waited. He heard the episode continue and telltale cooking noises from the kitchen, but no comments from the tiger-striped peanut gallery. Adam grinned. The tape had lifted! He was now confident he could pull them off with enough effort, so he pivoted to figuring out what to do with that information. He sat in thought, grimacing through another more urgent cramp, shaking his foot nervously. Boja would notice him going into a bathroom, so he needed a plausible excuse. Chana would notice him leaving at all, and he needed another excuse for her. If he could get past those two hurdles (ideally with the same excuse), he had to consider how to maintain privacy during the evacuation… then, on the assumption the tapes didn’t re-secure very well, he would need to find a way to get a new diaper on or yet another excuse to his grandmother why he got it off. Or… Adam groaned, interrupting his own planning. This was so much work, all for the sake of not pooping his pants (which was not a sentiment he had ever thought he’d have). He also had to accept that dear old grandfather was still in the house. Granted, he wasn’t sure why Kang would be deadset on forcing his grandson to poop himself, other than hate, spite, cruelty, controlling tendencies, and… never mind, that all made sense. He ran his tongue over his front teeth. Perhaps he was better off losing the battle, but aiming to win the war. If he could figure out what brand of diaper this was, he could try to angle Joomi to buy these over others and prove he was still potty-trained later down the road. But to do that, he needed to see it. He reached forward and pulled down a blanket – “AH!” Adam cried out in surprise as he jerked up in surprise at a pair of tiger eyes staring back at him. The blanket roof caught on his hand, and he fell back, causing a structural collapse on his not-very-secured fort. “What the hell, man?!” he cried out as he became entangled in the blanket and fought a good few seconds to free his head, the tiger chuckling the entire time. “You left your stuffed tiger outside,” Boja observed with a grin in his tone, the stuffed animal in his mouth. “Say his name,” Adam demanded as he pointed to the tiger, who narrowed his eyes. “Little Boja,” he grumbled as he dropped the stuffed tiger inside the collapsed fort. “What were you doing in there?” “Playing,” the blonde deflected as he grabbed Little Boja, hiding his frown from another, very urgent cramp. The tiger stared silently, and Adam grabbed the pacifier clipped to him and smugly shoved it in his mouth so he didn’t have to say anymore. The tiger dipped his head down, maintaining eye contact for a few beats, then turned back towards his bed. The blonde grinned and sucked on the pacifier victoriously. As the tiger passed by the coffee table, Adam’s eyes widened at the books he had taken from his bedroom earlier; that was it! The excuse! He climbed out of the blankets and pillows quickly, landing on the ground just as Boja jumped up into his bed. Keeping the silencer in his mouth, he walked over to the coffee table and grabbed the books, smiling at Boja, and he walked halfway through the hallway. When Chana looked over, he held up the books and pointed down the hallway to explain without words, and she nodded in understanding. He wanted to cackle like a supervillain, but he held it together and made all haste into the nursery, dumping the books off on the floor and immediately pulling at the onesie to take a look at the diaper. It was a light blue color and had various colored fish on it. He shuffled over to the changing table, and his eyes widened at the vast array of different types and designs. ‘Of course,’ Adam thought with a sigh, wondering if the global economy solely ran on the sale of diapers. He recognized the mega-ultra nighttime ones by pure thickness alone, but they were also dark blue with clouds and crescent moons on them. The ChagaChaga Wigglers, which had either pawprints or footprints all over to indicate movement, and had very intricate leg cuffs. The rest were a cascade of designs: pure white, plain baby blue, plain pink – Adam stopped and glared at the pink one. He grabbed it and chucked it into the diaper pail, then returned to the assessment: a few dinosaur-decorated ones, some with hippos on them, one with monkeys, and then - the fish! He pulled it out to look at it, but then realized diapers don’t exactly have a tag on them like clothes do. He shifted his lips to the side, biting on the pacifier in thought, then put the fish diaper on the top of the pile. He