Right then and there I regretted that I had allowed myself to wet the pull-up. Had I just waited a minute or two longer, which I probably could have, I would have had the toilet all to myself. As the minutes ticked by, the wet pull-up became the least of my fears. I shifted back and forth in my seat, not because of the discomfort of the pull-up, I was well used to that sensation, but in anticipation of what was happening with Elaine. She never got into any trouble with our parents. And if she was in trouble, was I in trouble as well?
After a dozen-or-so anxious minutes, Elaine sauntered back into the room without a hint of worry on her face.
“Your turn,” she said.
“My turn for what?”
“Annabelle, hurry up,” mommy called from around the corner.
I got up from my seat at the desk. This didn’t make any sense. Mommy and daddy had seemed upset, but they had called Elaine to their room, not me, but my sister was too happy at the moment to have just received any punishment from our parents. I walked quickly to their bedroom.
“Annabelle, close the door behind you,” mommy said.
The door shut with a click. Mommy and daddy were both seated on the bed, with some space set aside between them.
“Have a seat,” mommy said, tapping her hand on the spot on the bed between herself and daddy.
“A lady from the government is going to come and talk to you,” mommy said.
I shrugged, not giving any reaction to the statement. Why would someone from the government want to talk with me?
“Do you know what an institution is?” she asked.
I shook my head.
“It’s where they put retarded kids to stay for the rest of their lives. It’s like jail for stupid girls who can’t potty-trained.”
I felt a chill spread begin in my chest and spread to my arms and legs until I could feel a tingle in my fingertips and toes, the growing fear accentuated by the current condition of my pull-up.