Word of David’s crib making had spread throughout the neighborhood like wildfire during the long Thanksgiving weekend. By the time David returned to school on Monday some of the kids were already making fun of him. David was able to heed his parents advise and he held his head up and explained that yes in deed he did enjoy acting like a baby and that there was nothing wrong with that and that he wasn’t hurting anyone else so what was the big deal. When they didn’t get any reaction from their schoolmate most of the kids simply gave up and left young David alone.

But after school a group of bullies stopped David and asked him if it was true that he slept in a baby’s crib. David swallowed hard and explained that this was correct. He then asked: “What’s the big deal? I’m not hurting anybody. If I happen to enjoy acting like a baby, what’s it to you?”

The lead bully, Steve, responded: “What’s it to ME? Well it just so happens that I don’t like to see a 12-year-old boy acting like a little bitty baby, and I’m going to beat you up until you start crying like a little bitty baby?”

David came back with: “Aw come on! I’m not hurting you! I’m not forcing you to act like a baby or anything else. So why do you want to hurt me?”

Steve then said: “Cause I enjoy beating up little babies. That’s what I enjoy doing. So just deal with it!”

David could see that the situation was escalating and therefore he said: “Well do whatever you think you have to do…but be forewarned that I will defend myself!”

Steve then began mocking David: “I will defend myself.” The other boys began laughing and then Steve yelled out: “Oh yeah, well defend THIS! ” And with that he lunged forward at David and took a swing at David with his right hand. David quickly blocked the punch with his left hand and ducked down below Steve’s swing. As he came back up he countered with a right kidney punch. Steve’s eyes bulged out and David could tell by the expression on Steve’s face that the kidney punch had landed properly and had gotten the bully’s attention. Steve had never felt such intense pain before in his life and he was unable to properly defend himself. David quickly came back with a left kidney punch that caused Steve to drop both of his hands. Now David remembered what his father had said about not continuing to fight after his opponent had been disabled, but he simply could not resist the temptation to take one final punch at the now defenseless bully. David reared back his right hand and then swung it with all of his might right at Steve’s nose. The punch landed solid and Steve fell to his knees and bent over in pain and grabbed his now bleeding nose.

With that David turned and walked away. All of Steve’s friends were in complete shock. They had never seen him get beat up before. And they were completely surprised by how quickly “Baby” David had brought their friend to his knees. As he walked away, Steve tried to save at least a shred of his dignity and called out to David: “Come back here and fight like a man, you big wussie!” David ignored the threat and continued walking. Steve was greatly relieved that David did not come back, but he acted like he was ready to continue the fight in front of his friends.

Back home, David went upstairs and changed into a diaper and his shortalls. He then came back downstairs and began doing his homework on the dining room table. His mother came into the dining room and told her young son that his grandmother had called earlier that day. She told David how grandma went on and on over how cute her grandson looked in his blanket sleeper and wearing a diaper. She said that David was welcomed to spend the night anytime that he wanted to. That she would pick him up from school and take him back to school the next day if he wanted her to.

This made David feel very good, that his grandmother was so eager for him to spend the night with her. Sonia asked if David thought he would take his grandmother up on her offer. David nodded his head in the affirmative and said that this sounded real good to him. Sonia then told her son that whenever he wanted to go over to grandma’s house to just let her know and that she would work out all the details. Sonia too was pleased that her mother was so accepting of David’s new behavior. She also thought back on how her and her mother use to take David places together and how all three of them use to go shopping together and how they would pick out various outfits for David together. She wondered to herself if they might ever do that again, now that she had her “little boy” back again. Sonia left the room and David returned to doing his homework.