The Bottom line

[derry]

THE BOTTOM LINE

WAITING

It was Eleanor's idea that we go to the courthouse. She was my guardian. Gloria sat next to me. Then the twins screamed so that Eleanor had to go out.

I desperately hoped nobody would look too closely at my butt. It was a cold day and I could justify thick warm clothing. We had been to the ladies' room just before hand. Eleanor had guarded the door.  Gloria and I had helped each other. We had not drunk much that day.

Still the thought that anyone would know what we were wearing was frightening. I was looking forward to seeing justice done to Mr Milton Roberts. Still I had my doubts about whether this would happen.

Eleanor and Gloria were much more cynical. They said that the court would never seriously punish such a powerful man. Nobody took pollution seriously.

ABOUT ME



I'm Dorothy (or Dotty or Dolly). I am told that my mother was a wonderful woman. She was dead before I got to know her. I have also heard that she was the only sensible choice of partner my dad ever made.

Over my first 10 years I had about 8 step-mothers. Now none of them were VERY nasty, But none of the stayed. Dad worked long hours when he was in work. He drank. He did not like the small place on the trailer park that was the only one we could afford.

Then one day I came home. My home was burned down. Judith who Dad had actually married and was one of his better choices had died in a car wreck. Some people wondered whether Dad had killed himself.

I was terrified. I had the idea that I would go to some dic-kensian orphanage. (And I do read a lot and have read dic-kens)

ELEANOR, FRANKLIN AND GLORIA

Well Gloria was already my good friend. I couldn't believe that a doctor's daughter would go to the same school as me. Even more surprising was that she didn't look down on me.

Franklin (and yes they were named for the former President and first lady) was a doctor. But he was different to most. He was not rich. That was because he did most of his work for people like me. His fees were small.

Eleanor was a nurse. She had worked in schools and in the Community until the County sacked her. They could not afford luxuries- like healthy children.

Well- Eleanor, Franklin and Gloria agreed I could live with them.

Gloria was half way between a best friend and a sister. We were both good at school. We had a word for each other "Sister-friend".

Then there was a tragedy. Franklin's great overworked heart gave out. He was only 46. It was very sudden.

Eleanor got a pension of sorts. She would find some kind of job and we would manage. Except something else happened. Turned out she was pregnant. In fact she had twins.

Hilary and Nelson are beautiful people. But all this meant that we were probably as poor as I had ever been with my much more feckless father.

DIAPER TAX

Our City is very concerned about the environment. They introduced a dollar a diaper disposal charge for used baby wear. The idea was to encourage parents to go back to old fashioned ones. In normal circ-umstances mom, Well I think of Eleanor as Mom.

Sorry Eleanor. (I think of her as almost like having a mother) might have made the ecologically correct decision anyway. But these were not normal circ-umstances. She had four of us to look after. The washing machine packed up and she could not afford to replace or repair it. So every day diapers had to be hand washed

We had always shared ALL chores (and that had included Franklin before he died). Still this new one was nobody's favorite job.

WHY I HATE MILTON ROBERTS

There is a chemical plant near where we lived

Mr Milton Roberts was the Senior Director of the Company. He personally decided priorities. He decided that cutting corners would be cheaper- even if they were caught and fined.

We lived near a river. All the toxic stuff was supposed to be processed and safely disposed of. They insisted that there was not even an outflow.

I always knew that they were lying about this. So did Eleanor and lots of people. We had even had a little protest with placards. There were some people trying to prove what was going on but mostly they had failed.

Actually Gloria and I were to be the proof. We were walking across a bridge. It was hot and we sat down. We leaned against the safety rail and it collapsed. (Some time in the next hundred years our court case against the County will be decided).

We landed in the river. What we did not know was that we fell right in front of the outflow. (You know the one the company told us did not exist). We must have had several mouthfuls of nasties.

Well someone pulled us out. We threw up a lot and had to go to the bathroom a lot for the next few hours. Our bodies were getting rid of the poison. What we did not know at the time was that our bodies’ efforts to get rid of the stuff quickly did some damage. I found out the next time I had to go to the bathroom.

