Simple Simon

[antonia]

Simple Simon



The New Job has not been abandoned, just put on the back burner for a while.



Chapter 1



Simon looked at the reflection in the mirror. A toddler sat on a vividly coloured patchwork quilt floor mat wearing a pink gingham dress with a white sailor collar trimmed in lace looked back at him. On the head of the reflection was a pink bonnet that framed the face of a large baby suc-king on a large pink dummy, whose helpless dribbling was being absorbed by a gleaming white terry bib backed in soft vinyl plastic and trimmed in matching pink gingham tied about the figure’s neck. A little teddy was embroidered on the corner.



A pink ribbon ran from the dummy to a nappy pin that secured the end of the tether to the bib. The figure was suc-king diligently on the te ( " at " ) t of the dummy, the eyes were listless and the figure was clearly bored and very upset.



The apparition in the glass had white woollen mittens on each hand and matching booties on the feet, again all were beautifully trimmed and tied with pink gingham ribbons. The figure sat legs akimbo on the floor with the woefully short dress just coming to the top of the pants.



The pants were made of a crystal-clear soft vinyl that fit snugly over a fluffy white nappy that bulged between the legs forcing them wide apart. The soft panties were so clear that the pink teddies that protected the clasp of the nappy pins could be clearly seen holding the huge nappy tight around the hips.



On the floor next to the figure were a variety of objects – a mobile phone that had been painted pink, a brief-case that had also been painted pink and then covered in cut out cartoon characters, a set of plastic teething ring keys with a BMW fob attached. A large pink purse lay open on the mat with giant plastic discs representing money spilling out. A fabric reading book of farm yard animals lay unopened – on the front cover somebody had written the words “my cheque book” in black felt tip pen.



Simon watched as the figure in the mirror started to sob as the front of the nappy slowly turned yellow. Simon felt himself warm and the sensation make its way down between his legs and round to his bottom. A tear ran down his face as he realised that the ridiculous figure in the mirror was him.  



A tall slim woman entered the room and looked down on the overgrown baby sitting on the floor.



“Wet again” she said “you do make Mummy so much work, I only changed you half an hour ago. You have almost lost all your control now haven’t you Poppet? Not long now”.



Simon looked at the woman. The last vestiges of his mind were hanging by a thread. He tried to understand what she meant by ‘not long now’ and although he had lost the ability to analyse the statement a subconscious thought sent a bolt of fear through him that caused his bladder to cut loose and release a new warm flooding.



He fought the haze that seemed to cloud over him more and more and these days, dimming his mind in thick layers of treacle and cotton wool slowly drowning out his thoughts. How had he arrived at this, he tried to remember…….

[antonia]

Chapter 2



The clouds lifted from his mind as he thought back to the day when he had first met Mrs. Anne Fielder and her daughter Felicity.



Simon had lost his parents when he was in his early teens, a bad smash on the motorway had wiped them out in an instant, leaving him alone in the world apart from an aunt and uncle who being childless welcomed him into the bosom of their family.



Over the years he had worked hard at school and gained the entry requirements to clear UCCA and be invited to join his chosen university. His aunt and uncle were far from prosperous and had given him all they could afford but he was reliant and grateful for the grant he received from the council, however, life was going to be tough and digs would be a financial problem if he were unlucky enough not to gain a place at the hall of residence.



Luck was not one of Simon’s strong points and sure enough he failed to be allocated a room in the hall of residence and so would have to seek a room in one of the many digs advertised by the Student Union in their magazine. Once again, bad luck put Simon in the path of the Fielder family. Simon took one last drag from his Virginia tobacco roll-up, pinched out the tip and returned it to the tobacco tin to be finished later (a luxury that he knew he could ill afford). He popped a strong mint in his mouth to hide the smell. So it was that on a rather damp Monday that he knocked on the door of a large and well-appointed house on the outskirts of the university campus and in a perfect position for him to be able to walk to his lectures.



Mrs Fielder answered the door. She was a tall and slim woman with angular features and a nose that was just a little too long and a little too angular. Simon quickly erased the image of the wicked witch featured in the Wizard of Oz. She had piercing blue eyes that seemed to look right inside him and Simon felt intimidated.



