By the end of the day, the sting from his "accident" and the plain fact that he had been reduced in status from a grown man to a pull-up clad toddler faded in comparison to the unbridled fun that Ollie experienced once he stopped resisting the allure of the inner child that longed to match body and soul.
By the time David walked through the door that afternoon, Ollie barely acknowledged him as he kept playing with his new buddies, Parker and Peter.
In the meantime, Ollie's self-absorption in play allowed David to strike up a conversation with Marco. Obviously, Ollie's change in attire came up.
"It's not a huge deal," Marco said. "We keep extra pull-ups on hand for these situations."
David smiled and thanked the handsome daycare worker. He took no notice as Ollie, carrying a stuffed giraffe, wandered closer, silently observing something that seemed to be occurring between the two big men.
David said something and Marco laughed a little too hard at the joke. Once the moment passed, the handsome man deliberately held David's gaze for a long moment. Even Ollie, although witnessing the interaction as if enveloped in a fog, could feel the chemistry conjured forth.
"How would you like to get a coffee?" Marco asked. "There's a great place in walking distance."
To Ollie's surprise, David agreed. "That sounds nice."
Ollie ran toward David and hugged his towering partner's left leg. "Ready to go home!"
David, grinning, reached down and swooped the little boy off his feet and cradled him in his arms. "Marco's just telling me you had a big day," David said.
"Yes, and me tired," Ollie said peevishly. "Can we go home?"
"We'll go home soon, but Marco's invited us to have some coffee with him."
"Coffee? Bleech!"
David laughed. "We'll get you a fruit smoothie or maybe a hot chocolate," he said.
"Wanna go home!"
David slipped a finger beneath the waistband of the pull-ups. "Of course, considering what Marco said about Ollie's little accident, maybe it would be better he not have anything to drink."
Ollie felt the whiplash of emotions. "Please, just a little smoothie. A strawberry one!"
"Well, maybe," David made a show of relenting. "If Ollie's a good boy."
"I'll be good," Ollie promised, his insecurity beginning to fade before the temptation of a delicious fruit smoothie.