Lisa’s mouth goes dry. Her mom hasn’t come back with clothes. Her mom has come back with a diaper bag slung over one shoulder and a diaper in hand. Suddenly, Lisa feels a mushy, clammy mass in her underwear.
“I thought we moved you to pull-ups too early,” her mom says. She takes Lisa from Paige. “Sorry, but I think she’ll have to be in diapers, Paige.”
“No problem!” Paige says cheerfully. “I’ve changed Lisa’s dirty diapers before, remember?”
“Yes, but I was hoping you wouldn’t have to today.” Lisa’s mom pulls a changing mat out of the diaper bag and lays it on the floor. She then puts Lisa on her back on the mat. Lisa’s clothes, which have changed to a short toddler dress, are removed. Then, the soiled training pants are pulled down.
“Uh, Mrs. Hamilton, she leaked onto her dress,” Paige points out. Lisa’s mom sighs.
“Great. Well, if she’s in diapers, she doesn’t really need clothes, anyways.” Lisa’s mom wipes Lisa down and diapers her. “All right. Thank you so much for babysitting on short notice, Paige.”
“I love spending time with little Lisa. She’s so precious,” Paige says. Lisa’s mom puts away the changing supplies, then hands Lisa, wearing only a diaper, and the diaper bag to Paige.
“Take her straight home, okay? She needs her nap before she turns into a gremlin.”
“Got it.” Paige carries Lisa and the diaper bag out of the mall. Lisa is buckled into a car seat. “Time to go home and take a nappy-nap!”
Paige and Lisa’s mom are right. Lisa does need a nap. She can feel herself getting progressively more tired as they head for home. She remembers idly that her mom has mentioned taking her on drives to get her to fall asleep, back when she was a toddler.
Lisa snaps her eyes wide open. She can’t sleep now. She’ll fall asleep a toddler, but wake up as a newborn.