“You must be Simon” she told him with abrupt efficiency “come in then, don’t dawdle and let the damp in”. Simon entered the hallway, noting as he walked along the pictures hanging on the walls. On one section of wall was a neat pin board with about half a dozen photographs of fresh-eyed males who seemed to be about his age. “My old lodgers”, said Mrs Fielder spotting his interest “they all stayed with me while they were at Kings”.



The hallway led to the kitchen and Mrs Fielder told him to sit down. “Tea?” she asked.



“Yes” replied Simon “that would be lovely”.



They talked about Simon’s background and how he had lost his parents and lived with his aunt and uncle who were retiring to Spain and a life of sun-soaked leisure in the south of Spain. She pottered about boiling the kettle and then making a tea from a blend of herbs and leaves that she kept in a tall glass container on the counter.



“My own blend” she said “a mixture of tea, herbs and a hint of fruits to make a taste that I think you will enjoy” she said with a strange glint in her eye.



Simon accepted the drink and sipped the tea, it certainly tasted very strange, but in no way could it be described as nasty, in fact the more he sipped, the more he was drawn to the floral but sharp, tannin-rich bite. “It is very nice” he decided and said out loud, he was a little surprised that he had spoken, because it was in his mind and not in his mind to speak.



They discussed the terms and conditions. “Do you smoke?” she asked



Simon knew this was likely to be a real negative for some people so decided to lie, but as he was formulating the negative response his mouth had said “Yes, I do smoke I am afraid”. He was shocked at the ease with which he had volunteered the information.



“Don’t worry dear, I will have you off the cigarettes by the end of your first week as I have a fool-proof method for curing smokers of their filthy habit”. She looked determined and triumphant - again Simon felt that she was a woman who would do anything she wanted and succeed. “If you give up smoking, then I will reduce my rent by £5 per week, how does that sound?”



“Fantastic” said Simon suddenly feeling the urgent need to urinate “do you have a loo I could use?”



“You have only just arrived, can’t you hold on” retorted Mrs Fielding. Simon shook his head and looked uncomfortable. “Well you can go in the loo under the stairs, but please lift the lid”. Simon was surprised at the need to tell him such a thing. He went under the stairs to the small loo that went down a few steps and opened up in what was effectively the basement. The room was quite large, against one wall was a low table on which a colourful blanket had been thrown. In alcoves built into the wall were dozens and dozens of white towels all neatly stacked with the round folded edge set outwards. On another shelf was what looked like plastic bags in various colours stacked one upon another. Another small shelf held toiletries and other paraphernalia. On the wall behind the toilet were more pictures of the students, he looked at them and then stepped back in amazement, almost slipping on the mat that butted up against the base of the toilet. He lifted the lid of the toilet and fumbled with the front of his trousers, his misdirected jet caught the inside of his fly and a wet patch appeared.



It was impossible. No it had to be a joke or something…. This was ludicrous….

[antonia]

Chapter 3

 

The pictures on the wall showed each of the young men dressed in their pyjamas clutching a teddy and judging from the bulging bottoms were dressed in a thick nappy. They all looked anxious and threatened, as if they were being forced to have their pictures taken.



He zipped himself at the front and pulled the chain to the toilet. He washed his hands and looked for a hand towel, but the ring on the wall was empty. Simon took a towel from the stack on the shelf and was surprised to see that it was a perfect square, he also noticed that the pile of plastic bags was not what it seemed, they were shower caps perhaps? He was about to take one out to examine it further when he heard the call of Mrs Fielder. He threaded the towel into the holder and left the room.



Mrs Fielder was waiting for him and almost pounced on him as he came through the door. “You took your time didn’t you?” she asked “had a good look round?”



Simon still under the influence of the strange tea asked “why are the students all dressed as babies?” He never had the intention to be so inquisitive but the words just seemed to tumble out of his mouth.



“Don’t be silly Simon” she laughed “they were all going to the annual fancy dress party that I organise.” Her eyes drifted down to the wet patch on the front of Simon’s trousers “it looks like you need to wear a nappy young man, judging by the mess you have made over your trousers”.  She laughed a shrill and not pleasant laugh that made Simon tingle. “Now we need to discuss terms” she said.



Simon took his place at the table again and Mrs Fielder resumed her conversation “my daughter is only fourteen you know and I worry about having a young man in the house, so you may think this rule to be a bit odd. I have to lock my male tenants in their rooms when they go to bed, because my daughter Felicity is a bit wayward and tends to tease my lodgers”. She gave a wink “if you know what I mean”.



