Cast of Characters:
John
Twenty-six. 6'1", blue eyes, light brown hair, 170 pounds.
Extravagant, outgoing, enthusiastic, domineering.
Aaron
Twenty-five. 5'11", green eyes, black hair, 160 pounds.
Athletic, adventurous, flaky, and mischievous. Twins with Mike.
Mike
Twenty-five. 5'11", green eyes, black hair, 150 pounds. Quiet, shy, passive.
Twins with Aaron.
Cindy
Thirty-one. 5'10", blue eyes, shoulder length blond hair.
Smart, bossy, manipulative, very attractive.
Michelle
Twenty-nine. 5'9", brown eyes, black hair down to the middle of her back.
Quiet, intelligent.
Scene 1
"I have the most brilliant plan!" John announced. "This is going to be the greatest summer ever, and it's all thanks to me!"
Mike and Aaron looked up from the football game they were watching. "Alright," Aaron said, "What's your latest bright idea? Keep in mind that it had better be an improvement on 'we'll rent a beach house and meet chicks,' which has obviously not panned out."
John picked up the remote and clicked off the TV. "We've been here for two days. While the pair of you were sitting here twiddling your thumbs, I was out meeting people. And I found two beautiful girls."
"That's very generous," Aaron said. "But what are you going to do while Mike and I are with them?"
"Very funny," John said. "Actually, The two of you will have to share."
Mike looked up at John nervously. "John, just because we're twins doesn't mean we date the same women."
"Give me a little credit, guys," John replied. "I told you, I have a brilliant plan. It starts with this." He held out a small, odd-looking electronic device with four buttons.
Mike and Aaron just stared at him.
John smiled. "It's an age changing device."
"WHAT?"
John turned the device over in his hand. "I know it's hard to believe, but they were selling them at a little store in the mall." He received sceptical glances from his friends. "Never mind, I'll demonstrate later. The point is, chicks dig little kids, and Michelle and Cindy in particular do. Do you see where I'm going?"
A brief pause. "Crazy?"
John rolled his eyes. "We use this to turn one of you into a three year old. Then the other pretends to be his father. I'll be your brother-in-law, helping out with my nephew after the tragic death of my sister a couple years back. The two of you can take turns being the kids every time they come over, and seeing you with the cute little son will hook 'em right in."
Mike looked wide-eyed at his friend. "That's disgusting. It's completely unethical, it's..."
"Besides," Aaron said, "It's pretty obvious the stupid little gadget is garbage."
"Oh yeah?" John said. "Watch!" He pointed it at Aaron. Aaron stood up and backed away from the device. "Don't point that thing at me, man."
"I thought it wouldn't work?"
"It won't. I just don't want -"
John didn't let him finish his sentence. He pressed a series of buttons, and suddenly, there was a flash of light.
For a moment nothing happened, but then Aaron's body began shrinking rapidly, his clothes extending until they hung absurdly over his tiny body. After a few moments, he stopped shrinking, and a little boy stood in a pile of Aaron's now-oversized clothing.
"What did you do to me?" Aaron said, then blushed at the sound of his high-pitched voice.
John just grinned. "I told you it would work."
Mike looked his brother up and down. It was a perfect physical regression. Aaron looked exactly the same as he did when they were three years old. Mike looked back at John and whispered, "That's amazing, it works. How much did it cost?"
"Believe it or not, they were giving it away. The man there said that someone had commissioned it and then not picked it up, but it was paid for, and he wanted to get rid of it. I didn't ask any questions."
"How convenient."
"Anyway," John said, eager to start the play in earnest. "Are you two in?"
Aaron, gazing at his chubby hands in amazement, didn't say a word.
Mike said, "John, this whole plan is crazy."
John shrugged. "Your choice. Take a risk, try to hook them in, and if it doesn't work, we're stuck watching television. What's the worst that can happen?"
Mike and Aaron looked at each other. After his initial shock, Aaron slowly regained his composure. The two brothers shared a silent conversation, two people communicating the way only identical twins can.
Then they nodded, turned to John, and said in perfect unison, "Okay. Let's do it."
Scene 2
An outsider who saw John pull the car into the Wal-Mart parking lot would not have seen anything out of the ordinary. John was driving, Mike was in the driver's seat, and a three year old Aaron dressed in slightly oversized clothes was sulking in the back seat. John had apologized for picking the wrong size, and insisted that they had to pick up a full wardrobe anyway to make the ruse believable.
Mike opened his door, but John grabbed him. "Wait. You two need names."
"We have names," Mike replied.
