When Randy came home from school that afternoon, he was in a foul temper. Shane noticed it at once.

"Has Ralph been after you again?" he asked, "or did he do something to Darwin or Paddy?"

"It’s not Ralph," Randy said furiously, "it’s Margaret. She won’t leave me alone! She follows me everywhere!"

"What’s her last name?" Shane asked.

"I don’t remember. Why?"

"Maybe it’s time to pad her up too."

Randy couldn’t help grinning at this, but he doubted whether it would happen.

Grace came home soon afterwards, bringing Barry with her. She’d seen him coming out of the medical supply store and invited him over.

"What’s up with you, honey?" she asked when she saw Randy.

Randy explained.

"First Ralph, now Margaret," Grace sighed. "Why are kids so rude?"

"At least Ralph isn’t still bugging you too," Barry said.

That was the last time they’d see Barry before Christmas. December meant the end-of-term exams, so there was no time for visiting. Randy too was busy with quizzes and tests.He now spent much of his time reviewing things with Paddy, Cindy and the Morrisons. Darwin joined them occasionally, but seemed shy. They didn’t pressure him, figuring he must have a study plan of his own.

When the Christmas report cards came out, Randy had B minuses in math and science, and A’s in everything else. Paddy too had excellent grades. The Morrisons had average scores, but Cindy had straight C’s.

"I thought I was better than that," she half sobbed to Grace.

"Don’t feel discouraged," Grace soothed her, "it’s only the first card. There’s plenty of time to improve. Besides, it must be so much tougher to keep pace, being blind."

Christmas was a fun-filled day for Randy. Barry had gone home this time, but he called to wish them a merry Christmas. The Mannings came over on Boxing Day, and Paddy and Randy spent the day frolicking in the back yard.

With January came a field trip to the museum of Anthropology in socials. This Randy enjoyed thoroughly. Mrs. Brinckman came along as an assistant, enabling her to keep an eye on Ralph. Ralph no longer wore diapers, but she wasn’t taking chances and had one in her bag as a threat. Overall, it was a successful day, and Randy thought his mind would burst with all he’d learned. He’d been especially fascinated by the clothes, namely how they signified a person’s status in a tribe. The higher the rank, the more elaborate the decorations. Deep down, he wondered what would have become of anyone who had a problem like his. Would they have lived in diapers? Would they have lived at all? Even back then, it would have been a nuisance having to stop every hour or so to wee.

February proved to be a wet month with a sprinkling of snow. It was a hard month health-wise too. The school was hit by a spate of bad colds and flus, especially among the older students. Randy was lucky and didn’t get sick again. Keith, Lanny and Cindy came through with only minor colds. Poor Paddy came down with a nasty chest cold, which kept him away from school for over two weeks. Now it was Randy’s turn to return the favours. He checked in with the sixth grade teacher, Miss Law, and volunteered to take Paddy’s homework to him. Grace, too, offered her assistance, for which Mrs. Manning was grateful.

"I’ve never met anyone so in to natural remedies," she remarked one Saturday afternoon. "That eucalyptus lineament’s really helping with Paddy’s cough. It was all he could do to breathe before you started using it on him."

"It’s the same stuff I used on Randy when he was a baby," Grace said proudly. "There are other things that are good for coughs too, but they’re pretty harsh for a kid. Have you ever used a mustard plaster?"

"Heavens, no!" Mrs. Manning gasped. "That’d burn his skin off!"

Several teachers were also taken ill, leading to a stream of substitutes. Randy was relieved that Mrs. Franklin was one of the lucky ones. He shuddered to think of what Ralph or Margaret might have done if there’d been a substitute!

By mid March, things were almost back to normal. The weather grew warmer, and Mr. Bradley had the boys running the grounds again whenever possible. If it was too cold or wet, they did laps of the gym. The aerobics continued, and it was clear that many of the boys were improving. Randy actually found himself encouraging those who still lagged behind in stamina. Even Ralph began to reap the benefits of the regular workouts. They seemed to take up the energy he normally put in to teasing and tormenting others.

"I’ve often said too much energy was half the trouble with kids like Ralph," Mr. Bradley remarked during a parent-teacher’s meeting. "I’ll admit, exercise may not cure everything, but it always helps."