winced as he doubled over in pain; he needed to go immediately. He looked at the door longingly, knowing he was feet away from a toilet… but he reminded himself that the war was more important than this battle. He groaned as he walked over towards the play area where a bin of stuffed animals had gone untouched. He grabbed the top one as he arrived, which was a large sea turtle, and closed his eyes. His face turned red as he bit down harder on the pacifier and pushed, hugging the turtle close to his chest, and let out a pained groan as the warmth flooded his diaper, spreading out every which way it could. He shuddered as he pushed a second wave and felt the diaper swell and sag as it absorbed what it could. When he finally felt the pressure release from his gut, he stopped crushing the turtle and let out a sigh of relief, feeling a bead of sweat drop from his temple. But now he had to figure out how to proceed. He looked down at the heavy diaper, and he grimaced; was he supposed to walk in this? He looked at the door and around the room as he stood still. Damn… perhaps he shouldn’t have left the living room. He could have rebuilt the fort and pooped privately in there, then had near immediate access to Chana. He’d have to remember that for the next time he couldn’t find a way to a toilet. He glanced over at the baby monitor, but it was off. He could yell for his grandmother, but he wasn’t sure she’d be able to hear over her cooking and the TV. He cursed to himself a few times as he took a step and winced, feeling everything shift around, and he stopped. He brought the turtle up to his face and screamed into it in frustration. “Adam?” Adam gasped as he dropped the sea turtle and the pacifier from his mouth, seeing his mother in the doorway, and he thrust his arms up into the air towards her. “Mommy!” he cried out in relief, at first not wanting to move, but he felt compelled to close the distance as she stepped towards him. Though she had been happy to see him, she turned a little concerned at his distress, then let out a knowing chuckle as she brought him into her air and got a whiff. “Ahhh, I see. Let’s get you ready for dinner, shall we?” she chuckled, kissing his forehead and stepping to the changing table. He sniffed, wiping at his eyes that had pooled up in frustration, and nodded. He closed his eyes and sighed as his back was caressed by the changing pad, wincing at the squishing. “I have good news, agaya,” she sang softly as she popped the snaps off; they made eye contact for a moment, and she continued with a wink, “I’m all caught up.” “Really?” he smiled widely, and she nodded, shifting the onesie up above his waist, which he grabbed so he had something to hold on to. He tilted his head up to see that the door was open, and he looked back at her. “Sooooo…” “Soooo,” she mirrored as she leaned forward and whispered, “They’re leaving tomorrow morning.” “Yessss!” he celebrated as he punched the air, and she giggled, ripping off the gentle-sounding tapes. He laid his arms out to the sides and asked for the sounds of the jungle to distract him, which did well enough for the sounds and actions, but the smell… he scrunched up his nose and blew the smell out. He turned his head to the side, watching a monkey chatter as it swung from branch to branch, wondering why Amazons wanted to do this. He glanced at Joomi, lingering on her face as he watched her diligently clean him, a small but warm smile on her face the entire time. He blushed when she met his gaze, and she beamed, rolling up the diaper and tapping her foot on the diaper pail foot press. “Oh sh–” Adam swallowed as he saw Joomi pause and stare down, and he pressed his lips together. She arched an eyebrow at him, and he gave a silly, toothy smile. “Those are for Min, agaya,” she chided gently, dropping the soiled diaper in. “I – well –” he stammered, then threw his arms out to his sides. “Well, I didn’t know that!” “That’s because… you…” she started, walking her fingers up his legs, then grabbing at his sides, causing him to burst out into a laugh as she tickled from his waist to his armpits. “Don’t need to worry about it!” “Okaaaay!” he laughed, rolling on his side as he gasped for breath, and she stopped near his armpits, but firmly held him as she leaned forward and kissed his stomach. He rubbed under his nose, feeling heat in his cheeks, and he sniffed, looking back to the jungle to find a critter to watch. “But my opinion counts, right?” “Of course,” she hummed, tapping her fingers through the wide selection of diaper