The Dark Influence

Chapter 13
13: This Tested My Mettle as a Mom...

Monday arrived. The last day of the month. Chloe drove John to the daycare on her way to work like usual. Today, however, she took a minute, the same way she did when she dropped him off that first day. Kneeling down to John’s level, who happened to be picking his nose, Chloe gently moved his arm away before talking to him, “Okay sweetie, we’re gonna go in there today and do what?”

“Dig a hole?” John asked, wiping the booger on his Lion King t-shirt.

“No sweetheart, we’re going to go where?”

John’s eyes flashed with understanding, “On the potty?”

“That’s right!” She gave him a high five and a hug before walking him inside. Chloe had dressed him for success that day. A Lion King shirt, his favorite, and shorts he could easily pull up and down. Hopefully the image of Simba on his shirt would remind him to use the potty.

The receptionist welcomed him and motioned him out toward the main floor. Chloe crossed her fingers and prayed once she was outside.

One of the workers got the kids in a circle. “Okay kids, are we ready to sing our days of the week?”

“YEAH!” All the kids shouted in unison.

“Okay, ready? Here we go,” the kids joined in, “Sun-day-Mon-day-Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday-Fri-day-and-Saturday-tut-tut-those are the days of theeee week” before they all gave a little cheer. After a lesson about their colors (John was really good at colors) they sent the kids out to the yard to play.

John headed over to the sandbox like he liked to do. As he was digging his pirate hole, mumbling to himself, he heard a commotion. Looking up, he saw that one of the kids had tripped and gotten a boo-boo. No mind for him, he thought, and went back to his hole. Digging ever deeper, he felt his shovel hit something solid. He had never gotten this deep before. He was about to go tell one of the other kids, Eddie, who liked to dig holes with him sometimes but today was on the swings, when a shadow appeared above him again.

“John, do you have to go potty?”

“No, I don’ haf to. I jus’ dug a weally deep hole!” He exclaimed.

The daycare worker knelt down to his level again. “Honey, we’ve been over this. You need to tell one of us when you have to go potty.”

“But I didn’t go potty.” John reasserted, a little more forcefully. “I dug a weally deep hole!”

“Sweetie, no, you didn’t. You stink. Stand up for me.” She put her hands on his back and chest like she had so many times before. John had had it. He wanted to tell his friend about his hole to the center of the earth.

“NO! I WANNA TELL EDDIE I DUG DA HOLE!” He shouted, twisting his torso to try and get away.

The daycare worker changed tactics, “What’s that over there?” John followed her gaze to the garden.

“It’s flowews.” He said, bluntly.

“Okay, and what’s that?” She pointed to the mural painted on the side of the building. John didn’t understand what she was doing, but his anger subsided, “It’s biwdies” he replied.

She gasped with fake excitement, “Good job, John! You’re getting to be such a big boy. Now tell me, what do big boys do?”

“They go on da potty,” John said confidently, “Like I’m gonna do.”

“Good!” She chirped, “Do you have to go potty now?”

“No.” He went back to his bluntness.

“Aw come on John, why don’t we try, for me? Pleeeeeease?” She fake pleaded.

John considered for a moment. His hole was finished. He would get to see Eddie in a little bit for snack anyway, and could tell him then. “Otay,” he stood up, realizing he had not just gone potty in his pants, he had filled them.

“That’s why you gotta tell us when you gotta go potty, John.” The worker said matter-of-factly before leading him inside. John tugged at the worker's hand, trying to get to Eddie. Why wouldn't they let him?

The worker finished cleaning him up. This time she didn’t put him in a pull-up, but a diaper.

“Whewe’s Simba?” John asked in fear.

“Oh sweetie, we’re out of Simba okay? These will have to do for now. But you still have Simba on your shirt, okay?” John had ruined his shorts too, having blown out the pull-ups in his concentration to finish his hole, so he was left with just his Simba shirt and the diapers Chloe had left months before.

John was sent back outside to play. The worker walked over to the receptionist with John’s wet shorts, having rinsed them off in the sink, “Finally, it’s done.”

The receptionist placed a call to Chloe, getting her answering machine. “Ms. Baker? I’m sorry, but John has pulled the last straw. We’re going to have to let you go. I’ll give you the rest of John’s things when you pick him up today."