The Bet - Chapter 55 (Thursday – week 8 Part 4 of 9)

The Bet

By Karen Singer

Chapter 55 (Thursday – week 8 Part 4 of 9)

     Chad finished his bottle of formula and went back to his desk.  Since Robin was at break, he figured he would be alone for a few minutes.  He opened the spreadsheet he kept for tracking his progress on the bet.  Only… there wasn’t any progress anymore.  There hadn’t been all week.  He simply had no way of holding back anymore.  Mel… and now Robin… were working all too hard to see to that.

     He stared at the column that tracked how many days were left.  Eight.  Just eight more days to go before he could prove what he still believed – that he could get all his control back quickly.  He knew it!  It had to be true!  And he knew his body all too well.  Mel making him incontinent in just two months was totally impossible!  Impossible!  It couldn’t be done!  He hoped.  They would find out for sure in just eight more days.  Just over a week. 

     He thought again about his decision to enjoy everything as much as he could for the few days that remained.  He smiled.  As much as he hated to admit it, all the intense humiliation he was receiving was making him feel more alive than he had ever felt in his life.  He was loving it… just as much as he was hating it.  But in eight more days it would all be over with.  So for eight more days he would extend his dream, endure whatever he had to, and find as much enjoyment in it as he could.  Because in just a little more than a week… it would all be over.

     He briefly glanced at his reasons for wanting to win the bet.  The physical items seemed stupid.  A pool table?  But yeah, if he won, he’d really like a pool table.  But compared to his main reasons, everything else seemed to not matter much.  Self-respect, friends, and a life.  They were good reasons.  They were important in life… any life!  Even his!  And they did matter… no matter how much it seemed otherwise sometimes. 

     So all those reasons were still valid.  Very valid!  He had to win this bet and he would win it.  He had no choice.  Fortunately, he knew his body all too well and he knew for sure it couldn’t be done.  He hoped.  They would know soon enough.  His testing would begin in just eight more days.

     Robin stared at her computer screen, but she wasn’t really seeing what was on it.  She was torn.  Should she really force Sissy to go to break later?  She wanted to.  Just like all the other women, she enjoyed seeing Sissy in the break room… although for her, she enjoyed it far more because she knew the truth about him.  But if he showed up in that dress, she had no doubt at all that way too many questions would be asked.  And very quickly most of the questions would start pointing at her and what she did with him.  And that, she was sure, could possibly get her fired.  And she didn’t need that at all.  She didn’t have the “protection” that Mel had arranged for Sissy, even though he didn’t know it.

     This was a business – a place of work.  It wasn’t a place where something like what she was doing with Sissy was supposed to take place.  She was really amazed that everyone had been so understanding and accepting as it was.  But then, part of her teasing with Sissy had unintentionally pointed everyone in the wrong direction as to what was really going on.  They all thought that Sissy was in love with Derek.  She almost laughed out loud at the thought.  If everyone only knew the truth!  But if Sissy showed up at break in today’s outfit, everyone would realize something else had to be going on instead.  And as she had surmised before, all too many questions would be asked. 

     So, unfortunately, she had to make sure he stayed out of sight.  But… darn it… it would really be fun!  Was there any way she could arrange it?  There had to be!  Besides, she still hadn’t found a way to make him kiss Derek in front of everyone else – as unlikely as that possibility actually seemed.  She smiled to herself as she thought how funny it would really be though.  But Derek wouldn’t think it was funny.  That much she knew for a fact!

     She turned as she heard Sissy coming back into her cubicle.  His stupid pacifier was still in his mouth – oh how she loved seeing that.  For some reason she was enjoying it more than seeing his thumb there instead.  Maybe it was the dress.  She watched as he did a quick curtsey for her, then he went to his diaper bag and removed another bottle.  He curtseyed again, and started to sink down to the floor… started, but he suddenly stopped and stared at the wall for a moment.  She watched as he quickly set his bottle on the desk and started pawing furiously at the net skirts under his dress. 

     Chad dropped his skirts and stood up straight.  He removed his pacifier and dropped another quick curtsey.  “I’m leaking again,” he said with a bit of distress.  Pacifier back.  Curtsey.