Simon grinned a little more than he had wanted and was rewarded with a glare from Mrs. Fielder.

“So it is all settled then, you will lodge here for £50 per week for bed, breakfast and evening meal, I will do your laundry and in return there may be some odd jobs you can do around the house for me now that my husband Peter has passed on”.



Simon was not at all certain about the arrangements, but the hypnotic effect of the tea was leaving him feeling dizzy and somehow compliant. “Yes, that would be lovely”, he heard himself agree. A sheaf of papers was pushed in front of him together with a pen and he signed where she pointed at the three spots in the doc-ument.



“That’s the rent direct debit, that’s the tenancy agreement and this is the agreement to the terms” she said as he signed in each section. “Just put your account details in there dear” she said pointing to a box on the form. “Perfect”.



The front door clattered as somebody fitted their latch key and opened it. A very pretty and stunning girl came down the hall. This had to be daughter Felicity he thought. She was wearing a black silky top tied at the waist leaving a studded belly button exposed and a formidable breast for one so young and was restrained by a white bra that was clearly visible beneath the blouse. She wore a skirt that was short, black and alluring. Her dress left little to the imagination. Simon gawked at her and was almost salivating. “You look wonderful” he said (again the tea seemed to have removed many of his inhibitions and he spoke as he felt).



The two women tittered. “Is this the new project Mum?” asked Felicity



“This is Simon, our new lodger, yes” said Anne Fielder with a knowing look to her daughter. “When are you coming to join us Simon?” she continued. Simon looked suddenly tired and weary, he had been sipping the tea and Mrs Fielder had kept refilling it from the glass teapot. This was no ordinary tea he thought, perhaps it had a dash of wacky baccy in it or something similar like mescal buttons. “Are you alright dear?” he heard from the end of a long tunnel “Simon? Simon?”



He pulled himself back to reality and tried to focus. “A week to day would be perfect” he said as he slowly slumped down onto the table. Felicity jumped in to catch him and his head slumped against her ample breast as he was about to slide off his chair.



“Oh blast it!” said Anne “he was more susceptible to the tea than I expected. We will have to try and get him back in the car”.



“He seems to have lost control of his bladder as well” said Felicity



“Oh no dear, he had an accident in the loo” said Anne “probably got distracted by the pictures and lost his aim!”



“No Mum, I think he has really had an accident, look” replied Felicity pointing to his trousers. “We had better get him cleaned up before we send him back”. The two nodded agreement and lay him gently on the floor. They removed his trainers and socks and carefully undid his trousers and peeled them off, then removed his underwear. “I’ll wash these out and dry them in the tumble drier, then sponge off his jeans and dry them with the hair dryer. In the meantime, it might make sense to put him in some pull-ups in case he has any more accidents.”



They went about their plan and soon had Simon safely protected and repositioned on the old comfy couch that was in the dining area of the kitchen. The washing and drying went without a hitch and they slipped him back into his clothes. He had wet the pull-ups and they were in two minds as to leave them on or take them off. They decided it was best to take them off, to avoid any difficult questions. They cut them out from under his boxer shorts and yanked them off, it was enough to bring Simon out of his daze. They were just fastening him up when he jumped back to reality. Felicity rolled up the wet pull ups guiltily and hid them behind her back.



“You had a funny turn dear – are you alright, you seemed to have fainted. It is all the stress isn’t it love, the joy of getting a university place, the fact you are leaving your aunty and uncle, it really is a lot to take on. I am going to drive you to the station so you can catch the train home, at least it will save you the bus journey and all that waiting at the bus stop. Then I will see you next week”. She gave him a strong coffee to help counteract the effects of the tea, which he sipped with gratitude. “Have a cigarette on the back door step if you need to” she said knowing that it would help to generate some much needed adrenalin for him.



Simon arrived back home after a long journey and felt as if he had been drinking heavily at lunch time. He felt tired and drained. His uncle and aunt asked him how it went and he quickly updated them on his progress, then made his apologies and begged to be allowed to go to bed. As he took off his clothes he caught sight of a piece of elasticated paper strip flutter out of his boxer shorts, “what on earth…..”

[antonia]

Chapter 4



Simon had no idea what the stretchy piece of paper was or where it could have come from. It was of course the piece of fabric that connected the back and front of his pull-ups on the left hand side. He was not to know that, but had he made the connection then the decisions he made about the future could have been substantially different.