options. Adam angled his head to look down, watching her. “Because… I like the fish one,” he swallowed, a sour taste coming to his mouth. “Really?” Joomi puzzled curiously as she grabbed a dinosaur-decorated one. She glanced at him, and he swore he saw a skeptical look… but perhaps that was just his nerves. “Yeah,” he looked across the way at a toucan, deciding it was best not to expound. She didn’t say anything but nodded and hummed, with the telltale snapping noise indicating when she was done. He was lifted to her hip, and he looked down for his pants… then realized he had left them on the couch. He pointed to the dresser as she moved to leave. “Wait, wait! Pants!” “You took them off,” she stated without breaking stride, moving into the hallway. “They can’t be that important.” “Noooo, Eommmmaaa,” he groaned, burying his face in her neck as he shifted uncomfortably, feeling highly exposed. He felt her hand pat his back, but that was little comfort. As the smells of dinner hit him, he raised his head to look at the couch, and he leaned towards it, away from her. “Please?” “It’s time to eat,” she replied calmly, walking him over to the high chair. He saw that Kang was already at the table, and he frowned, his hands anxiously fiddling with the pacifier as she lowered him into the seat. “We give gratitude for this meal.”   With a startle, Adam awoke in the middle of the night. He sat up, mouth dry, and his heart racing. He stared forward in confusion, for a moment panicking that he was in a prison … but his brain caught up within seconds, and he nodded at the crib bars, looking down at the nighttime diaper that forced his legs outward. “Cub?” “I’m okay,” he whispered to Boja, flashing a smile, grateful to hear his calm voice. He took a few deep breaths to calm down and ran his fingers through his sweaty hair. “I’m okay… Just… had a bad dream.” The room lit with a flash of the tiger’s eyes, and Adam furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, glancing around to see what he did. “The monitor,” the tiger explained, and sure enough, the baby monitor was off. “Thanks,” Adam smiled, rubbing the back of his neck. “I just… my brain decided to remind me that today… Well, it was supposed to be my flight home. My visa expires… or, would have expired today.” There was a long silence in response. Adam curled his legs up, sticking Little Boja between his legs and staring at the vacant expression, at least what he could make out in the darkness. He reached a hand up to the right eye again and fiddled with it. “Do you regret coming?” “Oh,” Adam’s eyebrows rose high as his mouth dropped open. “Uh, that’s a … loaded question.” “I know,” the tiger replied quietly, padding closer to the crib. “But you should probably talk about it.” The blonde stared at the tiger for a moment as his eyebrows curved upward, a look of pain slowly taking over. He felt the swell of tears start in his chest before they began to appear in his eyes. He rubbed his palm against his cheek, then moved it up to his eye and wiped away a few tears. “Sometimes… yes,” he admitted quietly as his shoulders deflated and he hung his head. “But that means sometimes the answer is no?” the tiger asked quietly. “Yeah,” Adam whispered, gasping for some air as he tried not to cry. “This… this is a Little’s nightmare.” He gestured in a circle at the crib around him, then leaned forward, resting his chin on his knees. “All my life, my parents, family… friends… every decision was made with avoiding this in mind. Amazons and Tweeners get to learn real stuff, have dreams of a future… but us?” Adam swallowed as he took in another sharp breath. “This looms over all of us, every step of the way. It’s such a… dark cloud over any future hopes and ambitions.” The tiger sat next to the crib, his head looking down at the ground. “It’s… honestly, it’s really suffocating,” he gulped, raising his hands to scratch at his hairline. “This can be too… but in a different way. And honestly, of all the stories I’ve heard, this is… pretty nice. Hell, I have a fucking robot tiger as my best friend. That’s… pretty sweet.” He looked up, blinking through the tears, and smiled at the silhouette of the tiger, who rubbed his face against the crib bars and chuffed. Adam smiled. “I kind of… I worry that I, in some way… wanted this,” he let out a heavy sigh, putting his chin in his palm. “Like, maybe I just… didn’t want to have to live looking over my shoulder all the time. Maybe my drive to find her… to come here… maybe I just wanted some part of this… to be my choice.” Once