The Error, by LittleMatt

Chapter 13
Chapter 13

Chapter Description: By LittleMatt

Chapter 13

Tom sat cross-legged on the living room’s floor with his new coloring book sprawled out in front of him and a fresh red crayon in his hand. He puzzled over one of the first pages. “Help Farmer Jim put his Periodic Sheeps in order of atomic weight” the text at the top cheerfully suggested.

The TV sat silent, he’d shut it off after seeing another ad for Ghost Invaders, his coloring book suddenly looking more inviting. In the kitchen his mother was having a tense phone conversation. He began absentmindedly coloring the barn while he contemplated what he was to do with this puzzle.

Across the hall his mother’s conversation came to a halt. She walked into the living room and sat down with a sigh. She looked over at her son and Tom froze assuming he was in some sort of trouble. But her wearied face turned to a smile. “Already starting your coloring book huh?”

“Yeah, I was just bored, is all. I’m trying to figure this one out.”

“Well come over here, maybe I can help.”

Tom gathered up his coloring book and took a seat on the couch. His mother smiled again. “Not there silly” she said as she lifted him onto her lap. She chuckled at his evident surprise. “It’ll be easier to help you here” she said brushing his hair lightly before putting her arms around him and taking the book in her hands.

Tom settled into his new seat, relieved he wasn’t the cause of his mother’s distress and pleased he seemed able to relieve it somehow. She examined the troublesome page for a moment. “I bet there’s a periodic table somewhere in here.”

“Isn’t that the chemical thing?” Tom asked “I haven’t learned that yet.”

“Well that’s what this is for” she said thumbing quickly through the book “to help you learn new things.” She eventually found what she looking for and pointed out one of the numbers. “This chart shows all the elements and their atomic weights” she explained patiently “Each one of the sheep has letters on it that tell you what element it is. Like this H means that one’s hydrogen. You just have to look them all up and see which one has the largest atomic weight and put a one next to it, and then do the others in order.”

Tom nodded partly understanding “I get it. But what does all that mean”

“I’ll explain while you work on the sheep” she said and reached over to retrieve a box of crayons from the coffee table.

They worked their way through a few more pages. Tom hung on his mother’s words and when she praised him exuberantly for every right answer he felt like he’d won a Nobel prize.

“Thanks mom, that really helped a lot” Tom said as he shut the book and began to get up.

“Thank you for making me feel better” she said pulling him back into a hug.

“What was that phone call about?”

“Nothing you need to worry about.” She noticed a sogginess as his weight shifted “We should go out to eat tonight. But first I think you need a change.”

She let him down and he began to leave for the bathroon. “Just stay right here” she said as she retrieved a diaper-pin patterned mat from nearby. “I don’t see any reason to go upstairs every time you need a change.”

She laid it out and began gathering all the necessary diapering supplies into a neat row while Tom resignedly laid himself down in front of her. He wondered how much his own behavior was contributing to this casual attitude about his diapers. Did he really seemed like that much of a baby?

She worked swiftly and his shortalls were being fastened over a fresh dry diaper before he could complete these thoughts. Together they walked out to the car and started their way to a nearby restaurant.

Venturing out into the world beyond home and the colorful walls of Kiddie Town made him more acutely aware of his uniform. The night-time air was cool on his legs, he felt grateful his diaper was warm and dry. He knew by now that to everybody else his age was defined by the clothes he wore so he was prepared for the hostess’s broad smile and careful tone as she welcomed him and his mother. Her question surprised him though “Will he need a highchair tonight?” she asked.

“No” Tom answered emphatically for himself.

Still she looked to his mother for confirmation.

“No thank you.” She said lightly.

They were shown to their table and Tom was left with a children’s menu and a complimentary sippy cup of juice.

Karen smiled at the special treatment her adorably shortall-clad son was getting. “I hope things like that don’t bother you too much.”

“It’s OK. I’m sort of getting used to it.”

“That’s good to hear. I think I’m getting used to it too. Getting to hold you in my lap again really helped after a long day.”

Tom’s cheeks burned slightly “I had fun too I guess”

“Good, I really hope you enjoy this time off as much as I do.”

Tom looked at her with a bit of surprise “You mean you don’t mind having to... do all that extra stuff.”

She shook her head emphatically “My biggest job is to take care of you when you’re too little to do it yourself and I enjoy doing it.”