You see I did not go to the bathroom. I emptied my bladder on the bed. It happened several more times to both Gloria and I.

We eventually realized that we were NOT going to know about peeing until we had done so. In view of the damage already done to our bodies' plumbing a catheter was contra indicated.

So I found myself an intelligent, pretty 15 year old girl back in diapers. Not only that but because of Eleanor's financial situation we could not afford thin ultra pampers.

BEING DIAPERED

We had to wear the old fashioned pin on type. And there was another indignity. Properly pinning a diaper onto yourself is difficult. It was not something we really wanted to accept.

So when we needed to be "Changed" we at first relied on Eleanor. I think that she liked the idea of showing how much she cared for us- especially for me. Eleanor wanted to show she loved me as much as her biological children.

Still love and caring does not alter facts. The main fact is that it is humiliating to have someone pin you into didies. I am not sure that the presence of real babies did not make me feel even worse.

CHANGED TEENAGERS

Still there was one good thing. It brought Gloria and I even closer. Eleanor soon understood how much her taking charge took from our dignity. So I changed Gloria and she changed me.

There was kind of dignity- if that is possible- in being dependent on someone who would soon depend on you. And there was something else.

We could admit to each other, which we would have never told mother- sorry Eleanor- that being gently washed "down there" by a loving caring girl can be quite pleasant.

I think that I should confess that when I was doing the changing it felt like I was in charge. Now the thing was that I had never really been in charge of anything or anyone- except maybe the twins. But this felt better.

Much, much later Gloria confessed to me other mixed feelings:

"...not only was being changed nice I sort of liked the feelings of all that damp padding round me. I liked it when I felt myself going to the bathroom. I liked feeling safe.

"You see mom- and Dad I suppose- so liked me to be responsible and to use my intelligence I don't think that I was ever properly allowed to be a child..."

Something else happened. It was agreed that the rest of our schooling would be at home. This was another thing that brought us together.

I do not think we had been in town for 6 months before we went to watch Milton Roberts being sentenced.

MILTON ROBERTS

What happened could not have happened to a more deserving person.

Milton Roberts was something of a celebrity. He got a lot of publicity emphasizing how anti pollution laws were crippling business. He also emphasized that whether to obey the law was a business decision:

"We look at the BOTTOM LINE. If it is cheaper to risk fines than to spend millions on unnecessary plant to please green fanatics we just have to accept the consequences."

Roberts had been on television a lot. He had been in court a lot. He saw himself as a spokesman for a view of prosperity. He was also a very fastidious man. It is said that he showered 4 times a day and that his showers had an anti perspirent fitting. He wore smart and expensive clothes. He had appeared in courts in 13 states. This was a routine thing for him.

He was due for a big surprise.

A JUST SENTENCE

Judge Diana Love liked contemplating this sentence. She did not have a reputation for being particularly tough. However she had children and this crime enraged her. She knew of Gloria and I and felt empathy.

What made her even more furious was the knowledge that Roberts and his company thought they had got away with it. Okay so there would be a $10 000 fine. They had saved $500 000.

The crime was putting even one gram of this stuff into the river. For the week before we fell into the river they had a rush job and were in continuous production. They had got rid of 20 kilos, Twenty THOUSAND grams.

I think Milton Roberts thought :

"We can afford to pay $10 000 in fines. Actually I would rather not but on balance we can afford for me to be in jail for a week."

So he returned to our state. He had one nasty shock. Instead of one charge he suddenly faced 7 200. It could be proved that for each minute of that five day week at least one gram of that toxic stuff was going into the river.

I listened to the verdicts. They took some time to read. They were in 72 batches. Guilty 7 200 times.

Near the end of the list I felt something. I was flooding my diapers. I felt ashamed. But in my mind I knew it was not my fault and that the man whose fault it was might actually be punished.

I supposed that I would have to come back in a couple of weeks but no. The judge said:

"Justice delayed is justice denied. There is nothing else on the docket for this afternoon. I will hear submissions as to sentence."

