The Dark Influence

Chapter 10
10: Potty Training?!

The daycare life was pretty sweet. John enjoyed the days of the week song, he enjoyed snack time, he enjoyed juice. The kids seemed to get along with him. He was good at taking turns, a note would later say on his report card.

Disaster struck during time in the yard though. There was a little green field behind the daycare, as well as a garden, toys, and sandboxes for the kids. He immediately beelined for the sandbox before a daycare worker got between him and his hole-digging paradise, “John, honey, do you have to go potty?”

John thought for a moment, “No, I don’t haf to go,” he said confidently.

The daycare worker knelt down to his level, checking his diaper at both ends, “Good, you’re still dry. I’ll keep checking and we’re gonna see if you have to go potty okay?”

“Otay,” John said, eager to get to the sandbox.

“Keep an eye on him,” John heard the daycare worker say to her partner, “He’s the only one here whose mom gave us actual diapers.”

“Ugh, really? I thought all the kids have to be potty trained,” the partner responded in exasperation.

“Special case,” the first worker sighed. John had noticed most kids were in underwear like he had started with, or pull-ups at the most. His bulky bottom not only made him stick out, but made him physically slower than the other kids. He almost didn’t get a spot in one of the sandboxes, but made it just in time to grab a shovel and start digging.

Crouching on top of the sand, he imagined himself as a pirate, searching for buried treasure. He dug and dug, making sure to keep his bottom above the sand. Sitting felt weird to him. All of a sudden, a shadow appeared above his little project. The same feeling he got with Emily at the park washed over him.

“John, honey, do you have to go potty?” the same daycare worker from before asked.

“No, I don’t haf to!” John said excitedly, trying to get back to his project.

“Sweetheart, I think you went potty already.” She said in a condescending manner.

“No I didn’t!” John shot back. He hadn’t gone in his pants, he was sure of it.

“John, do you see any other kids here?” She motioned to the sandbox. A few minutes ago it was full of kids making castles and digging holes, but now was suddenly empty. He hadn’t noticed. He stayed silent.

“It’s because you went potty in your pants, sweetie, and when you do that, people don’t like staying near you.”

“I didn’t go potty though!” He reaffirmed.

“Let me check then.” She stood him up, and John had realized his mistake. He had filled the back of his pants, but he let her finish by looking inside them.

“Let’s go get you changed, okay?” She started taking him by the hand, but John wanted to finish his project. He struggled against her might, ending up crying until she finally got him to leave his pirate treasure. Every step back toward the inside of the daycare was torture. She brought him to the bathroom. There was no changing table here, instead a small toilet a toddler could fit on top of, and shelves above that lined with underwear and pull-ups. A small stack of his diapers from Chloe occupied space as well.

The worker got down on his level, “How does that feel, John? Does it feel good when you go potty in your pants?”

John sniffled, “No.”  

“When you go poop, it’s supposed to go in the potty, okay? Let’s try that for next time.” She lowered his pants, before gingerly taking the diaper off of him. She took a moment to dump his accident in the toilet before flushing. The loud sound scared him a little bit and he yelped.

“It’s okay sweetie, Mister Toilet is just taking your poop somewhere else okay? See, now it’s all clean!” She showed him the clean bowl, “Now let’s get you all clean!”

She wiped him off in a standing position, unlike how Chloe had done it. He didn’t like how the worker did it, this was different. Instead of a diaper, however, she reached up and grabbed one of the pull-ups from the shelf before returning to his level.

“Okay honey, see this? This is big boy underwear” she said with wonderment. John couldn’t help but be interested,

“Simba!” He pointed at the Lion King characters on the front and back.

“That’s right, Simba! And does Simba like it when you go pee pee or poo poo in your pants?” The worker asked. John shook his head no, “Good! Then we’re going to try this for the rest of the day, okay?”

“Otay!” John said with exuberance. He was on his way, he knew it.