"No," John said impatiently, "I mean if you go by Mike and Aaron then you'll just get confused when you switch. We should just pick out new names, one for the three year old and one for the father. Let's see, something cute for the kid. How about Ricky?" After a brief silence, he went on. "Okay, and for the father...ooh, perfect! Richard! Richard and Richard junior - Ricky."
Neither Mike nor Aaron seemed thrilled, but it could have been worse.
When they entered Wal-Mart, John took control, finding a middle-aged saleswoman and turning up the charm. "Hi, ma'am, I was wondering if you could help us? This is my brother-in-law and his son. The airplane lost the suitcase with all of Ricky's clothes, so we just have the one outfit he's wearing. Of course, we'll probably get it back, but who knows how long it will take. Now, we just came out to enjoy our vacation, so we had no idea we'd have to deal with something like this, and..."
The woman interrupted him politely. "Of course I can help." She led them over to boys' clothing and began looking through for items, occasionally holding items up to Aaron. "Does he like Barney?"
"No!" Aaron shouted. The clothes John had bought him were pretty innocuous, just shorts and a plain T-shirt. Childish clothes just made the whole thing worse.
"Of course he does," John said over him, patting Aaron on the head. "He's just tired." Aaron shot him a vicious look.
The woman continued to look through the racks of clothes, and rapidly accumulated a pile of a half-dozen outfits while she chatted. "Is his mother around?"
"Oh." John turned solemn. "Mommy's in Heaven, isn't she Ricky."
Aaron nodded, a perfect expression of childish sorrow on his face.
Then, quietly, John said to the woman, "Plane crash. Fireball, she didn't stand a chance. They had to use dental records, if you know what I mean."
"Oh my," gasped the woman, "I'm so sorry. I never would have asked..."
John put his hands up. "You didn't know."
She continued collecting the clothes in silence, finally asking, "Does he wear diapers or underwear?"
"Underwear!" Mike and Aaron cried in unison.
John turned to Mike. "Well, Richard, he's still having accidents. We should probably get some diapers just in case."
Mike pulled him off to the side and whispered, "John, there is no way on Earth I'm going to-"
"Relax, you don't need to actually use them. It'll be cute."
Mike crossed his arms. "John, no, forget about it, there's no way."
Used to getting his own way too many times, John just smiled. "Look, we'll get the diapers, but we'll also get underwear, and whoever's being 'Ricky' can decide which one to wear."
John walked back to the saleswoman. "Richard's just worried about the cost, but I told him we'll just have to stretch the credit cards a little."
The woman escorted them over to the cash registers, and told them "Wait here for a moment."
She hurried away, and returned five minutes later. "I spoke to the manager, and we both felt so sorry for you. Between your sister and the plane and the money. It's just awful. Anyway, we'll cover the cost. Just enjoy your vacation."
"Oh we couldn't!" John said, somewhat half-heartedly.
"Nonsense. Please, we'd really prefer this."
"Well, if you insist."
The three of them walked out with three bags of very cute, and very free, clothes for Ricky.
"I told you we could handle the cost," John remarked, grinning.
Scene 3
As they'd agreed earlier, Mike would be Ricky for the first date, since Aaron had been Ricky when they went shopping. As a result, Mike was beginning to regret not siding with Aaron about the Barney clothing, which he was now wearing from top to bottom and even underneath (a compromise with John, who'd insisted that "There's nothing that makes a father look more attractive than changing his kid's diaper," but relented when Mike agreed to the Barney underwear). Aaron, now back in his normal clothes, had been more than happy to side with John after Mike had accepted the purchase of diapers.
Michelle and Cindy arrived at seven, as they'd promised. John and Aaron had been cooking all evening, but the meat loaf wasn't quite ready, so the four of them sat down for drinks while it finished. As planned, Mike wandered in a few minutes later.
John knelt, and in a slow, condescending town, said, "Ricky, I'd like you to meet two friends. This is Michelle. Say 'Hi Michelle.'"
As they'd practised, Mike said, "Hi Miselle."
"And this is Cindy. Say 'Hi Cindy.'"
"Hi Cindee."
The two women were dazzled. "Oh, he's so cute." Michelle picked him up, while Mike tried to act "shy but polite," per John's instructions.
Michelle asked, "How old are you?"
"Thwee!" And he held up three fingers.
"Wow, you're a big boy."
Mike nodded. It was hard to tolerate being talked down to like that, and harder to maintain the childish babble he had to respond with and the carefully cultivated lisp. The only thing that made it worthwhile was that, if all went well, she might be holding him again the next night.
