Kenny Part 1

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Author:DonnieChapter 1Kenny shivered as he pushed his bike up the path. He was very cold and very scared. His mother was going to kill him. No doubt about it.“But, mom, I’m thirteen. I can take care of myself. I’m careful when I’m down by the river. Nothing will happen.”“I said no, young man, and I mean it. The river is running very high and fast with all the melting snow from the mountains. It’s too dangerous. You’re not leaving this house until you promise me that you’ll stay away.”“Aw, gee, mom... OK… I won’t go to the river.”At the time, he had been serious about his promise. After leaving the house, he went around the neighborhood looking for his friends but he couldn’t find anyone. Out of boredom, he went to the bridge to watch the water. He felt that he wasn’t really disobeying his mother. There were lots of people on the bridge. It was safe up here. But, in no time at all, he found himself walking his bike down the path that led to that special place from which he got a great view of the rushing water. Also, down there, he couldhearthe river as it flowed by, without the interference of traffic noise.All his life, the river had fascinated him. He loved to watch the water. He felt that he had even discovered some of its secrets. For instance, it was constantly changing colors, never staying the same. Sometimes it looked blue, sometimes green, and sometimes black. Also, the changing light never stopped modifying the river’s shape. Even at night, with no moon visible, it still sparkled in his eyes.When he spoke about his love of the river to his friends they thought he was crazy. He didn’t know why he was so fascinated by it, he just was. He couldn’t get enough of it.But, today, the river had betrayed him and he felt miserable. He had been standing about three feet away from the water’s edge when the bank suddenly crumbled. He was up to his shoulders in icy water before he knew it. He felt panic surging inside him as he clawed at the riverbank trying to establish a firm grip. All he got were fistfuls of mud and grass. The current was relentlessly tugging at him. Luckily, he quickly floated to a large tree branch that was hanging just above the water. He grabbed it and slowly pulled himself back to shore. He crawled away from the river about seventy-feet downstream from where he went in. He began shaking as he realized how near he had come to being swept away. Then he remembered the promise he had made to his mother. His spirits slipped even lower.His wet clothes chilled him to the bone. He needed to get moving immediately. He found his bike and gloomily headed home.“Are you OK?”The voice startled Kenny. He looked up and saw a boy about his age looking down from the top of the hill.“I fell into the river,” he answered. “My mom is going to kill me when she finds out. I’m gonna get grounded for the rest of spring break, I just know it.”“Gee, that’s too bad,” the other boy said sincerely, “Can I give you a hand?”“Thanks. But nobody can help me now.”“Where do you live?” the boy asked, walking next to Kenny.“Over on Woodside,” Kenny answered.“I live right over there,” the boy pointed out, “in the blue and white Victorian on the corner.”“Nice,” Kenny replied politely, but too involved in his own problems to really pay much attention.“Say. Maybe you won’t have to tell your mother what happened.”“How?” Kenny asked incredulously. “That’s impossible.”“No, really. I’m serious. What if you came over to my house and we washed and dried your clothes before you went home. Your mom would never have to know.”“Really?” Kenny exclaimed excitedly. “But what about your mom? How could we explain it to her?”“We don’t have to. She’s at work all day. And so is my dad. My older sister and I are alone at home. She’s in college; she won’t care.”Kenny was getting more excited about this sudden good fortune until he remembered that his mom was expecting him home for lunch. There wouldn’t be enough time to wash and dry his clothes, especially his shoes. He voiced his concern to the other boy.“You can call her from my house and tell that you met a new friend and that you got invited to stay for lunch. By the way, my name is Artie. Artie Halsted. We moved here last fall. I go to Willowhaven School.”Willowhaven School was a private school for kids with special needs. Kenny wondered why Artie went there. He seemed normal.“I’m Kenny Braken. Do you really think this could work?” Kenny asked, returning to the matter at hand.“Sure, why not?” Artie answered confidently. “At the very least, you’ll get a warm shower and a little time to think of what you’re going to say if you get caught. Come on. Let’s get over to my house.”****Kenny removed his shoes, socks and jacket at the back door. By now the water had mostly stopped dripping from his clothes and hair. He gently walked across the kitchen and up the back stairs that led to the bathroom. Artie told him to take off all his clothes and to hand them to him in the hallway. The shower felt wonderful. There was plenty of hot water and Kenny luxuriated in its warmth. He dried off and gingerly opened the bathroom door.“Artie?” he whispered through the crack.No answer.“Artie,” he called a little louder.Artie came out of a room down the hall and on the opposite side of the hallway.“Over here,” he answered, signaling Kenny to come into his room.Kenny scooted down the hall dressed only in the towel he had wrapped around himself.“I’ve got some clothes for you.”“Thanks.”Kenny walked over to the bed and scanned the clothes that were laying there.“Um,” he said hesitantly, “do you have any underwear I can borrow?”“No, I don’t,” Artie said shyly.“You don’t wear underwear?” Kenny asked mystified.“I mean, I wear underwear, but not regular underwear.”Kenny was really confused now. If he didn’t wear regular underwear, what did he wear?“No, that’s not what I mean,” Artie continued. “I wear regular clothes. It’s just that… Oh, God, you’ve got to promise that you won’t tell anyone about what I’m going to show you. Please…,” he said in a begging voice.Kenny was becoming alarmed. What had he gotten himself into?“Follow me,” Artie said, walking through the doorway next to his closet.Kenny followed him. They were in a very large bathroom, complete with and old fashioned claw-footed tub and full shower. His first thought was to wonder why Artie hadn’t invited him to shower here. Artie went over to a long, padded counter. Under the counter there were stacks of odd looking white towels.“This is my underwear,” he said, turning red in the face.Kenny was completely befuddled. Artie picked up one of towels and unfolded it. Kenny still didn’t get it.“These are my diapers,” Artie explained. “I’ve never been completely dry. Sometimes, I even have number two accidents if I can’t get to a bathroom fast enough. You won’t tell anyone, will you?” Artie begged again.“No, of course not. You’re helping me out big time. I won’t tell.”Kenny felt sorry for Artie. And, also, more than a little curious. He had never heard of a boy their age wearing diapers.“What does it feel like wearing diapers?” Kenny blurted out.Artie hesitated.“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to ask that question,” Kenny apologized.“That’s OK. I just don’t know what to say. I’ve always worn them so I can’t compare them to anything else.”“Oh, yeah. I see your point,” Kenny answered.He was still very curious.“I’d better get dressed.”He pulled the pants up his legs and tightened the belt to the last notch. The were extremely loose. As soon as he let go they started sliding down past his hips.“Do you have any smaller pants?” Kenny asked.“Sorry. My pants are all that size so that my diapers won’t show too much.”“Oh. These are so big that they’re going to fall off.”“You can always wear one of my diapers if you want to make the pants fit better.”Kenny’s heart skipped a beat. The thought was intriguing but he didn’t want to look too anxious.“I don’t know. Do you think I should?” Kenny asked.“It’s up to you. But, like you said, if you don’t it will be hard to keep your pants up.”Artie suspected that Kenny wanted to wear one of his diapers. He decided to push the point. “I hope they don’t fall off when my sister is around.”Kenny was horrified.“Then, I guess I’d better wear one.”“OK, but you’ll need my help. Let’s go back into the bathroom.”Artie carefully laid out one of his diapers. He also took out a pair of plastic pants and laid them at the foot of the table. Kenny didn’t object or question why he had taken out the plastic pants. Artie took this as confirmation that Kenny wanted to go ‘all the way.’“Take off the pants and lay down on the diaper,” Artie instructed.After Kenny was properly positioned, Artie sprinkled a generous amount of baby powder over Kenny’s diaper area.“What’s that for?” Kenny asked in surprise.“Your skin needs to be protected even if you don’t wet the diaper. Besides, after you have your plastic pants on, you will start to feel how much moisture they trap.”“Oh, OK,” Kenny agreed.Artie was only mildly surprised that Kenny didn’t argue against the idea of wearing plastic pants over the diaper.“Now roll over so that I can put some on your bottom, too.”Artie used six pins to expertly pin Kenny into the diaper. Kenny felt oddly secure. The smell of the baby powder brought back distant memories. He jumped as Artie started pulling the plastic pants up his legs.“Lift up so I can pull your plastic pants all the way up.”Lastly, Kenny stood up and Artie made a final inspection to be sure that the whole diaper was securely inside the plastic pants. Kenny put the pants back on.“That feels better,” he announced.Artie wondered if he was talking about the pants or the diaper.****The next step was to call Kenny’s mother. She asked to speak to Artie’s older sister. After she got the phone number and satisfied herself that everything was alright she gave her permission for Kenny to stay until 5:30.“Great,” Artie exclaimed. “That will give us plenty of time to get your clothes washed and dried.”The guys returned to Artie’s room and played around on the computer. They talked about their families and school friends. Artie had two older sisters. The oldest was already married and his other sister, Dana, was finishing college this year. Her room was on the top floor of the house. Kenny mentioned that his parents were divorced. He was an only child. His dad had abandoned him and his mom six years ago. Nobody knew where he was.