The mom may be mean, but even she won’t leave Laura in a dirty diaper. With a sigh, the woman turns around and begins to remove items from a diaper bag. She then unbuckles Laura from the toddler leash, but holds her in a tight grip, preventing her from escaping.
Laura turns bright red as the woman lays her down on a changing mat and removes her diaper.
“Oh. You’re a girl, not a boy? Well, you can’t run around dressed the way you are,” the woman says as she wipes Laura clean. “No wonder your parents haven’t come over to pick you up. You’re dressed like a boy! I’ll fix that.”
The woman tapes on a diaper even thicker than the first, obviously meant for very young toddlers, and doesn’t bother to put Laura’s pants back on. Instead, she removes Laura’s shirt, leaving her only in a diaper.
“Let me see what I can do with your hair,” the woman says briskly. After a moment of decision, she puts Laura’s hair into two tiny pigtails, using ribbons to tie them. “There, you’re already better!”
“Mommy!” a toddler’s voice calls. The woman looks over.
“I’m coming, Aspen!” she shouts. Laura’s heart races. The woman might leave her alone long enough to escape!