With April came a provincial fitness assessment of sixth and seventh graders. This was a month-long program designed to test general fitness and strength of boys and girls. Some said it was too much, but others praised the idea.

"What better way to test everyone at once?" Grace said. "With childhood obesity running rampant almost everywhere, there has to be some way of controlling it. What better way to do it than to offer prizes to the fittest?"

In fact, there were prizes of some sort for everyone. The top students in their schools would receive blue, red or green badges. The award of excellence would go to the top sixth and seventh graders of the province. Everyone else would get participation pins. These prizes would be handed out during a special ceremony in mid May.

"I bet you’ll be one of the top three for our school," Paddy told Randy, "you’re a natural athlete. Think of it! The first kid in diapers to win first prize! That’d wipe the smirk off Margaret’s face for sure!"

"You’re not bad yourself," Randy said. "I may be a better runner than you, but you’re way better at the long-jump and chinning. And you beat me in gymnastics too. I’m too big for that."

This was true, of course. The two of them were evenly match when it came to coordination, but Paddy had an edge in upper body strength.

The program consisted of a series of activities aimed at testing strength, coordination and endurance, to be performed at regular intervals throughout the month. PE classes now became practice sessions for these tests, keeping everyone very busy. Even Margaret no longer had the chance to pester Randy or Paddy.

Poor Darwin was having a difficult time of it. His CP made it hard to complete many of the exercises, but Randy did his best to keep his spirits up. Cindy was also finding it a struggle.

"We must be the only disabled kids in this test," she said.

"I doubt it," Shane answered. "Remember, the are hundreds in the program. This is a provincial test, involving many different schools. Other kids with disabilities are certain to be involved, and probably aren’t lucky enough to have good friends to help them along."

The program ended with a one-mile endurance run, the hardest test of all. Randy and Paddy were to run on the afternoon of May first. That day, when Randy came home for lunch, both his parents were waiting.

"Randy," Grace said as they ate a light meal, "I’ve bought you some light-weight undies for the run. They’ll be more comfortable than your regular diapers, and easier to run in."

"How much will they hold?" Randy asked. The last thing he needed was to leak in the middle of the run.

Grace pulled a bag from beneath her chair and handed him a pair. They looked exactly like normal underwear, except that they were made of terry cloth, with extra layers in the center, and a thin, waterproof shell.

"There are two styles," Grace said. "The others are thicker, but don’t have the built-in shell. You’d have to wear plastic pants."

After a moment’s thought, Randy chose the thicker pair. They’d be sure to last. The plastic pants were thinner than the ones he wore with his diapers and tighter. They were also the same colour as his shorts, so they wouldn’t be noticed.

Randy didn’t change his diaper before going back to school. There’d be a chance before the run began. He hurried to the gym and changed in to PE strip with the others. There was to be a half-hour warm-up before the run. Mr. Bradley called the roll as usual, then the warm-up exercises started. Sixth and seventh graders were all together, so the gym was fairly crowded and noisy. Finally, Mr. Bradley called out, "If anyone needs to use the washroom, now’s your chance. Meet Mrs. Neilson and I at the track when you’re done."

Randy fetched the training pants and their plastics from his locker and hastened to the washroom. The undies felt a little strange at first, but once he’d pulled up his shorts, it wasn’t much different from a thin diaper. With the loose-fitting shorts, he found he could move much more freely. As he came out, Paddy passed him on his way in. Randy waited outside the washroom. When paddy emerged, he was wearing a thin, disposable diaper under his shorts.

"Couldn’t your mum get you some pants like mine?" Randy asked as they headed for the track.

"There weren’t any in my size," Paddy answered.

Out on the track, the teachers were giving students last-minute reminders about not starting too fast and about keeping a steady pace. Each student was given a name sticker to wear on their right breast. Then they were off.

At first, Paddy and Randy were side by side. After two laps, however, Paddy fell a little way behind. By the third lap, Randy was in the lead. His long legs proved a big advantage. As he began the final lap, he felt a surge of excitement. The nearest runners were close behind, but their footsteps were faltering. He began to increase his pace until, for the last 200 meters, he was almost sprinting.

"Keep it up, Randy!" shouted Mr. Bradley from the side.

Randy finished the run two yards ahead of a trio of girls. There was a burst of applause from the staff as he crossed the line and went in to a gradual run-off. As he stopped, Mr. Bradley came up to him.