the words came out, Adam felt like he had uttered a curse into existence. He didn’t know if he meant it; he hadn’t really given such a deep fear and thought the time to marinade, but voicing it had suddenly given it more power and credence than he was comfortable with. His face twisted in horror. “Oh, god, Boja, how fucked up is that?” he gasped as he dropped his head, feeling a tightening in his chest. He slammed a hand over his mouth as he tried to control the hyperventilating, but it was causing a wheeze in his nose. His heart slammed in his chest, and panic rose as he suddenly felt certain he was having a heart attack, and the room felt like it was pivoting around him, like he was unsecured on a carnival ride. “Breathe, Adam,” the tiger stated calmly, a flash in his eyes lighting up the room, and the gate of the crib descended. “Breathe. You’re having a panic attack.” The blonde reached out, scooting closer to the edge and grabbing the tiger’s face, who leaned into it. He grabbed at the folds and let out a fearful gasp, dropping his face into the tiger’s fur. Slowly, Boja lifted a paw behind the Little, gently setting his toe beans on his back and pressing him into a hug. Adam held his breath for a moment, biting his lip, and he nodded, letting it out and trying to breathe in and out in a steady rhythm. “Rub my fur,” the tiger stated, and the blonde was confused, but obliged, running his hand up and down the soft fur on his face. “Rub your bed sheet.” “What – what are you–” “Just do it,” he replied calmly, and Adam nodded, hiccupping a few breaths, and ran his hand over the bedsheet. “What animals do you see on the walls?” “Boja –” “Trust me,” Boja replied quickly. “What animals are out?” Adam blinked, lifting his gaze to the walls and starting to search. “I, uh… I hear bats, but I don’t see them. I hear crickets and… uh, frogs. Oh, there’s an owl.” As he pointed to the owl who hooted in that moment, he felt Boja nod; Adam petted his face, looking around for more. He mentioned a few other noises, including the rain and some insects. As he trailed off, pointing out the same owl that had moved branches, he realized the strain in his chest had relaxed, and he was breathing normally. “It’s called grounding,” the tiger explained quietly. “Engaging your senses can help calm intense emotions, which is helpful during a panic attack.” “Thank you,” Adam whispered as he released his hard grip on the tiger and put his hands together, rubbing his fingers against each other. He wondered if that’s why a pacifier was effective, as it engaged a different set of senses. His mouth twitched at the idea that it should be more common, if true, and let out a small snort as he tried to picture Kang with one. That break in tension seemed to drop his heartbeat further as the adrenaline was beginning to peter out. “Adam,” the tiger pressed and rubbed his face against the Little’s chest, who let out a small chuckle. “For what it’s worth, whatever your reasons were for coming, I am glad for it.” The blonde’s face contorted as he felt a swell of emotion, but he clenched his jaw and nodded, forcing his downturned mouth into a smile. “Thank you,” he whispered, his volume the lowest it had been, as he felt that if he spoke any louder, he’d burst into tears. “That means a lot.” “Don’t let it go to your head,” the tiger snorted as he lay on the ground, placing his chin in the crib. Adam let out a laugh, leaning forward and hugging his face. “Too late,” the blonde grinned as he curled up around Boja’s face, yawning as he pulled his blanket over his shoulder and slowly fell back asleep.

17. The baby plushies can definitely go! The sticks can come up here and the wallpaper? Oh well, it's not to bad, we can keep it for a while. Jake was up early and fantasized on how he would redecorate his room. His room now. Yes! He woke up this morning feeling extremely happy. This was one of the best mornings he had in his life. He was sure of that. His fever was gone also, the most of it in any way, he could feel it. Not even minding the soggy sagging diapers around his bum since the footed sleeper was much looser than his normal tight stretchy pajama, he danced circles in his room, arms held wide. The door lock turned and as Jenny walked in, he greeted her with enthusiasm and an early hug. “Well, good morning to you too, sunshine”. She reacted. “Feeling better, I see?” “Yeah, Mrs. Jenny. This is the best morning ever!” “Good, because we have to go out today” She started to peel him out of the sleeper while explaining the day's