“That’s too bad,” Artie commiserated.“I guess it’s OK,” Kenny answered, “I’m used to it. I just wish that my mom wasn’t so strict. She never lets me do anything I want to do.”“You mean like falling into the river?” Artie joked.“Quit it,” Kenny said, punching him in the arm. “That was an accident.”They were interrupted by Dana.“Hi, I’m Dana.” she said.“Hi. My name is Kenny.”“Nice to meet you Kenny. You must be a special friend of Artie’s. He never lets anyone come up to his room or see his bathroom.”“Kenny is staying for lunch,” Artie interjected hastily, somewhat embarrassed by his sister’s indirect reference to his diapers.“Good. I’m going downstairs to heat up the leftover stew. Do you guys want any?”“Sure,” Artie and Kenny agreed.The three went down to the kitchen. Artie and Kenny set out bowls, glasses and utensils while Dana took charge of the stew. Kenny was extremely conscious of the noise made by his plastic pants. He hoped that Dana would think it came from Artie.“Did you enjoy your lunch?” Dana asked as they were putting the dishes into the dishwasher.“Yes, thank you,” Kenny answered politely.“Good, I’m glad.” Jumping to another topic, she added, “I’m leaving for class at 1:30. If either of you guys needs his diaper changed before then just let me know.”Kenny felt his face burning with embarrassment. She knew!“I’m sorry,” she said to Kenny. “While you were reaching into the cabinets to get the bowls I saw the top of your plastic pants. It’s OK. I’ve been taking care of Artie ever since he was born. It’s no big deal to me. I wouldn’t tell anyone about your diapers.”“Thanks,” Kenny croaked.****Kenny and Artie were playing around on Artie’s computer. Kenny was very distracted.“I can’t believe your sister knows that I’m wearing a diaper.”“Don’t trip out over it. She doesn’t care. She’ll change our diapers before she leaves and then you can change back into your clothes and go home whenever you want. Relax. It’s no big deal.”But it was a big deal to Kenny. No girl had ever seen him naked before, especially not to give him a diaper change.“Can I ask you a question?”“Sure,” Artie answered.“How come you wear old fashioned diapers? You know, how come you don’t wear disposables?”“My mom works as an environmental scientist for the EPA. She’s totally against disposables. She says that they make waste dumps fill up faster and that a lot of diapers are not environmentally friendly. She says it does less damage to wash cloth diapers and plastic pants than to just use a disposable once and then throw it away, especially if the person is going to be wearing diapers for a long time.”“I guess that makes sense,” Kenny agreed.They went back to the computer. Half an hour later Kenny got up and headed for the bathroom.“Where are you going?” Artie asked.“I gotta pee,” Kenny answered.“So?” Artie responded, putting a lot of meaning into that one word. “You’re wearing a diaper.”“I know, but I can’t. I tried.”Artie very much wanted Kenny to experience a wet diaper. He was pretty sure that once Kenny did, he would be hooked.“You asked me before what it felt like to wear diapers. You’ll only know the half of it if you don’t wet one. Come back. I’ll show you how.”Kenny hesitated. Hedidwant to try. He decided to give it a shot.“Alright!” Artie said enthusiastically. “You’d better take your pants off first.”“Take my pants off!” Kenny said in surprise. “Why?”“You don’t usually pee with your pants on, do you?”“No, but…,” Kenny wavered.“OK, I’ll take mine off, too,” he said dropping his pants and stepping out of them.Kenny followed suit. He noticed how wet Artie’s diaper was (he thought he had smelled the distinctive odor of pee earlier).“Maybe we should go into the bathroom. You can stand in front of the bowl and pretend that you’re taking a normal pee.”Kenny stood in front of the toilet trying to imagine that he was peeing into it. After a few seconds his hands went up and positioned themselves against his plastic pants. A few drops of pee came out. And then a few more. All of a sudden it was a steady stream as he emptied his bladder. A smile crossed his lips as the warmth spread throughout his crotch. The flow stopped and he opened his eyes. Artie was looking at him intently.“Well?” Artie asked, although he already knew the answer.“That was awesome,” Kenny replied, unable to hide his pleasure.They went back to the bedroom. Artie made no attempt to put his pants back on and neither did Kenny.“How does it feel now?” Artie pressed.“Way different from what I thought it would feel like. It even feelscomfortable.”Talking about it was giving him an embarrassing erection. He hoped that Artie wouldn’t notice. They were interrupted by a clinking noise from downstairs. Kenny panicked.“Is someone home?” he asked in a quavering voice.“No. Chill out. That was the mail slot... Hey, I wonder if my new games have arrived. Let’s go see.” Artie suggested.“You mean walk around the house in just our diapers?!” Kenny squeaked.“Sure, I do it all the time. I practically never wear pants inside the house. Everybody’s used to it. And, besides, only my sister is home. She already knows you’re wearing a diaper.”Kenny nervously walked downstairs with Artie. There was a big window in the front door covered only by a sheer curtain. Kenny felt terribly exposed. Artie casually walked up to the mail slot and scooped up the pile of mail.“Yeah, here they are. Finally.” Artie enthused. “Let’s go load them on my computer.”“What games did you get?”“I love arcade games. These are a whole bunch of awesome pinball games.”“Cool,” Kenny enthused also.Halfway up the stairs they met Dana coming down. Kenny felt his cheeks get warm.“The mail’s here, I see. Was there anything interesting?” Dana asked.“I got my new games,” Artie said. “The rest of the stuff is on the window seat.”“Thanks. I’ll check the mail and then come up to get you guys changed. You both look like you could use some dry diapers.”Artie immediately began loading the new games into his computer. He was only half-paying attention to Kenny.“Artie, listen to me.”“What?” he asked distractedly.“Why can’t you change my diaper before your sister gets here?”“For one thing,” Artie said reasonably, “there isn’t enough time. It will only take her a few seconds to go through the mail. Besides, I’ve already told you, it’s no big deal to her.”“Well, it’s a big deal to me!” Kenny insisted.“Chill out,” Artie retorted, “oh…, but there is one thing…”He left his chair and went into the bathroom. A few seconds later he came out carrying a diaper and a pair of plastic pants.“Here, take these,” Artie instructed. “Give them to my sister when she comes to change us. That way she’ll think that they’re your stuff and not mine.”Dana’s footsteps approached the room. Kenny felt trapped, but thrilled at the same time. His feeling were so mixed up he didn’t know which way to go.“Who’s first?” she asked.“Kenny’s already got his stuff out,” Artie pointed out. “He can go first.”“OK,” Dana said, taking the diaper and plastic pants out of his hands, “let’s get started.”Kenny lied down as stiff as a board on the changing table.“Relax, Kenny,” Dana said soothingly, “I won’t hurt you.”“I know,” Kenny agreed, “it’s just that…”“I understand. We’re practically strangers but I know what I’m doing. I’ve changed Artie thousands of times.”Trying to ease the tension, she began asking him questions.“Do you have any brothers or sisters?”Off came the plastic pants.“No, I’m an only child.”“I see. Who usually changes your diapers? You mom or your dad?”The pins were out and he lifted up so that she could remove the soaked diaper.“I live alone with my mom.”Kenny didn’t want to lie outright. He was trying to answer the questions truthfully without giving out too much information.Dana went over to the sink and, under warm water, wet a towel that looked like a mitten. She came back and began gently cleaning Kenny’s diaper area. His erection was almost instantaneous. The color rose in his cheeks yet one more time.“Don’t be embarrassed. It happens to my brother all the time. It’s perfectly natural. Now, roll over so I can clean your bottom.”Dana didn’t ask any more questions as she powdered him and pinned on a fresh diaper. This diaper was much thicker than the first one he had worn. She grabbed the plastic pants and pulled them up his legs and over the diaper.“Uh oh,” she said, “I think you took the wrong plastic pants for this diaper. These are way too small. You must have mixed them up with a pair for a thinner diaper. Let me find one of Kenny’s that will fit properly.”She rummaged in one of the drawers and pulled out an obviously larger pair of plastic pants. She took off the first pair and slid on the new.“There, that’s much better. Now stand up so that I can check you.”The pants crinkled loudly as he stood up and as she tucked in a few stray edges of the diaper. He escaped back into the bedroom.“Hurry up, Artie,” Dana called from the bathroom. “I’ve got to leave for class soon.”****Artie and Kenny were alone.“Where are my clothes?” Kenny asked.“I almost forgot. They’re still in the washer; let’s go put them in the dryer.”“OK. And what about my shoes?”“I already rinsed them and left them on the porch to dry in the sun. I bet that they’re almost ready.”Sure enough, the sun was doing its job. Kenny’s shoes were almost wearable again. They put the clothes in the dryer and went back upstairs. They lost track of time as they played the new pinball games against each other.An hour later the buzzer from the dryer warned them it was time to take out Kenny’s clothes. They brought them back to Artie’s room. Kenny reluctantly looked at the clothes laid out on the bed.“You don’t have to change yet. My mom doesn’t get home until 5:00, and my dad only after 6:00.”Kenny agreed. They went back to their pinball games.“Hello, sweetie, I’m home.” a woman said from the doorway.Kenny froze. It was only 3:45. They had taken his clothes out of the dryer only fifteen minutes ago. He hadn’t heard anyone come in or he would have at least put his pants on. Once again, a stranger was looking at him wearing a very wet diaper.“Hi, mom. you’re home early. This is Kenny. He spent the day with me.”“I know. Dana called me this morning.” Turning to Kenny she added, “Hi, Kenny. Welcome to our home.”“He.. He… Hello, Mrs. Halsted,” Kenny stammered.