“Tina,” Leah starts.
“Tina!” someone calls. Tina looks over. She beams.
“Patty!” she responds. Leah groans. Tina will talk with her friend Patty for hours on end, completely forgetting whatever task she’s doing. “How are you?” Patty comes over, pushing a cart of her own.
“Can’t complain. Aw, who’s this little cutie?” Patty asks, catching sight of Leah.
“This is…my niece, Hailey,” Tina says.
“You tell her parents that their baby girl is positively adorable.”
“I will.”
“Tina-” Leah tries again. Tina pats her head.
“Not now, sweetie. Grownups are talking. So, Patty, how’s your knee?”
“Well…” Like Leah had feared, Patty and Tina get caught up in a conversation that drags on and on. She begins to squirm in her seat from the growing pressure in her abdomen. A few times, she tries to speak up, only for Tina to either ignore her or hush her.
Eventually, Leah’s control fails. Her diaper is flooded with urine, closely followed by mushy poop. Still engrossed in the conversation, neither Patty nor Tina notice Leah’s accident. The poop and pee has turned cold by the time a stranger walks by and notices the smell coming from Leah’s diaper.
“Excuse me?” says the stranger, a teenage girl. “I think your baby needs a new diaper, ma’am.”
“She- oh!” Tina looks at Leah. As Leah’s still wearing no bottoms over the diaper, the mess is easily seen. “Oh, sorry I didn’t notice, Hailey.” Leah remains silent.
“You know, ma’am, I’m a licensed babysitter. If you want, I could change her diaper so that you can keep talking to your friend,” the teen offers.
“Heck, I could change her, Tina,” Patty says. “You change dirty diapers all day at work, you deserve a break.” Leah holds her breath, praying that Tina doesn’t take either person up on their offer, wondering who will change her diaper.