program. “We have to do some extensive shopping. The fridge is empty and I expect some visitors tomorrow.” She delved under the rim of his plastic pant, undid the pins and slid the whole package down. He shivered in the sudden cold air keeping his balance with his hands on her shoulders. The water and washcloth were warm however. “Why are we getting visitors?” Jake asked. “Don't you remember? What day is it tomorrow.? He shook his head. “Sunday, sweety! And the very official last day of your sentence. From tomorrow on, your door can stay unlocked and you can go outside again... without holding my hand. You can play in the garden without me being there!” She finished washing his bottom and legs and started to dry him off, wrapping him with his arms inside the towel, like a sausage. His reaction was somehow not as enthusiastic as she thought he would be. “What's the matter?” She asked. “Uhm, nothing really, Mrs. Jenny. It's just that.... well... the last days didn't really feel like punishment or detention anymore.” Jenny smiled. “I understand. It all seemed already like normal, eh? But anyway, it's still an important milestone. Mr. Henry is coming tomorrow to officially release you and I thought to invite some people to witness and celebrate that, ... and the fact that we'll be living here together for a long time of course. It will be nice to have visitors here again.” The last sentence was directed more to herself than at Jake. Jenny sat on his chair and reached to pick something up from beside the waterbowl. “Now, first we need to make sure you're up to it and your fever is really gone.” She held up the thermometer. Jake immediately protested and started to wriggle, trying to get out of the towel she had cunningly wrapped him in, anticipating this reaction. “Sorry honey, but we need to do this one more time,” she said decisively and lifted him, towel and all, without much hassle over her knees. He kicked his legs and squealed. “Stop wriggling, sweety,” Jenny stayed unperturbed. “If you keep doing that you might break this thing. We don't want that.” She positioned him better on her lap, slid the towel up to expose his underside, parted his buns with one hand and slid the thermometer in with the other. As soon as he felt the slick movement in his behind, Jake stopped squirming. There wasn't much he could do about it as she held him in place with one hand on his back and the other on his bottom. The thermometer again between her fingers, silently waiting. “99,5” After what seemed an awkward eternity to him, Jenny released Jake with a few gentle taps on his behind. “That's very good. Let's get you dressed.” She held out a t-shirt, a pair of short, well worn trunks and, he noted with some excitement, a set of normal tight slick underpants. “We'll be at home for a while before we go out, so you might try to use the bathroom like the big boy you are,” she commented, seeing his surprise, and sent him, fully dressed to the table that was waiting in the kitchen.   After breakfast, and swallowing one of the antibiotic pills again (Jenny explained about the importance of finishing the treatment completely) Jake busied himself with sorting out the big trunk in his room. While explaining to her what he wanted to do he encountered Jenny's same emotion when he asked about the book the first time. This was sensitive ground! “You said yourself that I'm a big boy, and I don't think I'll be playing with them anymore.” “I know, honey. But they've been with... me … for so long. It's just so sudden... I think I'm going to miss them.” She had commented with that same face as yesterday: lips in a gentle smile but her eyes sad. Somehow he didn't think she meant to say 'me' about the plushies. He didn't mention that but gave an idea instead to make her feel better. “Can we give them to the daycare? I know the little ones would love to play with them!” The idea was enough to soften her position and he spend the next hour dropping all the more babyish soft blocks and balls in a big bag. Jenny wanted to keep all the stuffed animals and after a thought, Jake arranged all of them on his desk and shelf, like a mini zoo, and surprised her with it when she came to fetch him. “We must get going, honey.” Jenny pulled one of Robins disposable diapers from the drawer were they kept them. “Normally you should wear a trainer, I know, but you're still on the meds and you're more active than yesterday so your belly can still get confused.” “But...” “No buts, think back to half an hour ago.” Half an hour ago he had to race