“Kenny had an accident this morning. His mom is really strict and he was afraid to go home so I told him we could wash his clothes here. Even his shoes got wet,” Artie explained.Kenny was dying from embarrassment. The word ‘accident’ could only mean one thing to Mrs. Halsted. She must think that he had wet his pants.“You both look pretty wet to me right now. Didn’t you offer Kenny some dry diapers?” Mrs. Halsted scolded mildly.“I did. And Dana changed him back into his own diaper before she left,” Artie lied (about it being Kenny’s diaper).“I see. Well, I apologize for scolding you but the two of you are obviously due for another change. Into the bathroom, now.”Kenny sat on the edge of the tub trying not to stare as Artie got his diaper changed. But his fascination took hold of him and he couldn’t stop himself. He noticed that Artie clearly enjoyed being changed. As Dana had told him, Artie had an erection throughout the whole process. So did Kenny.When it was his turn, Kenny found out that Mrs. Halsted was even gentler than Dana. She had a soft touch that sent a tingle up his spine. No wonder Artie had seemed so thrilled.“Artie, go downstairs and get a plastic shopping bag for Kenny’s wet diaper.”Artie came back just as Mrs. Halsted was doing the final check on Kenny’s plastic pants. Artie put the wet diaper and plastic pants into the bag and quickly returned to the bedroom. He was followed a few seconds later by Kenny and Mrs. Halsted. He looked guilty of something.“Are these your clothes, Kenny?” Mrs. Halsted asked, examining them closely to see how good a job Artie had done in washing them. “What size pants are these?” she asked Kenny. (Artie sighed and rolled his eyes.)“Twenty-eight, ma’am. I like to wear them a little baggy.”As soon as he said it he knew he shouldn’t have. What if his pants no longer fit over the thick diaper he had on?“See, Artie. Kenny doesn’t have to wear gigantic pants to cover his diapers. Can Artie try them on for size?”“Uh, yeah. Sure,” Kenny answered nervously.“Aw, gee, mom. Do I have to? My pants are fine the way they are.”“Artie…,” his mother warned.Artie grudgingly got up from his chair and pulled the pants on. Mrs. Halsted satisfied herself that the fit was good.“Just as I thought,” she remarked. “You’re getting new pants tomorrow. I don’t want to see you wearing those other pants again.”“But, mom, my diapers will show. I like my pants to be real baggy.”“Well I don’t and that’s final. Besides, your diapers donotshow. Now take them off and put them neatly back on the bed for Kenny.”Mrs. Halsted left Artie and Kenny alone.“Sorry,” Kenny apologized. “I shouldn’t have said that they fit.”“What else could you say? It’s not your fault. Let’s play some more pinball.”They lost track of time again and Mrs. Halsted had to come up to remind Kenny that it was time for him to leave. She checked his diaper (which was still dry) and watched as he changed into his own clothes. She reminded him to take ‘his’ wet diaper and plastic pants home.Walking back downstairs he whispered to Artie, “Where are my underpants?”“Inside the bag,” Artie answered. “Sorry, they’re probably all wet but I couldn’t think of where else to put them. I didn’t want my mother to see them and get suspicious.”****Shortly after dinner the phone rang. Mrs. Braken answered.“Is this Mrs. Braken?” the voice on the line asked.“Yes, it is. Who is this, please?”“This is Lauren Halsted, Artie’s mom.”“Oh, hello, Mrs. Halsted. Kenny enjoyed Artie’s hospitality very much. He told me all about it during dinner. I hope he was well behaved.”“Just perfect, I assure you. I’m calling to say how pleased I am that Artie has met someone like Kenny. He doesn’t make friends easily, especially with his special needs.”Mrs. Braken didn’t know what she meant. Kenny hadn’t mentioned anything about Artie being disabled. In a way, she was proud of him for this. Whatever Artie’s problems were, Kenny obviously respected his privacy.“Of course, it’s always easier when both boys have the same special needs.” Mrs. Halsted continued. “Anyway, Artie would like to invite Kenny for a two-night sleepover this week during spring break if it would be alright with you. I told him that he shouldn’t talk to Kenny until we had spoken. What do you think? I can guarantee that Kenny will be properly looked after.”“I’m sure he would,” Mrs. Braken agreed. “Kenny doesn’t have any plans for this week. It would be entirely up to him to accept Artie’s invitation. Are you sure you would want him for two nights?”“One night. Two nights. It’s all the same to us. There wouldn’t be that many extra diapers one way or the other.”Mrs. Braken was getting confused. Did Mrs. Halsted saydiapers? That must be Artie’sspecial needs. But why tell her about it? And what did one or two nights have to do with it?“Speaking of diapers, I apologize for sending Kenny home with his wet diaper in a plastic bag. I don’t know what I was thinking. I could easily have laundered it here and given it back to him when he visits Artie again. Also, don’t worry about returning the diaper and plastic pants that Kenny borrowed from Artie. Kenny can bring them back anytime.”“What is this woman talking about?” Mrs. Braken thought to herself. Why would Kenny bring a wet diaper home? Why would he borrow a diaper from Artie? She was beginning to have doubts about letting Kenny go over there again. This woman was obviously confused, to say the least.“Excuse me a second. Artie is trying to get my attention,” Mrs. Halsted said.She didn’t cover the phone as she spoke to her son.“What is it, Artie? You’re interrupting my phone conversation.”“Please don’t talk to Mrs. Braken about my diapers. It’s so embarrassing,” Artie pleaded.“Don’t be silly,” Mrs. Halsted answered. “Kenny was probably as excited as you were to discover another boy who wears diapers. I’m sure he’s told his mom all about it.”“But, mom, Mrs. Braken doesn’t need all the details. Kenny might not have told her that you and Dana changed his diapers twice today. You saw how embarrassed he was when you changed him, don’t embarrass him more. Please.”“Oh, for heaven sakes, Artie, what’s gotten in to you?”Mrs. Braken was dumbfounded. It seemed that Artie was confirming what Mrs. Halsted had said. Kennywaswearing diapers at Artie’s today.“I’m sorry for the interruption. It seems that Artie has just gotten shy about his diapers. Anyway, don’t worry about a thing. If Kenny accepts the invitation to sleep over Dana and I will see to it that Kenny gets his diapers checked and changed regularly. I don’t know how Kenny is, but sometimes Artie waits too long to ask for a change.”“Mom!!” Artie’s voice shouted in the background.Mrs. Braken was beginning to get a headache. Nonetheless, she had the presence of mind to check further into Kenny’s activities today.“I hope that it wasn’t too much trouble to check on Kenny’s diapers.”“Not at all,” Mrs. Halsted answered cheerily, “he was quite patient, if a little embarrassed, when I changed him this afternoon.”“Yes, I can understand that. He is awfully shy.”“Well, I won’t keep you any longer. I’m sure that Artie will be calling tomorrow.”Mrs. Braken hung up the phone in a daze. What did all this mean? Should she confront Kenny right now or wait for him to talk to her? She decided to wait.Kenny came down from his room later in the evening to say goodnight. She thought she heard the gentle rustle of plastic pants but maybe it was just her imagination. After Kenny was in bed she went online and read several interesting articles. She then visited other sites and copied several phone numbers. Just before going to bed herself, she went into Kenny’s room to check on him. She carried a small flashlight. She went over to the bed, gently lifted the covers and shined the light under them. Kenny was still wearing the diaper and, from the look and smell of it, it was wet. Her mind was now firmly made up.****The next morning Mrs. Braken got up early and had made several phone calls before she heard Kenny’s shower running. He seemed to be taking a very long shower this morning. She correctly guessed that he was rinsing out the two diapers and plastic pants in an attempt to keep the smell down in his room until he could figure out what to do with them.“Good morning, honey. Sleep well?” she asked as he came into the kitchen.“OK,” he answered nonchalantly.She looked him over carefully and could see that he wasn’t wearing a diaper this morning. She smiled to herself.“By the way, I spoke to Mrs. Halsted last night. She says that Artie wants to call and ask you something this morning.”Mrs. Braken saw the momentary flash of panic cross Kenny’s face before he got it under control. She smiled to herself a second time.The phone rang a little later. Kenny pounced on it before his mother could get there.“Hello,” he asked breathlessly.“Hi,” Artie answered. “You’ve got a problem. We’ve got to talk. Can you come to my house?”Kenny’s mom was in the doorway watching Kenny.“What about?” Kenny pursued, dreading the answer.“My mom told your mom about the diapers you wore yesterday.”Mrs. Braken watched as Kenny turned white.“No! It can’t be. My mom would have said something. She hasn’t said anything to me. She’d go ballistic if she knew.”Mrs. Braken decided to go back to the kitchen before Kenny realized that she had observed him on the phone.“I heard exactly what my mom said. She even told your mom that you were embarrassed when she changed you yesterday afternoon.”Kenny was getting more and more scared.“I’ll be right over, if I can.”He hung up the phone and calmed himself. Artie must be messing around with his head. If his mom knew about the diapers… well, she would say something, to put it mildly.Kenny got to Artie’s house in less than ten minutes. The first thing he did was to hand Artie the diapers and plastic pants from the day before. They went inside to talk.“I’m not lying,” Artie insisted. “I was standing right next to my mom when she told your mom about sending you home with a wet diaper in a shopping bag and about you borrowing one of mine to wear. I tried to stop her but she wouldn’t listen. I swear it.”Kenny’s head was in turmoil. He didn’t want to believe Artie but he couldn’t think of a reason why he would make up such a story. He also couldn’t understand why his mother hadn’t asked him about it.“I’m gonna be grounded forever,” he said gloomily.