After a few more minutes, John announced that the meal was ready, and they all gathered around the table.
Aaron started cutting Mike's piece of steak into tiny chunks. Mike decided that he could get away with rejecting this without blowing his cover. Shaking his head vigorously, he announced, "No! I cut!"
The resistance surprised Aaron, but he didn't want to embarrass his twin (especially since their positions would be switched the next day). John, however, didn't want to lose the moment. "Ricky, you'll hurt yourself if Daddy doesn't cut it for you."
"I cut!"
"You're not big enough to use a knife. But maybe you'd like to help Daddy cut?"
Aaron took the cue, and put Mike's hand on top of his own, as if Mike were guiding his hand. Defeated, Mike went along with the exercise.
"That is so sweet. You're such a good father," Michelle whispered in Aaron's ear when he sat down again.
After dinner, Aaron put Mike to bed, and Michelle insisted on helping. She just watched as he changed Mike for bed, carried him to the small bed they'd gotten, and tucked him in.
The two of them then joined Cindy and John, who were sitting next to each other on the couch and chatting over a glass of wine. Despite the men's best efforts, however, nothing else came of it, and the two ladies left for home, promising to go out to dinner with them the next day.
Scene 4
Mike woke up very, very annoyed. He must have fallen asleep waiting for Cindy and Michelle to leave, but John and Aaron had forgotten to change him back. Removing his thumb from his mouth, he marched over to the closet where the device was stored, and after some fiddling, set himself back.
He then marched into John's room and used it on him, then hid it out of John's (now quite limited) reach.
John was the last of the three to get up, and he had to bite back an urge to scream with frustration when he saw what had happened. Holding up his boxers, he stormed into the kitchen where Mike and Aaron were sipping coffee.
"Good morning, John!" said Aaron, a bit too happily.
John just glared at him. "What did you do to me?"
"Well, we thought it was only fair. We have to deal with it when the girls are over, we want you to share in the experience."
John continued glaring at him. "We don't have time for this. Put me back."
"Look," Mike said, "we have to embarrass ourselves in front of them, and you're constantly demanding that we do more. Now do you see why we're so reluctant?"
"Is that why you did this?" John tried to get control of his anger. "I'll make a deal with you. I'll go outside and play like a three year old if you agree to do more."
"No way," responded Mike.
"Wait," Aaron said, "It's my turn tonight. John, you have a deal. Whatever you do, I'll do."
"Fine. Get me dressed."
Mike picked up John and carried him to Ricky's bedroom, where Aaron pulled out a swimsuit and T-shirt.
"Wait."
"Having second thoughts?"
"No," John took a deep breath. "Get a diaper too."
Mike's jaw dropped and Aaron winced, remembering his promise. Even so, Aaron grabbed a diaper and started putting in on John. Mike pulled up his swim trunks, and John grabbed a pail and bucket and ran out the door as the twins ran after him.
To their surprise (and Aaron's dismay), John made good on his promise. He played in the sand for a while before deciding to vex his "parents." They weren't keeping a particularly close eye on him (since, after all, he wasn't really a kid), so while they weren't looking, he ran off. By the time Mike noticed, he had made good distance, and was in fact aiming straight for a couple making out on a blanket. Mike ran after him, and Aaron noticed and followed as well.
John ran right over their blanket (although it looked like he was chasing a butterfly, Mike was pretty sure he'd arranged to disturb the couple on purpose). Of course, Mike and Aaron had to avoid the blankets, and John intentionally ran through a series of them, so it took a while for them to catch up with him.
Finally, Aaron grabbed him.
John screamed, "But'r'fly!" loudly enough to bother everyone he hadn't already.
Amid nasty glares, Aaron carted John off.
"What was that about?"
"Just setting a high bar for you tonight, Aaron."
"Shall we go back in?"
"I'm not done yet."
"Which means you're going to do something worse, doesn't it?" asked Mike nervously.
"I definitely don't want this to get any worse," said Aaron.
"Fine, if that's all you can handle..."
Aaron twitched his lip, torn between pride and, well, pride. He couldn't let John outdo him, but he wasn't looking forward to keeping his end of the bargain. Finally, he gave in. John bided his time at first, playing some more in the sand before wandering into the water. Mike followed after him, and the two splashed around for a while. It wasn't until they left the water that the twins figured out what John's plan was: while in the water he'd pulled off his bathing suit, so when he left he was wearing only his diaper.
Mike went back into the water to look for it, and of course John took off for the other beach-goers. This time Aaron intercepted him, and Mike quickly found the trunks. John was carried back into the house, where Aaron and Mike discovered his last surprise: he'd used the diaper.
