Chapter 4

As winter continued and we were cooped up in our old trailer my brother, JR, and me got into more fights with our sister. She was six years older than me, in high school, and was a lot bigger than both of us. She was crazy, too. We would get into fights about anything and everything. No matter how the fight started she would always bring up our bedwetting. As the fighting continued it went from verbal to physical. It was sometime in February or March that year she first punched me in the eye. Mom came home to me still crying with a black eye that I had for weeks. A few weeks later she tried to strangle me. Those marks on my neck only lasted a week as I recall. Children and Family Services was called in and Cathy ended up in counseling after that one.

Around spring vacation my Mom had a chance to start work on the second shift on the hospital cleaning staff, which paid 30 cents more per hour. We needed the money so she accepted, but that meant she wouldn't be home until after 10:30 at night. She called Bob to ask if JR and me could use his place as a safe house if Cathy and us got into a fight. We were really happy Bob said yes. And it didn't take long before we needed his place. As soon as Mom was on nights Cathy thought she was boss and did whatever she wanted including trying to spank us for not doing what she wanted us to do. We both escaped with only a few scratches and red marks.

We showed up at Bob's at just about bedtime still panting, with no coats, and no change of clothes. "What happened to you?" asked Bob. "Cathy tried to make us clean up the mess she made in the kitchen with dinner," I said. "Yeah, and hit me when I said 'No,'" said JR, "so we ran out before she could kill us."

"Well, I'm just about ready to go to bed. I have an early class tomorrow. So if you are staying here it is bed time for you, too," Bob said. We didn't care. Sleep sounded better than being beaten up. Without going to the bathroom we each took our shoes off, picked a couch, Bob covered each of us with a blanket, and that is the last thing I remembered until morning. That was a mistake!

When Bob woke us up our jeans and flannel shirts were soaked. We had had a lot of milk with dinner and hadn't gone to the bathroom after that before we went to sleep. We also seemed to wet the bed more after a fight with Cathy. "Well, I don't have time to clean you guys up," Bob told us, "I need to go to class and you guys need to go to school, too. I'll take you home so you can change." We ended up walking home obviously wet to anyone who was there to see us. When we got in the door Cathy started up immediately, "Mom's asleep, so shut up. Where have you pee babies been? Shit, you even peed your pants." Then she saw Bob and stopped. We didn't have time for a bath so we just peeled off our wet clothes and put on dry ones. Bob picked up the wet clothes, and we went back to his house for something to eat. Then he rubbed some aftershave on us to cover the slight pee smell and sent us to school.

When we got home from school Mom had already left Cathy was still in a bad mood so we went right over to Bob's house. He had just gotten home from the university. "Ok, lets get you guys bathed," he said, still smelling something. Even though we could do it ourselves, he took us into the bathroom, undressed us, squirted us down, and lathered us up twice. While we dried off he took our clothes and put them in the wash with the ones we had wet the night before. "Hey, what are we going to wear while those dry?" I asked. "Here," Bob tossed a package of new underwear at each of us, "I bought these on the way home so at least you won't pee your pants when you sleep over here." Bob had a real bad drier that was really small. It took most of the evening to dry our jeans, so we ended up wearing only underpants the entire time. In the evening Bob changed into his long johns. It was neat snuggling with him under the quilt on the couch, us in our underpants and him in the long ! johns, while we watched TV. Of course that night we slept in our new underpants too, and in the morning they were wet and yellowish instead of dry and bright white. Bob didn't seem to mind too much, though. When he got us up he was dressed only in his underpants and a t-shirt. He washed us, fed us, and sent us off to school.

This routine happened regularly, depending on how crazy my sister was. Some weeks were worse than others, but as I recall even in the best weeks JR and me were over at Bob's at least once in the week. Even when we didn't need to sleep over there for our safety we were over there for help with homework, or to relieve boredom, or see the birds, or something. And Bob regularly gave Mom reports on how things were going. More and more he was being the dad we didn't have.

One Saturday evening we were over at Bob's and asked to stay the night. It had been a real good week so we hadn't had to sleep over at his house. "Your mom is home. You don't need to sleep here," Bob said. "Yeah, but we want to and Mom doesn't mind," I replied. "If she says its OK, then you can," said Bob. JR called her and convinced her to say yes, even though this was only one of two nights a week she got to see us.