“Why?” Artie responded. “If she knows and hasn’t done anything about it yet then it probably means that she thinks it was just someteenage thingthat will go away by itself. At least she doesn’t know about the river.”“Yeah. I hadn’t thought of that,” Kenny said, suddenly feeling much better. “If she knew about the river it would be much worse. It’s just kind of weird, though, that she knows that I let your mother change my diaper. But, I guess you’re right. There’s nothing to worry about.”“Well, I’m glad that’s over with,” Artie continued. “The real reason my mom called your mom was to find out if she would allow you to have a sleepover with me on Friday and Saturday night. Your mom said it was OK with her, but that it was your decision. You could come over Friday morning and then go home Sunday after lunch. Please say yes. I’ve never had anybody sleepover before.”Kenny was honored to know that he was the first person ever to be asked to sleepover at Artie’s.“I guess so,” Kenny said hesitantly.“Do you think you could keep your enthusiasm down a little bit?” Artie said with a hurt expression.“Sorry. I didn’t mean it to sound that way. Iwantto do it. It’s just that I would have to wear diapers, wouldn’t I? What if your mom tells my mom again?”“I don’t think she will. There would be no need to. I think that she’d only talk to your mom if she thought that you had misbehaved. Please say you’ll come.”“OK. I’ll come,” Kenny said grinning.“I knew you would,” Artie said happily.“But what about all the diapers. Won’t your mom get suspicious if I come without a supply of my own?”“We can take care of that. Just bring a big bag and we’ll load it up with some of my extra supplies. I’ve got lots and lots of extras. Besides, it’s my job to wash my own diapers and plastic pants. If I start running low I can do a wash without my mom getting suspicious. In fact, she’ll probably insist that I wash our diapers as we go along. She doesn’t like them to pile up.”The guys talked a little while longer before Kenny had to head home for lunch. Before he left, Artie told him that he had to go to two different doctors on Wednesday and Thursday. They were going to put him through a series of tests to see if an operation would do him any good. They probably wouldn’t see each other again until Friday morning.****Kenny spent Wednesday and Thursday with his friends from school. His thoughts, however, kept returning to Artie and his medical exams. He hoped that Artie would be alright.(Mrs. Braken’s packages were delivered right on schedule Wednesday morning.)Friday morning finally came. Kenny realized that he was anxious to see Artie again. He wanted to know how the tests had gone and, he was forced to admit, he was looking forward to spending two-and-a-half days wearing diapers with his friend.“Good morning, honey. Are you looking forward to going over to Artie’s today?” Mrs. Braken asked.“Yeah, kind of,” he admitted. “I still have to get my stuff together, though.”“I knew you’d wait until the last minute so I took care of it yesterday. I’ve got your bag in the car. I’ll drop it off on my way to the market. I assume you’ll want to take your bike over to Artie’s. This way you won’t have to lug your heavy bag all the way over there.”“Thanks, mom.” Kenny said gratefully.“No problem,” she continued, “If you want to take any games or music with you, you’ll have to pick them out yourself.”“Thanks. That’s a good idea. I hadn’t thought of that.”“These two days are a break for me, too. I don’t want you back here every ten minutes rummaging around for something else. I’m looking forward to some peace and quiet,” she said laughing.“OK, I promise to stay away,” Kenny answered lightly, “especially since I’ll be in diapers the whole time,” he thought to himself.Kenny’s mom left first. He took about twenty minutes to pick out the extra stuff he wanted to take with him. It wasn’t much but he threw it all into a backpack anyway. When he rolled into Artie’s driveway, Artie seemed upset about something.“What’s up?” Kenny asked innocently.“Why didn’t you tell me that you had your own diaper supply?” Artie asked accusingly.“What?!” Kenny responded, genuinely shocked. “I don’t. Why do you think I do?”“You’d better come inside.”Kenny greeted Mrs. Halsted and Dana as he made his way up to Artie’s room. He tried to not look worried. He only half succeeded. Mrs. Halsted and Dana thought that it had to do with him being embarrassed about them changing his diapers.Artie shut the door and went over to Kenny’s bag and started unzipping it.“When your mom dropped off your bag I was surprised that if felt so full. I wondered why you had packed so much stuff. Then, when I opened it to add my diapers and plastic pants this is what I found,” he said, pointing to stacks of neatly folded diapers and plastic pants. “Your name is even sewn into each one.”“What?!” Kenny said, his head swimming in confusion. “Where?”“Here, see these tags. They all say the same thing, “Made especially for Kenny”.Kenny sat down on the floor next to the bag. Artie was right. These werehisdiapers and plastic pants. His mother must have done this. But what did it mean?Just as Kenny had had a hard time believing Artie’s story on Tuesday, Artie was having a hard time believing that Kenny didn’t know anything about this. However, Kenny seemed so genuinely shocked that he eventually accepted Kenny’s story.Kenny reached into the bag and pulled out a diaper to examine it up close.“This looks and feels like the thick diaper I wore on Monday.”Artie agreed.“You know what else is weird?” Artie asked. A questioning look from Kenny prompted him to continue. “Brand new plastic pants have a special smell all their own. They lose that smell once they’ve been washed. Your plastic pants don’t have that special smell. I think your mom washed them at least once so that my mom wouldn’t think that all your stuff was brand new.”Kenny couldn’t argue with that. But why was his mom trying to make it look like he had been wearing diapers for a long time?As he continued looking through the bag he found a small jar containing a dozen safety pins, a half-empty container of baby powder, a full container of baby powder, a little tube of diaper rash cream, and, four wash cloth ‘mittens’ like Dana and Mrs. Halsted had used on him the other day.“How many diapers did your mom send over?” Artie wondered.“I don’t know.” Kenny counted. “Um, ten, I think.”“Do any of them look like nighttime diapers?”“Nighttime diapers?”“Yeah, at night I wear thicker, bigger diapers to help stop leaks. They even have special plastic pants that go with them,” Artie explained.Kenny found the nighttime diapers under his shirts and socks.“Wow! Those are so cool,” Artie exclaimed. “I’ve never seen such thick diapers before.”Artie’s enthusiasm was beginning to rub off on Kenny. He, too, was getting excited about the thought of wearing such thick diapers.“I see four of them. Do you think your mom would let you wear some of mine to see if you like them?”“You mean, you’d let me?”“Of course,” Kenny said smiling. He was almost finished looking through the bag. “What are these?” he asked holding up a thick strip of white cloth about as long as a diaper but only about eight inches wide.“Dude, your mom’s thought of everything! Those are diaper doublers. They fit inside your diaper so that it can hold more pee and you won’t have to get changed as often. Please say that you’ll wear them! Maybe my mom will think it’s a good idea and get some for me, too.They had finished examining the contents of Kenny’s bag.“So, what are you going to do?” Artie asked.“I don’t know. I wish my mom had given me some hint about all this.”“Yeah, that would’ve helped, wouldn’t it? But for right now, I think you ought to get into one of these diapers. My mom could come and check on us at any time.”“Yeah. Let’s not make things even more complicated by your mother discovering that I’mnotwearing a diaper.”Despite the shock of discovering that his mother had bought him these diapers, he was still very excited about wearing them. He loved the smell and feel of the powder and the security of being encased inside a thick diaper and plastic pants. He even found that the extra thickness provided by the diaper doubler added extra excitement.After Kenny’s diapering they decided that they would not wear pants around the house for the rest of the weekend. There was a knock at the door.“Artie, it’s mom. Open up, please.”“OK,” he shouted through the door. “See, I told you,” he whispered, “my mom is here to check up on us. It’s a good thing you’re wearing a diaper.”Mrs. Halsted smiled at the two diaper-wearing boys. “I hope you’ll be comfortable this weekend, Kenny. If you need anything please let Artie or me know.” She started walking away when she remembered something else. “Your mom left this note for you,” she said handing Kenny an envelope.Kenny stared at the envelope for a long time. Artie left him alone and went over to his computer. Kenny sat down on the bed. He tore through the flap and pulled out a folded sheet of paper.Dearest Kenny,I hope that you are not too upset with me. I know that it must have been a shock to open up your bag and discover the diapers and plastic pants. Before you make any final judgments, please let me explain.Do you remember how hard your toilet training was? Probably not. (It was a real trial and I blame myself for everything that happened as a result.) You fought me all the way. Finally, after a series of rewards and punishments (mostly punishments, I am ashamed to admit) you were toilet trained. But something had been broken in your spirit as a result. While you were in diapers you were a happy, outgoing baby; after toilet training you withdrew. You became sullen and shy. You had lost your adventurous spirit.When you got home Monday and told me about your day with Artie did you realize how animated and happy you were? You had never made friends with someone so fast. I was amazed and proud of you.Later that night, when Mrs. Halsted told me about your diaper wearing and that you had actually let Dana and Mrs. Halsted change you, I knew that diapers were an important part of your sudden change in behavior.Please believe that I was not spying on you, but before going to bed that night I checked on you. I saw that you still had the diaper on and that you were sleeping in it even though it was wet. I then and there resolved to give you the opportunity to make up your own mind about what you wanted.If you want to continue wearing diapers full time, don’t do anything except have an enjoyable weekend. If, on the other hand, you don’t want to wear diapers full time or you are unsure, give me a call before twelve o’clock today and we will talk. Either way, know that I love you very much and that I only want what you want.Your loving mother“Wow,” Kenny said handing the note to Artie.Artie read through it twice.