Done Adulting Vol. 2 Ch. 33

Jamie stumbled out of his nursery an hour later with his hair sticking up, bleary eyed, and smelling like he’d been curled up with a dog. Amanda looked him over with a look that said, Good thing I love you.

“How you feeling, buddy,” she asked. She detected more than just the smell of dog.

“Thirsty.” He followed her into the kitchen and watched her make him a glass of water. He chugged it and held it up, and she filled it again.

“C’mon,” she said as she nodded toward the nursery.

“Where?”

“Your changing table.” Where else? He set the glass on a shelf, and Amanda laid him on the table. She got him down to his diaper and paused. She wanted to ask him if he was aware he was messy. It seemed impossible he didn’t know – he had a functioning nose – but he seemed so unconcerned with the state of his diaper that he didn’t even say anything or automatically connect the nod toward the nursery with his changing table. But he didn’t seem surprised when she said she was taking him to the changing table, either. Perhaps he was just that apathetic about it now. She decided not to ask.

“You got some fun stuff today,” she said as she got to work cleaning him up.

“Mom is so eager to buy stuff,” he yawned.

“Still sleepy?”

“Some.”

“Want a bath?”

“Okay.” He was easy to clean up this time. He sat up when she was done and pulled his shirt off. He never gave any thought to being nude around his mommy or sister in the house anymore.

“Let’s see what you got,” she said after she’d thrown the diaper away. She stepped across the room to pick up the shopping bag. Like she’d never seen it before, she took out the dress. “This is pretty.” That’s all she said as she went to his closet and found a hanger for it. Jamie didn’t say anything. She got one of his new shirts out next and unfolded it, looked it over, and tossed it in his open hamper. “And this’ll be good for the heat,” she said as she held up the skirt and decided to put it in the dresser where his shorts were.

She waited a moment for him to respond, and when he didn’t, she plucked him from the table and carried him to the bathroom, patting his clean bottom.

“We should get a wading pool for the backyard,” he said while she turned on the tap and tested the water. Jamie couldn’t remember the last time he’d taken a bath by himself. Never in Itali. Sometimes he took a shower, but only with Becky or Manda. That did embarrass him as he saw a lot more like that, but they clearly weren’t bothered by it at all, no more than were he an infant who didn’t know what he was seeing. They often took him into the shower at the pool when they cleaned up there before going home or out. At least they had private shower stalls there. But all the nudity in the changing area was still a mental hurdle for him, albeit a short one. Manda stopped the drain and lifted Jamie over the side. “You just looked like some water would refresh you. You feeling alright?”

“Yeah. You know me and naps. Don’t always wake up feeling better.” One difference between him and most other littles and young children. They often jumped out of bed after a nap ready to go play. Jamie needed more time waking up from a nap than he did from his night’s sleep.

“Close your eyes.” Amanda dipped the pitcher into the tub and poured it over Jamie’s head before grabbing the shampoo and lathering his hair. She left it there for a moment. In the summertime, they were careful to make sure his hair didn’t get too brittle from the chlorine and saltwater. If it was possible, he became even more blonde over the summer months. They all did, and Becky and Manda used a special swimmer’s shampoo on their own hair, something they didn’t have to do before Jamie arrived and had them all swimming so much.

“Can I ask you something,” Amanda asked.

Jamie took a deep breath. No one in his life had ever been gentler or more considerate of Jamie, but the tradeoff was he couldn’t make decisions without them knowing. So he wanted to try a dress. He could do it at home, but not in the secrecy of his own home, because there could be no secrets, not if it involved spending money because he didn’t have any. “Go ahead.”

“What’s up with the dress and the skirt?”

“Your dress feels nice. Basically just a big tee shirt. Looks like it feels good after being outside all day.”

“And the skirt?”

“Air flow? Diapers aren’t very comfortable in the summer. Looks more comfortable to wear a skirt than shorts sometimes.”

So he was sticking to what he’d told Becky. “Any other reason?” She picked up the pitcher again and he closed his eyes while she rinsed the shampoo from his hair.

“They look pretty on you and Ella.”

“I see.”

“No, it’s just ... None of my things are pretty. I want to look pretty sometimes, too. All my stuff is plain. They don’t make stuff for boy littles that’s pretty.” Back on Earth he could least look sharp in a suit, not that he ever wore one when he didn’t have to. His outfits in Itali were a parade of pants and shorts mostly with elastic waists and tees and sweaters. The things that weren’t deliberately cute, which was a good portion of his wardrobe, were just boring.

Amanda chose her next words carefully. “Are there any other pretty things you’d like to try?”

“Like what?”

“You could grow your hair out. Or try makeup.”

“No. I don’t want to try that.” Jamie actually didn’t like makeup even on other people. Or at least he thought he didn’t because the only time he noticed it on most people was when they hadn’t put it on very artfully. He noticed it on Manda and Becky sometimes because he could smell it on them when they were holding him. Jamie was particular about smells. He didn’t even like scented soap.

“What about shoes? Or, I dunno, accessories. Like a hair bow.”

“I’m not a girl,” Jamie said. “I thought those things looked comfortable and pretty. That’s all.”

“So it’s just that then? No other girl-coded stuff?”

“No.” And unless those things proved very comfortable, he didn’t see himself wearing dresses or skirts in the winter. He hardly saw himself wearing them now. He just thought he’d like them when it was hot outside.

“Okay. I’ll cancel the order for the dollhouse then.”

He didn’t fall for it. “You didn’t order a dollhouse.”

“No. And I don’t have to hide my shoes from you now.”

“You thought I’d wanna try your shoes?”

“No, silly bear.” She took the bar of soap and started to wash him everywhere.

“It’s stupid,” Jamie said spontaneously.

“What’s that?”

“It’s just a dress. I mean, of course it’s more comfortable after being outside all day.” Or at least he assumed it was, and it looked easy to slip on after a day at the pool or beach. He could even wear his swimsuit under it to the pool, like Manda and Becky and Jane and Ella and Rosie did. “I should be able to pick an article of clothing without it having some larger meaning about my identity. It’s just clothes.”

“I didn’t offend you, did I?”

“No. I know you only asked because you care.”

“You know you might get teased.”

“I know.”

“You’re okay with that?”

“I guess. Will you stick up for me?” He knew the answer to that.

“Always.”