     Robin again helped to hold his skirts out of the way as he changed.  But this time, just as he finished wiping himself, just as had happened earlier in his own cubicle, she again noticed a tiny bit of pee dripping out of him… only this time on her cubicle floor instead of his.  And again, he didn’t seem to notice it.  Not at all.  Not even when he pulled the new diaper into place and taped it up firmly.  When he had finished, she pointed at the mess he had made on her floor.  “You better clean that up, before you do anything else.”  Her suspicion that he hadn’t known he had done it was confirmed by the surprised look on his face. 

     Chad curtseyed in shock and removed the pacifier from his mouth.  “Right away,” he agreed before putting his pacifier back and curtseying again.  Darn!  He hadn’t even known he had done it… again.  It was awfully embarrassing, but at the same time, he was thrilled.  His body really was acting like it was incontinent.  Despite his embarrassment, he smiled at the thought.

     As Robin watched him cleaning up his mess, she had to wonder, how could he still think he could win his bet with Mel? As far as she could still see, he had already lost!  She watched as he grabbed his baby bottle full of infant formula, the only bottles he had left, and sank down to the floor.  She watched as he put the stupid thing to his mouth and started drinking.  He appeared so used to it that it looked like he was hardly giving what he was doing much thought.  But then she realized he should be used to it, he had to drink an awful lot of those bottles every single day.  And according to Mel, there were very few times anymore when he didn’t drink out of a baby bottle – including in public restaurants! 

     But the question still remained, how could he still think he could win… if he had already lost?  Yesterday, Mel had asked her if she would be willing to be one of the judges for their bet – if judges were needed.  She had told Mel she didn’t know yet and would let her know later.  After that, they had spent a lot of time discussing how to send Sissy to work wearing clothes that wouldn’t be so “normal.”  She had totally forgotten about Mel… and Sissy… wanting her to be one of the judges.  But as far as she could see, the point was superfluous, he had already lost!

     She watched him drinking his bottle of formula.  Ridiculous!  And the words just seemed to pop out of her mouth.  “Did you know it when you peed on the floor a few minutes ago?”

She watched as he removed the bottle from his mouth and got to his feet, fighting with all his underskirts for a moment.  She got a thrill as she watched him curtsey before speaking.

      “No,” he replied, “I didn’t know it till you pointed it out to me.  I pee so often now and in such tiny amounts that I often don’t feel it anymore.”  He curtseyed and sank back down to the floor where he put his bottle back to his mouth and started drinking again.

      “So if you don’t know you’re doing it,” she asked, “which to me means you’re wetting yourself without knowing you’re doing it, then it sounds an awful lot to me like you’re already completely incontinent – which if I remember correctly is the basis of your bet with Mel.  So if you’re already incontinent, have you lost now?”

     Chad had to get up and go through his curtsey routine all over again.  “No,” he replied, “I haven’t lost.  That’s just it, at the end of the two months, in a little over a week, I still have two days to get all my control back again.”  Curtsey, back to the floor, drink the bottle.

      “And you think you can get it back in that two day period?”

     Talking with Robin was a lot of work – especially when he was on the floor and had to get up again each time… then down again when he was finished speaking.  “I do,” he replied.  “I have no doubt about it.”  Then he went through the second part of his routine getting back down to the floor again.

      “Why?” Robin asked as soon as his bottle was in his mouth again.

     Chad was getting a bit frustrated with all he had to do when she had only asked a one word question.  But at the same time, doing it was all part of who and what he was, so something inside of him enjoyed his situation at the same time… somewhat.  As soon as he was able to reply, he said, “Because I know that it can’t be done.  Besides, I know my own body too well.  I’ll probably get it all back again in a few hours at most.”  Curtsey, back down, bottle.

      “And you still believe that?”

      “Yes,” Chad replied as soon as he was able… before going through everything to get back down with his bottle again.

      “So you don’t really think that judges will be necessary for your bet.”

