Step-Brother to Step-Baby – Chapter 18
Shouldering into the supermarket, the sliding doors parting before them, Mikey felt a surreal disconnect between the normality of the grocery setting and the unease he carried with him.
The glaring lights and the chatter of shoppers were an abrasive reminder of just how public this place was. His sisters, Katie, Lucy, and Rosie, kept an eye on him, a pack of vigilant overseers, ensuring his compliance every step of the way.
The heels of Rosie and Alison clicked rhythmically on the tiled floor, as if marching to some ominous beat that only Mikey could hear. With each waddling step he took, he was keenly aware of the bulk between his legs, an unnatural addition that caused him both physical and emotional discomfort.
After collecting a few everyday items, Alison directed the girls and Mikey towards the baby aisle.
As they navigated into the baby aisle, Mikey felt a heightened sense of vulnerability. Shelves stocked with nappies, baby wipes, and baby food towered on either side of him, each item a glaring reminder of his current predicament. His mom, Alison, seemed to enjoy perusing through the items, as if this were just another ordinary shopping trip.
Then Rosie turned to him with a calculated smile on her face. Mikey knew whatever was coming next wouldn’t be good news.
“Mikey, sweetheart, let’s make sure you’re still clean and dry, shall we?” Rosie said, her voice unmodulated, as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
But of course, it wasn’t—at least not for a 17-year-old like Mikey, being asked in a public setting about the current state of his nappy.
Feeling his cheeks flush with humiliation, Mikey cast his eyes downward. He looked at her with fear in his eyes as he begged his mercy.
“Please not here.” He quietly whispered to her, not wanting to make a big scene.
“Mikey, what did Mum tell you? If you want to make a big fuss and cry then perhaps you need your dummy in to calm you down?”, she said in a patronising tone, as if she was speaking with a toddler.
Before he could protest further, Rosie had already reached over and tugged at the waistband of his shorts, pulling them down just enough to expose the top of his nappy.
Mikey bit the inside of his cheek, feeling utterly stripped of his dignity. What had started as an odd, humiliating scenario had escalated into a full-blown spectacle of his subjugation.
She performed a quick, visual check and then, without any regard for the onlookers, put her hand at the back of the nappy for a more thorough inspection. “Looks like you’re still dry for now, Mikey,” she declared, finally pulling his shorts back up.
“Well done! Hopefully you won’t need a change until we get home. I’m not sure you’d fit on the changing table here anyway,” Rosie announced loudly, making sure her words resonated well beyond their immediate vicinity.
Alison, the puppeteer of this intricate dance of humiliation, feigned ignorance of the unfolding scene.
With an affectation of casual interest, she scrutinized the labels on various jars of baby powder, her actions a tacit go-ahead for her daughters to continue their treatment of her step-son.
Mikey felt like crawling into one of the empty shelves and disappearing. Now, not only did the entire aisle know about his nappy, but they also knew it was still ‘clean and dry”, which implied that he commonly wet his nappy like a baby. The layers of his humiliation seemed to be stacking up by the minute, and there was absolutely nothing he could do about it.
Mikey’s mind raced, desperately seeking an escape from this nightmare. He was acutely aware that any act of rebellion on his part would likely result in even graver consequences. Yet, if he remained silent, they would persist in treating him this way.
Trapped in this lose-lose scenario, and without money, a car, or a place to live, Mikey could not think of any viable way to escape his current predicament, rendering him powerless and voiceless.
His sisters looked at him closely, amusement flickering in their eyes, a silent acknowledgment of the power dynamics at play.
Mikey’s tried to glance away from the smirks of his sisters, but ended up inadvertently locking eyes with a young mother nearby.
She was browsing toys with her own children, a picture of everyday normalcy. Her eyes traveled from Mikey’s face to his sisters, a mingling of curiosity and judgment colouring her features.
She seemed to pause, as if sizing up the abnormal swell under Mikey’s shorts. His heart plummeted, crushed under the weight of her scrutinizing gaze.
