Published: March 10th 2022, 11:38:21 pm
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I chased Amanda out of the auditorium before being admonished in the hall.
"No running, Zacky!" said Mikey.
"Sorry," I said, feeling a little embarrassed for acting like a kid. I was one of the bigger kids, after all, so I had to be a good role model, right?
The staff did an excellent job of corralling us into a more-or-less single file line, and leading us forward, now further into the center since we had been given the introduction. It almost felt like one of those simulated tours that some theme parks had, where you walk through the same one every time. It was fine the first time, though I wondered how long before all this excitement got stale.
I ended up separated from Amanda and Trevor by a few of the pre-school kids, and I didn't really want to talk to any of them, lest I get mistaken for one myself. Instead, I admired the scenery.
Once again I found myself quickly captivated by the theme park-esque atmosphere of the Fresh Start center, where everything was noise, and play, and bright colors - even the carpets were multi-colored with bright and pastel shades of green, blue, purple, yellow... I was so distracted that I bumped into the kid in front of me, sending him a couple steps forward. Luckily he was a guy much larger than me so he didn't fall over, but of course that luck turned when he spun around and balled his fist.
"Otay, who did dat?" he said, sneering with his pacifier off to the side. He saw me and said, "Watch it, dweeb, or do I need to teach you personal space?"
"Excuse me, no fighting," said an older thin attendant I recognized from the fitting room. He was tall and thin with slicked back gray and black hair, a moustache, and the dignified air of a Butler.
The preschooler looked the man up and down and seemed to think better of pushing it. I think we were all a little scared to make a fuss after we saw what happened to that Lozzie kid in the dressing room.
"That's the cafeteria to the left," called Mikey loud enough so the whole group could hear. There were only a couple dozen of us, so the line wasn't terribly long but with all the noise and commotion, he really had to work to keep our attention. "You all had lunch on the plane so you'll be getting a closer look at dinner time, but you're free to get food there anytime!"
I looked inside and saw an adult dressed like a toddler jumping into a high chair, which automatically secured a tray in front and lit up a green light. I could see her clapping and smiling as a staff member strode toward her with a bib in hand.
As we continued down the hall, the place seemed to get more and more populated until finally we found ourselves in the common room. This was an amazing place. There were big screen TVs playing cartoons, VR headsets to play games on, and even gigantic vinyl-covered shapes to crawl around on. There were also lots of adult kids like us, running around, giggling, squealing, and having a good time. The one thing that was conspicuously missing in this whole tour was a bathroom.
"Oh yeah," said Mikey, slapping his palm on his forehead, "you're still potty trained, aren't you? Well, there's always the potty chair in the corner, but you'll have to..."
"Get an adult to help me, I know," I said. I couldn't bring myself to do that quite yet, so I'd hold it. "You sure there isn't a bathroom for us?"
Mikey smiled, raised his eyebrows, and nodded toward the changing tables, where even now there were a few adult toddlers waiting to get changed.
"No, thank you," I said, feeling disappointed.
"Ah well, suit yourself. It's not so bad once you get used to it," he said. I was about to ask him what that meant when I heard a crinkle. I looked down and squinted. Was that a...
"We'll do a potty check at the end of the tour and you can let me know if you changed your mind," said Mikey, before turning his attention to everyone.
"Everyone wave and say to your new friends before we show them nini room," said Mikey, and the whole room stopped as everyone waved to us.
"Hi new friends!"
I gave them the briefest wave back before turning my attention back to Mikey's pants as we walked down the next hallway. He had all the signs. His butt had no crack, it was flat and stuck out. His crotch bulged, and even as he walked, I could see he was waddling. The attendants must all wear diapers too. How had I not noticed this before?
"Last stop," said Mikey, as we entered another large area. "Nini room!"