After we had decided on what video to watch but before he started it Bob said, "Look, you guys, we have a little problem we need to fix. I really like having you guys over but my couches can't take much more pee. You guys have slept over here ten times in the last month or so, and with the exception of one night you have wet." I was sure he was telling us we couldn't come over any more and I started to cry. JR looked unhappy too. "Hey, don't do that," Bob continued after he wiped some of my tears. "I'm not throwing you out. All I'm saying is either you stop wetting or you will have wear something to protect the couches."

"Like what?" asked JR. Bob said, "Have you seen the ads for Depends on TV? Something like those." "I'm not wearing diapers," I said, "I'm not a baby." "They're not diapers, and they are for adults, not babies," Bob responded. "Yes they are, and I'm not wearing them," I said. "That's fine as long as you don't wet anymore. Here's the deal. If you are dry tonight you don't have to wear them next time, but if you are wet you have to wear the Depends for the next three times you guys sleep over. If you are dry all three of those times you can go back to wearing only underwear. As long as you stay dry you can stay out of the Depends. OK?"

It wasn't OK to me. All I said was, "Hummph, let's watch the movie." JR didn't say a thing. "OK, then," Bob said as if we had agreed, "We'll start the movies as soon as you guys are ready for bed." We stripped off our clothes, put on the underwear Bob bought us, and washed up faster than ever. The rest of the night we watched movies, ate popcorn, and drank soda while Bob had beer.

In the morning I woke up to the sound of Bob in the shower and the usual feel of wet squishy underwear. So did JR. Since we didn't want to wear those diapers next time, we didn't want Bob to know we wet. We turned over the cushions, stuck our wet underpants in the trash, got dressed, and went home before he got out of the bathroom. We didn't hear a thing about it for a while and pretty much forgot about it since Cathy was in a better mood the next few weeks.

About three weeks later I was over at Bob's trailer visiting the birds. We were have a great time. They were talking, whistling, and acting like clowns. It was getting late, and without thinking I turned to Bob and asked, "Can I stay the night?" He said, "Sure, just ask your mother." I called and got permission. As I hung up the phone Bob came back in the room and tossed me something saying, "Here, this is for you to wear tonight. You were wet last time you were here." I had forgotten, but Bob had not. It was a big diaper! "I'm not wearing a diaper," I said, as I sped out the door.

Mom saw me when I got home. "I thought you were staying at Bob's." I ignored the comment and said I had to talk to JR. "I think he's in your guys bedroom getting ready for bed," she said. I found him in the bedroom just goofing around. "I thought you were staying at Bob's, he said, "I was thinking about coming over too." I closed the door and said in the loudest whisper I could manage, "Bob's got diapers for us. He gave me one to put on after I called home. Told him I'm not a baby!"

"Nah, he doesn't really," my brother said, "You're just pulling my leg."

"Yes, he does," I said, "He gave it to me and said 'put it on'!"

"This I got to see," he said. He got up, told Mom we were going over to Bob's and he was out the door with me trailing behind before she could say anything. When we got to Bob's he was on the couch watching TV in his long johns. "Greg says you have diapers we have to wear if we sleep over here. Is that true?"

Bob answered, "Yep, see for yourself." And he tossed the diaper to JR just like he did to me. Then he pointed to the bag and said, "I've got a whole bunch for you guys."

"You mean I have to wear one if I stay here, I have no choice?" JR asked.

"That's right. The deal last time was if you were wet the next time you wear one of these," Bob answered.

"Can I stay tonight?" JR asked. I thought he had lost his mind. To this day I don't know what he was thinking when he asked that. "I'll call Mom and tell her we are staying here tonight, " he said to me. I couldn't believe it. I thought he didn't realize that he would have to wear a diaper. But Bob cleared that up for me, "You realize, JR, you will have to wear a diaper tonight then. Weakly, almost shyly JR said, "Yeah." He must not care about wearing one, I thought.

"You, too, Greg," Bob said. Once again that big brother envy thing was getting to me. There were a lot of things in this world I would not do on my own, like wear a diaper. But if JR did something, no matter how dumb, then I was going to make sure I did it too. "Yeah," I said, "I know." JR called Mom and told her we were both spending the night at Bob's. He didn't say anything about the diapers. After JR hung up Bob said, "OK, lets get you ready for bed. JR, you're first." JR slowly walked over to Bob who was sitting on the couch. Bob took of JR's flannel shirt, then unbuttoned, unzipped, and pulled off his jeans. He then pulled off his underpants, and then told JR to lie on the couch. He slid the diaper under him and then taped 'em up. When JR got up he looked like an 11-year-old baby. "Now you, Greg," said Bob. "Not me, I'm not wearing those," I said as I again headed for the door. That is when JR really got me. "Greggy is a baby fraidy-cat! Always the chicken," he taunted.

