Somehow, Laura falls asleep in the car. She can only assume that the events of the day – spending a day at work, followed by her gradual regression into an infant – wore her now very young body out. Momentarily, she is awoken by the woman removing her from the car seat and placing her in the seat of a shopping cart, but she falls asleep again quickly.
“Sweetie pie, wake up,” a soft voice says. Someone gently shakes her awake. Laura stretches her arms and smacks her lips. She then promptly returns to reality and remembers what has happened to her. She’s currently a year old, wearing a diaper, and sitting in the seat of a shopping cart being pushed by a stranger. She looks up at the woman that has taken custody of her.
“You were so cute, sleeping there, but I want your opinion,” the woman says apologetically. “After all, you’re not really a little baby, you’re a little kid.” Laura grunts softly, well aware that this still isn’t quite the truth, but lets it slide. The woman stops the cart and looks at her. “What was that noise?”
“Goo,” Laura tries. The woman continues pushing the cart.
“Sorry, that was the same sort of noise Timmy would make whenever he pooped as a baby,” the woman says. Laura squirms, uncomfortable at the idea of pooping in her diaper. She knows that will eventually happen – if she can’t speak, she’s probably not potty-trained – but she’s not looking forward to it. “So, I decided to come pick up some diapers and other baby supplies for you,” the woman continues. “It’s been a while since Timmy was your age, so we don’t have much of his things left, and what we do have isn’t good for a little girl. Well, except for the crib. We got a nice gender-neutral color for the crib.”
They go into an aisle full of frilly, pink baby clothes. Laura’s heart drops. Many of these items of clothing are exceedingly babyish, showing off the diaper that Laura wants to pretend she isn’t wearing right now. The woman pushes the cart over to one of the shelves and begins to select clothing. She holds it up, waits for Laura to shake her head or nod, and then either puts the clothing in the cart or puts it back.
As they continue selecting more clothes, Laura feels herself relax a bit. She wasn’t very pleased with being picked up by this random lady, but the woman is clearly trying to make sure that she has a say in what happens with her. Finally, the woman seems satisfied by the clothing selection and they head over to the diaper aisle. Laura gulps at the large selection.
“Oh, I’ve been meaning to ask you, what’s your name?” the woman asks Laura as she eyes the various diaper packs. “You might as well try to say it, right?” Laura nods. After a moment, she speaks.
“La-wa,” she manages. The woman looks at her with shining eyes.
“Lara?” It’s not quite right, but close enough that Laura nods. She won’t be able to pronounce it any other way. “Oh, what a lovely name! That was actually the name my husband and I planned on naming Timmy, if he had turned out to be a girl.” The woman beams and ruffles Laura’s hair.
“Ga,” Laura mumbles. The woman chuckles.
“Okay, I’ll stop.” She tosses some diapers into the cart. “And since I already grabbed everything else we need before I woke you up, it’s time to check out! We got this done fast, Lara. Good work. Timmy’s waiting in the car.” Laura merely nods in response. They head for checkout, where the cashier gushes over Laura and the woman proudly introduces her as Lara. Just as the cashier rings up the last item, Laura feels a sudden warmth spread through her diaper. She lets out a soft whimper.
“What’s wrong, Lara?” the woman asks in concern. Laura shifts in her seat.
“Pee,” she whispers. The woman smiles sympathetically.
“Good thing we got plenty of diapers. I’ll change you when we get home, okay?” Laura nods reluctantly. The woman and Laura exit the store and head to the car. Timmy hops out to help put the purchased items into the car and then excitedly returns the cart to the corral.
Laura is buckled into the car seat, her pacifier placed in her mouth again. And once again, she quickly falls asleep.