She heard them. The assistant District attorney was not really ready. However she made the point that this was a particularly serious case. She also mentioned the specific damage done to the minor children "x" and "y". That was Gloria and I.

Milton's lawyer talked about charitable contributions. He pretended that his client was sorry. At 3.30 we heard the sentence.

"It is the sentence of this court that Mr Milton Roberts and the XYZ chemical company each be fined $10 000 on each and every count.

"Mr Roberts is further sentenced to one week in the local penitentiary on each count, the sentences to run consecutively."

He would spend 120 years in jail. Now there are some jails that are more like country clubs. That is where white-collar criminals who are jailed usually end up. This judge was making sure that this would not happen. The local penitentiary was notoriously unpleasant and overcrowded. That was why the sentence was so specific about this felon's disposition. Nobody could mistake our local pen for a Country club.

I saw Milton and his lawyer visibly shocked. Then the judge started saying something else. At first I was worried.

"I have no doubt that you and your companies fully deserve the maximum punishment allowed by the law.

"However..."

It was the "However" that worried me. I looked at Gloria. She too wondered whether he would get away with it.

"...sending people to jail does not clean up rivers. It is expensive. I have always wanted to give criminals..."

Looks were exchanged between the judge and the businessman. She continued.

"From your expression I suspect you do not like the idea that you are a criminal. Well if you break the law you are a criminal. And if you do so with the amount of pre-meditation and causing the amount of damage you do you are a very serious criminal.

"I am therefore prepared to offer an alternative. If you are prepared to accept certain conditions you can go on probation for 10 years."

Gloria and I were angry. I yelled.

"So much for justice."

The judge was understanding of my outburst.

"Look I can not accept interruptions. I would also ask you to listen to the conditions I am proposing.

"The first condition is that you will be fined your WHOLE personal wealth. I understand that there is an old shack near the river where you could live.

"Now, you ARE a very able chemist and engineer. The second condition is that you will work at the plant to ensure that the river and the rest of the environment are respected. You will be paid the minimum wage."

I supposed that this was better but it did not feel like enough of a punishment.

"This will continue until you are 70 or until the river has been kept clean for 10 years and the company has paid its fine."

I saw relief on Milton Roberts face. I looked at Gloria. She looked at me. We were not pleased. However the conditions got better.

"You will be aware that your wickedness has caused particular distress for two young women and for their widowed mother."

It did not worry me too much that Eleanor was referred to as my mother.

"There is a way you can personally make some reparation. The minor children "x" and "y" have to use diapers as a result of the damage you have done.

"Guess what, you get to wash them. As you may recall their mother does NOT have a functioning washing machine. And since you will be washing one lot of diapers for convenience sake you will do the same for the two actual babies in that family."

Gloria and I held hands and looked at each other. Mind you I was still hoping that nobody in the court (except perhaps the judge) knew who we were.

However it was the final Condition which made me satisfied that justice was being done.

"There is one final condition. You represent a company that does not know where it can and where it can't make it's messes. Now my daughter Julia is 19 month old. She says "potty". She knows where she can and where she can't make a mess.

"In fact you are worse than I said. You do KNOW where the proper place is. You just choose not to use it.

"I want to make sure that you take this court mandate to clean up your plant's act seriously. I also want to make sure that you never forget for a minute that you represent an organization that is not toilet trained.

"Furthermore I want everyone you deal with to be constantly reminded that you represent a company emotionally less mature than my little Julia."

A PROPER PUNISHMENT

Gloria and I suddenly guessed what the judge had in mind. However the details were also worth waiting to hear.

"Therefore I make this final condition. In order for me to allow the probation order instead of the jail sentence to stand:

"You will wear diapers. They will at all times be fully visible. You will continue to wear them until such time as the river has been clear of your company's pollution for two years.

"The diapers will be of the toweling type. You will not yourself be permitted to remove them.

"The court will appoint, but your company will pay, suitable compliance officers. They will ensure that your dirty diapers are not changed for at least half an hour and your wet ones for at least two hours.

"You will personally be responsible for washing your own diapers- by hand."