The days seemed to fly past as his guardians helped him to pack up his possessions ready to be moved to Mrs Fielder’s house. A week after he left they would be selling up the house and starting their new life in the south of Spain. The whole house was in pandemonium with the packing and throwing away all of the old rubbish. Some old friends were discovered, Simon’s old teddy which was given precious space in his trunk.



And then it was moving day and Simon kissed his aunt and uncle goodbye and loaded all of his things into the small van they had hired to take him to Mrs Fielder’s.



The journey was long and boring, it took many hours and Simon was feeling apprehensive when he knocked on the door of Mrs Fielder. “Come in, come in” she said with joy and welcome in her voice. “Felicity, come and help with some of the baggage”. They moved all the bags upstairs and piled them outside the door on the hall. “I have decided to let you have this room because it is bigger” she said and opened the door. Simon was aghast, the room was painted a soft and delicate pink, there were cartoon animals drawn on all the wardrobe doors, there was what could only be described as a sissyish dressing table in creams and pinks. “This used to be Felicity’s room, but she has given it to you, isn’t that kind of her?” Simon nodded in a daze, it was absolutely hideous, even the bed was pink and has girlie drawings all over the pink headboard. He noticed that the windows were barred and that on the outside of the door was a substantial lock. “We agreed about the locked door at night didn’t we dear?” said Mrs. Fielder noticing him looking at the door security. Simon nodded in agreement.



The next hour was spent hanging up his clothes and arranging his personal items in the room.



When all was finished they went down into the kitchen for a drink, Simon made his way to the back door, his cigarette tin and lighter in his hand. “oh no Simon, you agreed to give up when you came here and I promised to help you. I gave you £5 a week off to give up, do you remember?” Simon nodded. “So here is what we are going to do” she continued “how many cigarettes do you smoke a day? Write the times down here and we will put this list on the fridge door”.



She went to a drawer and took out a box which she gave to Simon. He thought he was going to die of embarrassment. In the box was a large white baby’s dummy, a special one used by speech therapists and it was huge. A NUK size 5 it said, with a large orthodontic teat and large white mouth guard.



“Take it out of the box silly, no good in there is it?” said Mrs. Fielder moving into his space. “I will sterilise it in this solution and we will keep it in the kitchen for you. It will be ready in ten minutes, what do you say Simon?”



“Thank you Mrs Fielder” he mumbled looking at the floor.



“You know that Liz Hurley gave up smoking using this method don’t you? Anyway I bought a few, so that you will never have to wait for your new ‘smoke’”. She opened another three boxes and emptied the content into the sterilising jar with a plastic lid that Simon noticed was made for sterilising babies’ feeding bottles.



The kettle finished boiling and Simon was relieved to see that she made a cup of tea using a regular tea bag. He sipped it slowly, enjoying the taste. Mrs Fielder returned holding the dummy by the handle and pushed it towards his lips. “Open up” she said “we will let you suc-k on your dummy for five minutes and then put it back in the jar shall we”. She spoke with a slightly sickly and babyish voice that Simon thought odd.



The rubber felt foreign in his mouth, but very strangely there was something in the back of his mind that remembered how to suc-k his dummy and by the third minute it ceased to be sitting in his mouth statically but he was suc-king as proficiently as any toddler without making any special efforts.



Anne and Felicity looked at him as if a hurdle had been jumped or a stage completed. Simon was on a path that he could never ever have guessed and his dummy suc-king was the first stage in his regression that had been reached so easily. The second steps were going to be very interesting…..

[antonia]

Chapter 5



Evening came all too soon. Felicity proved to be a lot older than her years and stayed up until 11pm when Simon decided was time for him to retire. They had spent the evening chatting about his childhood and early years, about his likes and dislikes. He had wanted to go to his room, but they had insisted that he stay with them and continue chatting. Every hour and on the hour Anne Fielder had  gone to the kitchen and brought him back his dummy and popped it into his mouth for 5 minutes “no need to talk when you are suc-king your dummy sweetheart” she said, “you just relax and enjoy your lovely new doe-doe and forget about those smelly dangerous cigarettes”. She popped it between his lips each time and gave it a playful wiggle that he found both amusing and yet at the same time almost sensual.