     Chad figured he was getting far more than his allotment of exercise for the day, just from trying to hold this conversation with Robin.  “Yes, I do,” he replied.  But instead of just sinking back down to end his part of the conversation, he stayed up and searched for some way to explain.  “It’s just that… even though I’m sure it won’t happen… I mean… what if it does take longer… not that it’s likely to.  But if that’s the case, then I want some way for us to decide the winner… fairly!”  Only then did he curtsey and sink back down into his petticoats on the floor and put his bottle back to his mouth.

     Robin nodded thoughtfully.  “Okay,” she said still thinking about what he had said.  “I think I see.”

     Chad was glad, he was tired of getting up and down and having to curtsey so much, just to open his mouth and speak so little. 

     Robin watched him drinking.  He looked so childish in that dress with all the puffy skirts swirled out around him.  Childish, but ridiculous… just like what she had enjoyed so much each time he had answered her questions a moment ago.  Maybe it was all the up and down’s she made him do each time.  Maybe it was the mass of petticoats he had to deal with – not only getting up from the floor but also back down again – not to mention when he curtseyed.  Or maybe it was the silly, but pretty, childish dress he was wearing.  In any case, she was absolutely loving watching him today.  She might not be able to deal with him as an adult anymore, but she was certainly getting a lot of joy out of watching him behave as a sissy.  More joy than she ever thought she would get.  Who would have ever thought?  This was certainly not like her old self… not that she had changed at all!

     While Sissy continued to drink his bottle behind her, she turned back to her computer screen.  She tried to work, but her mind kept turning to the conversation… if you could call it that… that she had just had with him.  He seemed to be awfully certain that he was going to win their bet – despite the total lack of control he now seemed to have.  So… what if… things really did get close?  What if judges really were needed for the bet? 

     Grabbing her cell phone, she got up from her seat.  “Make sure that bottle is totally finished before you get up from there,” she told him before she walked out of her cubicle and kept going down the hallway.  She dialed as she turned the corner.

     Mel was a bit annoyed when Andrea announced that she had a phone call because she was almost to the end of the contract and didn’t really want to be disturbed.  But Andrea wouldn’t put through any calls unless it was for something important… or from one of the people she had told Andrea she would accept calls from.  “Who is it?” she asked.

      “Robin,” Andrea’s voice replied.

     Robin was on the list and because of Sissy, Robin was important!  “Hello?” she said as soon as she had pushed the right button.

      “Hi Mel,” Robin replied.  “Sorry to bother you.  But I remembered that yesterday you had asked me about judging your bet, and now I know for sure that I want to be a judge.”

     Another judge right now was the last thing that Mel really wanted because it would make four judges instead of three.  Four judges meant that a possible tie could occur and they wouldn’t be able to render a verdict.  But…  “Are you sure?” she asked.  “You know we need you to be totally honest and fair about it.  No favorites.”

      “I’m more than sure,” Robin replied.  “And I would definitely be fair about it – no favorites as you said.  Mel… I want to judge this… if it comes down to it.”

     Mel had to wonder what changed Robin’s mind so much about things.  “Okay,” she replied.  “If we need you, consider yourself officially a judge.”

      “Good,” Robin replied.  “Listen Mel, I was just talking to him, did you know that he still thinks he’s going to win your bet?  He seems awfully sure of himself – and that’s despite the fact that he peed on the floor twice this morning already!”

     Mel sighed a bit.  The fact that he was so sure of himself was not something she wanted to hear just then.  “Yeah, I know,” she replied.   “I really wish he would just admit defeat and give up so we could get on with things, but he still thinks he’s going to win.  And to tell the truth, I have no way of knowing that he won’t be able to control himself and win this bet. 

      “So you think there really could be a chance that you two are going to need judges to help you decide the winner?”

      “I hope not!  But then, what I hope for is that I’m going to win this thing – easily.  But knowing him, by the second day, even if it looks like I’m winning, then he may insist on the judges anyway.”

      “So there is a chance that I’ll be able to see exactly how this thing comes out?”

