Chapter 4
It was only twenty minutes after Jane had left that Nick was awoken by something pressing into his ear. Lazily he reached up with his hand and was startled to feel what could only be a dummy. He sat up with a shock, his own soother was still in his mouth comforting him (much to his surprise). This was a smaller size than his own and clearly for a younger baby and like the one he had borrowed off Jessie almost a year ago.
He was in total shock âhow had it got there and to whom did it belong?â he thought to himself. A warm stream flowed into his nappy as the fear slowly came over him, someone must have come in and left it on his pillow. It could not be his mother, because she was at work. Perhaps she had come home early, no that was not it as she would have gone ballistic. Who else could it have been? Slowly the realisation swept over him, the only other person who had a key apart from himself and his mother was Mrs. Corby from next door, the beautiful single Mum who shared babysitting duties. A new sense of fear gripped him and again he trickled helplessly into the sodden nappy pinned about him.
He quickly got up and stripped off the transparent plastic pants and sopping nappy and dropped it in to Jessieâs nappy bucket, but this time he checked that it was not empty and that his discovery would go unnoticed. He took off the bib and realised that it was wet from his dribbles, there was no way he could return it to the baby pile from which he had taken it. He hid his own dummy and the new gift of one in his college bag and stuffed the damp plastic pants and damp bib with them. His mind was racing and he had almost broken out in a sweat with the worry.
Picking up his pants and trousers he got dressed. His babyish antics had gotten out of control and now he was found out. He could not imagine how he was going to behave in front of Mrs. Corby who came in frequently on many excuses, since his mother had said that she was very lonely and it must be hard for a single mother to cope with the isolation.
He double checked that everything was out of sight and started to think up some excuses for the thousand scenarios that he could imagine. He realised with a descending sense of gloom that he was doomed.
No sooner than had he gone downstairs when he heard the key in the lock. Once again his heart leapt into his mouth, was it his mother of Mrs. Corby? His heartbeat dropped a few percentage points when he recognised his mother coming through the door.
âHello dearâ she said cheerily âbeen home long?â
âNot too long Mum, I have been working on my revision. Like a cup of tea?â
âThat would be lovely sweetheart, you get the kettle on while I go to Janeâs to get Jessie back, or perhaps you would like to go while I get my shoes off?â
Nick froze with horror, âno itâs okay Mum I will make you a nice cup of tea and cut you a slice of that nice cake you bought at the weekendâ he said.
âNo, you goâ she said starting to slip off her shoes and starting to take over the tea preparation and getting out the mugs âI am too tired to walk another step and these shoes are killing me.â
Nick realised that the moment of truth was upon him and hunched over, head down and in total dread made his way next door.
[To be continued]
Chapter 5
In less than a minute he was stood before the front door of Mrs. Corbyâs house and hesitated to ring the bell, but he needed to do nothing, because the door swung open and the beaming face of Mrs. Corby appeared before him. Today her blond hair, blue eyes and fabulous slim figure were lost on Nick. He only saw her pinafore apron with two nappy pins in the shoulder strap.
âItâs my favourite baby boy Nicki!â she crowed âcome on in little babykins. Do you want me to change you? I am just about to put a clean nappy on Cindy. Whereâs your bib, well actually what have you done with Cindyâs bib?â she emphasised âand what did you do with her nappy that you wet?â
Nick wanted to dissolve or die on the spot as he followed Mrs. Corby into the kitchen. Cindy and Jessie were in the playpen playing. A changing mat was on the large pine table in the centre of the room with a clean white nappy, pair of pink plastic pants placed on top. A container of Johnson & Johnson baby powder and some zinc and castor oil cream were next to them.
She turned on him again âI asked you a question, what did you do with her nappy and her bib?â
âI put the nappy in Jessieâs nappy bucket and I put her bib somewhere safeâ he stammered.
âWell the bib was soaked with your dribbling wasnât it? So you had better go back right now and bring it back to me so I can wash it properly.â
Nick hesitated
âGo and get it right nowâ she commanded.
He ran out of the house and rushed up to his room.