As he was about to go upstairs, Felicity handed him a long pink ribbon with a nappy pin attached at one end and his new dummy on the other. She put it round his neck “just in case you want a smoke in the middle of the night” she said with a smile “but don’t go to sleep with a ribbon round your neck or you might strangle, pin it to your jammies with the pin!” She gave him a small kiss on his cheek “Night night”



“Night night” said Simon kissing her on the cheek, “and night night to you Mrs Fielder and thank you for making me feel so welcome and being so kind”. Anne Fielder glowed with pleasure.



Simon washed and cleaned his teeth making sure that he went to the loo before he entered his room and got beneath the pink sheets with the pink blankets. He took the dummy from around his neck and put it by his bed, next to his old battered teddy.



There was a small knock on the door and Anne Fielder came in “I am locking your door now Simon, is there anything you need?”



“What if I am caught short in the night Mrs Fielder?”



“If you look in the bedside cupboard you will find some disposable briefs that you can put on. I know it is not an ideal situation, but you have seen how seductive Felicity can be.” She walked over to his bedside and picked up the dummy and pinned it to his pyjama top using the nappy pin. “Have a last smoke before bed” she said wiggling the dummy tightly against his lips, but don’t fall asleep smoking!” she said laughing as she put his teddy in his arms and turned out his light.



The door locked behind her with a clanking and metallic rustling as Simon slipped into a deep sleep his dummy bobbing backwards and forwards with his rhythmic suc-king and his arms wrapped about his ragged little teddy.



A small infra-red camera set in the ceiling pointed in his direction and focussed on the figure in the bed. Simon had turned on his side, but the dummy was still firmly in place.



Anne and Felicity watched the figure and gave each other a hug, they had made superb progress in such a short space of time.



At 7 am Simon awoke and was very surprised to feel the big dummy still in his mouth and even more surprised that he was still suc-king it even he had to admit that he was enjoying it. He took out the dummy and let it fall and it dangled, held by the ribbon secured by the nappy pin on his top.



Simon’s bladder was starting to demand emptying and Anne watched him as he started to squirm in his bedroom, pacing and clutching himself as he looked at his watch. She wanted him to look in the bedside cupboard and sure enough he was starting to get desperate having looked under the bed and presumably for a suitable vessel to fill. He took out the disposable and opened it, there was an audible gasp as he realised that it was an adult sized disposable nappy.



She paged Felicity to go and open his door.



Felicity opened the door at the exact moment that Simon was holding the nappy against himself and contemplating its use. She giggled “just in time then by the looks of it” as Simon shot past her in the direction of the loo, his dummy flying behind him on its ribbon.



He made the bathroom with only a second to spare and was grateful to relieve himself. After washing and dressing he made his way down to breakfast. Anne looked at the times on the fridge door and came to him with his soother, which she duly plugged between his lips. He sat there a little self-conscious at first, but as his mind took over the reflex suc-king he enjoyed the feeling of calm it brought him.



“I can see my idea of giving you a lovely dummy to suc-k has taken you mind off smoking” she said watching the ring on his dummy wiggle in his mouth. Simon could only nod his agreement as he had hardly felt any desire to smoke one of his roll-ups.

 

After five minutes she came back and took the dummy away from him, had she noticed a flicker of disappointment? “Oh, you normally have two cigarettes in the morning don’t you dear, so I suppose you should have a double dose on your doe-doe”. She studied his face as she put the dummy to his lips and again she could have sworn that there was a flicker of anticipation. This was a lot better than she could have hoped for. “You only have to register today don’t you Simon” she said, so you can come back here afterwards if you like and help me do a few urgent repairs to the house.



After five minutes the dummy was replaced in the steriliser and a boiled egg with toast fingers delivered to his place. Felicity joined them and sat next to Simon as her egg and toast were put on the table in front of her. Simon knocked the head off his egg and placed it to one side. Felicity jammed her spoon into her egg and the yolk shot out catching the front of Simon’s shirt. “Simon be careful” she screamed out “look at the mess you have made down your clean tea shirt”.



Mrs Fielder turned round from the sink, her eyes blazing. “Simon, you big baby, look at the mess you have made. I will have to get the yolk out right away before it stains. Take off your tea shirt this instance and let me have it. She dived under the sink and brought out a tray of various cleansing solutions. Simon handed her his tea shirt, his vest having been spared the yolk soaking through his shirt. “Felicity, get Simon some protection and put it on him, before he gets anything else ruined.”