"Am, not! I'll show you!" I said, undoing my pants and shirt, and pulling off my underwear. "I'll wear your stupid diapers!" I lay on the couch totally naked as Bob put on the diaper. It felt warm; it wasn't so bad after all. I got up. JR and me looked at each other and ourselves in the big mirror in the living room and giggled. We did look like big babies. I don't know what came over us but almost together we started a fake baby cry. "Oh, its not so bad," Bob said, "come on over here under the blanket." When we did Bob patted us on our diapers and our heads and said something like, "Its OK, you can be my big, baby boys." This time I didn't mind being called that.

After the movie we went right to sleep, again without going to the bathroom. JR was the first to wake up the next morning. "Hey, Greg, are you wet?" I didn't feel cold and wet, the couch wasn't wet either. "No," I said as I got up. "Yeah, but your diaper is. It's yellow and the line is gone. Mine, too," JR said showing me his diaper. He was right. I reached inside and it sure was wet. "Wow! These things sure do work. Maybe they aren't so bad after all. I just don't want anybody else to know." We went to the bathroom pulled the wet diapers off and quickly wiped off before Bob got up. When Bob came into the living room we were sitting there in our underpants playing 'war' with his cards. He asked if we were wet or dry. We both said, "See, no wet spot, pointing to the couches. We were dry!"

"Yeah, right, I saw the soggy diapers in the bathroom," said Bob, "they work good! How did they feel?" I had to admit they weren't too bad. The next couple of weeks we ended up sleeping at Bob house three more times and wore diapers each time. We were getting used to it as part of the regular routine. Too much of a regular routine! About three weeks after our first diaper we were sleeping at home and Mom came in to wake us for school with glasses of orange juice. Both of us were more soaked than usual. As I stood there shivering and looking a huge circle of pee in my bed and another pee circle surrounding JR in his bed Mom shook her head and said, "I wish you guys could have dry beds."

And then JR blew it! I couldn't believe it! He look up and said, "We could Mom, we could wear diapers like we do over at Bob's house. They keep the couches dry!" A glassful of orange juice slipped out of Mom's hand right into JR's lap. It didn't matter; he and the bed were already wet. And that is how Mom found out about us wearing diapers.

Chapter 5

When Mom found out we were wearing diapers at Bob's house she was worried something weird was going on. She asked a lot of questions about what we did and what Bob did when we were over there. Then she called Bob and talked to him for a long time. We were scared she wouldn't let us go over there any more, but after talking to Bob it turned out she was cool with it. She even checked out buying diapers for us to wear at home, but she couldn't afford them. So throughout the spring we kept wearing diapers at Bob's but wetting our beds at home.

After school was over for the year was when Cathy really started to loose it. She would call Mom at work all the time for no reason, except she was bored or lonely or something stupid like that. Mom was a cleaning lady at the hospital, so they would have to find her each time Cathy called. After a while they told Mom NO MORE CALLS, except emergencies. Mom told Cathy that so Cathy would tell the hospital it was an emergency. After a couple of those kind of calls, they told Mom NO MORE, or you're fired. Cathy called anyhow and Mom got fired. When Mom came home she was pissed! I had never seen her so mad. She and Cathy got into a big fight and Cathy went nuts. When Cathy attacked Mom we ran for Bob's house. When we got there we were both crying. Bob called the police.

As we listened to the fight and waited for the police I just sat and cried. All I could think was I wish everything was fine like when I was little. I didn't even realize it but as I cried I started to wet my pants. I don't think I really had to go, but just like the tears the pee kept flowing. It was JR who finally noticed it, "Hey Greg's wetting his pants!" Bob didn't seem to mind, "We will worry about that later, JR. Just let him be." Or did Bob say "just let him pee"? I don't remember now and it didn't matter 'cause either way I was still slowly peeing, and I just couldn't stop.

