The Bet
by Karen Singer
Chapter 13 (Thursday – week 2 Part 2)
When Chad finally left for work, he was still angry, but it was a different anger, much more muted. And what he was really angry at now, was not so much her, as himself. Feeling disgusted with himself for ever signing that contract in the first place he began descending the stairs toward his car. He could feel Mel’s eyes watching him from her apartment door. Halfway down the stairs, all the baby cereal he had eaten for breakfast finally triggered the suppositories in his system. He stopped dead on the steps as he began struggling against the inevitable. The mess began seeping out of him. He clamped down harder, straining against it. He took another step down and more leaked out of him. He stopped again, still struggling, realizing he was losing the battle. Another step… and he couldn’t stop it, not at all. Giving up, he slowly descended the last of the steps and walked gingerly to his car as the mess inside of him continued to come out of him and spread itself slowly all around his diapers. A process made all that much more miserable because of the girdle he was wearing.
Very gingerly, he eased himself into the driver’s seat and finally sat down. He fished his keys out of his purse and began his short drive to work. The main thought on his mind just then was his lunchtime diaper changing. An event that was all too far away!
“Hey Chad! Wait up!”
Chad turned as he was walking toward the building and saw Robin hurrying to catch up to him. He waited.
“Hi Chad,” she said a bit breathlessly as she slowed to a walk. She was carrying a huge tote bag slung over her shoulder.
“Hi,” he said back to her as he started walking again.
“Well you sound a bit dull today.”
“I what?”
“I mean you don’t exactly sound very happy.”
Chad mentally realized she had a point there. “Why should I?”
“I don’t know. So what are you so unhappy about?”
Chad just shook his head. “Everything!”
“So tell me about it.”
He glanced over towards her. She was still trying. Still prying like women tend to do all too much. He sighed. “Not today.”
“Hey,” she said a moment later. “You know you’re walking kind of funny today?”
Great! Just great! He was only thankful for everything he was wearing that would keep the smell from coming out.
Tom Robinson, Chad’s boss, turned the corner and hesitated just a second. He had almost stopped completely, but that wouldn’t seem normal. He had hesitated because he was afraid he might see Chad in the hallway… which was really dumb because he was on his way to see Chad right now. He had heard a few vague rumors, but nothing really concrete. He was almost afraid to see.
His problem was made all that much more terrible because of the meeting he had had with Mr. Baxter himself up in the executive offices yesterday. Mr. Baxter had told him, personally, that he wasn’t to take any kind of notice as to anything strange going on with Chad at all. He couldn’t yell at him or fire him… nothing. Not even talk to him about it, whatever it was. He had to completely ignore anything strange about Chad at all. And Mr. Baxter had pointedly made clear that he would be instantly fired if he didn’t comply… completely!
But he was still Chad’s boss. Ok, he didn’t see Chad all that often because Chad and Robin were stuck down here away from the rest of the department because it was the only place there was room for them. But he talked to him on the phone everyday, and he did keep up with Chad’s progress on his projects. So far, he hadn’t noticed any drop in the quality of Chad’s work. It continued to be excellent.
Which brought him to the reason he was coming down here now to see him… them. He turned into Chad’s cubicle. Chad was hard at work. He recognized the project on his computer screen. “Hi Chad.”
Chad was startled by his boss’s voice and he turned quickly. His fear grew just as fast as he had turned. His boss! Was he here to fire him? As Tom continued to look… make that stare… at him, he was more certain about that than ever. “Hi Tom,” he said, pitifully. Knowing what was about to come.
Tom wanted to say something about the way Chad was dressed, but Mr. Baxter’s threat stopped him. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing though. Chad was wearing eye makeup, and it looked like women’s pants, and a moment later he realized that he was wearing women’s shoes as well. He noticed the purse on the floor by the desk. He desperately wanted say something about it. Comment somehow, but he forced himself to bite everything back.
“Robin,” he called, knowing that she should be able to hear him over top of the cubicle wall. It took her only a moment to come out of her own cubicle and around to Chad’s.
“Hi Tom. What’s up?” she asked as soon as she saw her boss. But the one main thought that hit her brain was that Chad was about to get fired. So why had he asked for her?
Tom held up a couple of thick file folders. “New project. I’m going to need you both to work together on this one.” He looked up at Chad, feeling better about talking business. “Chad, you should be almost done with what you’re on now, aren’t you?”
Chad couldn’t believe his ears. Why wasn’t he being fired, or at least yelled at… or something? “Yeah,” he replied. “Probably anther two or three days and it will all be wrapped up.”
“Good,” Tom replied. “Robin’s project is going slower because the clients don’t really know what they want yet.”
“As usual,” Chad replied.
Tom nodded. It was so much easier sticking to business. “So I need you two to start looking through this and make notes and suggestions.”
“What’s the time frame?” Robin asked.