His mind buzzed with the silent questions he imagined filling her head. What kind of young man wears a diaper? Why does he look so infantile? The urge to vanish surged within him, yet there he stood, an unwilling actor in this demeaning tableau.
Disconcerted, the young mother steered her children away, her gaze lingering a final accusatory moment on Mikey before turning a corner.
The bottom seemed to fall out of Mikey’s already low spirits; he felt laid bare, fragile, a plaything in the cruel game orchestrated by his family.
Unfortunately for Mikey, his humiliation was not over just yet.
Katie and Lucy exchanged glances, their eyes glimmering with a wicked spark.
With a sly grin, Katie picked up a jar of baby food and waved it teasingly in front of Mikey. “Hey, Mom, maybe we should get some of this for Mikey, just in case he misbehaves again,” she suggested, barely containing her laughter.
Lucy chimed in, her voice laced with mischief. “Yeah, it could be his special treat, if he’s naughty. Baby food for the baby of the family.”
Mikey’s heart sank as he pleaded silently with his mother, hoping she would dismiss their latest attempt to humiliate him. But to his horror, Alison seemed to embrace the idea, her smile widening.
“You know what, girls? That’s a brilliant idea,” Alison said, her voice filled with faux enthusiasm. “Let’s grab a few jars of baby food for Mikey.” She then looked at the poor boy who was looking down the ground, “It’ll be a good reminder for you not to behave like a baby, won’t it Mikey?”
Mikey didn’t respond, choosing to try and pretend this wasn’t happening to him.
“Won’t it Mikey?” Alison repeated her question, this time clearly reiterating that she expected agreement from her step son.
Wanting to avoid making a scene and ending up with the dummy in his mouth, Mikey reluctantly replied with a simple “Yes.”
“What’s your favorite flavor Mikey? How about apple, carrots and parsnips? Or pears, broccoli and apple? Or maybe even beef stew?” Katie asked, knowing full well that her step brother wanted none of these options.
Resigned to his fate, Mikey just replied “Any of them sound fine.”
He couldn’t believe that he was stood in public, in a busy supermarket wearing a nappy, with a dummy around tied to his sheet, responding that he was happy with the baby food choices being suggested by his sister. What had happened to him?
The reality of his regression and the loss of his independence loomed before him, a dark cloud that threatened to engulf his very identity. He had lost any fight. He was coming to accept that there was no point arguing with these crazy women.
The girls picked up several jars of baby food and placed them into the basket, as they headed towards the checkout. With a mix of trepidation and relief that his nightmare was nearly over, Mikey followed closely behind Alison but became distracted by something in the distance.
Realizing Mikey had come to a standstill, Alison and his sisters turned back to find him frozen like a deer in headlights. “Mikey, we can’t afford to lose you,”
Alison admonished, a tinge of irritation coloring her words.
She gestured to Lucy, as if giving an unspoken command. Obediently, Lucy reached out and grasped Mikey’s hand, a seemingly innocent act that only amplified his degradation.
Tightly holding onto his hand, Lucy guided him toward the cashier. As they approached, the woman behind the register eyed Mikey with a mix of curiosity and skepticism. Her gaze briefly dropped to his midsection, as if piecing together that the baby items in the cart might actually be for him.
Lucy seemed to sense the cashier’s silent speculation and, with devilish timing, exclaimed, “Just wait here, Mikey, while Mum pays for all your bits and bobs.”
Mikey felt like a balloon deflating, his self-respect vanishing into thin air. He wondered how this situation could get any worse but the increasing pressure in his bladder indicated it could….
And then just when he thought he had plunged to the lowest point of his shame, he turned his head slightly.
A familiar voice, tinged with the casualness of everyday conversation, echoed in his ears. “Hello,” they said, making Mikey’s heart skip a beat.
The End of Step-Brother to Step-Baby – Chapter 18
Written by: BacktoBabyhood – Chapter Eighteen
If you want to read more stories by BacktoBabyhood you can find a list here: Diaper Boys – Index