Milton Roberts accepted all the humiliating conditions. It was better than 120 years in jail. His lawyer argued that this was cruel and unusual. The judge refused a stay.

Much later the appeal court said that although it was unusual he did have an alternative. That alternative was certainly constitutional.

NANCY

So the conditions were enforced from that day. The court appointed a woman called Nancy to supervise the infantile businessman. Now Nancy had done some work as a prostitute. Then she specialized.  She had provided services for men (and one woman) who wanted to be "adult babies". However she had explained to me:

"I like the idea of taking total charge of someone. I like the idea of their being totally helpless and powerless. That is the fantasy I used to act out with people.

"Of course the trouble was I was giving the exactly what they wanted. It was not real power."

Nancy looked at Gloria and I.

"I know that the idea would seem strange to you after what had happened. But some adults like wearing diapers."

Nancy went on.

"This gives me the real thing. A real supposedly adult man- and a deserving one- will be really helpless and humiliated."

Milton was in the shed scrubbing diapers. He yelled.

"It's been MORE than half an hour. Do your job and change this fuc-king diaper."

Gloria and I followed her out. She addressed the delinquent.

"Had Milly done doo doos in 'is didies den?"

"Don't you dare use that tone to me you bitch. The court has been fuc-king bad enough. It did NOT say I was a bloody baby."

Nancy then explained the situation.

"No just that your corporation acted like one.

"Mr Roberts, the court has given me certain authority. If you do not cooperate with all the judge's conditions you can go straight to jail.

"Oh and wouldn't you look funny going as you are. So, Has Milly done doo doos in his didies den?"

"Milly" surrendered. The powerful businessman responded.

"Milly done doo doos in 'is didies."

"Did Milly use naughty words?"

"Milly use naughty words."

"Does Milly's mouth need washing out with soap."

Milton Roberts was very unhappy at this fresh indignity. He said softly.

"Yes."

"Say it properly and say please."

"Please wash Milly mouth out with soap."

Nancy concluded:

"So in an hour you'll have time to scrub that pail of didies. Then you can come in and I'll change you. You can wear nice clean didies. Won't that be nice eh?"

As this was going on I flooded MY diapers. I looked at Gloria and she knew what I needed. We both went into the bathroom. This was quite big and had a plastic covered mattress as a changing mat.

I could have undone my things myself but it felt nicer to let Gloria take total charge. Just as an hour earlier I had taken charge of her. This time she was teasing- she learned it from Nancy:

"Has baba Dorothy done wee wee in her didies den."

I was not pleased:

"Please I'd have thought you would understand. Yes I have wet my diapers and no I am not a baby and we both know who's fault it is."

Gloria was apologetic.

"It's okay Dot, I was only teasing. I thought you'd like me talking that way."

I was surprised that she could be so stupid.

"Is that the sort of commentary YOU'D want at change-time?"

I was then even more surprised.

"Kinder..."

Gloria then gently pulled down my plastic panties. As she was unpinning the diapers she added.

"Dorothy I thought that making it a game would make it easier. I do hope that Milly is hating every moment of this."

I lay back and watched as my "Sister-friend" undid the other diaper pins. She picked up the very soggy napkins between her finger and thumb and dropped them into the diaper pail. We knew we would not have any further responsibility for getting them clean. This was a nice change- in more ways than one.

Gloria gently washed all my private area with cotton wool and slightly warm water. She did it slowly and carefully.

"This is nice."

I confessed. Gloria understood more than I did.

"There is nothing shameful about liking being pampered..."

I saw her face dropped. She had, as they say, left her Freudian slip showing.

"There is nothing wrong with liking being cared for."

With equal care a special lotion was applied. I liked the feel of the slightly viscose substance going over the most sensitive parts of my skin.

Finally it could not be postponed. Gloria had to pin me back into several layers of diapers. I lifted my butt.

"It's nearly Milly's change time Dotty."

My sister-friend remarked as she was firmly fastening the diaper pins.

MILLY'S CHANGE- TIME



Gloria and I watched Mr Roberts being changed. We also recorded it with a camera. Before she would undo his shitty napkins Nancy insisted and Milly submitting to more verbal humiliation.



