Laura sucks her pacifier as she tries to think of a way out of her current situation. If the playpen was placed near the edge of the party, she might be able to escape without attracting any attention. But the playpen is right in the middle of things. There are too many parents around who would quickly grab an escaping toddler.
Laura cringes slightly at referring to herself as a toddler, but she then reminds herself that she’s not a toddler, everyone just thinks she is. Not that she’ll be able to convince anyone otherwise. Especially if she uses the plan that has begun to form.
Laura hates the idea, but it might be her only way out. A flight risk toddler like her would only be removed from the playpen for a diaper change. As she prepares to pee herself, she tells herself that this isn’t an accident, it’s on purpose. But that isn’t nearly as comforting as her pacifier.
After a moment, her bladder lets loose, and her diaper grows warm. Laura is a little concerned about how easy it was to wet herself. A few minutes pass. Her diaper becomes cold and clammy. No one has noticed she needs a change. Laura hangs her head, realizing that she’ll need to mess her diaper as well if she wants to be noticed amid the chaos of the party.
She pooped not long ago, but didn’t completely empty her bowels, so she thinks that she should have something left to fill her diaper. Laura squats in the playpen, every muscle pushing. Her face turns bright red. She begins to grunt with effort. The grunts are loud enough that she expects to attract attention from that alone, but no one looks over.
Laura successfully empties her bowels into her diaper. The rancid smell of poop fills the air. Laura waits for someone to notice. But again, not a single head has turned. Laura realizes that the thing a toddler would do in this situation is cry, so she decides to do just that. She tries to stand up, but the weight in her diaper throws her off-balance, and she falls onto her butt. The poop smears everywhere. The tears come easily. Laura spits out her pacifier and begins to wail.
As she wails, turning more and more heads, she realizes that she didn’t need to mess herself for attention. She could have just cried after she peed. This realization upsets her further. Her sobs grow louder. A woman rushes over, pops Laura’s pacifier back into her mouth, and picks her up.
“No wonder you’re so upset, you made a big stinky,” the woman says, poking Laura’s nose. Laura spits out her pacifier again and continues to cry. “Aw, don’t worry, I’ll clean you right up.” The woman brings Laura over to a nearby picnic blanket and lays her on her back. She rummages through a diaper bag, removing a big fluffy diaper and some diaper wipes.
Humming, the woman then undoes Laura’s diaper. Laura quiets at the embarrassment of being changed out of a poopy diaper in public yet again. The woman removes her soiled diaper, wipes her down, and then tapes the new diaper on her before redressing her. She then picks Laura up and carries her over to the playpen. Laura’s heart stops. She messed herself for no reason! She was going to go right back in the playpen!
“Hang on,” interjects the woman that first nabbed Laura. She looks at Laura. “Have you learned your lesson? Will you agree not to try to escape again?” Laura nods quickly. “Okay. You can stay out of the playpen.” The woman looks at the person holding Laura. “You can set her down.”
Laura is set on the ground, her feet slightly unsteady due to her diaper, which is even thicker than the last one. Despite the humiliation she has faced, she feels proud to have finally, successfully escaped.