“There isn’t one yet. We don’t officially have the contract yet, so I need you two to help us get it. This could be worth a lot of money.”
Robin laughed, “As usual,” she replied, echoing the comment that Chad had just made.
Tom nodded. What was going on here? Robin was acting like there was nothing out of the ordinary wrong with Chad at all? Did she know what was going on with him? Would she tell him if he asked… privately? “Ok,” he said to the two of them. “Have at it and keep me informed.”
“Will do,” Robin replied.
Tom backed out glancing back and forth between Robin and Chad. In truth, he was retreating from the situation. He still desperately wanted to ask Chad about what was going on but Mr. Baxter’s threat was still ringing in his ears. With one last look at Chad he turned around and walked away. Maybe it was better if he didn’t know. For once, he was glad that part of his department was located so far away and isolated from the rest of it.
Robin looked at Chad. He was looking back at her. She had no doubt at all that the same thing was on each of their minds. It had been something that neither of them had mentioned before, but she brought it up now. “He didn’t fire you.” She said.
“No, he didn’t.” The amazement was clearly in his voice, even though he still sounded depressed. “Yet.” He added as he turned back toward his computer.
Robin walked further into his cubicle and picked up one of the folders that Tom had placed on his desk. “We’re going to have to talk about this,” she said as she glanced through some of the papers.
Chad turned back around again. He was still trying to come to grips with the way their boss had acted. “Yeah, I know,” he replied, although clearly his mind wasn’t on Robin’s subject.
She set her folder back down on his desk and leaned up against the doorway, watching him. “He didn’t even mention how you’re dressed.”
“No, he didn’t. But he noticed.”
“So why didn’t he say anything?”
“I have no idea. I’m still trying to figure that out myself.”
Robin picked up her folder again. “Well, if it had been me, you know I’d be all over you asking about it.”
Chad chuckled through his depression. “Haven’t you been?” “Yeah, maybe, but still, I’d be asking. Hey, I’m going down to the break room now, want to come?”
Chad shook his head. “No way, no thanks!” In truth, he was still trying to figure all too many things out, not the least of which now was his boss. But going down where, no doubt, he’d be attacked by all the women who would probably be there sounded like a really bad idea.
“Ok, see you later then,” Robin replied as she walked out.
Chad realized he was grateful he still had a job. But now that his boss had seen him, he had to wonder how long that was going to last.
“Hey girlfriend,” one of the women who was already in the break room called out as soon as Robin walked in. “What’s the latest with Chad?”
Robin shook her head as she headed to the coffee pot. “I still don’t know. And you wouldn’t believe it. Tom Robinson came in just a few minutes ago and handed us another project to work on… and he didn’t even mention the way Chad was dressed. Not a word.”
“You’re kidding!”
“I swear!” Robin replied. “Hey, who left all the donuts?” she asked picking up one from a box on the counter.
“We don’t know and we’re not asking,” another of the women said. “They’re not on my diet… but who’s going to tell!”
“So is there anything new about Chad today? I saw him walking in and the only different thing I could see was the tan slacks he was wearing, but I wasn’t that close to him. He did look like he was walking with his panties in a wad though.” That remark brought a bunch of laugher from all around.
“No, nothing different that I could see. And yeah, I did notice that he was walking a bit strangely, but he didn’t say anything about it.”
“Well dig deeper girl. Dig deeper. We want to know!”
“Yeah,” another one echoed. “How soon before he plans to wear a dress to work. Honey, I can’t wait to see that one.” That brought a lot more laughing.
“I’m trying,” Robin replied. “Believe me, I’m trying.”
Mel read the messages that Andrea had left for her while she had been with her last client. One of them was from Gloria, her therapist. She dialed the number quickly.
“Hi Gloria, it’s Mel.”
“Oh hey, Mel. How are you?”
“Doing just fine.”
“Good. I just wanted to touch base again before we get together tonight. You and Chad are still coming, aren’t you?”
“We’re both looking forward to it.”
“Good. Listen Mel, about your last request. I think that’s going to be a hard one.”
“Well, I understand perfectly if you can’t do it. It is a bit off the wall.”
“No, no. It’s nothing like that. It’s just something that I think is going to take a lot longer. Listen, what I want to do is to go back to my original plan with him. I don’t think we’ll have time for anything else, especially since it will only be his second time.”
“That’s fine,” Mel replied, only slightly disappointed. “Whatever you think is best. I just appreciate anything you can do to help me.”
“Good,” Gloria replied. “Now listen, I’m going to signal you again when I need you to stop listening, just like last time, ok?”
“Got it. No problem.”
“Then, once I think I have him under far enough I’m going to start working slowly on the incontinence thing. I want to do this in such a way that he won’t really notice anything different after the session. Since we don’t want him to know that he’s being hypnotized in the first place, I think that would be best.”
“Yeah,” Mel agreed. “That does make sense.”
“Ok, good. See you later then.”
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