The Weekend Visit, Part 48

Sure enough, Kate’s definition of ‘fun’ didn’t line up with mine.

She and the twins decided that the four of us should go on a hike. On the one hand, it wasn’t a horrible activity in my current state; I’d much prefer the seclusion of nature to a crowded mall. On the other hand, I wasn’t a particularly outdoorsy girl. Of course, that was partially why they thought a hike was a good idea. Since Kate was still convinced that I was going to camp tomorrow, she said that getting some sunlight and fresh air ahead of time would be good for me.

“Don’t pout, Annie,” she said, easily reading my expression despite how I bit my tongue about the looming activity, “Believe it or not, it’s not all about you. Luna and Lilah really just want to take us on a scenic walk! The camp prep is just a bonus.”

Uh huh. I also looked ridiculous for an outing like that. The other three were all dressed down, in comfortable clothes that were actually conducive to hiking. While our trip to the mall demonstrated that I was capable of walking in thick diapers for hours, awkward as it was, a dress would easily be my last choice for a walk that would almost certainly have uneven terrain and potentially areas that would require high leg lifts or long jumps.

Since I was supposed to be a bubbly little sister, rather than a whiny brat, there wasn’t a great way to complain about my ensemble. All I could do was smile and keep acting like the immature tween I had been perceived as since our arrival. “Like, sounds fun!” I exclaimed, “When are we leaving?”

“Right after breakfast,” Kate replied, “Speaking of which, you still need to eat.”

So much for a later hike, where we’d only have so much daylight. And Kate was right; after briefly stepping into the kitchen, only to be taken right back upstairs for a diaper change, I was hungry from the sight and smell of breakfast that I had been temporarily deprived of.

Kate took my hand and walked me back downstairs, making me nervous with how she left the wet diapers lying on the bathroom floor. Our cousins had their own, but they could always use the hallway bathroom for convenience or whatever.

My worries were short lived, thankfully. After bringing me to the kitchen and sitting me down at the table, Kate only stayed long enough to prepare a plate and a glass of orange juice for me before heading back upstairs to finish ‘getting ready for the day.’ She very well could have been heading up to do a couple things for herself, though I had to assume she’d toss the diapers in the washer like she did with the last cloth ones I had an accident in.

I was honestly just grateful to be eating the same eggs, toast, and fruit as everyone else, when Kate could have somehow given me a less mature meal. That, or Aunt Miranda would continue punishing me for the events of the previous evening. Either way, I did my very best to eat like a proper girl, hoping my usual manners would at least showcase to our aunt that I was more grown up than I looked.

Sure enough, ‘right after breakfast’ meant ‘right after breakfast.’ Luna and Lilah were done eating basically right as I took my first bite, and started packing up some snacks and reusable water bottles for all four of us. I was tempted to ask about the details, like how far and how long, but that would mean talking like a youthful valley girl in front of Aunt Miranda.

Kate was definitely more active than I was, and I had to assume our cousins were the same if they worked as camp counselors. I really didn’t want to spend the whole afternoon hiking; it was summer, which meant it was hot.

When I took my last bite of fruit, Luna took my plate while Lilah ushered me towards the garage so I could put my shoes on. I did my best to keep up, and tried not to cringe as I laid my eyes upon the white sneakers. Somehow, I had forgotten about those.

Childish as they were, the shoes technically went with the dress, and were better for a hike than anything else I had packed. Not that I had access to any of that, since my wardrobe had been replaced with the twins’ old clothes. I knelt down to put them on and tie them, praying that the skirt wouldn’t ride up too much in the process. While it was a fairly conservative dress, it was also slightly too small for me.

Lilah grabbed her own shoes, then opened the garage door for us to head to the car before the others. Another thing I had forgotten about, until the sight of the vehicle sparked my memory, was the car seat. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Lilah opened the door and gestured for me to sit, implying that she was going to be the one fussing over me this time. Kate doing it was one thing, as she knew that I wasn’t actually a diapered brat. Lilah helping me, however, just made me think once more about future family events and how I would never live this down.

The process itself was already demeaning, and then Lilah reassured me that all I had to do was grow another inch or two in order to sit in the car like a big girl. “Just look at Kate!” she smiled, “I bet you’ll be her size before you know it.”

By the time I was buckled in, Kate and Luna were ready to go. Kate thanked Lilah for getting me settled in the car, and they all proceeded to take their usual seats. The twins sat up front, and Kate joined me in the back. As Luna started the car and opened the garage door, Kate exclaimed, “Oh! I forgot to grab spare diapers for you, Annie. Should I run in and get some?”

I immediately blushed as she asked me that in front of our cousins, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. “Like, no,” I mumbled, “I’ll be fine.” The crazy part was, I didn’t totally trust my answer. Obviously I wasn’t going to make it sound like I might have a daytime accident, and I didn’t want our cousins hearing me affirming that Kate should bring extra diapers along. At the same time, the multiple accidents yesterday had me less sure about my ability to make it to the bathroom in time.

“Are you sure?” Kate asked, “You haven’t had a great track record recently.”

Like I needed the reminder. “I’m sure,” I insisted, this time without any of the filler words that were already turning into a bad habit. Every accident thus far had been a fluke, and/or something out of my control. If I needed to go to the bathroom today, I was going to speak up about it right away, instead of waiting until it was too late. I didn’t need diapers.

Kate just shrugged. “Suit yourself. We’re good to go, Luna!”

“Cool!” Luna replied. “You two are going to love this trail. It’s our favorite!”

With that, she pulled out of the garage, put on some music, and we were on our way.