"Excellent, Randy!" he cried, slapping him on the back. "7-59!"

Randy couldn’t believe his ears. He’d been so busy concentrating on the run itself, he’d lost all sense of time. He stood for a minute, hands on knees, breathing hard. As he straightened up, Paddy staggered to a halt beside him.

"8-20 for you, Paddy!" Mr. Bradley called. "Well done! Better start your cool-down, both of you."

This they did, jogging slowly back towards the school building. They did one lap of the playing field, then went in to change.

"I think we were the first boys to finish," Paddy remarked as they put on their diapers after showering.

"Really?" Randy asked. "I wasn’t paying attention."

Other boys were now coming in. All were flushed and sweaty. Some took quick showers, others simply splashed water over their heads or faces. Ralph was one of the last to finish. He came in looking exhausted and clutching a stitch in his side.

"They won’t be giving me anything," Randy heard him mutter as he passed.

* * *

"How did it go?" Grace asked as Randy came to meet her after school.

"7-59!" Randy answered.

Grace’s face became radiant with pride. "Wonderful!" she exclaimed, hugging her son tightly. "You’re sure to win a prize with that. How did Paddy do?"

Randy told her.

"And Darwin?"

"I didn’t hear. Nor Cindy."

At that moment, Mrs. Oliver appeared, Followed by Darwin. The boy had a bandage on one knee, but his face glowed.

"9 minutes!" he shouted when he saw Randy.

"Great!" Randy called back.

"Excellent!" Grace put in. "What happened to your knee?"

"I tripped at the end," Darwin explained, "right after I crossed the line."

"Too bad," Grace said. "But at least you finished. Have you seen Cindy?"

"She finished just ahead of me," Darwin said. "I didn’t hear her time, though."

When Shane learned of Randy’s performance in the endurance run, he was as proud as Grace had been.

"It proves what I said," he joked. "Diapers won’t stop you!" It’ll be interesting to see what happens on awards day. Wonder how Ralph did."

"He was one of the last," Randy said. "I didn’t expect much else. He’s not much good at anything that involves hard work."

"He might be," Grace hinted, "if he hadn’t wasted so much time and energy teasing people."

Shane and Randy nodded in agreement. "He hasn’t teased anybody since the fitness program started," Randy observed.

"Probably too tired," Shane guessed.

The rest of the week was routine. The count-down to the final tests was on, and everyone busied themselves with reviewing material and finishing projects and assignments. Also, there was the science fair, to be held at the beginning of June. Neither Randy nor Paddy were participating in it, but they had enough to do with studying.

Awards day came, and a school assembly was held in which the badges were prevented. It began with the singing of O Canada, then Mr. Goldman stepped to the podium. There was a quiver of anticipation in the air as he gave a short introductory speech. Finally he said,

"And now, let us prevent the fitness awards for our school. The awards will be presented by Mr. Bradley, head of our physical education department, as follows: seventh grade boys, seventh grade girls, sixth grade boys and finally sixth grade girls. The recipients of these awards have been selected based on their performance in the endurance run and their combined scores from the program as a whole. We ask that you refrain from applauding until each group of awards has been handed out."

Mr. Bradley now took the podium.

"Thank you, Mr. Goldman," he said. "This is the moment you’ve all been waiting for, the presentation of the provincial fitness awards. In third place for seventh grade boys, with a running time of 8 minutes 45 seconds, and a total of 72 points, Homer Chase!"

A slim, curly-haired boy marched up to the podium to accept his badge. He bowed, then stepped over to a position next to Mr. Goldman.

"In second place," Mr. Bradley continued, "with a run of 8 minutes 30 seconds, and 79 points, Toby North!"

Randy gave Toby the thumbs-up as he passed. Toby winked in returned.

"And in first place," Mr. Bradley said, his voice quivering slightly with emotion, "with a time of 7 minutes 59 seconds, and a total of 86 points, Randy Wolfe!"

Randy’s heart missed a beat. His legs trembled as he made his way forward. Several of his classmates applauded despite the request not to. As he accepted the gold badge and moved over to join the other two, he saw that he was facing a large camera which he had not noticed before. Mr. Goldman gave hurried instructions, and all three boys stood in a row, holding up their badges. There was a sharp click, a flash, and everyone burst in to applause.

