✅1️⃣ Trusting the Babysitter

Chapter 38 - Forced to be Free

Adam could hear Claudia sobbing beside him, trying her best to cry but unable to deny the command to smile. He wished there was something he could do, some way to change the rules. But the instructions they'd been given left no wiggle room. So he squatted there on the grass and started to fill his diaper. He found himself peeing at the same time, which was another source of embarrassment, but he had to ignore those feelings.

"Awww, baby girls!" Lorelei giggled with a lot more enthusiasm. "Now be babysitters. You gotta get changed. Cos you're big babies. Sit down first. While I tell you. You got to be babysitters now. And be super mean. You're gonna go change each other. And you–"

"No," Adam interrupted, assuming that the instruction to be a babysitter included speaking and taking charge. "Look at the clouds, it's going to start raining soon. We need to sort everything out so we don't get in trouble. You be quiet, take your shoes off, and wait for us in the lounge. You can watch more cartoons if you want. We'll get changed quickly, and then put the furniture back in the shed before it gets wet. We can't make a mess, that would be bad. We all need to behave now. Right?"

Lorelei nodded, the mischief in her eyes fading when she realised they could all get in trouble with her mother. Mrs Cartwright, certainly, sounded like the kind of woman who wouldn't be happy if their clothes were all wet. So it was only natural that her daughters would be a little more likely to comply when the possibility of punishment later was raised.

"Come on, Claudia," Adam said, taking charge again. "You go and get yourself changed first. I'll start putting the chairs away." She nodded and headed back to the house, kicking off the uncomfortable flip-flops on the way. Adam dragged the garden furniture back to the shed, realising on the way that he was getting a little out of shape. They had been humiliated for half of the afternoon, but it wasn't as bad as Lorelei's terrible reputation might have suggested. At least now they could go back to behaving like adults again.

It didn't take long for him to get everything put away neatly. He didn't know if it was all in the right place, but the remaining food was back indoors and the garden furniture was fitting into the shed out of the way. He didn't think he was likely to get into any trouble over this. Then he locked the shed door, and closed the patio doors behind him just as the first drops of rain started to fall. Just in time, he thought. Even when dealing with a rebellious child, he was organised enough to get everything done.

He peeked around the door to see that Lorelei was sitting on the sofa. She was watching television again, but this time Adam couldn't be sure at a glance if the show she'd chosen was age-appropriate or not. He had other things to worry about now, so he moved away before she saw him and hurried up the stairs. The bathroom door was still closed, so he stood outside and waited for Claudia to finish.

"You okay?" she asked him when she stepped out, only a minute later. He nodded a little, and forced a smile.

"About as good as can be expected. I'm hoping that we shouldn't have as much trouble with your sister for the rest of the evening, anyway."

"Thanks for standing up for us," she said. "I didn't think quickly enough. I bet she'd be making us do even more gross stuff if she had her way. But... wait..."

"Looks like it's easier to resist when it's something your mum might legitimately be upset over, right? Once I point out that we got conflicting orders from two people, I mean. I think there's a choice between obeying Lorelei who's made some vague instruction, or things that your mum has probably told you firmly a dozen times. So we can just about escape your sister's control for a second."

"Seems like it. I'm glad it worked. And kind of surprised too, really. Before, it was a couple of hours before we could even think about disobeying her. I'm really surprised that it worked this time. Have we been building up some kind of resistance? Or does the drug lose effectiveness in stale cakes? I don't think we can..." Claudia's mumbling trailed off into silence, until she realised the babysitter was still standing there in a dirty diaper. "You better get changed, right? Do I need to order you, or are you okay? Please tell me she's not given you any more stupid instructions to follow..."

"She told us to be babysitters now, I take that as meaning I don't have to do babyish stuff anymore. And she told me to be mean, I think she meant to you. So I hope you don't mind if I slip and tease you a bit later. I mean, I can't think of anything cruel to say right now, but when I see you acting like a silly little baby..."

"I'll do my best to avoid that then, stinky butt."

"Fair. Right, I'll get changed. I'd prefer to take a shower, if that's okay? Get cleaned up properly, and then we can deal with the little terror. You should stay upstairs until I'm ready, I don't want you two getting in any trouble without me."

"Hey, you're the baby now. Don't go... damn it. Yeah, take a shower, if you think you're big enough to do that by yourself. I wish I could too, to be honest. But better to wait until the cupcakes wear off again, when I know I'm not going to need one again after a couple of minutes. Who knows what she could make us do?"

"I think it's wearing off already. So if you want to, you can get cleaned up and I think we can stay safe for the rest of the day. As long as we're careful, and paying attention."

"Right. But stinky needs to get cleaned up first. The wipes and everything are back in the bathroom. Change your diaper and take the trash out, while I get my stuff ready to shower. And maybe you can tell me how we're going to avoid more cupcakes when she realises we're not doing everything she demands."

Adam could have said more, but she was right. It was more important to get clean first, and then he could tell her what he had figured out during the latter half of their little picnic.