"Milly the biggest baby in der World...Milly naughtiest boy in der World....The judge lady was clever. Milly deserves to wear diapers, to be laughed AND to go to jail."

The actual change part was mostly quite quick. She used the diapers themselves to wipe his bum. He tried to protest.

"B-but you can't I..."

Nancy knew what she was doing..."

"Yes- I know who'll have to wash these didies.."

Then she washed him quickly with a rough damp cloth.

However Nancy took her time about pinning "baby" back into diapers. He lay there exposed as she very slowly folded three huge diapers. She took her time.

At last the prick had to submit three times to being smothered in soft white baby-wear. I think that Nancy deliberately used even more layers than were needed. She liked the idea of him having to waddle even more visibly than Dorothy and Gloria.

Once this was done Milly had his special feed. Three baby bottles of very Soapy water had been prepared. This powerful businessman lay his head on my diapered lap. I slowly fed him the horrid tasting and humiliating drink.

Nancy and Gloria each also took turns. He was totally defeated.

GLORIA'S CHANGE

The following day Gloria and I were alone in the house. Eleanor had taken the twins into town. I noticed her walk.

"Gloria- do you want some help?"

She replied:

"I want to know what being a baby is like. Leave it for a while."

She then got onto all fours. She crawled like an infant. I put on Sesame street. Her dress was short enough to show her heavy sagging underwear. After about an hour

"Aaa...Aaa..."

Gloria cried exactly like a baby. I tried act the part.

"Does little Gloria want her diapers changed."

She nodded and crawled to the bathroom.

"Okay- lets see to little Miss Waterworks..."

Gloria laughed at this. I patted her panties. Then I pulled them down.

"My, my we have used our diapers."

Gloria nodded.

"Lets get baba out of her wet things."

I unpinned her. I then gently washed all around those special places.  I said to my best friend.

"Baba likes change time!"

She smiled and nodded. I then added whilst smoothing on the creamy lotion.

"Mummy says that one day soon a clever doctor will give Lickle Dolly and Gloria operations. And then never need didies again."

I was very surprised at Gloria's reaction to this: SHE STUCK HER TONGUE OUT AND SHOOK HER HEAD.

I continued the change trying to say the same things Mom- err Eleanor- would say to Hilary, then 15 months old.

After she crawled off the plastic covered changing mattress Gloria said something else:

"Want din din!"

I started taking a pizza out of the freezer and Gloria said.

"Gloria want wice!"

So I gently heated a tin of creamed rice. I did two bowls. We both sat down.

"Aunty Dot feed baba."

So I got a bib- actually one of the twin’s clean diapers and started to feed my "sister-friend". Then the illusion broke. I stopped feeling able to play the adult as I flooded my diapers.

"Look Gloria- I don't want to carry on like this. I NEED your help. I DON'T like wet diapers."

We quickly finished our rice. Gloria talked in an adult way to me as she unpinned my heavy damp diapers.

"Dorothy, of course I want to be normal most of the time. Of course I want the operation. But just occasionally -in private- I'd like play baby. I can't think why it is such a big deal for you."

I explained.

"It's like this."

Gloria was gently smoothly washing me. It felt wonderful.

"When I was about seven I started wetting the bed. Lots of kids do that. Now this one step-mum had this cleanliness thing."

Gloria then started applying the lotion as I continued. This too was very pleasant.

"Now we don't have neighbors. I HOPE that people don't know. And if they did they'd know whose fault it is that we are diapered..."

Gloria slipped the diapers under me as I lifted my butt.

"But then we had lots of neighbors. This woman put me in diapers- and she used cloth ones when EVERYONE used disposables. And she TOLD the neighbor women what the diapers were and why I deserved to be shamed by wearing them every night. Several times she said if I did not get dry at night she would send me to school wearing them.

"Strangely I got cured of bedwetting just after she left and dad found a gentler "mother" for me."

I did however find I liked one kind of baby-play. Whenever Gloria and I are alone we cut up each other's meals and feed each other. I even like the feel of having my face wiped by someone else- that is Gloria- afterwards.