The winners for the seventh grade girls were: Ellen Murray in third, Ruth Chapman in second, and Rebecca Stamp in first.

Next came the sixth grade boys: Jimmy Quinlen in third, Keith Morrison in second, and Paddy Manning in first.

None of the sixth grade girls were familiar to Randy. He felt sorry that Cindy hadn’t placed among the top three, but was still proud of her for trying.

"Congratulations to all of you," Mr. Bradley said. "Those of you who did not place among the top three for your grades will receive participation pins in the mail within the next week. All badge winners will be nominated for the top boy and girl in the province."

The assembly concluded with the singing of God Save the Queen, then everyone filed out. Paddy caught up to Randy outside the gym and they high-fived each other all the way to the cloakroom.

"I told you you’d win!" Paddy shouted. "I told you!"

"And I said you’d win too!" Randy answered, grinning.

That night, the Mannings treated the Wolfes to a sumptuous dinner by way of celebration.

"Who would have thought," Mrs. Manning remarked. "That the only diapered students in the school would both win first place."

"I thought you were joking when you said that," Randy told Paddy.

The last few weeks of school passed quickly. Grace received word of the summer camp for disabled kids from Cindy’s parents and signed Randy up. She and Mrs. Manning agreed that his presence might inspire any others who needed diapers full time to be more open and relaxed about the problem. She even signed Paddy up for the camp.

"How are we going to pack enough diapers?" Randy asked.

"I’m afraid you’ll probably have to use disposables," Grace said. "There was nothing said in the papers about access to laundry facilities."

"That’ll make an awful lot of garbage," Randy said.

"It will," Grace agreed. "That’s what I don’t approve of. I’m sure arrangements could be made for diaper service or something. It could even be a volunteer job for local women. I’m tempted to talk to the camp director about it."

The final report cards came out. Randy had straight A minuses. His friends also did very well. Even Cindy came through with B’s in everything except science, which was a C plus.

" Are you guys going away this summer?" Paddy asked the Morrisons.

"No," Lanny answered. "Grandma and Grandpa Morrison are coming out from Toronto to see us. So are Uncle Mark and Aunt Vicky."

"All your dad’s relatives?" Randy asked.

"Yes," Keith said.

"That’ll be fun," Grace said. "Do you have reunions like this regularly?"

"No," Keith replied, "but we try to divide holidays among us. We’re going east next Christmas."

They all got together for a last visit before the camp. Even Darwin came over with his dad. Roger Oliver was a tall, broad-shouldered man who always seemed to be smiling. He kept everyone laughing with jokes and little stories. He wasn’t at all bothered by the fact that Paddy and Randy were clad only in diapers and t-shirts.

"After all," he said, "those plastic pants don’t look much different from shorts. I had to wear diapers for a year after my accident."

"Really?" Randy asked in amazement. Here was another adult who’d needed diapers, if only for a short time. "How did you get your control back?"

"It wasn’t easy," Roger admitted, "but I kept trying. Doctors say it was partly luck."

Barry dropped in that afternoon. When Randy and Paddy showed him their badges, he was all smiles.

"Is this fitness thing going to be an annual event?" he asked.

"We haven’t heard yet," Shane answered, "but personally, I’d push for it. It’d give kids something to look forward to and work for.

They had a delicious barbecue dinner that evening, and everyone stayed quite late.

"Guess what?" Darwin said suddenly as he and Randy helped to clean up. "I’m going to the camp too!"

"Are you?" Randy asked, startled. "Why didn’t you tell us earlier?"

"I wanted to surprise you," Darwin giggled. Everyone laughed.

"You’re just like your dad," Grace said.

"Like father like son!" Roger chuckled, nodding vigourously.

The Olivers were the first to leave.

"Thanks for the dinner, Grace," Roger said. "See you at camp, Randy."

The others left soon afterwards.

"I guess we won’t see you till after the camp," Lanny said. "Make sure you remember everything so you can tell us."

"I will," Randy promised, "if my head doesn’t explode!"

The Morrisons left laughing. Randy helped Shane to put away the barbecue, then went to get ready for bed. It was the perfect end to a busy year, and a busy, fun-filled summer lay ahead.

THE END!

Author’s note: I hope you’ve enjoyed this, my first ever diaper tale.