Once John was out of the diaper and back to his adult age, he said, "Don't forget Aaron, we made a deal." And he went off to take a long, long shower.
Scene 5
By the time John, Mike and Aaron arrived at the restaurant, the girls were already inside. Mike put Aaron onto the booster seat and they sat down. They chatted about their day, John telling the women about "Ricky's" antics on the beach. At first, Aaron wasn't pleased at getting the blame for John's behavior, but when Michelle and Cindy heard about the so-called butterfly chasing, they laughed so hard that Aaron was flattered to be the centre of attention.
"I like your T-shirt," Cindy said to Aaron, once the waitress had taken their orders.
"Yes," Michelle said. "Barney's cool."
Aaron smiled. "Uh-huh". He had wanted to wear a simple blue T-shirt with his red shorts, but seeing Cindy's and Michelle's smiles made him glad that he'd agreed to wear the juvenile design. He touched the image of the purple dinosaur on his chest with a pleased expression.
In fact, as the meal progressed, Aaron was so pleased with the attention the two women indulged him with that he decided to show John that using diapers wasn't such a difficult trick.
Mike sniffed the air, then turned to Aaron and said, "Hey buddy, you need a change?"
Aaron giggled, rocking back and forth in his chair. He hadn't thought that it would be any fun at all, sitting in his own poop, but now that he'd done it, he couldn't help but find it funny. "Daddy, I done a poopie!" he said, and collapsed with giggles.
"Way to tell the entire restaurant, squirt" John said.
Mike took Aaron to the restroom and changed his diaper. When they got back, the entrees had arrived and John was telling the girls stories from his college days.
Mike cringed when he heard John describing their keggers with such enthusiasm. "Of course," he said, "We've all moved on since then."
John raised his eyebrows. "Richard, maybe you got old and gray, but not me." He winks at the girls. "How about we check out a club after dinner, a little dance action?"
Cindy replied, "Aren't you forgetting someone?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, the kid," John said. "Damn. Another time, maybe."
Michelle smiled. "Maybe."
Mike let John dominate the conversation. It wasn't unusual for Mike to let others do the talking. He thought there was probably better things to be talking about than the excesses of college, but he was feeling especially shy that night.
Michelle and Cindy were beautiful women. It's difficult to look good when you're eating, but both girls managed it with ease. It was Michelle, with her brown eyes and long black hair, that provided the bigger attraction for Mike. But as he tried to concentrate on thoughts of the plan working and having sex with her, seeds of guilt were growing his mind. He knew it wasn't kind, this scam they were pulling on Cindy and Michelle. Making up a kid, inventing a family, just to get laid, it was an especially cheap trick.
Yes, Mike had agreed to the plan. But that was when the girls were strangers. Now that the theory had turned to practice, now that he was getting to know Cindy and Michelle as human beings, well, it wasn't so easy to cheat two people that he was quickly coming to consider as friends.
All in all, Mike thought, as he watched John talk and Aaron cram french fries into his mouth, being a sensitive guy was serious obstacle to having a good time.
Aaron, meanwhile, was getting bored. Bored with John's self-congratulatory conversation topics, bored with being three years old, and bored with being ignored. At first the girls had paid attention to him, but as John took over the conversation, they seemed to forget all about the little boy in the booster seat.
This whole scheme was supposed to be about getting chicks and getting laid. Michelle was the one he wanted, the one he had his sights firmly set on. But as things stood that night, the best thing Aaron could hope for from the Michelle was a kiss on the cheek and a pat on the head. Things would be different
tomorrow, of course, but it was strangely difficult for Aaron to imagine anything but the present. Instead of taking comfort in knowing that he would be back his adult size by the morning, he became increasingly frustrated at his little boy status.
Yes, by the time the dessert was brought to the table, Aaron was very, very annoyed. And that was very, very bad news, because as far as Aaron was concerned, it was time to have some fun.
When the waitress puts the bowl of ice-cream down in front of Mike, he pouted. "I doan wannit, Daddy."
Mike smiled encouragingly. "Ice-cream is your favorite, Ricky, remember?"
"Ith yucky!" Aaron screwed up his nose as if he was being offered raw onion for dessert.
Mike said, "Ice-cream is what you asked for, buddy, and ice-cream is what you get." He wasn't in the mood for indulging Aaron's little acting-out game. "Now remember your manners, remember what we agreed about how we behave in a public place." He smiled at Cindy and Michelle. "Ricky's still getting used to restaurants, but I think it's important to be firm with him."
