It’s a little girl the same size as Leah, also wearing only a T-shirt and diaper. The little girl grins at Leah, then bends her knees into a squat as well and begins to grunt.
“No, Lizzy!” a woman shouts, running over. “You want to poop in the potty, remember? Not your diaper!”
“She poopoo in diapy,” Lizzy says, pointing at Leah, whose diaper is sagging under her and has turned yellow and brown from the mess. Lizzy’s mom frowns at Leah.
“Where’s your mommy, little girl?” Lizzy’s mom asks. As though summoned, Tina comes over.
“Leah! There you are!” Tina says in relief. She smiles at her stepdaughter. “I see you used your diapy.”
“I make boom-boom,” Leah says, trying to pretend she’s young enough to need a diaper. She pops her thumb into her mouth and sucks on it.
“You sure did. You need a change.”
“Why is she still messing herself?” Lizzy’s mom asks. “She’s obviously too old for that. How old is she? Four?”
“Almost two,” Tina lies. Lizzy’s mom gapes. “She’s been big since she was born.” Tina picks Leah up. The mess in the diaper smears over her butt. “Unfortunately, her messes are just as big.”
“Well…” Lizzy’s mom seems to have lost her head of steam. “Just keep an eye on her, since she’s that young. My own daughter thought she was her age, and decided to use her diaper, when we’ve been working on potty training.”
“Sorry,” Tina apologizes. Lizzy and her mom walk away. Tina brings Leah to the bathroom, where she changes Leah yet again. “After you test this diaper, I need you to try out one more brand.”
“What’s the time frame? I’m running on empty.”
“I want to drop things off at work while we’re still out and about, but we can do that last.” Tina finishes the change and sets Leah on the ground. “If I were you, I’d go before we even leave the store.”
Leah toddles after Tina as they leave the bathroom. She wants to use the diaper as soon as possible, so that she can be done with this nightmare.