That was re-assuring, but what did my aunt my when she said “finally?” Then I remembered a comment my uncle had made six years ago the only time I had met them. He had mentioned the idea of having me come live with them. Had they tried to make that happen?
“Do you need another diaper, or would your prefer a pull-up?” she asked, once my bottom had been wiped clean.
“A diaper, those work better at night. I put some in the big section of the backpack.”
She put the diaper on as skillfully as she had cleaned me up. Even though I hadn’t said anything about baby power, she had taken some from the bag and used it on me as well. Aunt Lydia grabbed my hands and pulled me up off of the bed and onto my feet.
“Thank-you,” I whispered.
She led me to one of the dresses and opened the top drawer, which revealed an array of pull-ups in different sizes and colors.
“It’s not uncommon for kids who’ve had childhoods like yours to need some protection for accidents, especially at night. So it’s something we’re well prepared for. I don’t know if these pull-ups will work well for you, so if you need us to order something different for you, just let me know.”
I didn’t know what to say. I still couldn’t wrap my head around this idea that someone could handle my accidents, pull-ups, and diapers as if it were no big deal.
“I’ll give them a try tomorrow.”
I took a breath and asked the question that she had triggered in my mind.
“Before…. you had asked if I wanted to come live with you, did you and uncle James try to do that?
“We did try to get you to come live with us earlier, but…” she paused. “It didn’t work.”
I realized now that I knew exactly what she was referring to.