“Wow,” he echoed. “What are you going to do?”“I know what Iwantto do. But what Iactuallydecide sort of depends on you.”“On me?” Artie asked surprised.“Yeah, on you. For the last two days I’ve thought of nothing else but wearing diapers this weekend. I know that I want to wear them full time but, if you get your operation, I don’t want to be the only one using them.”“You have nothing to worry about,” Artie answered quietly. “I failed practically all the tests.”“You did? I’m sorry to hear that.”“Don’t be,” Artie explained, “I didn’t want the operation anyway. I’m too used to diapers and I think I would miss them a lot if I didn’t get to wear them.”Twelve o’clock came and went.Kenny and Artie were well on their way to having one of the best weekends of their lives.Chapter 2Kenny and Artie sat in the kitchen eating lunch. Mrs. Halsted had prepared soup and sandwiches.“I want you guys to spend some time outside this afternoon. You can’t spend all weekend in front of the computer,” she lectured.“OK, mom,” Artie said with little enthusiasm.“There are lots of fun things to do outside. Do you like basketball?” she asked Kenny.“Yeah, sure,” he answered.“Then there you have it,” she chirped. “There’s a basketball hoop behind the garage. If you get bored with that, you can go down to the park and find other boys to play with.”Artie rolled his eyes. “Mom! We’re too old to ‘play’ in the park.”“Call it what you like, then. All I’m saying is that I want you out of the house this afternoon. Tonight, your dad and I have already decided that we’re going to a movie at the Cineplex. We’ve already picked out the one we want to see. After you finish eating, why don’t you look in paper and see if they’re playing anything you’d be interested in?”“Sure. Do you want to go to a movie, Kenny?” Artie said with much more enthusiasm than before.Apparently the Halsteds went to the movies regularly. Artie had already gone out with his dad to see two of the movies that Kenny was interested in. (He felt a stab of jealousy because Artie had a dad to take him places.) Eventually, they settled on the new action picture that had just been released.“Good, now that that’s settled let’s get your diapers changed,” Mrs. Halsted said. “Artie has cleared out some space in his changing table for your diapers and plastic pants. Let’s unpack them now so things will be more convenient.”Artie and Kenny unpacked Kenny’s diapering supplies, including the diaper doublers, and brought them into the bathroom.“Oh my,” Mrs. Halsted exclaimed, “I think you may have brought too many supplies. That’s OK- we’ll fit it what we can and you can put the rest back.”She began arranging things in the shelves as they were handed to her.“I see that you wear diaper doublers. Do they help?”“I’ve only been using them for a little while (like three hours),” Kenny answered, “but, yes, I think they help my diapers hold more pee…, I mean, more wetness,” he said, blushing. “Plus, I don’t need to be changed so often.”Kenny may have been embarrassed but Mrs. Halsted found him enchanting. “I bet he doesn’t have a clue as to how the girls are going to fight tooth and nail for his attention within the next couple of years. I hope he doesn’t fall into the clutches of someone who will try to manipulate him because of his special needs.”“I see,” she said out loud. “Maybe I should investigate them for you, Artie. What do you think?”“I guess it would be alright,” he said trying to hide his enthusiasm for the idea. (Just like Kenny, the idea of more bulk in his diaper was exciting.)“Um…, Mrs. Halsted, like you said, I have plenty of supplies. Artie is welcome to try as many as he wants this weekend.”“Thank you, Kenny, that’s very generous,” she said.Now it was Artie who was embarrassed. He hoped that his excitement wasn’t showing too much.****Shortly after their diaper change Kenny and Artie were preparing to play basketball in the backyard. They had just put their shoes on and Kenny reached for his pants.“You can do what you want, but I’m not putting my pants on just to go into to the backyard,” Artie announced.“You go outside in just your diapers?!” Kenny exclaimed.“Sure,” Artie answered, “that’s one of the things I like best about this house. There’s a real high fence all the way around the backyard. It’s real private.”“Are you sure?”“Of course I’m sure. I’ve done it a hundred times. Now, come on. Stop being such a dweeb.”Artie was halfway across the lawn while Kenny was still standing on the back steps, cautiously looking in all directions.“Are you sure no one can see us?” he asked for the third time.“Yes, I’msure,” Artie answered testily.Kenny walked down onto the lawn.“At least, I don’tthinka lot of people can see us,” he added smugly.“What?” Kenny screeched, running back to the relative safety of the porch.Artie doubled over in laughter, “You should have seen the look on your face,” he gasped.“You bastard,” Kenny screamed, chasing Artie around the backyard, “you made me pee my diaper.”“So? Isn’t that what it’s for? And by the way, I’d keep my voice down if I were you. I said nobody canseeinto the backyard, I didn’t say they can’thearwhat goes on.”“Aarghh!” Kenny groaned in frustration.They shot hoops for about an hour before they got bored.“Now what?” Kenny asked.“I don’t think my mom would be too happy if we went back into the house and played on my computer. Do you want to take our bikes to the shopping center and look around for a while? Maybe the computer store has got some new stuff. And there’s also the music store we can look around in.”Kenny agreed. They walked to the back steps where Artie put down the basketball. He then turned and headed for the driveway.“Where are you going?” Kenny asked.“To get on my bike. We’re going to the computer and music store, right?”“Not without pants, I’m not.”“Pants? Don’t be such a prude. We’re already wearing all the pants we need,” Artie insisted.“Have you gone totally bonkers? We can’t go out in public like this,” Kenny said hotly.Artie started laughing hysterically. “Gotcha, again.”Kenny stormed into the house, mostly mad at himself for allowing Artie to fool him a second time.“I’m sorry,” Artie said almost sincerely, “I didn’t mean to get you all mad. It was just a joke.”“That’s OK. I’m just so stupid, that’s all.”“No you’re not,” Artie answered sharply. “Don’t ever say that. It’s not true.”Kenny was surprised by the vehemence of Artie’s statement but it felt good to be defended so unexpectedly by his new friend.****They spent barely an hour at the shopping center. Their next stop was the park to check things out. It, too, was mostly empty. They guessed that most kids their age must have gone on trips with their families during spring break.They put their bikes down and sat under the trees. The talked about lots of things. After some discussion, they agreed that their favorite sports were basketball, football, hockey, and soccer, in that order. Kenny also talked about his newfound diaper desires. He was worried what his friends would say if and when they found out. Artie wanted to sympathize with him but since he was a life-long diaper wearer all of his friends already knew what he wore. There was only one thing that he could think to say but he didn’t think that Kenny was ready to hear it: there was noifabout Kenny’s friends finding our about his diapers, only awhen.“Does your school have PE classes?” Artie asked.“Not exactly, but I was on the basketball team- the head benchwarmer,” he said wryly. “I only played in three games and scored a whopping season total of one point. Maybe I should just quit going out for sports.”“Don’t say that,” Artie said, “you should never quit doing what you like even if you can’t do it as well as you want. I know what I’m talking about. At Willowhaven School there are lots of kids who haverealproblems. Some can’t walk, some can barely talk, and some have to have someone help them do the simplest things, like eating. My wetting problem is so small by comparison. Whenever I want to give up on something I remember them and I feel ashamed that I thought of quitting.” Artie paused for a few seconds. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to get all preachy.”“No, that’s really deep. It’s good to know that you can be wise sometimes, and not just a wise ass.”This started a wrestling match that ended in a draw. Besides, it was time go home and get their diapers changed.****“Into the shower first, then I’ll put you into fresh diapers.” Mrs. Halsted ordered. “Dad is coming home soon. We’ll go out for an early dinner and then head for the movies. Now, let’s move it; there’s not a lot of time.”Once again, Kenny thought that Mrs. Halsted’s diapering was heavenly. The baby powder smelled so sweet and her touch was so gentle. He wished that life could go on like this forever.Artie’s dad arrived home shortly after the guys were diapered. Kenny was apprehensive about meeting him, partly because Artie had practically forbidden him to put his pants on.“Look,” he had said in an exasperated tone, “everyone in my family knows that you wear diapers. They know that I go around the house without my pants on. It’s only natural that they would expect you to do the same thing. You’ve got to get over this fear of my family seeing your diapers and plastic pants. They don’t care, so just chill out. OK?”It still wasn’t easy for Kenny but Mr. Halsted’s straightforward manner put him at ease in a very short time. As soon as Mr. Halsted had changed, they got ready to leave.“Is your diaper bag all set?” Mr. Halsted asked.“Yeah, dad, it’s right here,” Artie answered.Kenny’s confused look prompted him to explain.“We always bring extra diapers in case I need a change. Tonight, I put some diapers in for you, too.”“Thanks,” Kenny said uncertainly. This was a surprise he hadn’t counted on. He hoped he wouldn’t need a change while they were out in public. For one thing, he couldn’t imagine where it would be done.