At the skating rink, the girls stayed together in a tight pod laughing, dancing, singing, and playing the whole time they were there. For one of the first times in her life, Jordan felt accepted and included into a group of friends. It was delightful.
That is…until Amber and Nicole arrived. They had heard about Jordan’s plans through Alex who had told the basketball team (not in a way to get attention or to brag but simply to get out of a different party invitation). The two decided to use their knowledge to try to crash Jordan’s fun and cause a little havoc.
Skating out on the floor near the four seventh graders, the two older girls announced mockingly, “Hi party girls – having fun? You look real cute Jordan….like my cousin in kindergarten does when she had her party last summer!!!”
“Yeah – what’s up with that little girl dress Jordan? Did your mom pick it out for you to wear to church when you were like 10?”
Jordan felt her face flush and she was immediately hot.
“Leave us alone.” Shouted back Alex in defense.
“Oh so the girlfriend comes to defense now. How romantic!” Amber replied sneering.
Jordan didn’t understand the innuendo, but just as she was about to respond, she slipped and fell, splaying out on the floor, flashing pretty much everyone nearby, and losing the contents of her purse which included her menstrual supplies for the evening.
Not missing a single detail, Nicole yelled uncontrollably, “OH MY! Looks like Jordan’s riding the cotton pony!”
Jordan’ scrambled on her knees to put her things back in her purse.
“NO WAY!? She’s not old enough to be hangin’ out with Aunt FLO” Chimed in Amber laughing.
Slipping then on the wheels of her skates as she tried to get up, Jordan fell to her knees again. At this point, she began crying in embarrassment and Alex grabbed her arm helping her up while simultaneously glaring at her basketball teammates Amber and Nicole.
“Come’on Twiggs!! We were only playin’ with ya! Of course you’re a big kid now! I won’t tell anyone about your pull-ups!” Amber yelled as Alex drug Jordan toward the bathroom, Cindy and Riley following suit.
Jordan was in tears yet she couldn’t help but flinch when she heard the word, pull-up.
Once in the bathroom, Alex sat Jordan down in a stall (with her dress on) where she proceeded to cry for a long time. The three girls jumped into a rapid pep-talk of kind words, compliments, encouragement, and pick-me-ups. As her spirits began to lift, Jordan and Alex were left alone.
“So you still hate getting your period then huh?” Alex eventually asked once the two were alone again. She was half joking and half curious.
Jordan looked at her as though she was an alien.
“I just still haven’t gotten mine…I mean, look at my chest, my Mom had to put stuff in my bra to get it to fill out this dress….It just seems like you should be happy, there a quite a few girls like me in our class who are still waiting…and that ain’t fun either ya know…”
Still nothing.
“…Look I’m sorry I keep talking about it. The truth is I’m just jealous. I’m sorry. Really. It’s your night and this shouldn’t have happened and it’s not about me…”
“It’s ok Alex….They’re just so mean…”, Jordan said as her chin began to quiver again.
They both cried some more.
“Thanks for standing up for me in there,” Jordan smiled snotty nosed and red eyed, “I’m happy we’re friends. This has been a good birthday. Really….blood, bullies, and all. By the way, what’re you gonna do for yours next month?”
Speaking about Alex’s birthday and not female reproductive cycles, Jordan knew her friend also was turning thirteen. She had been planning a sleepover at her house; a kind of ‘last hurrah’ before her dad was to come home from treatment. It was something she had never been allowed to do (by his command – to keep his drinking secret). But with him gone, her mom had said she could do it this once.
“Well…I’m actually gonna have a sleepover Jordan…Dad’s still gone and so Mom says I can have one for the first time ever. I know you’ll probably not want to come – for the same reason we’re not doing a sleepover tonight right? But – maybe you’ll consider it anyways…?” Alex carefully asked.
Almost without hesitation, Jordan replied, “Alex I made a promise to you – and yes, that’s the reason tonight isn’t a sleepover – and yes I’m still scared of people finding out. But you’re my friend and I plan on keeping my promise come hell or high water.”
Alex smiled. “Thanks Jordan, you’re the bravest person I know.”
The two hugged tightly.
Back at the Reynolds’ household on 22nd in Ballard, it was a relatively quiet scene for a birthday party. Both Cindy and Riley’s parents had picked them up for their second party and Alex, Jordan, Mindi, and her Mom were playing a board game at the breakfast nook table with the small kitchen TV blaring New Years Eve festivities. Jen was fast asleep in her own room.
Alex hadn’t yet called her mom for a ride and the four appeared to be going strong toward midnight. Jordan felt quite happy about how her party had gone, bumps in the road and all. On impulse built from this emotion, Jordan blurted out “Why don’t you stay over tonight Alex?”
Both Sally and Alex immediately became slack jaw in shock and gazed at Jordan, each saying nothing. “Really Alex, why not? Stay over. It’s so late and we don’t have school tomorrow anyways,” Jordan said as though it were nothing.
“Are you sure honey?” Sally finally asked with a knowing look, Alex remaining silent still.
“Yeah – I’m sure. What’d’ya say Alex? We can probably find some clothes for you to wear tomorrow, even though I’ve got a few inches on you.” The three chuckled as the attention turned to Alex.
“Ok yeah for sure, I’d like to stay if you’re alright with it…” She said.
“Great!” Said Jordan, “Gin Rummy, by the way.” The girl with the ‘secret’ laid down her cards for the win.