âWhereâs Jessie?â shouted up his mother
âWonât be a minute, just getting something for Mrs. Corby Mumâ he replied.
âWhat are you getting?â asked his mother
âOh nothingâ said Nick rummaging in his college bag. He sorted past the plastic pants, and two dummies and his hand felt the terry cloth of the damp bib. He took it out quickly and stuffed it in his pocket, as an after-thought he put the dummy he had been given in his pocket as well. The sound of his mother coming up the stairs threw him into a new panic and he took out his calculator from another section of the bag.
âWhat are you rushing about at?â she inquired
âMrs. Corby wanted me to work something out for her and I just came to get my calculatorâ.
His mother did not look convinced as he continued on his mad dash, she caught the briefest glimpse of him as he tore past her and she could have sworn that dangling out the corner of his pocket were two ribbons. Fortunately for Nick she was tired and her normally astute powers of observation were jaded and she thought no more about it.
Nick arrived breathless and stood in front of Jane, sheepishly he took the infantile bib out of his pocket, the dummy she gave him clattered to the floor as he handed it to her. He looked at the changing mat, where there had been a pair of pink plastic pants there was now a much larger pair of clear transparent plastic pants.
âThey are yoursâ she confirmed before he could so much as gasp âI want you to take off your trousers and pants and lie down on the mat like a good babyâ
âBut I canâtâ he said, his lip trembling as the enormity of the situation hit him.
âDo itâ she growled âor else I can make your life a total miseryâ. As Nick took off his clothes she folded the nappy into a kite shape. âLie on top of the mat like a good babyâ she cooed with a smile best described as evil. âWhat is all this?â she asked looking at his private region âoh no, that all has to come off, baby would never have all that nasty hairâ. She produced a ladyâs Philishave and within seconds the buzzing razor had stripped him of all his adolescent hair. âLift up so we can get your clean nappy on. Thatâs a very good baby for Auntie, now letâs put in the pins. Thatâs it, one in, now two in. Lift again sweetie pieâ she told him as she worked his feet through the leg holes of his plastic pants. âOkay, stand up and letâs make sure you are all tucked inâ. She inspected her handiwork and prodded pieces of nappy into the protection of his babyish panties.
âPlease donât do thisâ said Nick as tears started to well up. Jessie looked up from the playpen and gave a little tinkling laugh as she saw her big brother standing up in his nappy.
âNappyâ she said
âYes sweetheart, you brother is now a little toddler isnât he? He likes being a big baby and wetting his nappy doesnât he? Now what are we missing? I know, he hasnât got his dummy has he? Shall we give the baby his dum-dum to suc-k, because he looks like he will cry if we donât.â She picked up his dummy off the floor, tied it to a piece of pink ribbon then pressed the teat to his lips, Nick resisted. âYou liked suc-king on your doe-doe when I popped in this afternoonâ she said with a voice as sickly as syrup. Nick let the dummy slip into his mouth and looked totally defeated, his head had dropped until his chin rested on his chest. Jane tugged his ear and he looked up to see her holding a large terry towelling bib with a plastic backing. It had pictures of teddies embroidered on one corner and was piped in a pink binding that became the ties. She tied it about his neck and pinned on the ribbon of his dummy. âYou can have this one as a present from Cindy, because it is a bit too big for her.â
It seemed to fit Nick perfectly and Jane frowned as she examined him. âTake off you shirt and socks Nick, baby does not want to wear big boys clothes does he?â Nick now beaten into submission did as he was told. âNow get in the playpen with the babies while I go next door and tell your Mum that you are helping me out for a couple of hours. Play nicely and keep suc-king your dummy or else I will have to spank.â She scooped up Jessie onto her hip and hitched her up into a comfortable position. Jessie was now suc-king on her own dummy, but wide-eyed at the sight of her brother sitting in the playpen dressed as a small toddler.
The stress of the encounter with Mrs. Corby had left him in dire need of the toilet and Nick was starting to squirm âMitheth Corby?â he struggled to talk past his dummy but the only sounds that came out sounded infantile âI haf to go toiletâ.
[To be continued]