“But it wasn’t me it was Felicity, Mrs Fielder. It was her egg that went all over my shirt.”



“Rubbish, you should take responsibility for your own actions and not be such a baby Simon”. Felicity returned with a towel in her hand which she shook out and tied about Simon’s neck, but it was no towel, it was a bib, a large white towelling bib with a plastic backing on which the words “Naughty Baby” were embroidered in bright pink letters. It fit snugly about his neck and covered the whole of his front, dropping down to just below his waist. “In this house we punish according to the crime, so if you are going to spill your food like a baby, then you will have to wear the protection of a baby and have a bib on at all meal times until you can prove you do not need one. If you can keep your bib clean for four weeks then you will no longer need to wear it” she said firmly.



Simon glared at Felicity, who grinned back at him enjoying every moment and then went over to the jar and removed one of his dummies. “Time for one of your specials I think Simon” she said pressing the rubber bulb to his lips and watching with glee as he took it with little persuasion.



Simon sat there at the table suc-king his dummy with the large white bib tied around his neck and as he looked down he noticed with horror that some of his own egg had somehow made its way onto the protective garment. “I suppose I did that as well did I Simon?” taunted Felicity.

[antonia]

Chapter 6



Simon sat on his chair in the kitchen with a dirty bib round his neck and a dummy in his mouth. Mrs Fielder brought him a cup of tea and took away his soother. There was no doubt in her mind that on this occasion he looked a bit disappointed when it plopped out of his mouth. She put the mug of tea in front of him with a smile “there you are Simon”.



Felicity watched Simon as he lifted the brimming mug of tea to his lips and just as it was about to make contact gave him an almighty shove. The tea sloshed out of the mug and straight onto his bib, some of it going over his face. She jumped up and grabbed the washing up cloth to wipe his face. Again Mrs Fielder span round just in time to see Simon looking down at his bib which was now beginning to look very grubby. “I, I… didn’t do it” he stammered, “it was Felicity, she pushed me”.



Mrs Fielder took a few steps over to Simon and picked up the mug and took it over to the draining board. She reached into a lower cupboard and took out something that Simon could not see. She then went to the fridge and took out the milk which she poured while her back was turned to him.



“Close your eyes and put out your hands” she said which to her amusement Simon did. She placed the drink in his hands, “open your eyes now”



Simon opened his eyes and was dismayed to see that his hands now held a toddler’s sippy cup with two handles. It was a bright yellow cup with a lidded spout that was in fluorescent green, it had a picture of a bear on the front and judging from the teeth marks on the spout had been once owned by a toddler who had grown out of it. As if reading his mind Anne said “it used to be my niece’s, but I don’t think she will need it any more, and that is her bib you are wearing as well. You had better pull yourself together baby boy, because I can see you wearing her nappies as well the way things are going”.



He lifted the cup to his lips and suc-ked on the spout, it hissed and gurgled as he drank the cold milk inside and the air rushed back to replace the fluid he had swallowed. There was a flash, Felicity had taken a picture of him wearing his dirty bib and drinking out of a toddler’s cup. “Your new pals are going to love this“, she said with an evil chuckle.



Mrs Fielder let Simon finish his drink and then took off his bib, which she placed on the draining board. “I am going to have to find some more bibs for you, because I cannot see you ever being without one”.



Simon felt dejected and went to get his papers from his bedroom. Anne put a small plastic box in his hand that contained his dummy. “I do not want you smoking, and trust me I can tell if you have taken so much as one puff. You can go in the toilets if you are too shy to suc-k your doe-doe in public” she said patting his bottom. “Shall I pack your bib for you or will you be able to keep your clothes clean?” she asked him with a smile.



Simon almost ran up the stairs and picked up his things from his room. As he was coming down the stairs he was met by Mrs Fielder. She handed him a key “you will need this” she said handing him a clip on a short ribbon that would usually be used to secure a dummy to a baby’s clothing rather than be used as a key ring. He blushed at the babyish item. “And don’t take it off the key ring or there will be trouble” she threatened.



Simon had a day of very mixed emotions, his thoughts kept returning to the bib, the dummy and the sippy cup. How could his life have degenerated to such a degree? He decided to be extremely careful and to recover his normal adult privileges, he could not afford to be thrown out as the rent was extremely good value.