“Ready to go? ” Mr. Halsted asked. “Pass me the diaper bag, please. Oh, and your pants, too.”“Right,” Artie said, taking both his and Kenny’s pants and passing them to his dad.Mr. Halsted rolled them up and put them into the diaper bag. Kenny was aghast, the color drained from his face and his knees began shaking.“We’re going to the Top Cat Café,” Artie said, “everybody there knows me. We won’t need our pants until we get to the movies.”“But…, but…,” Kenny stammered.“What’s holding you guys up?” Mrs. Halsted asked, entering the room.One look at Kenny told her that something was wrong. Knowing her husband and son as well as she did she suspected that they were up to something.“OK,” she said accusingly, “what are you two up to now?”“Aww, mom, you always spoil our jokes. We were just having some fun. Kenny thought that we weren’t going to give him his pants until after dinner.”“Honestly, you two,” she said in an exasperated voice. “You’ve scared the poor boy half to death. Your practical jokes are going to get you into serious trouble some day.”Mr. Halsted gave Kenny and Artie their pants and he sheepishly left the room as his wife continued scolding him.“I’ll get you for this,” Kenny said, “and that’s a promise.”Artie smiled back at him, secure in the knowledge thathewas the King of Practical Jokes and that there wasn’t a set up in the world that he could possibly fall for.****Kenny and Artie’s movie let out first. They sat in the lobby’s plastic seats waiting for Artie’s parents to meet them.“That was so awesome when he blew up the mountain,” Artie said referring to the movie.“What about the dog fight? And how he knocked that fighter jet out of the sky?” Kenny added.They went on reviewing their favorite scenes until they ran out of things to say.“How wet are you?” Kenny asked quietly.“Pretty soaked,” Artie admitted. “You?”“The same,” Kenny confirmed. “Your parents have the diaper bag, don’t they?” Kenny asked anxiously.A couple of hours ago he had been nervous about getting changed in a public place. Now he was so desperate to get changed he didn’t care where it happened.“I never should have had that gigantic drink during the movie.” he lamented.“They’ll be here soon, I’m sure,” Artie said encouragingly.The boys sat there, the minutes passing slowly.“Oh, no. This can’t be happening,’ Artie said softly, “My plastic pants are starting to leak- a lot.”“No!” Artie exclaimed, not wanting to believe it.“Yes,” Artie said in a strained voice. “My mom’s going to go ballistic.”Despite all the casualness that Artie had tried to project earlier in the day about wearing diapers it was clear that he was very upset. Kenny didn’t know what to do or say. He wished that Mr. & Mrs. Halsted would show up right away. He couldn’t hold out very much longer, either. He looked down at Artie’s chair and saw how bad his predicament was. He was sitting in a puddle of pee and some of it was even dripping onto the terrazzo floor. Artie was obviously mortified.The minutes passed; the odor of pee was getting stronger. People were beginning to notice. Then, without warning, Kenny lost control, too. Despite his efforts to stem the flow, he kept peeing and peeing. In seconds his diaper became saturated and Kenny experienced the horrible feeling of wetting his pants and chair. He looked down at his lap. He didn’t seem to be quite as wet at Artie but he was just as mortified. He fought back the tears pooling in his eyes.“Your mom is going to have two reasons for going ballistic,” he said dejectedly.“Really? You’re not just saying that?” Artie exclaimed hopefully.“Why would I lie about wetting my pants?” Kenny said sharply.“Sorry. I wasn’t calling you a liar or anything. I meant that you’re a guest and my mom won’t go ballistic if you’re wet, too. Thanks, you just saved me a big lecture, I hope.”“Glad I could help,” Kenny said gloomily.The Halsted spotted the guys from across the lobby. Even before reaching them Mrs. Halsted saw the puddle under Artie’s chair. A hard look crossed her face. She spoke a few words to Mr. Hadley who disappeared in the other direction.“Arthur Edward Hadley,” she began, “I thought that we had seen the last of these accidents. You certainly know how to control your diaper changes better than this.”In an attempt to forestall a prolonged lecture, Artie interrupted her.“Kenny had an accident, too,” he said as softly as possible. “We were OK after our movie finished. Your movie was too long- we couldn’t hold it any more.”Mrs. Hadley seemed torn between disagreeing with her son and showing sympathy to their houseguest. Her facial expression softened.“Well, what’s done is done, I guess. No use crying over spilled milk,” she sighed.“Actually, I think it’s spilled Pepsi,” Artie said, trying to lighten the mood.His mother wasn’t amused. “Don’t get me started, Artie.”Mr. Hadley came back with the theater manager (an old high school friend). Kenny tried to make himself invisible.“Now don’t you worry about a thing. No harm’s been done, I’m sure,” she said brightly. “Here are the keys to my office. Change the boys there and I’ll take care of everything here.”The boys were hustled across the lobby, their light colored pants emphasizing their wet condition for anyone who cared to look. The boys breathed an audible sigh of relief as they entered a back hallway out of sight of the lobby. Mr. Halsted opened the office. Artie headed directly for the bathroom.“Follow Artie into the bathroom and take your pants off,” Mrs. Halsted directed. “I’ll be there in a minute.”The private bathroom was fairly spacious.“How did you know this was the bathroom?” Kenny asked.“This happened to me here once before,” Artie admitted.“Alright, put your pants into this bag,” Mrs. Halsted said. “Let’s get you out of these soaked diapers. We’ll have to do this standing up.”She began with Artie, carefully removing the diaper pins and then lowering his diaper and plastic pants al at once. She repeated the process with Kenny. By that time, Mr. Halsted had brought her one of the ‘mitten’ wash cloths to clean the boys’ diaper areas and legs. (Luckily, they weren’t wet below the knees.) Kenny was sent out first. Mr. Halsted directed him to lie face down on one of the diapers and doublers that he had prepared. He sprinkled powder on Kenny’s bottom and then asked him to roll over so that he could sprinkle some on his front. He was pinning him into the diaper when Artie came out of the bathroom.“Dad, you’re putting the wrong diaper on Kenny. See, this is his over here, with his name on the tag.”“You’ll just have to live with it for right now.”Neither boy was upset by the thought. In fact, it made them feel a closer bond to each other, kind of like being blood brothers.“OK, done.” Mr. Halsted announced as he put away the last of the supplies into the diaper bag. “Give me a couple of minutes to return Sylvia’s keys and to bring the car around. I’ll pick you up out front.”There was a knock at the door. Mrs. Halsted let the manager in.“Everything’s been taken care of out front. Now don’t you folks fret about a thing. No harm was done.”Kenny was in such a daze that he didn’t even think to feel embarrassed about standing there in his diaper.“Artie…,” Mrs. Halsted said and then paused, arching her eyebrows.“Thank you for cleaning up after me, Mrs. Hargrove.”“Thank you, Mrs. Hargrove,” Kenny added.Nowhe was embarrassed.“Now don’t you boys think about it twice. You’re not the first ones to have an accident in my theater. And, at least, you came prepared with a change of diapers.”Kenny’s embarrassment level went up two more notches. He also noticed that Mr. Halsted had left.“Where’s your dad?” he asked Artie.“He went to get the car.”“But, he’s got our pants!”“I’m sorry, honey,” Mrs. Halsted explained as gently as possible, “your pants are soaked. If you wore them you’d ruin Mr. Halsted’s car seats. You don’t want that, do you?“No,” Kenny agreed. “But how will we leave the theater?”Everyone stared at everyone else, not wanting to have to break the news to him. (He wasn’t stupid. He had already figured it out but he didn’t want to admit it, not even to himself.)“I can’t walk out there in my diaper and plastic pants,” he said in near panic. “Can’t you go buy some pants and then come back? I have some money. I’ll pay.”“Honey, it’s almost 10:30. The stores are closed. I’m sorry,” Mrs. Halsted explained gently.“We can do this,” Artie said. “I told you it happened to me before, here and a few times in restaurants. It didn’t kill me. Besides, most people are really kind. And if somebody isn’t, who cares? They’re the ones with the problem if they think it’s cool to make fun of us kids who wear diapers.”Kenny wasn’t really convinced but he knew that he had no choice.“I think we’d better go,” Mrs. Halsted said.“I’ll check the lobby,” Mrs. Hargrove volunteered.There were relatively few patrons in the lobby. Some of the theaters were already closed for the evening and those that were still open had a minimum of fifteen minutes left before their films ended. Still, Kenny felt that there were too many people focusing their attention on his diapers and plastic pants. But, no one made a comment or showed any signs of snickering. There was a group of kids waiting on the sidewalk. He didn’t dare look at them as he headed straight for the waiting car.“See, that wasn’t so bad,” Artie stated.They drove away from the theater.“Does anyone want some dessert?” Mr. Hadley asked.“Dessert?” Kenny asked warily.“Do you mean a Mrs. Hamilton pie?” Artie asked excitedly.“Yes. Should I stop and pick one up?”“Yes!” Artie said enthusiastically.Kenny breathed a sigh of relief. He could stay in the relative safety of the car.****“Mom, can you turn the key in the ignition so I can put my window down?” Artie asked as they waited in the parking lot.“OK. Do you need some air? Are you feeling alright?”“I’m fine. Here comes Rashid.” he answered, looking toward a boy on crutches approaching the car.“Hey, Rashid.”“Hi, Mrs. Halsted, Hey, Artie.” he answered cheerfully, leaning against the car to steady himself. “I saw your dad inside and he said you were out here.”If he was surprised to see Kenny and Artie sitting there in just their diapers and plastic pants, he didn’t show it.“Whatcha been doing?” he continued.“This is my friend, Kenny. We just went to the movies. We sort of had an accident.”“Hi, Kenny. What kind of accident? Did you spill soda all over yourselves?”