RELUCTANT MEDIA STAR



In the month before the trial Milton Robert's public relations people had accepted dozens of invitations to appear on serious programmes and chat shows. They all enforced the contracts. It very often happened that whilst he was trying to convince viewers that chemical poisons were good for them the camera angle would shift.

The viewers would see a yellow stain spreading around Milly's butt. On these occasions Nancy often deliberately used fewer layers of diapers. It was even more amusing- for most people- when he leaked.

It often happened that after a particularly embarrassing afternoon chat show performance that we would have recorded the images. Of course at least every day and sometimes twice a day Milly would have to come to our house to scrub diapers.

Nancy would insist that Milly watch himself going to the bathroom in his diapers before she would change him. When he was only wet rather than dirty I sometimes volunteered to see to him.

I think I managed to be even more patronizing than Nancy. I liked the sense of power I had over this man.

"Change time master water-works."

Often I would roll him onto his front before I changed him. I patted his butt and said:

"Oo's der wettest baba in the World Den..."

And Milly would have to reply:

"Milly Biggest baba in der World."

I liked doing this. I liked the feel of plastic covering heavily soaked terry toweling. I liked that he did not like what I was doing. I enjoyed making him suffer. I had the right to.

A GOOD IDEA



Many readers will be aware that in the 17 states that has adopted "Milly Roberts laws" pollution has dropped massively. The prospect of being publicly diapered has proved to be a more effective deterrent than either fines or the threat of prison.



In the past there was only one meaning of "the bottom line" for manager of plants that might produce pollution. Now in 17 states there is the other meaning. Most managers would rather have a red figure on one bottom line than face being seen with white terry toweling on a more personal BOTTOM LINE.

Another good thing has come out of our sad experience. You will remember that part of the punishment is that Milly also has to wash diapers. Several cities have provided that the interest on late child support will be paid to the city. It will be paid in kind. Dead beat dads get to wash 30 dirty diapers for every day they are late with their checks. Lots of single moms now get their payments very promptly.



Then there is the experiment of attaching commercial diaper services to MEN's prisons. The fear of this punishment has helped some male criminals- and most crooks ARE male- to go straight.



WHAT HAPPENED TO ME AND GLORIA

A few months after the trial both Gloria and I were given operations. We no longer needed diapers. The strange thing was that occasionally- perhaps after weeks of hard work or study- Gloria WANTED me to diaper her.

Now this was a strange thing to me but I love my "Sister-friend".

MAT



Whilst at college I found out about a half brother Mat. I felt I owed him something so he shared our small apartment. He was a very irresponsible young man of 18.

Often in a household where there are several women and one man the argument is about leaving the WC seat up. Mat went one worse. He didn't leave the seat up. He just never raised it at all. If you were not careful when you went to the bathroom you ended up sitting exactly where Mat had gone to the bathroom.

His mother had hit Mat a lot. So had other step dad. He was just defiant. This was perhaps surprising because he was only little.

We found a way to tame him. Every time he was naughty it was 48 hours in diapers. At home when he was being punished he also wore a specially made short frilly frock. This left the baby wear very visible.

When he actually had classes he was allowed out. Usually he wore dungarees or pants. These would be unisex- or perhaps feminine. His diapers were left on. Often when he had two hours of classes he would be sent out with his diapers already wet.

After classes he would be very anxious for his change. If I was in charge I would make sure he was in proper baby girl clothes before I would consider it. Then he would have to beg:

"Naughty Matty gone to der bathroom in didies. Pretty please change naughty Matty. Pretty please Aunty Dolly."

I sometimes wore a plastic apron and changed him on my lap. This was harder than laying Matty down but he really felt VERY helpless.

Gloria and I often invited female friends around on days when Matty was being punished. It often took a long time before anyone would ask. But eventually he would have to say:

"Matty dressed like a baba Cos Matty act like a baba."

Matty is now a very good person to have around the apartment. He does even more than his fair share of housework. He will make some woman and lovely obedient wife.

CONCLUSION

DIAPER DISCIPLINE WORKS!!![/u]