Henry checks on Jessie

As Henry approached the bathrooms, he found Jessie curled in a ball leaning against the wall. He sat down next to her, and gently wrapped his arms around her. “Jessie, please. I’m so sorry Lauren said those things to you. Sometimes these things can be hard and kids say some cruel things that aren’t true in the slightest.”

Jessie sobbed as she shook her head. “She called me a fat whale,” Jessie whimpered. “The same thing my old bully used to call me. I had this bully who used to work with me.... Henry, I need to be honest with you. I can’t keep doing this. I... Lauren isn’t a 5 year old girl. She used to be my number 1 tormentor. She did these cruel things to me and she would say these cruel things to me. So one day she challenged me to a bet, and I won, and that’s when I learned she was a liar about everything. And then... I saw an opportunity and turned her into my daughter.”

“Wait so who is... who is Lauren Daniels?” Henry asked.

“Lauren Delilah Adkins. The bane of my existence,” Jessie said.

“Wait... as in... the Ice Queen?” Henry said. “The one that went to my college?”

Jessie nodded. “Yeah,” she said. “If you knew the things she did to me...”

“Tell me. I want to know,” Henry said.

“She did so many things. And whenever I tried to make peace. She would just turn it up even more. There was one time where she trapped me in the bathroom and stripped me. This was before I started working out and looked kind of like she does now. She... she took a permanent marker.... and circled all of my fat areas and she... she labeled them. Beef. Bacon. Pork... f-fat. Like I was an animal getting ready to be butchered. And then.... she pushed me out. Paraded me... n-naked and exposed and.... she humiliated me.”

“Oh my God,” Henry said.

“The first day she met me, she poured iced coffee all over me and called me a whale who washed up on the wrong beach. So you can see why that was a sensitive one. And there... there was one time when...” Jessie sobbed. “She... she made me w-wear a diaper. Like the one she’s wearing. And she... she made me... and then she.... she pretended like I... did it on purpose and she.... oh God Henry. I can’t even say it. She pushed me around in a stroller wearing the soaked d-diaper.”

“Jessie, I’m so sorry,” Henry said. “I understand why you want to do this now.”

“Can you... can you help me?” Jessie asked. “Please. No one can find out about Lauren. Not now. Not yet. But I think... I think I need help keeping her controlled. Can you... would you?”

Henry smiled. “I’d be happy to. You know, I had an encounter with Lauren actually. Christine knows. We were dating at the time actually and... Lauren was no different to you than she was with Christine. I don’t even think Lauren realizes it, but she came up to me after she insulted Christine and then started trying to hit on me. Naturally I was upset because she hurt Christine, so I turned her down. And she got so mad. She acted like a child. Like me rejecting her was the worst thing on the planet.”

Jessie laughed. “I would have paid to see that. So what happened to you and Christine?”

“We realized we were more like siblings than lovers and one day we just found it weird to be together. Plus, there’s this much prettier girl I met. And don’t tell Christine this, but she’s won my heart and I want to make her my girlfriend if she would do the honors. So, Jessie, hold your chin up. Would you be my girlfriend?”

“Oh my God, yes!” Jessie cried. “Yes! I’d love to.”

Henry smiled and kissed Jessie. “Good. Now let’s go deal with Lauren. And don’t worry. I won’t let her know that I know her secret.”

Jessie nodded and stood to her feet as Henry helped her as they returned to the table where Lauren was sitting naked crying and sucking her thumb, bottom glowing red and still sore. Jessie held back a laugh as she approached her tormentor and reached under the table. “You hurt mommy a lot, little Laurie,” Jessie said. “But mommy still loves you. So let’s get you back in your diaper and let’s have a pleasant meal.”

Jessie pulled Lauren to the bathroom and changed her into a diaper before carrying her back and putting her back in the high chair. By then, the food arrived. Lauren whimpered at the delicious steaks while she looked down at her sectioned plate of green mush, applesauce, and gray mush with a hint of orange. To the side of the tray there was a baby bottle filled with milk.

“Eat your food, Laurie. Or do you want me to feed you?” Jessie said.