“Sort of,” Artie answered. “Only we spilled it from the inside, if you know what I mean.”Kenny couldn’t believe that he was making a joke out of it already. He hoped it was too dark for anyone to notice him blushing.“Oh,” Rashid said, drawing out the word for two full seconds. “Thatkind of accident.”Mr. Halsted came back with the pie.“Rashid, your parents are waiting for you,” he said.****Mr. Halsted cleaned up the dessert plates while Mrs. Halsted went upstairs to help Artie and Kenny get into their nighttime diapers.“You certainly wear thick diapers at night,” Mrs. Halsted commented as she pulled Kenny plastic pants over them. “I guess we won’t have to worry about any leaks tonight.”“No, ma’am,” Kenny said sheepishly. “I’m sorry about the movie theater. We didn’t do it on purpose.” he added.“I’m sureyoudidn’t but, tell me, did Artie talk you into buying a jumbo size drink?”“Not exactly, I was kind of thirsty after dinner.” Kenny lied.“I see,” she answered unconvinced. “Well, he’s going to be one very wet boy in the morning.”Kenny hopped down from the changing table. He was amazed at how big and thick his diaper was. He had to walk slightly bow-legged. The high rising diaper and plastic pants felt snug and secure. Mrs. Halsted smiled at him in a motherly way.“Um…, Mrs. Halsted, if you’re worried that Artie’s diapers will leak tonight, he can borrow one of mine.”“Thank you, Kenny. I just might do that.”She did do that- all the while scolding Artie for having had so much soda. Eventually, she got him to admit that he and Kenny had each had a 64 ounce jumbo drink during the movie. Artie didn’t care. Getting to wear Kenny’s extra-thick diaper was hardly a punishment.Kenny and Artie shared the queen-sized bed in Artie’s room. Once the lights were out, Kenny became talkative.“I can’t believe everything that I did today.”“Yeah, I had fun,” Artie agreed.“A lot of itwasfun, but I’m scared about my friends finding out about me wearing diapers.”Artie thought that it was time to talk reality to Kenny.“If that’s the way you feel about it, you’d better get ready to give up wearing diapers for good. There’s no way to hide them forever, especially if you’re planning on wearing them all the time.”“I’ve been thinking about that. Maybe I could wear them most of the time, just not at school.”“I guess you could,” Artie agreed reluctantly, “but if your friends don’t see you wearing them at school and then they catch you wearing them somewhere else they’re going to wonder what’s going on. That could backfire worse. I think it’s better to be one way or the other- you wear diapers or you don’t. I think mixing the two would be too complicated. Besides, why torture yourself that way? Would you really want to have to decide between going somewhere fun with your friends or staying at home alone in your diapers?”Kenny wanted to disagree with Artie but in his heart he could sense that his friend was right. It would have to be one way or the other.A few minutes later he heard Artie’s breathing slow down as he fell asleep. He was exhausted, too, and drifted off a short time later.Kenny was standing in the school gymnasium. He was wearing shoes and socks, a nighttime diaper, and plastic pants- nothing else. Suddenly the lights came on and the whole school was sitting in the bleachers. His teammates were chasing him around the floor trying to get him to put on his uniform but he didn’t want to. He ran out of the gym and toward his house. Artie was with him telling him to stand up for his rights. He passed Rashid standing on the sidewalk telling him to be careful not to let his plastic pants leak. He was about halfway home when he tripped. His teammates pinned him down and started forcing him into his shorts. “Noooo…,” he screamed.He sat up in bed. He was suddenly wide awake. Artie was already awake.“What’s the matter?” Artie asked. “Are your alright?”“Yeah, I’m OK. I just had the weirdest dream,” which he proceeded to tell Artie.“What do you think it means?”“It seems kind of obvious, don’t you think?” Kenny answered.“Yeah, I guess so.”****They went downstairs to get breakfast. Artie’s dad was in the kitchen. They discovered that the weather had turned cold and that it was going to rain all day.“I guess that wipes out outdoor activities,” Mrs. Halsted said. “How would you like to go bowling this afternoon?”The guys agreed readily. After breakfast they had to wait for Mr. Halsted to get cleaned up before he changed them out of their nighttime diapers.Kenny and Artie spent the rest of the morning playing pinball games and talking. After lunch they had one more diaper change and were given their freshly laundered pants. Kenny had never bowled before so Mr. Halsted taught him the basics. Kenny rarely received so much attention from an adult male. It felt real good but it also made him realize how much he was missing not having a dad.When they were ready to leave, Mr. Halsted asked if they needed their diapers changed again.“Yes, please,” Kenny answered, followed by a similar statement from Artie.“OK, you guys wait her. I’ll see if I can get the key.”“They lock the bathrooms here?” Kenny asked in surprise.“No. You see, lots of people know about my diapers. My mom and dad try to set up private places for me to get changed, especially in places we go to often. I like getting changed in an office or someplace like that better than in a public bathroom.”Mr. Halsted came back with the man who was in charge of the coffee shop inside the bowling alley. He opened up a small office.“There you go,” he said to Artie and Mr. Halsted. Turning to Kenny, he added “You can come with me and I’ll buy you a Coke at the lunch counter while you wait.”“Thank you very much,” Kevin answered, “but I need my diaper changed, too.”Artie was so surprised that he laughed out loud (and then high-fived Kenny).****It was four o’clock when they left the bowling alley.“Dad, can we stop and pick up a movie to watch tonight?”“Sure, that’s a good idea.”Arriving back at the house, Kenny followed Artie’s lead in taking off his shoes and pants and leaving them with his jacket. He liked the way it felt naughty and comfortable all at the same time.“Do you normally leave your shoes and pants here?” Kenny wondered.“Yeah, most of the time. This way when I go out I don’t have to go back upstairs to get them.”“Cool,” Kenny giggled, “I kind of like running around in just my diapers.”“I guess your dream was right. You’re becoming an incorrigible diaper boy just like me,” Artie teased.“Not so loud! Your parents might hear.”“What? You think they don’t already know? Get real.”Artie’s mom had a surprise for him.“Since you’re busy entertaining this weekend I washed your diapers and plastic pants for you. Don’t get used to it, though,” she said smiling, “this was a once-in-a-lifetime event.”“Thanks, mom.”“You’re welcome. I just took your diapers out of the dryer and folded them. Please bring them up to your room on your way up.”“Wow!” Kenny exclaimed as he stared at the stacks of diapers, “did we really use all those diapers since yesterday morning?”“Except for one nighttime diaper that I wore on Thursday, yeah- you wore half of these. Let’s see how many,” Artie said counting. “Seven for you and eight for me. Plus, we each have a wet one in my diaper bag and the ones we’re wearing now. That seems about right for 30 hours.”“Cool,” Kenny giggled again.They brought the diapers upstairs and Kenny gasped when they walked into the bathroom. A drying rack filled with plastic pants sat in the tub. An additional six that fit on the dryer were draped over the edge of the tub. Kenny couldn’t stop staring and giggling.“You’re sure in a good mood,” Artie commented.“I just like looking at them, I guess,” Kenny said simply.It was decided that they would get Chinese food delivered. Mr. Halsted phoned in the order and asked the boys to set the table.“Your mom did your diapers for you. It’s the least you can do.”They were finished in no time. They went into the den to watch TV. It occurred to Kenny that they had been so busy doing other stuff that this was the first time he sat down in front of it in two days. They did a fair amount of channel surfing until the doorbell rang.“Finally,” Artie exclaimed, “I’m starving.”He ran out to the front door to accept the delivery. Kenny followed. Only when Artie was opening the door did Kenny realize that he was about to answer the door in his diaper. He stopped short, intending to turn around and go back into the den. However, his socks skidded on the hardwood floor and fell down on his behind in a sitting position.“Hi, Artie, how are you tonight?” the delivery boy asked. Then, seeing Kenny fall, he said. “Ouch! You didn’t hurt yourself did you?”“No, I’m OK,” an embarrassed Kenny answered.“Yeah, David, he’s OK,” Artie agreed. “That’s one advantage we diaper guys have- lots of padding when we fall.”The delivery boy laughed and Kenny stood up. He figured he may as well stay- there was no use trying to hide now.“That’ll be $36.15.”Mr. Haskell arrived and paid the delivery boy, including a generous tip. Kenny and Artie brought the food to the table.“I think you did that on purpose so that David would notice your diaper and plastic pants,” Artie teased.“Did not,” Kenny objected, (although he wasn’t the least bit sorry that the delivery boy had seen him). “But there is one thing I want to know. Is there anybody in this town would hasn’t already seen you in your diapers?”Artie smiled enigmatically. “Maybe. Maybe not. But you’re catching upfast.”****After dinner they sat around the table for a long time. Kenny found himself joining the conversation, telling stories about his friends and his school. It was magical. If his mother had been there she would not have believed that this outgoing, self-assured boy was her son.“Can we go watch the movie now?” Artie asked.“Sure,” his mother answered, “but first, into your nighttime diapers. It’s cold tonight; I want you both to wear pajamas. Dad will help you get ready while I finish cleaning up in the kitchen.”Once again Artie was treated to Kenny’s extra thick nighttime diapers. He really hoped that his parents would buy him some the next time they ordered. Little did he realize that they already had. They, too, loved the way these diapers rose high above his waist and how they made him waddle slightly as he walked. They knew that they were already losing the little boy that he had been, so they were open to anything that would prolong the illusion for a while longer.