T_T_T
At the checkout, you discover mum was right. The nice lady there gave you and Bow Kid a kind smile as she scans everything, and then mum wheels everything out to the car. Mum soon buckles you into your car seat, the straps squishing against your wet nappy and soon you are back off home.
Getting inside, mum sets the nappies down on the couch, then you and Bow Kid help her clean up the kitchens from breakfast.
“How long until Moustache Girl is here?” Bow Kid asks.
Mum hums, pulling out her phone.
“About twenty minutes,” mum tells you. “How about the two of you watch TV until she gets here?”
You both agree and head to the lounge. Not long afterwards, mum comes by with the nappies. Spotting your worry, she says, “I’ll put these in my room for the day, okay?” on the way past.
Not long afterwards, mum comes back with several nappies in hand.
“Lets get you two changed before you friend gets here.”
Following mum to your room, you realise she has the pullup nappies with her.
“Now, I’ll put two in your undies drawer, so you two can discreetly grab a change later.”
Nodding, you otherwise don’t know what you are supposed to do next.
“First, you’ve got to get your tape up nappies off, then you just have to step into the pullup. They’re just like putting on unties,” mum explains.
Glancing at Bow Kid, you realise that will be easy for her in a dress, but you have to get your rompers off all the way. It’s strangely frustrating to think how hard it is. Sensing your feelings, Bow Kid takes your hand as you sit on your bed and shimmy your romper off. Thankfully, it’s loose enough to slip over your shoes without taking them off.
Next, mum untapes your nappy before pulling you up.
“Grab onto my shoulders and step into it,” mum tells you.
It’s not hard to do, and soon mum pulls your nappy up between your legs. Fidgeting slightly, it’s not as secure around the waist, but it doesn’t feel like it will slip down, either. As you inspect your nappy, your mum turns your rompers right-side-out again and repeated the process.
Next, mum changes Bow Kid. After getting her wet nappy off, she far more easily steps into the dry pullup. It makes you wonder if you should change into a dress, but at the same time your romper feels more secure knowing your nappy won’t slip down your legs.
“Are you worried about it slipping off?” you ask Bow Kid when mum leaves you alone.
Bow Kid shrugs unsurely.
“I dunno,” she replies with an uncertain shrug. “It’s been ages since I wore one.”
You head back to the lounge to watch TV, waiting for Moustache Girl to get here. Eventually, you can hear mum’s phone ring. It feels like it has been way more than twenty minutes by this point.
“Their car won’t start,” says mum, coming into the lounge. For a moment, you worry Moustache Girl won’t visit today. “So, we’re going to pick your friend up,” mum continues to your relief.
You and Bow Kid follow your mum to the car and hop in. She quickly buckles the two of you up and your drive the short distance to Moustache Girl’s house. As mum brings the car to a stop, you can see a car with it’s bonnet up and a pair of legs sticking out from under the car. Nearby, Moustache Girl is sitting at the doorstep.
As soon as the car stops, you undo your buckles and open the door. Moustache Girl seems to brighten when she realises you are here. Glancing back, Bow Kid gets out of the car more slowly and your mum gives Moustache Girl a wave before heating over to the broken-down car.
“Take a look at this!” Moustache Girl says loudly, jumping to her feet.
Before you can close the distance and give your friend a hug, she picks up… a sword and shield. You do a double take, before realising they seem to be made from tape and cardboard.
“Oh — wow!” you exclaim.
Bow Kid is wide-eyed, staring at Moustache Girl as she slips her arm through the loops on her shield, before posing like a knight, sword drawn. Well, sort off. The polka-dot white-on-red dress she is wearing makes it slightly funny.
You feel giddy. It’s so cool.
“Where did you get that?” Bow Kid asks.
“ I made it,” Moustache states proudly.
“Wow,” Bow Kid says in awe.
Looking back, you can see Moustache Girl’s dad had gotten out from under his car and was chatting to mum.
“How’d you make it?” you ask.
“Ah — well, I took lots of cardboard and cut it all up, then I layered it in different directions.” She tucked her sword under her shoulder and held her hands out on top of each other, her fingers on each hand at right angles. “The I used lots of tape.” Moustache Girl paused in thought. “Oh — and for the sword dad got me a bit of wood to go in the middle so it didn’t bend, then I put cardboard on the outside and taped that too.”
For emphasis she tried bending her sword a bit before shrugging awkwardly.
“I used a lot of tape.”
You giggle at that. It did seem to have loads of tape on it.
It got you thinking too.
“Could you make — like — a helmet and stuff?”
Moustache Girl blinked, before looking at you, wide eyed.
“ Yeah! That’s a really good idea.”
Mum seemed to be finished talking to Moustache Girl’s dad when she called out to you.
“Kids? Are you ready to go?” she asked.
“Coming!” you reply.
As you head over to mum she turns back to Moustache Girl’s dad.
“Car seat,” she remembers.
Moustache Girl’s dad seemed like he wanted to move the seat from his car to your mums, so as he did, you took the opportunity to show Moustache Girl’s sword and shield to her.
“Wow, that’s really good,” she said to Moustache Girl turning the word over.
“ Mummy , do you know where we can get lots of cardboard?” you ask her.
Mum chuckles.
“Let me guess, you want to make one too?”
You smile expectantly, bouncing on your toes.
“Yep!” Bow Kid says off to your side.
“ Well ,” mum says, clearly thinking. “The fruit store has lots of boxes that people can take. It’s certainly better than throwing them in the bin.” Mum glances at Moustache Girl’s shield. “Don’t you need tape as well?”
“Ah huh,” Moustache Girl confirms.
“Packing tape seems to work well for wrapping everything,” Moustache Girl’s dad says, walking up to them. “I’ve got a roll of gaffer tape that seems to have worked for the arm loops.” He considers it a moment. “Let me go get that.”
When he comes back a minute later, his daughter gives him a hug and after a round of goodbyes, everyone gets in mum’s car.
“If we go to the discount store, we can get you girls lots of rolls of packing tape,” explains mum as she drives.
You like the discount store; there’s lots of arts and crafts stuff there, and it’s really cheap. They didn’t have everything , but it was still cool. You sometimes found really weird stuff there too. But the trip to the discount store is really short. You’d liked to have looked around, but you also really wanted to get home and make sword and shield, and a helmet, or maybe even armour .
It’s only another really short drive to the fruit store.
“Seems we’re in luck,” says mum as she brings the car to a stop by the side of the fruit store.
From your seat, you can see the big metal tubs filled with cardboard boxes. They were more like trays for holding fruit than boxes for send stuff in the mail in. There are probably hundreds of boxes there. Apparently, the tubs with the boxes in them are called bins , but it seems odd to you, as they didn’t have rubbish in them.
“How much do we need, sweetie?” mum asks of Moustache Girl as the four of you get out of the car. Being in the middle, Moustache Girl has to climb over your car seat to get out.
“Oh — um —” Moustache Girl stops and thinks. “I used five or six bits for my shield?”
Mum laughs.
“So, lots then.”
The description seemed to satisfy Moustache Girl who gave a big nod.
Mum opened the boot as you started piling boxes in. They weren’t heavy, but they were a bit bulky. Eventually they were stacked up so high in the back that you needed mum’s help to put more in.
Waiting for mum to finish, you barely think about it before going in your nappy. It’s not until you’re almost done when you remember that the nappy might leak, but clenching your thighs together slightly, you don’t feel anything like that. It doesn’t even feel all that different from your tape up nappy.
