There were great rivers of laughter tears flowing from my eyes and as I wiped them away using my ACE Bandage I said, “All this time I thought you were a ghost!” as soon as the words were out of my mouth I lost it again.
“Oh man! I think I am going to crack a rib!” I cried out.
Chris’s nose wrinkled in reflection, “Y-y-you m-mean b-b-be-c-cause o-of m-my hair?”
I shook my head, “I told my friend all about you. How you don’t talk and…” still laughing some, I explained to him how I’d come to the conclusion that he was a ghost.
By the time I finished explaining everything Chris had backed himself away until his bare bottom was against the pink metal desk.
I’m not sure which happened first, either Chris had jumped for the second door to the office or that same door swung open. I guess it doesn’t matter because the end result was the same. Standing in the doorway was none other than Stacks.
At first no one moved or said a word, but then Stacks looked at Chris and said, “You need to hurry up, the band’s about to go on again.” She then looked at me and said, “And you can quit hiding out in here. I got rid of the two buttheads. I told them I saw you slip back into the gym.
“Th-th-thanks St-st-st…” Chris started to say, but Stacks cut him short by saying, “Listen, there’s no time for that. Finish getting yourself changed and get back to the band before they go on without you!”
And when Chris didn’t respond right away she barked at him, “Christian now!”
“O-O-OK!” he said.
I guess Chris was still worked up because he was fumbling around with a fresh diaper which I hadn’t noticed had been lying on the desk. Stacks ended up having to help Chris finish getting the diaper on and even helped him with his pants.
She stood back up and looked at him. “Gee-whiz Christian, your makeup is all smeared.”
She reached down the front of her dress as she said, “Here, hold still.” She produced a tissue and began to clean the smeared eyeliner from Chris’s face.
“That will have to do.” She said, “Now get out of here!”
Without so much as a word Chris blew past me, nearly knocking me on my can. I quickly found myself, once again, alone with Stacks in that pink room.
“So you know Christian?” she asked me.
I think I shook my head, but I can’t be sure.
“When did he share with you that he wore diapers like you do?” she asked.
I hadn’t noticed, but she had been slowly moving toward me while I had been equally as slowly backing away until I had backed right into the door I had used before. And when did I get to my feet? I honestly don’t remember getting back up again.
“He didn’t,” I first said and then without any pause whatsoever I said, “How did you know about me?”
She pointed to the pink room we were in. “Uh hello.” She said.
Her face then softened and she tilted her head to one side, “Besides, you don’t do a very good job of hiding them. Anyone with half a brain can tell that you are wearing a diaper under your clothes.”
Remember that pain I was telling you about in my chest earlier? Well it was back tenfold. And to make matters worse it felt like someone had boxed my ears, everything had suddenly become muffled and drowned out by a loud ringing.