“Now go get your pajamas.”Mr. Halsted did an excellent job of diapering Kenny. As Mr. Halsted was pinning him into his diaper, Kenny pointed out that he hadn’t brought any pajamas with him.“Artie,” he called to his son in the bedroom, “Get off the computer please and bring some pajamas for Kenny.”“Got it,” he answered.Mr. Halsted had finished diapering Kenny and was checking his plastic pants. “Artie, where are Kenny’s pajamas?”“Coming!”A dresser drawer opened and closed. Kenny entered the bathroom holding two pairs of pajamas.“Do you like blue or green?”“Green,” Kenny answered.“OK,” Mr. Halsted said, “you help each other out. I’m going to wash my hands.”Kenny unfolded the pajamas and saw that they were one-piece.“These are baby pajamas,” he exclaimed.“No they’re not,” Artie contradicted. “They’re plenty big enough to fit us.”“You know what I mean!”“Look,” Artie explained as he stepped into the ‘feet’ and pulled the pajamas up to his waist, “if you wear two-piece pajamas with these thick night diapers, the bottoms will be constantly sliding down. Our plastic pants are too slippery to hold them up.”Kenny wasn’t sure about this but Artie seemed so at ease with it that he went along without complaint. He had to admit that it did feel warm and snuggly once he zippered them all the way up to his neck.As they were walking downstairs each boy was lost in his own thoughts. Artie liked how the extra-thick diapers rounded out their backsides and Kenny was impressed by the swooshing sounds their plastic pants made against the fabric of the pajamas. They were quite satisfied and highly aroused by the sensations.****Kenny and Artie settled at each end of the couch to watch the movie. Within a half hour, though, Artie was asleep. Kenny wasn’t sure what to do especially since he wasn’t finding the movie very interesting. Mr. Halsted came in before he had time to make up his mind.“I thought this might happen. Artie likes to give the impression that his disability doesn’t have any effect on his life. But, the truth is that he needs more sleep than most boys his age. With all the things you’ve been doing together these last two days I’m not at all surprised that he’s exhausted.”“Gee, Mr. Halsted, I’m sorry,” Kenny apologized. “I didn’t know.”“Don’t apologize, it’s not your fault. I’m very glad that you and Artie have become friends. If he’s been overdoing it, it’s because he wants to impress you.”“Really?” Kenny said in amazement.Kenny felt the same way about Artie. He hoped that it meant that they would become good friends forever.“I think I’d better put Artie to bed. Have you ever studied the stars and planets?” Mr. Halsted asked.“No, sir,” Kenny answered.“Are you interested? The storm has blown over and the sky is crystal clear. The moon won’t rise for a little while so there’ll be good star-gazing conditions tonight.”“Yes, please,” Kenny agreed readily.Mr. Halsted gently picked up Artie and carried him out of the room. He returned two minutes later.“OK, let’s go. Your jacket and shoes are in the kitchen, right?”Because of his high-rising, thick diapers Kenny was having trouble bending over.“You’d better let me help you there,” Mr. Halsted said. “Sit down, I’ll tie your shoes for you.”His shoes fit a little snug because the ‘feet’ of his pajamas were a little thicker than regular socks. They put their jackets on and went outside. Kenny had trouble finding the stars and constellations that Mr. Halsted was pointing out.“Stand right in front of me, Kenny.” He took hold of Kenny’s hand and positioned it. “Follow your finger as I move it. That’s the Big Dipper.”Kenny was amazed. He had never really paid much attention to the stars before.“Now, follow these two stars. They’re called the Pointer Stars because they point to the North Star, called Polaris.They continued investigating until Kenny’s head swam. There were so many stars! And Mr. Halsted knew so much about them.“We can’t see it yet because the house next door and those trees are in the way, but the moon is just rising now. Let’s go take a look.”Kenny was so enthralled that he decided to take the risk of leaving the yard in an obviously diapered state. It was a fairly cool night, the neighborhood was quiet, and there seemed to be little reason to worry about being recognized.They had to walk a fair distance (five houses) before they came to an area where they could see the rising moon. Mr. Halsted stood and stared for a few moments. He pointed out some of the major features of the moon’s surface. He could even point out where the Apollo astronauts had landed.“When Artie and I go camping up in the mountains I borrow my father-in-law’s telescope. The stars seem so close and bright. Would you like to come with us some day? I’m sure Artie would be pleased to invite you.”Kenny accepted enthusiastically. He hoped it would happen soon. They headed back for the house.“Bill! Bill!” a voice called from behind them.“Hi, Tom. Are you out for a breath of fresh air?”“Yes. I saw you and Artie walking and I thought I’d join you.”“You’re welcome to join us but Artie is already in bed. This is his friend, Kenny Braken, who’s been spending the weekend.”“My mistake. Pleased to meet you, Kenny. Do you go to school with Artie?”Kenny could practically see the wheels turning inside the man’s head. “If this isn’t Artie and he’s wearing diapers, then he must go to Willowhaven School, too.”“No, sir. I go to Milton Middle School.”“Do you now? And what grade are you in?”“Seventh, just like Artie.”“Yes,” Mr. Halsted added, “they just met last Monday and really hit it off, probably because they have so much in common.”“Yes, anyone can see that,” Tom said, shaking his head up and down.“Maybe Artie is right,” Kenny thought. “It won’t be too long before just as many people know about my diapers as know about his.”The question of what to do about school dogged him until he finally fell asleep.Kenny is sitting at his desk, completely naked. Everyone is taunting him. He begs for something to wear. His teacher flatly refuses saying that since he can’t make up his mind about what to wear, he will wear nothing. For some reason, Artie is also there. He tells Kenny that he has to leave school right away. They have to be at the movie theater. Everyone is waiting for them to put on the three o’clock show. If they don’t hurry, Kenny won’t have enough time to get into his diapers and plastic pants. They hurry to the theater (with Kenny still naked). Dana is waiting in the lobby next to a changing table. The manager comes out and says that it’s three o’clock. Dana shakes her head sadly and says, “See what happens when you can’t make up your mind.”****The boys got up early on Sunday morning. The rest of the household was still asleep. Artie decided that it would be best if they cleaned themselves up right away and washed and dried the dirty diapers before Kenny left for home.“If we don’t wait for your parents or Dana to get up, how will you get your diapers on?” Kenny wondered.“You’ll do it, of course,” Artie answered. “You need to learn to do it anyway. It will be good practice for when you have to put on your own diapers. Let’s eat first.”Everything was taken care of by 9:00. They had breakfasted, showered, diapered each other, put a load of diapers in the washing machine, and even hand washed their plastic pants. Kenny had already figured out that he had a ‘thing’ about the plastic pants. From the first time that Artie had diapered him he knew that they were his favorite part. He didn’t feel like he was truly diapered until they were snugly pulled up around his waist. As they were hanging them up on the drying rack, Kenny would have liked to stand there and watch the light and shadows playing off them as they dried. “This is too weird,” Kenny had thought to himself.They stayed in Artie’s room playing computer games until everyone else got up. Kenny took the opportunity to tell Artie about what he and Artie’s dad had done the night before. Kenny was a little afraid that Artie might be mad at him for monopolizing his dad while he wasn’t there. On the contrary, Artie was happy that Kenny and his dad had had time together. He was especially excited at his dad’s promise to take Kenny camping with them soon.Lastly, Kenny described his second dream. Artie literally fell on the floor laughing at the part about the ‘three o’clock show.’“Maybe,” he gasped in between guffaws, “if your mother doesn’t want to buy you more diapers, that’s how we could earn money for them.”“Ha. Ha,” commented Kenny.The others were all up and about by 9:45. At 10:15 the phone rang. It was Kenny’s mom checking on how the weekend had gone.“I hope that Kenny behaved.”Mrs. Halsted assured her that he had been a model guest and that everyone had enjoyed his company.“I know that this is a little late to bring up but could I treat you to a late brunch today, you know, to thank you for having Kenny all weekend?”“That isn’t necessary, you know.”“I know, but I thought that since the boys seem to be getting along so well it would be good for us to meet and talk a little bit. I thought we could try the country club at 1:30, perhaps?”“Yes, that does sound lovely. Just a moment, let me ask my husband.”Mr. Halsted was agreeable. Artie and Kenny were thrilled because they could prolong their weekend together. It was agreed that Mrs. Braken would come over at noon.“Your mother hasn’t seen you in diapers, yet, has she?”“Only when she peeked into my room while I was sleeping,” Kenny answered.“Are you going to feel funny about it?”“You mean when I go home?”“That, too. I meant when she gets here,” Artie explained.“Oh, yeah. I guess it would look funny to your parents if I put my pants on just because my mother was coming over.”In fact, Mrs. Braken was very much looking forward to seeing Kenny in his diaper and plastic pants. She was also bursting with curiosity about Artie and his family. She was amazed at how comfortable Kenny was walking around someone else’s house in just a diaper and plastic pants. “I guess it just goes to show how important diapers are to Kenny right now.” she thought to herself. She also noticed how at ease he appeared to be with these people. “My gosh, not only is he openly wearing diapers around them, he’s also allowing them to change him!”Brunch was the official end of the sleepover and it was a great success, too.