 That evening he sat at the table with Felicity and her mother, “tie on Simon’s bib please Felicity” she asked “give him his dummy while I serve up dinner will you”.



Simon interrupted, “I do not need my dummy Mrs Fielder. I think I can give up smoking without suc-king the dummy”.



“Don’t be silly Simon” said Mrs Fielder as Felicity stuffed the dummy into his mouth.



“Mpphhh!” spluttered Simon through the newly inserted soother “no want doe-doe” he said trying to speak the few words around the large rubber bulb in his mouth. The two women laughed at his infantile attempt at speaking round his dummy. Felicity opened up a pale pink terry towelling bib with a clear vinyl backing and to his horror he saw it had been embroidered with the words “Simon is a big baby” and had a Thomas the Tank Engine motif in the corner. She tied it firmly around his neck.



Anne put down a pink sippy cup with a red spouted lid. “Some juice to go with your dinner Simon” she explained. Simon looked down at the bib, the cup and suc-ked on his dummy. His grand plan was not going his way and he was not going to escape his punishments easily.



Anne put a plate of liver and bacon in front of Felicity, she went back to the kitchen unit where she was serving up and returned with a plate for Simon – he noticed with dismay that she had cut up his food into mouth sized bites. “So you will not spill it on your clothes Simon” she explained. She went back for her own plate as Felicity was serving herself some tomato ketchup from a squeezy bottle. She had put some on her plate and put some on Simon’s plate before turning it towards his bib and squirted some on the clean fabric. It went everywhere, some even went on his chin.



Mrs Fielder came back with her plate and gasped as she looked at Simon with his bib covered in sauce. “Just as well you are wearing a bib Simon, it looks like you will be using it for ever”.



Simon went to protest but thought better of it. He picked up the pink toddler cup and was surprised to find that it was brand new. “It is a present from Felicity to you Simon” said Mrs Fielder, “she thought you might like a new one to go with your green one”. Simon nodded and suc-ked on the cup, it was full of Ribena and as he suc-ked he suddenly noticed that it was slowly dripping a dark red stain onto his bib.



“Mum” shouted Felicity “he is dribbling all over his new bib.” Simon looked mortified and tried to work out why it was leaking, but the microscopic hole made using a hot needle was a stroke of genius by Felicity.



“Don’t worry Felicity” said her mother with a resigned tone “that is why babies wear bibs. A new bib only looks new for a couple of outings and it will soon look tatty and well-used.”



The evening did not go the way Simon planned, he wanted to do some work in his room on the lap top, but Anne and Felicity had him watching television in the lounge. They fed him drinks all evening sometimes in the new dripping toddler cup and sometimes in the old one. Each time he had a drink, they put on his bib which was getting more and more stained. They had a piece of chocolate sponge cake and somehow that got on to his bib as well, but he could not for the life of him know how it got there. Every hour he sat suc-king his dummy for the designated five minutes to soothe the pangs of nicotine withdrawal symptoms, before having it confiscated and returned to the sterilising unit that now contained his sippy cups.



It was eventually time for bed and he went up the stairs followed by Anne and Felicity, who waited until he was ready for bed before pinning the dummy on his pyjama top. “You know we get up later at the weekend, so I hope you have not had too much to drink. Do you need to go again?” asked Mrs Fielding. Simon looked distraught, they had filled him up all night with tea and coffee and he knew he was never going to make it through the night.



What were his options he thought……

[antonia]

Chapter 7

“I have had a lot to drink, do you have a gazzunder?”

“Do you mean a potty? No I am afraid we have not got one. Why don’t you wear one of the protective briefs in the cupboard dear?”

“What you mean the big nappy?”

“Yes dear. I will help you put it on”. Simon looked horrified “it is alright I was a nurse and I have changed more adult nappies than you have had hot dinners!” she laughed. “Get me the razor Felicity, he needs to be clean down there otherwise he might get an infection.” Mrs Fielder came into his bedroom and almost tore the clothes off Simon, who was more than a little intimidated by her determined assault on him. Felicity came back bearing a plastic padded mat, an electric razor and other things in a cloth changing bag.

“I bought Lucy’s old changing bag Mum, as it has a lot of useful things in it for Simon”.