to the bathroom to deal with a sudden cramp, clenching his buttocks together to prevent some runny stuff from seeping out. He barely made it. “I just don't think we should take any chances outside. You really don't want any of those dirty accidents in a trainer, and seeping down your legs, do you?” No, he definitely didn't think so. Though he wasn't overly happy with the idea of going to a shop in one of Robin's, he let Jenny take his pants down to his knees, slide the diaper between his legs, pull it up and fasten the double tapes on his hips. The stretchy underpants fixed it snug to his underside but in contrast to a onesie, a size-able part peeked out from the top of his pants on the front and back. He pulled his t-shirt down to cover it. Jenny drove them, silent and intent on her driving as usual, to the parking lot outside the supermarket. It was busy because of being Saturday. Lots of parents and children walking into the entrance or coming out with a loaded shopping cart or big paper bags. Walking with his hand tight in Jenny's, Jake was acutely aware of all the bustle about him and kept tugging at his t-shirt to make sure it stayed down, worrying about how obvious the ticker padding in the middle section was on his bottom, his trunks tight enough to reveal the contours. “Oh, stop fidgeting,” Jenny commented. “Everyone here is far to busy and occupied with themselves. Let alone looking for what a very unobtrusively boy is wearing around his bottom. Just watch, nobody cares.” She was right, as they moved to get one of the big shopping carts, Jake noticed that no one noticed him, intent as they were on their own purposes. For all the other children around that seemed to be keeping a close watch on and keeping an even pace with their parents, not loosing them in the crowd. He was startled out of his observations when Jenny lifted him high in the air and dropped him in one of the carts. “Your limousine has arrived mister! Please watch and guard all our belongings. Just sit back and enjoy the ride! Oh, and the management advises you to keep your hands inside the cart, for safety regulations!” Jenny spinned the cart full circle two times, aimed at the entrance of the supermarket and pretended to sprint right through the revolving doors, coming to a sudden stop just in front of them. Jake squealed with delight, settling himself down in the cart. He was smart enough to know that her remark about keeping his hands inside were masked as fun, but very intentional. There would be no repetition of last week! Jenny wheeled them first to the fruit and vegetable section and occupied him with weighing apples, potatoes and a big white cabbage on one of the many scales. After that he organized every item Jenny dropped in the cart around him, leaving less and less space. Bread section came next. Then several canned stuff, meat section, dairy section, spices and sauces, drinks and snacks. It went on an on. Row after row. After a while, he just sat back, his legs under a pile of groceries, looking round and round across all the long lanes full of bright colored boxes and jars. “Can you find what you are looking for?” Jake snapped out of his wandering and focused on the section they were in. His cart was placed right in front of shelves filled with lots of happy girls and boys smiling down to him. All in brightly colored t-shirts with diapers underneath. Words like 'Baby' and 'Dry' shined like flashing warning lights from left to right. Jenny was considering a number of packages but seemed not able to make up her mind. “Need some help?” The lady standing next to her continued, giving Jake a cursory smile. “Well, we need some diapers for a bigger one like on these packages, I'm not sure,” Jenny answered. “Oh that depends, some are big enough. Are they ..” The women glanced in Jake's direction. He felt his face gaining color but Jenny answered smoothly: “His nephew is coming over for a couple of weeks this summer and, well, he's having a bit of a problem at night if you know what I mean. His mom advised me to buy some of these but the brands and measuring here are different than where he's from so...” The lady laughed. “Oh, I know! I'm an expert. Trust me. Do you know your nephew's size or weight?” Jenny acted as if thinking about it. Jake could not believe what he saw and heard: Mrs. Jenny actually lying to a stranger. But at the same time, he was very glad she did, and that the groceries denied that lady a good look at his trunks. Still, he reached behind him to make sure his T-shirt was in place. “Well, he