“But I’m not really...”

“Honey, some day you’ll be ready to go back to school, but for now I really hope you can accept this and enjoy being my little guy.”

Tom blushed redder but he felt good knowing his mother saw things that way.

Karen noticed a small smile growing on her son’s face “After all you had fun at preschool today didn’t you?”

Tom squirmed a bit “Yeah, it was fun I suppose.”

“Well keep having fun and maybe it will all get easier.”

They continued chatting over dinner. As Karen left her money on the table and got up to leave she quickly checked Tom’s diaper.

“You’re fine for the ride home” she said and then she thought for a moment “You know I saw a toy store just across the street. If it’s still open we could go in and get you something. Maybe that car you were playing with today.”

Tom was deeply tempted but he couldn’t quite go that far “No thanks mom.”

But his mother could see the way his eyes had lit up “OK, but let me know if you want a new toy and we can go and pick something up.”

The next morning Tom was laying on a rug at preschool absorbed in a Speak-n-Say. He pulled the cord “Apoapsis is the highest point in an orbit” a happy voice chirped from within. He looked through the rain washing over the classroom’s windows at the elementary school school kids trudging to their bus.

Inside the teachers were distributing a morning snack along with sippy cups of milk. Tom took his and surveyed the classroom while he enjoyed his treat.  He noticed that Cartoonimals had already started playing so he wandered over to take a seat. Olly Otter was elaborating on square numbers to Gavin Giraffe, who though he was the tallest and implied to be the oldest of the group was most often the recipient of these lessons. Tom settled in and finished his snack.

As the show drew to a close he found himself in the mood to try something new. He walked over to the art section and took a seat. Where he expected to find simple ordinary finger paints or maybe some crayons or brushes there was instead a thumb sized pen with several buttons and dials on its surface. He picked it up and examined it. Around him the other children were using them with unconscious ease. Tom shrugged and decided to figure it out on his own. He pressed the largest button, nothing seemed to happen. He turned a dial, still nothing. Finally he tried the next largest button, the pen vibrated for a moment before firing a giant stream of green ink across the front of his shortalls.

Ms. Kelly was soon by his side. She took the pen from his hand and surveyed the damage.

“Oh sweety, you should have asked one of us for an apron before you started. We’re going to have to clean you up.” 

Tom could only look at himself in horror. We wondered if there was something even lower down the chain than preschool in store for him.

Ms. Kelly saw his reaction and patted his head “Don’t worry. You’re not in trouble it’s just a little mistake.”

She led him over to the changing tables and undid his shoulder straps and lowered his shortalls to the floor. She then removed his shirt leaving him standing in nothing but a diaper. “Oh dear” she said “It looks like it soaked through.”

Tom looked down at himself. If his cartoon-animal print diaper didn’t make him look like a toddler already then the messy smear of paint across his chest certainly completed a certain picture.

Ms. Kelly sighed and turned to consult with Mrs Peterson for a moment. “I think I’ll have to give this guy a bath. Can you cover for me for a few minutes.”

Mrs. Peterson nodded and Ms Kelly thanked her while she gathered Tom’s clothes and took his hand. She led him to the other side of the classroom and through a door to a small tiled room. Here a bathroom for the teachers was apportioned with a tub, apparently for situations such as these. For a moment Tom was relieved to be in relative privacy but as Ms. Kelly began to draw a bath he realized what she had in mind.

“I can do this myself” he protested “I always do it at home.”

“I’m sure you can do lots of big boy things” Ms. Kelly said patiently as she reached for his diaper “But this is hard to get off, just let me do it and you can go back to playing.”

Tom dodged her hand with a step back “Just let me try.”

Ms. Kelly adopted a sterner tone “Does somebody need corner time? I’m sure your mommy wouldn’t be happy to hear about how cranky you’re being.”

Tom froze. He thought about how happy his mother had seemed with him the previous night. Somehow the threat of punishment didn’t seem as bad as disappointing her. “OK” he said reluctantly.

He was quickly relinquished of his diaper and helped into the warm soapy water. He was immediately struck by the strong pleasant aroma of the bath soap. Something about it was so soothing, so disarming. She began to scrub him thoroughly. Though he could barely discern if there really did seem to be a technique involved in removing this paint, he could only sit there while her expert hands did the work.

“Boy you really splashed yourself. Hasn’t your mommy taught you to use an ArtPen?”