“Well done, did you bring some extra pants as well?” she asked. Felicity rummaged in the bag and pulled a large pair of plastic pants out of the bag which she waved with a flourish in the direction of Simon. The razor buzzed furiously as Simon writhed to escape. “If you do not keep still you are going to get cut – dear, dear this is a bit of a disappointment” she said pinching his naked member between finger and thumb as she shaved around it “not much fun in that for a lady friend, it is probably better kept safely wrapped up in a nappy as it is only good for wetting”.  She shook out the powder and he was enveloped in a cloud of Johnson & Johnson baby fragrance. She pulled a blue disposable nappy out of the bedside cupboard and opened up the flaps back and front. “Lift up” she ordered and slipped the back of the nappy under him. She them pulled the front of the nappy up between his legs and pushed the front round him, pulling the back round over the top and securing the two stick tables on either side of the nappy. She shook out the plastic pants and put her hands through the leg holes and grabbed his feet. “Through here, that’s right, and this foot through here, good, now lift up and we can make sure you stay extra dry tonight if you need to go in your nappy. She pulled the pants over his disposable and made sure that all was tucked in securely.

“Mum, I brought this to protect the mattress, we used to have it on Lucy’s cot when she used to stay” volunteered Felicity holding up a white vinyl sheet.

“Oh clever girl Felicity” enthused her mother, lifting up Simon’s under-sheet and inserting the plastic sheet that seemed to crackle and rustle with every touch “this will make sure that if there are any leaks then the bed will not get spoilt. Come on Simon, put your jammies on” she ordered as Simon who had a face redder than a tomato bumbled about in total disbelief of his new situation unable to concentrate on anything other than the nappy that he now wearing. He tried to put on his pyjama bottoms and was quite concerned that they were extremely tight. “Oh that will not do at all” said Mrs Fielder, “go and get Simon a sleep suit out of the airing cupboard for me Felicity”.

Simon looked very disturbed, what on earth was a sleep suit? “No, honestly Mrs Fielder, I will be alright” he protested “I can sleep in just my top”.

“Certainly not Simon, I will not hear of it” she said taking the pyjamas out of his hands and throwing them out into the hall outside. This will be very comfy and keep you nice and warm.” Felicity returned with a garment in her hand. “Stand up Simon, that’s it. Put you head through here and your arms go in here. Well done, now lie down while we put your legs in here and here – and that’s it.” She manipulated his arms and legs into the sleep suit and Simon was aghast to see that it was a pink baby grow with little sheep embroidered on the front. Mrs Fielder continued to fiddle about working her way up first one leg and then the other pressing silver press studs together with a sharp click. She finished by closing up the remaining three that were at his crotch. His hands and feet were encased in the garment and he realised that the hands were in padded mittens built into the end of the sleeves. He was totally helpless and his hands absolutely useless. “Ups-a-daisy” said Mrs Fielder “let’s have a look at you”, She and Felicity stood side beside and looked at Simon sat on his bed with his feet dangling over the edge. “Perfect and just the job, plenty of room in there for a night time nappy, isn’t there Simon?” she said. “Is that comfy?” Simon looked at the floor crestfallen. “Well?” she demanded an answer. Simon nodded his head and Mrs Fielder kissed him on the cheek, deeply inhaling the babyish smell of her new lodger. She took the dummy by the side of his bed and pinned it to the chest of his sleep suit. “Last cigarette before you go to sleep?” she asked pushing the dummy between his lips and giving it a playful wiggle.

“Come on, into beddy-byes with you” she said folding back his blanket and helping him to swing in his legs “lie down and suc-k you doe-doe like a good boy, night night and don’t let the bugs bite”. The two girls left the room and Mrs Fielder locked the door behind her. They went to the office where the computer showed the infra-red camera. The regression of Simon was going so much better than they ever could have hoped.

Simon lay in his bed unaware that his slumber was being monitored. He suc-ked on his dummy and put his padded hands down the front of his babyish nightwear. The nappy was soft and comfortable, it felt almost sensuous. Every move he made resulted in the plastic under-sheet rustling and crackling. His nappy also made a crackling noise and the heat of the sheet and the plastic covering of his nappy started to heat him up. The sleep suit was far from lightweight being made of a soft felty sort of material like the old flannel sheets. He started to get hot, inside his nappy he was starting to itch and the plastic pants were adding to his heating discomfort. Just to make his night even more enjoyable, his bladder was starting to send messages that it was beginning to fill up and would need emptying in the not too distant future……