When the police came Cathy attacked one of them and they cuffed her and put in their car. They spent a long time in our house. Then they came over to Bob's house and wanted to ask us questions. We wanted to know how Mom was, but they won't tell us. "At least them how their mother is! Maybe then they will calm down enough to tell you something," Bob told the cops. They agreed and finally said Mom was OK and that she could come over after we had answered their questions, so we told them everything they wanted to know. They finally ended their questions to me with, "You're the wrong age to be wetting your pants, don't you think?" It was a mean thing to say. I looked down at them; they were pretty wet. But Bob answered them with, "They are the wrong age to be worrying whether their sister killed their mother! And you didn't help much!" (Thanks Bob!) After that they left.

As soon as the cops left Mom came over to see how we were. She looked pretty shook up. When she saw my wet pants she almost started to cry. "I've done it again, its all my fault," she said. We didn't understand what she was talking about. "Whenever your father and I would fight both of you would stand there, watching, and just wet your pants. Cathy would go into her bedroom and bang her head. All your problems are my fault!" Then she did start to cry. JR and me just looked at each other. We didn't remember our parents fighting much and we didn't remember wetting our pants about it. (Since then, many years later, in therapy under hypnosis I have found out my parents fighting, and our wet pants, was a regular thing in our trailer. But at the time this was news to us.) After she calmed down she suggested we stay the night at Bob's because she wanted to go to the jail and see what she could do for Cathy. We agreed, and she left.

Bob diapered us as soon as she left and tried to distract us with a video. But it was a long time before we were tired enough and calm enough to go to sleep. That night, even with diapers on, was a real wet one. About 4:00 am I was awake and soaked through. So were JR and the two couches. We changed out of our wet diapers into the last pairs of clean, dry underpants and crawled into bed with Bob. By the time he woke up at 7:00 we, and his bed, were wet. Surprisingly, he didn't seem to mind too much. I guess he knew we had more than we could take at that point, so he didn't get too mad at us. He changed me into another diaper since everything of mine was wet. JR put on the clothes he had come over to Bob's wearing last night. For some reason I didn't even care I was in a diaper. After breakfast Bob sent JR home to get something for me to wear, but when he got back with them I didn't put them on for a long time. I don't know why, I just didn't.

Mom got back from the jail later that morning, but Cathy wasn't with her. We went home to see what was going on. Mom didn't have enough money for bail, so Cathy got to spend a few more days in jail until her court appearance. Mom didn't let us go and see the court, but when she came home she was crying. When she could finally talk to us about it she said Cathy would have to spend some time in a group home for 'troubled' teens and get checked out by a doctor because they thought she had mental problems and might be dangerous. Well, JR and me could have told them that, but Mom didn't want to hear it. Mom said we would have to spend a week or so with Bob when they took Cathy to the place because Mom would go with her for a while and it was in the northern part of Illinois. Mom was very upset about it but we couldn't be happier. Cathy would be gone and we were going to stay with BOB!

Chapter 6

As soon as the Department of Child and Family Services had made arrangements to take Cathy north, Mom and me went over to Bob's to see if JR and me could stay at his house while Mom was gone. She explained the whole thing to him and that she would be gone for a week or so starting on Friday. "That's the same time I've promised to go and watch my three nephews for ten days. My two brothers and their wives are going on a cruise to Alaska's inside passage. We can't change now," Bob said.

"But Bob, I can't change this either," explained Mom, "and you are the only one who knows about their wetting and is willing to have them stay over." (Ouch! Thanks, Mom that's letting me know where I stand.) But the argument also persuaded Bob.

After more conversation, "Ok. Let me call my brothers and see what we can do," Bob replied. "Maybe we can work out something." A few days later Bob called and told Mom that he would watch his nephews at his house and we could stay too, if we were good. Five mostly pre teen boys were going to be a lot, even for Bob, so everyone was supposed to be on their best behavior.

We were already at Bob's trailer on that rainy Friday when his nephews arrived. Mom had left very early in the morning and we got to Bob's after breakfast with all our stuff, including our old sleeping bags. They came in a station wagon and unloaded all kinds of stuff that looked new. We thought they must have been rich! Bob introduced us to them and them to us. There was Kenny, 13 and his brother Billy, who was 10, and their cousin Tom, who was 11½. I had just turned 11 and JR had turned 12 in January so we were all about the same age. Before their parents left we dragged all their stuff into Bob's trailer and we all got the 'you better be good or you'll be sorry speech'. That was the second time today we had heard it. After their parents left Bob gave the same speech again.