is about the same age as my Jake here, nine or ten.” “Then you need these.” The lady pointed to a package with Pampers written on it. “These are the biggest they have here. I use them myself for my Brian over there.” She pointed to a blond boy a couple of paces behind her who seemed suddenly very interested in reading the labels on the shelves. He did his best pretending not to hear any of his mother's conversation, his back turned to them, but Jake could see his ears turning bright red, his hands balled deep in his pockets. “If your nephew is ten he should be as big as my son and if he's not to chubby they will still fit him, ” the lady chatted on. “You wouldn't believe how much they can hold. These get him,” she nodded her head in Brian's direction, “through a night without needing any changes. And he's a fairly heavy wetter.” “Oh,” Jenny commented, giving Jake a barely perceptible wink the lady did not notice. “If you want my advise,” she blabbered on without checking if Jenny really did want advice, “I wouldn't let your nephew put those on himself. They've only one tab on each side and you have to get it right the first time. Otherwise they still leak. That one over there doesn't like me doing it for him but that's just his problem. Oh, and have him lie back on something flat when you put them on. We modified an old changing table for him. It saved my back.” In the meantime, the 'him' she was talking about was sneaking a couple of paces further down the aisle. Jake was sure he would jump into any hole in the ground if it would open up for him. “Well, thank you very much for the advice. We'll just take two of them for our nephew.” Jenny put a slight emphasis on her last word and dropped two purple packages in their cart. The lady wheeled her own to catch up with her son who had already almost disappeared around the corner. Adding “And don't forget the baby wipes and rash cream. You'll need them!” as her last advice in passing. “Oh dear, that was awkward.” Jenny whispered behind Jake in his ear while she watched the lady disappear. “Why did you lie to her?” he asked. “Well, would you like to be in the same position as Brian? He shuddered. “No, that was mean of her.” “I don't think she was deliberately mean, sweety. For her it's just normal. She just didn't realize the spot she put her son in. How he thinks about it. It was inconsiderate, not mean.” “I feel sorry for him. Why do we even need these?” Jake pointed to the packs of Pampers. “That's nice of you to say so, honey. I do to. But on the other hand, he'll probably never see you again and the sun still shines. Only his pride got wounded, he'll get over it. Maybe he'll even feel a little better knowing that somewhere, there is someone's nephew in the same situation. And this,” she prodded his backside through the mazes of the cart, “is the last one from Alice we got. You need some replacements.” “But..., I thought the trainers...” “You've been burning through a lot of them, honey. I just thought we could try these for a while. Much easier than washing and they are about as inconspicuous as the cloth trainers. Thinner than the one you're wearing now. Speaking of, how are you doing down there?” That brought his attention to the state of his diaper. He hadn't noticed but somehow it had gotten a bit damp. He checked the bulk in his crotch. Swelled a bit but not much. “Oh, allright I guess, Mrs. Jenny.” “And your belly? Feeling any rumbles?” “No.” “Do you think it can withstand some lunch and ice cream? You earned it!” Jenny pushed the cart slowly down the aisle almost absentmindedly adding some packages of wipes, powder and cream in the cart on top of him. He looked up at her with a face that answered it all. At the same time he spotted something in the corner of his eye and pointed at it. “Uhm, Mrs. Jenny,” he paused as two ladies rolled their carts close enough to overhear him. “Do you think your nephew could use one of these also?” “Hmmm, maybe. Which one do you think?” She replied with a twinkle in her eyes. “The one with the dinosaur design, he would like that.” “OK, we'll take this one home then for our nephew,” Jenny laughed. The two ladies didn't take one look at them when he caught the babybottle she tossed gently in the cart.

In the car i stayed quiet as i eventually was falling in and out of sleep as after the kind of day i have had so far. I didn't even notice when you got back to the car, so that we could head on home for the rest of the day. I slip my thumb in my mouth sucking on it as i couldn't settle down much.