Published: September 29th 2022, 12:00:05 pm
A short story commissioned by an anonymous Patron.
Trevor glanced over at the woman waiting next to him, debating for a moment whether or not to say anything. He was married, after all, and he would be lying if he pretended that part of the reason he was tempted was because of just how gorgeous she was; it was a struggle not to openly gawk at her. He couldn't imagine anything happening, and if it did, Naomi would probably kill him... At this point, however, he felt like he had to do something, or she'd start to get suspicious with all the gazes he was stealing of her in that low-cut dress of hers, if she hadn't already.
"So," he spoke up, doing his best to sound as nonchalant as possible, "how old is your kid?"
"Excuse me?" the woman blinked, glaring down at him.
He blushed slightly, but kept blazing ahead, unwilling to back down now that he'd made a start. "I wasn't eavesdropping or anything," he told her, "I overheard part of your order, and I assumed the chicken nuggets were for..."
"They're for me," the woman replied, crossing her arms, looking a bit bemused. "Do you have a problem with that?"
"Oh, no, of course not," he waved his hand, starting to regret his decision. "I mean, it has nothing to do with me what you eat, it's just... Those seem... childish... for you." That was certainly not a word he would have used for her otherwise. "It's kind of cute, though," he teased playfully.
She raised an eyebrow. "It is, is it?" she asked, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a pocket watch. "I'm glad you think so."
The next thing Trevor knew, the teenager behind the counter was calling out, "Sir? Sir?" in a tone of increasing concern - or, perhaps, annoyance. He shook his head, confused, realizing that the woman was no longer there, but almost as soon as he began to ponder how odd that was, his brain wrote it off. It was for the best... Nothing was going to come out of that anyway.
"Sorry," he told the kid holding his tray of food. "Thanks."
He headed back to his table, attempting to forget all about the woman, unable to resist sneaking a fry or two on his way there, setting it down on their table with a clatter, almost sending Naomi's plate into her lap. "Whoa!" she scooted away instinctively. "Chill out, Trev!"
He felt a pout cross his face, upset that she was yelling at him after he'd been nice enough to bring the food over. Without thinking, he grabbed one of his fries, throwing it at her, giggling as it hit her on the chest. "Trevor!" she scolded, picking it off her lap and dropping it onto the tray, dabbing at the spot where it had hit her with a napkin, though he didn't see anything there to show any sign of what had happened. "What the hell?!"
Some part of him had thought she might throw something back, might start a food fight right here in the middle of the fast food restaurant... That was silly, of course. She was way too grown-up for that. He probably should have been too grown-up to attempt to start one, but he couldn't deny that it had been satisfying anyway, in a weird way.
He dug into his food surprised at just how good it tasted. "You must really be hungry," Naomi observed. He shrugged; he hadn't thought he was, and yet, he couldn't help himself. "Maybe you should take it a little slower," she suggested. "You're making quite the mess over there."
He glanced down, seeing that there were, indeed, crumbs all over his shirt, and the table. He brushed the ones on his shirt away with a greasy hand, earning another bit of nagging from his wife. "Don't do that! That's new! The napkins are right beside you!"
"It's fine!" he rolled his eyes, not seeing the problem. Maybe there was a tiny stain on his shirt now... That would probably come out, though! There was no need for her to yell at him.
"Okay," she sighed. "So... Who was that woman you were talking to up at the counter?"
He paused, blushing; had she seen that? "Umm... I-I dunno," he fibbed, badly, bashfully going back to his burger in an attempt to curtail any further questions.
"Really?" Naomi asked. "It seemed like she had a lot to say..."
"She did not," he shot back, sending bits of food spraying out of his mouth, as he didn't think to swallow first, Naomi wrinkling her nose in response. "I just tried to say hello, to be polite, and she was mean to me, and then she left!"
Naomi raised an eyebrow, looking like she had something she wanted to say about that, before shrugging it off with a wry, "I can't imagine why she wouldn't want to talk to you," as she gave him a pointed look while he wolfed down his food, making more and more of a mess, finally reaching across the table, tucking a napkin into the neck of his shirt as a makeshift bib. He grumbled about it, but left it there.
"Can I go to the playground after I'm done?" he heard himself asking. Even as he said it, he knew it was odd, and yet, he couldn't deny that it did sound fun.
"What? Are you all right, Trevor? Did something happen?" Naomi furrowed her brow.
"There's nobody there right now!" he whined.
"Seriously?" she shook her head. "You're acting really weird, Trevor."