When bedtime came, Sally found some pajamas of hers that would fit Alex and handed them over. The two girls crossed paths as Jordan, carrying her pajamas, headed to the master bedroom herself for her diaper while Alex walked in the direction of Jordan’s bedroom and the guest bathroom with her borrowed pajamas.
Why is she going to her mom’s room? Alex thought with confusion showing on her face. It was the first of several awkward moments before the lights went out.
A few minutes later, Jordan was lying on the floor at the foot of her mom’s bed, with just her legs and a touch of her her rear end in view had the tightly sealed door been ajar. The birthday girls’ legs were splayed open with a purple diaper just about fully taped between them. The pungent smell of Desitin was in the air. Just as Sally got to her knees from the nightly task, both of them heard Alex’s voice outside the door.
“Mrs. Reynolds?” she said. “Mrs. Reynolds!?!?” she said then knocking impatiently. “MRS. REYNOLDS!?!” she said one more time before knocking a little harder while opening the door and popping her head inside.
It had been so fast – and so unusual – neither Jordan nor Sally had time to react. Alex eyes went to Jordan’s birthday dress lying on the bed, then to the bag of purple adult diapers open in the middle of the floor, and then to her friends legs on the floor sticking out from the end of the bed – the faintest glimpse of a purple diaper on her rear visible. The babyish odor of diaper rash cream was immediately strong.
The look on Sally’s face as she turned to stand from between her daughter’s legs sticking out from the end of the bed was one of shock.
The look on Jordan’s face (although hidden to Alex by the bed) was one of horror. She quickly scooted backward and grabbed the nearest bits of fabric (which happened to be her pajama top) and tried to cover herself; cowering on the floor.
Jordan’s gawking teenage friend at the door couldn’t believe what she had just seen – or thought she had seen. She hadn’t forgotten the conversation the two had had the night Jordan was in the hospital but she honestly thought the diaper she had been forced to wear was a one time embarrassing scenario, not a nightly occurrence.
She wears a diaper every night? And her mom puts them on her? What the hell? Alex had thought completely confused.
Each of these thoughts, reactions, and feelings processed almost instantaneously in real time and Alex was the first to react.
“Oh…er…um…I’m so sorry….” She said closing the door tightly. “I just wanted to let you know that the Pajama Pants are too big for me!!!” She yelled now with the door closed trying not to make the situation more awkward than it already was.
“O…Ok Alex just give us a minute in here…”
Sally replied thinking, OH dear, this isn’t good; this isn’t how Jordan had envisioned it going I’m sure…
Although she had come to grips with Alex knowing about her diapers, she didn’t want her friend to SEE her wearing ONLY a diaper!
Jordan thought dejected, this isn’t how I had planned it.
Sally turned and looked at Jordan with pity. Shock still on the teenage girl’s face.
“I’m sorry sweetie; that wasn’t so good huh? Alex is your best friend though…she’s gonna understand. You wouldn’t have asked her to stay if you didn’t believe that. Let’s get your pj’s on so you can get to bed.”
After Jordan was covered (other than the outline and soft crinkle of her diaper), Sally put the bag of diapers away and opened the door – Jordan was now standing in the middle of the room where the bag had been.
“Ok Alex, sorry about that, what did you need?” Sally asked.
“Oh – Um…no, I’m sorry…” she looked at Jordan, “I just…these pajamas you gave me are a little big, do you have a smaller set?”
Visibly frazzled, Sally grabbed them. “Yeah.” She found a pair of cotton shorts and a t-shirt. “This’ll have to do for tonight then. Let me go make you a bed in Jordan and Mindi’s room.”
The two girls followed her across the house, Jordan quietly crinkling and bringing up the caboose. As they passed Mindi still at the table, Sally gave her a death look that communicated “PAJAMAS! PULL-UP! NOW!” without saying a word. She jumped into the caravan behind her big sister.
The process of making Alex’s bed on the floor in the bedroom was quick, tense, wordless, and full of unmistakable diaper crinkling. Jordan was far more embarrassed than she thought she would’ve been and couldn’t manage to say a word – finally slipping into bed and rolling over.
An hour or so later once Mindi was asleep, Alex broke the ice somehow knowing her friend was still awake.
“I’m really sorry Jordan….”
Silence.
“I didn’t mean to barge in on you like that; I just figured…I don’t know what I figured honestly…”
Silence.
“I…I thought you only wore like a straight up diaper-diaper that one time in the hospital? You said your mom was making you wear those GoodNite things from TV…”
Still silence although Alex could hear a couple sniffs of Jordan’s quiet crying.
“Why does she put it on you? Can’t you do it yourself? Does she do it like – every night?..”
Still only the sound of sniffles.
“…I’m sorry Jordan…you don’t wanna talk…I get it…I just…I’m…I’m just sorry. You’re my best friend and I’m sorry. I don’t judge you ok? I just wanna understand. I don’t want you to feel alone…so if you don’t’ wanna talk that’s fine…but if you wanna tell me about it…I’ll always be here for you…”
Jordan was awake but didn’t know how to respond.
“…and I don’t care what you wear Jordie…and I don’t care if you wet the bed or if you have accidents or whatever. I don’t care…I love you Jordan and I care about you….”
After another pregnant pause, the girl in the purple adult diaper finally spoke.
“Thank-you Alex. You’re the best friend I could ever hope for or dream of having. I wanna tell you more about this – but not tonight ok? Let’s go to sleep.”
Disappointed yet happy, Alex said, “Ok Jordie, ok.” She got up and gave her friend a hug and then snuggled down for what remained of the night in her own bed.