paddedlittleparadise: This had been one interesting ride. As a ride-hailing driver, every day I got
paddedlittleparadise: This had been one interesting ride. As a ride-hailing driver, every day I got a new perspective on humanity - from soused college kids to elderly grannies taking their Pomeranian to the vet, from stone-faced businessmen to air-headed blondes heading out for a night on the town. But this girl was different. I’d picked her up at the airport and headed out into the country with her; I suppose she must have been visiting her parents… Anyway, after tucking her suitcase into the boot, I was about to help her into the back seat - and that’s when I noticed. She simply and quickly hiked up her skirt and scooted into the car, clearly displaying what could only be an adult nappy wrapped around her bum.I tried not to stare, and decided not to say anything. I’m just the driver, after all. But it hadn’t been more than three more-or-less awkward minutes until I heard her voice from the back seat. “Guess you weren’t expecting to be driving a woman in nappies today, did you?” Well, she certainly wasn’t shy, that much was clear. I hemmed and hawed, trying to figure out the best response that would be polite and earn me that five-star rating. “Well, no, not exactly. That is, I’m sure I don’t mind, you know…”She chuckled knowingly. “Oh, I’m sorry - I didn’t mean to make it weird! I just know that you saw what I’m wearing, you see…” I caught her gaze in my rearview mirror, and as she smiled back at me, I couldn’t help but smile back. “Quite all right, miss,” I managed. “I’m sure you can wear whatever you need. None of my business, you know…” She shook her head and grinned. “Well, I wasn’t asking permission, of course, but I’m glad to know you don’t mind.”Half a mile later, she spoke up again. “It’s not that I need them, exactly. I don’t want you to think that. I just… well, I’ve taken to wearing nappies whenever I’m taking a flight. They’re so terribly convenient, you see.” I raised my eyebrows despite myself - and she must have seen the look of puzzlement on my face. “No, really! You know how awful it is to have to wriggle out past a couple of fat old men every time I need the loo? And it’s always so tiny and filthy on the plane… No, I found out years ago that it’s so much better to just wear some protection and stay seated. No worries, no germs, no sticking my bum in other folks’ face…”I couldn’t really argue with her - not that I wanted to. I need those five stars, after all. “Well, I guess you might have a point,” I commented as tactfully as I could. “I don’t suppose people look odd at you, I hope…?” She shrugged. “I dunno. I’ve mostly given up caring. I’m comfortable wearing my nappies, and I’m not bothering them. What’s the big deal?” She paused, and then laughed. “You know, I’d actually wonder if folks like you who drive all day wouldn’t do better doing the same thing…”I nearly choked at the mental image of me, putting on a nappy just like the one she was now cheerfully displaying in the back seat. What on earth… “Oh, I don’t know about that, miss,” I managed. “I’d not be much of a fan of that…” But then, I had almost wee’d myself not two weeks back, after that bloody lorry wreck made such a queue on the M1… At times like that, a nappy would have been a godsend. But no, that was just disgusting…right? I didn’t know…As we finally pulled in to the driveway of what she’d indicated was her destination, she spoke again. “You know, there was a time when I also used to think it was absolutely cuckoo,” she reflected, gazing out the window meditatively. “But really, it’s not - it’s just practical common sense. Why don’t you give it a try?” To that I dared give no more than a noncommittal shrug.***Well, people sure were odd, I reflected as I headed back toward the airport. I didn’t suppose I’d meet another lass like her in a long while. But as I drew nearer, I couldn’t help but notice my own growing need for the loo. Dammit. Maybe that girl did have a point after all…Image Credit: Bob Stewart / Galaxy PhotographyPlease keep my caption intact; as long as you do, may your umbrella never again buckle in the wind. -- source link