Tom shook his head “No, I never even heard of it before.”

“I could show you how after you’re all cleaned up, does that sound good?”

Tom nodded “Yeah, that sounds OK”

As he got out of the tub she wrapped him in a giant fluffy towel and began to dry him off. “There we go” she said as she inspected her work closely “all cleaned up.”

She hoisted him onto a nearby changing table and got her newly clean charge into a fresh diaper. From somewhere beneath the table she produced a simple baby blue onesie “You can wear this while we wait for your clothes to get out of the washer.” She said as she pulled it over his head and snapped him into it.

“Oh, thanks” Tom said. At least he wouldn’t be wandering around in nothing but a diaper.

They emerged back into the classroom just as everybody else was assembling for story time. Tom was surprised to find himself glad he hadn’t missed it. The day’s selection was Bubsy Beaver Meets the Colorful Chloroplasts. Tom couldn’t help but be aware of being much more thinly dressed than everybody else. His onesie was snapped snuggly between his legs and made him more aware than ever of his diaper. But as Mrs. Hansley began reading he hung on every word.

After story time the children where again ushered into the nap room. While Tom was considering renewing his protests of the day before, Ms. Kelly swept him into a crib and raised the side rail. “Don’t worry your clothes will be ready when nap-time is over” she tried to reassure him.

Mrs. Hansley came by with familiar toy in her hand “Tommy here just gets a little anxious without his bunny. Don’t you sweetheart?” she handed him the same stuffed bunny he’d slept with before. Tom again resigned himself to settle into his crib as the lights dimmed and a soothing lullaby played over unseen speakers. As he drifted into sleep he noticed a faint glowing from the corners of his crib. He barely had time to wonder what it might be before he was asleep.

Tom sat in his living room surrounded by a bevy of toys. He had his teddy bear and his stuffed bunny both close at hand as he fiddled with his toy car. His mother came in and stroked his hair while she sat down next to him. She joined in with him, helping him assemble a new engine for his car. It all seemed so normal and easy, he was happy to have his mother by his side. Then he was standing inside a crib in his own room while she helped him into his PJs. She kissed him on the forehead and offered him his stuffed animals before lowering the rail.

He awoke to Ms. Kelly standing over his crib with his freshly washed uniform in hand. “Come on sleepy head” she said “I’ll get you back into your clothes and you can go play.”

Back at the changing table Tom was changed out of his soaked diaper and dressed in his uniform once again, cleaner and well powdered for the journey. “Do you still want to learn how to use an ArtPen” Ms. Kelly offered.

Tom shrugged “Sure.”

Ms. Kelly led Tom over to the art area and got him into an apron emblazoned with the same duckling logo that was on his shortalls. She handed him one of the strange devices and took one for herself before kneeling down beside him. She began to go over each button and dial in slow and patient detail. Soon he was drawing crude lines of his own, only getting a small amount on his apron.

Before long a picture was taking shape. The only thing he could really think of at the time and the only thing he could manage to draw with this unfamiliar technology. Two stick figures, representing his mother and himself, stood happily in front of a red house with smoke rising from the chimney. He knew it was childish but he was proud to have learned something new.

Ms. Kelly took a moment to praise her student. “Good job, I bet you’re mommy will put this right on the refrigerator.” She carefully curled the paper into a tube and put it in a small cubby labeled “Tommy.”

Tom busied himself with the toy train for the remainder of the afternoon. Soon he heard his mother calling to him from across the room. She greeted him with a hug and pat on the rear “Mrs. Hansley says you have something you want to show me.”

“Yeah, I guess I sort of do” Tom said blushing slightly but excited to share his new talent with his mother. Mrs. Hansley handed him the sheet of paper and he opened it.

“Awww that’s very sweet” She exclaimed causing Tom to blush brighter. She put a hand on his shoulder “It’s very good Tommy, I’m really proud of you for learning new things.”

Tom thanked her and they hugged again. “You smell really nice too, that was good of Ms. Kelly to help clean you up” She commented. Tom blushed again and couldn’t help but wonder if baths would be a part of his future as well.

They both said their farewells to Tom’s teachers and left hand in hand. “I’m going to put this up on the refrigerator” She promised. Tom smiled bashfully. Not so long ago the idea would have been unbearably embarrassing. But he knew he’d made his mother happy, and for now that felt better than anything else.