"No, I'm not!" he sulked. "You're being mean, too!"
"Trevor, we're not going to the playground," she told him firmly. "Honestly, I think we need to get home and get you some rest... Or maybe a visit to the doctor or something..."
"I don't wanna go home yet!" he pouted. He finished up the last of his fries, starting to wiggle in his seat impatiently while he waited for Naomi. "I could go out there now, while you're..."
"No," she cut him off. "Are you squirming because you want to do that, or do you need to use the bathroom?"
"If I needed to use the potty, I'd go!" he declared, not realizing how loud he was being... Just like he hadn't realized that his bladder was beginning to feel a bit full until she mentioned it. He definitely wasn't going to go now.
"I'd like to think so," she shook her head. "Right now, I'm not so sure..."
"I'm not a baby!" he huffed, crossing his arms.
She chose not to comment on that, eating the last few bites of her meal and standing up, throwing away their trash and setting the tray on top of the trash can. "Well, I'm going to go to the bathroom before we leave," she informed him. "And you at least need to wash your hands before you get in the car."
"Aww," he complained, not moving until she grabbed him by the hand, dragging him over to the bathrooms, protesting the whole time, "I don't hafta go! I wanna play!"
She stopped outside the two doors, giving him a serious look. "Trevor, please," she sighed. "Can you just wash your hands for me?"
He stared down at his feet unhappily. "Okay," he mumbled, watching as her feet vanished into the bathroom before, with a mischievous grin, making a break through the restaurant, out to the playground outside, going down the slide a time or two before hopping on the swings, trying to get as much done as he could before Naomi came out and pulled him away like the spoilsport she was.
Sure enough, far too soon he heard her voice calling, "Trevor! What are you doing?!" He attempted to ignore her, but the next thing he knew, she was at his side, hand clamped around his arm. "Trevor!" she exclaimed, sounded disappointed, and disgusted. "Seriously! I took you to the bathroom! All you had to do was go in and use it!"
"Huh?" he blinked, not certain what she was talking about until he followed her gaze down and saw the wet spot on the front of his pants, and running down his legs. He'd peed his pants, and he hadn't even noticed it! Maybe she was right... Maybe something was wrong...
"Oh, Trevor," she shook her head. "What am I going to do with you?!"
"I have some ideas," another voice replied, Trevor's eyes widening as he saw the pretty lady from the counter step up beside Naomi. "Sorry to interrupt, but I actually have a lot of experience, dealing with little boys like him."
"He really is just a little boy," Naomi complained. "I mean, he had his moments before, but I don't know what's gotten into him tonight... It's like he's not fit to be an adult at all..."
"Yes, I am!" Trevor whined, hating hearing them talking about him like that, as if he wasn't standing right there.
"From the little I talked to him, that's the sense I got, too, and after seeing, and hearing, his behavior while he ate, and... this..." she gestured down at Trevor in his wet pants, "I think you're probably right. Fortunately, I have just the thing..." She reached into the bag at her side, pulling out something thick, and white, and crinkly.
"Oh, my God," Naomi giggled, sending a shiver down Trevor's spine. "Is that...?" The other woman nodded. "The way he's been acting... It would probably be a good idea, huh?"
"No!" Trevor stomped his foot, indignant that Naomi wasn't shooting this absurd idea down immediately. "I'm not gonna wear those!"
"Go on," the woman offered, holding out the diaper, Trevor stomping his foot again as Naomi took it, seeming to reach out in a way that specifically let her fingers brush against the other woman's. He nibbled his lip, glancing over at his wife, seeing the way she was staring at the lady, recognizing it as the way she'd used to stare at him, when they'd first started dating...
Naomi giggled nervously, turning the diaper over in her hands. "It's been so long since I've done any babysitting or anything... I don't know if I remember..."
"I can show you," the woman smiled.
"C-Could.... C-Could you come back to our place after?" Naomi asked. "W-We could put him to bed, and then I can make you some coffee or something, to thank you for your help..."
Was she flirting?! Trevor stared between the two in disbelief, unable to shake the feeling that his relationship with Naomi had irrevocably changed, that, after today, there was no way she would think of him as her husband - or even an adult - ever again... "No," he protested, tugging weakly at her hand. "I-I'm not sleepy..."
"I would love that," the other woman grinned, patting Trevor on the head condescendingly. "But first... We'd better get this little one into his diaper before he has another accident. Don't worry, it's like riding a bike... Let's get him into the bathroom, and I'll show you everything you need to know."