     Mel paused for a moment.  Something in what Robin had just said clued her in as to Robin’s motive – she wanted to see exactly how everything went down as to deciding the outcome.  “Yeah,” Mel finally said cautiously.  “There is a chance… although as I said before, I’m still hoping that he’s going to just give up and admit defeat.”

      “Thanks Mel,” Robin replied.  “I appreciate it.”

      “Anytime,” Robin.

     Robin hung up her phone and stared out at the parking lot outside the plate glass wall.  They both still thought they could win, but for some reason, she got the impression that Sissy was much more sure about it.  Yet as far as she could tell, he had no control at all anymore.  He didn’t even know when he was peeing – which had to be most of the time now.  So just who was going to win?  She found herself very anxious to find out.  But that event was still more than a week away.

     Tom Robinson was standing near the desk of one of the company employees while he waited for the guy’s computer to boot up.  The process was taking much longer than usual – part of the reason he was there in the first place.  As he waited, he could hear two women a few desks away talking between their desks.  He wouldn’t have bothered listening or even noticing, except that he heard the word Sissy used several times.  He was about to try to listen harder, but that was the point where the computer he was watching suddenly blue-screened.  He shook his head.  “I’ll get someone to bring you another one as soon as possible,” he told the guy.  “We’ll have to figure out what’s wrong with this one.”

     As he left, he stopped at the desk of one of the women.  “Did I hear you mention Sissy a few minutes ago?”

     The woman was a bit surprised that Tom would ask.  “Yeah,” she replied.  “We were just saying that we hoped he was going to make it to break later today since he didn’t make it this morning.”

      “He didn’t go to break this morning?  Any particular reason why not?”

      “Robin told us it was because he was working so hard and was worried about finishing before he went on vacation next week.”

     Tom nodded.  “Oh,” he replied.  “Thanks.”  He walked off towards his office where he stopped to tell one of his people about the bad computer.  Sissy was worried about finishing before his vacation?  That was a good thing of course, but he still had all of today and tomorrow too.  From what he had seen and the reports he had gotten through email, it didn’t sound like there was all that much left for them to do on their current project.  But maybe it wouldn’t hurt to just check to make sure there wasn’t a problem. 

     He picked up the phone and started to dial Chad’s number, but he stopped himself.  He didn’t really want to hear the stupid parody of a woman’s voice that Sissy seemed to be using lately.  That was one thing Chad… or Sissy really needed to work on if he was getting a sex change!  He dialed Robin’s number instead.  “Hi Robin, it’s Tom.”

      “Hi Tom,” Robin replied.  “What’s up?”

      “I just heard through the grapevine that Sissy had too much work to do to go to break today.  Is there a problem I don’t know about?”

     Robin was shocked that Tom had even heard about that.  “No Tom.  No problem at all.  He was just into something and wanted to finish it.  You know how he gets.”

     Tom knew.  Chad… or rather Sissy… whatever… was the technical wiz of that team.  Guys like that often did things like that… sometimes staying late after hours to finish something they were in the middle of.  Actually, he was glad to hear it.  “So there’s no problems at all?” he asked.

      “None that I know of,” Robin replied.

But there was something about Robin’s voice that made Tom wonder.  Did she sound extra nervous about something?  “Maybe I should come down and check anyway,” he told her.

      “No!  Don’t do that!” Robin said a little too quickly.  “I mean, it’s not necessary.  We’re fine here.”

      “You’re sure?” Tom asked.

      “Oh yeah, I’m sure,” Robin replied.  “It’s all going just fine.  Yesterday we decided to make a few last minute changes and we’re just kind of in the middle of them.”

     Tom wasn’t entirely sure about that, but he decided to let it ride.  “Okay,” he replied.  “Just let me know if you have any problems I should know about… Either of you!”

      “No problem, Tom,” Robin replied.  “You know I will.”

     Robin breathed a sigh of relief as she hung up her phone.  She looked down at Sissy who was once again drinking a bottle on her cubicle floor.  “That was close,” she told him.  “Tom was thinking of coming down to check on us.”

     Chad shuddered inside.  It had been bad enough the first time his boss had seen him in a dress.  But Tom seeing him in this dress was absolutely the very last thing he wanted to happen!