Since it was still raining Bob let us play some video games inside. After I lost and Tom took my place against JR I went to pee. As I walked in the bathroom I saw them! SHIT! Under the sink, in plain sight were our diapers! I quickly hid them in the closet, but that is when I it hit me! We were wet the last time we stayed over, so Bob is going to make us wear them tonight in front of them. How dumb could we be? Pretty dumb I guess. When I got back to the living room JR had just lost his last man on the video game so Kenny took over. He was sitting on the couch watching. I leaned over and whispered in his ear "Diapers tonight." That was all I needed to say. First he turned white and then he turned red. I had never seen anyone do that before or since. I had made my point. He immediately looked around for Bob. Not finding him in the living room, he headed for Bob's bedroom. Bob was in there checking on the birds he had moved from the living room so there was enough room for all of us to sleep.

JR closed the door. "We can't wear diapers tonight," he quietly told Bob so the others would hear. "Why not?" asked Bob. "Because we don't want your nephews to see us wearing them. That's why," we told Bob still not too loudly.

"Ok. So what are you going to wear?" asked Bob. We didn't know. "Well what are they going to wear?" JR asked. "They usually wear sweats, I think. That is what I was told," said Bob. "Then we will, too," I said. We were relieved when Bob agreed to that. The rest of the afternoon was really busy, with us running all over the place between chances to beat each other at video games JR and me had never played before. We had pizza for dinner and then watched a movie. About 8:00 pm or so Bob said it was time to start getting ready for bed. Panic time again! Was Bob really going to keep his promise?

"I don't got to sleep until 10:00!" Kenny said. "Bull!" Bob replied, "you guys go to sleep at 9:00 and it is time to start getting ready." "Not yet, please," Tom added. "Yes! Now!" said Bob, and he picked up the deck of cards on the table, "whoever gets the low card gets ready first." "Hey, Kenny, let's get ready for bed by playing 'War' like we do when daddy puts us to bed," said Billy. "What are you taking about, Billy?" asked Bob.

Kenny answered, "You know the card game 'War' where you turn up cards and whoever got the high card takes them all? And if two have the same card you put another card down and than another up and whoever has that high card takes those too? We do that to get ready for bed. Instead of putting a card down you say what you are going to take off if you lose. When you take everything off then you have to wash up and brush your teeth and then come back and put on your sweats for bed."

"You really do that? asked Bob. "Yeah! Daddy showed us, " said Billy. "I'm going to have a talked with him sometime about the games he teaches you guys," said Bob, "but if you want to do that, it's OK with me." It sounded cool, and it would put off having to get ready for bed, so we all agreed. Bob got another deck of cards and added them to the cards he already had. We sat in a circle on the living room floor and he dealt the cards out to us. He didn't get any cards, and said that was because he was the referee. I don't remember exactly how the game went, but it was something like this. Since there were five of us and two decks of cards every couple of times someone had the same cards and had to say what they would take off. First it was shoes and socks, then shirts. I think it was Tom and me who were the first to have the same card when we were both in just our jeans. We both called out jeans (What else could we do?). Tom didn't seem to care, but I was scared. I turn up an eight, I think, and got real scared that I would be the first to have to take off my pants. But Tom turned up a three or a four. I took the cards, relieved. Tom stood up and said, "I don't care!" and pull off his pants. He had blue underpants on. Everyone laughed and cheered.

After a couple more times the only ones not in only underpants was JR, who had jeans on and Billy, who still was mostly dressed. Then JR and Kenny got same cards. I could tell Kenny was scared he would lose, but JR lost and took off his jeans. Then Kenny and Tom had the same cards. They both called out "underwear" because that was all they had left. Tom got a real high card but Kenny got an Ace. Again Tom stood up and said, "I don't care!" and pull off his underpants. He sort of danced around and said we were all chicken for not taking ours off too. Bob sent him to the bathroom to wash up and we continued the game. It wasn't long until we were all naked and heading off to the bathroom, except Billy. So he ended up going last. (The little shit!)

This whole thing took close to an hour, as I remember. All this time we were finishing the pizza and Pepsi that came with it (big mistake there!). When we were all washed, brushed, and in our sweats we rolled out our sleeping bags and Bob told us to go to sleep. We were all wired so it was a long time before we were asleep. I had tried to stay a wake all night because I was scared I would wet, but we had been playing all day. Once the wired-ness wore off I was sound asleep. As Mom said, "Even the dead rising would not have waked me up." That was NOT good.