Michelle nodded. She said to Aaron, "Daddy's right, Ricky. Eat your ice-cream like a good boy, okay?"
"No!" A scream, a vocal tornado, threatening to shatter diners' ear-drums and the restaurant windows.
Mike thought that it couldn't get any worse. And that's when Aaron picked up the bowl of ice-cream and threw it at Michelle.
Michelle shrieked, Cindy gasped, Mike gaped, and John coughed.
"Ricky," Mike said, "What's got into you? Michelle, I'm so sorry, he's never normally like this, I swear. Ricky, what the-"
The bowl was then followed by his sippy cup. Michelle ducked, and the cup flew over her head and onto the floor behind them, rolling under another table.
Michelle stood up. Ice-cream - chocolate ice-cream - dripped down her top.
"Richard," she said softly, "You have this little guy full-time. I'll give you five minutes off for good behavior. Come on, Ricky, you're coming with me." She picked Aaron out of his chair and he took his second trip to the restroom that night.
John and Mike were left with Cindy. Not content with tales of his college days, John started to boast about his video game abilities.
'Yeah, I mean Nintendo was my favorite, but the platform didn't matter, I was always amazing at those games. My friends would come over after school and I'd just blow 'em away, any game they picked, I was the total master, you know?'
Cindy listened patiently for a couple of minutes, nodding in all the right places, then smiled. "That's wonderful, John, sounds like you were a real expert." She got up. "I'm going to see how Michelle's and Ricky are getting on."
Mike signalled the waitress to bring the check, then glared at John and said, "Are you feeling all right? Little bit of sunstroke?"
John frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"All that 'Nintendo stud' garbage. Are you seriously trying to impress Cindy with a list of your highest scores? You don't even play video games these days, why did you bring it up?'
John sneered. "Oh, I get it, you're just jealous, you always sucked at Nintendo."
Mike sighed. The evening had not gone the way he had expected, with Aaron acting out, his own guilt-trip, and John being just plain weird. He paid the check and the girls arrived back with a pale-faced Aaron, who seemed very pleased to be leaving.
Mike took Aaron's hand and looked at the Michelle and Cindy. "Everything okay?" he asked. "I'll pay for the dry-cleaning, of course. Or a new top. I'm just so sorry."
Michelle nodded. "We're good. The top will be fine." She smiles. "Say, it was really nice seeing you again."
Mike blinked. "Really?" He thought it likely that they wouldn't want another date, not after Aaron's little meltdown. "Oh, well, how about you come over for drinks, tomorrow night?"
"That would be lovely," Michelle said, and Cindy nodded in agreement. "We'll look forward to getting to know you better."
They walked out to their cars, John continuing his saga of video game successes. Mike was left struggling with Aaron's car-seat, and before he knew it, the girls had gone, and with it his chance of even a goodnight kiss.
Starting the drive back to the beach house, Mike looked in the mirror at Aaron, whose eyes were red, and he was much quieter than before.
'You okay?' Mike asked.
John turns around in his seat. "He totally looks like he's been crying. Michelle didn't beat you up back there, did she?," he said, followed by a snigger.
'I dint cwy...,' Aaron said, although he looked as if he was about to burst into tears right there.
"Sheesh," John said, "Speak English much? But hey, you look like a little brat, you may as well talk like one."
"He's just tired," Mike said. "It's hard work acting three years old. It's way past his bed-time, anyway."
As if on cue, Aaron rubbed at his eyes, yawned, then said "I...did not...cry," this time working hard to get the pronunciation crystal clear.
"Good job," Mike said, keen to lift Aaron's spirits. "That's much clearer."
John laughed. "You sound like you really are his daddy! Careful you two don't get carried away, or else you're going to end up shopping in the toddler section for Aaron's winter clothes."
Aaron piped up from the back, forgetting all about sounding like an adult, "I not a todd-wa!"
Mike shook his head. "Dammit, John, act your age and stop stirring him up."
"Oh man, you two are priceless," John said, stifling his laughter, but still finding the situation hilarious.
The rest of the drive home was made in silence.
Scene 6
The next morning, over breakfast, John, Mike, and Aaron, discussed their game plan. It had only been two dates, and it seemed that both had gone well. Of course, there had been the incident with Michelle carrying the bratty Aaron off to the restroom, but Aaron shrugged the matter off as unimportant, and refused to go into detail. Truth was, he wasn't quite sure himself what had happened, but he wasn't going to admit that either.
The question was, how to make this night go a step further. Overall, the girls seemed to enjoy their company. On the other hand, Michelle and Cindy were clearly resisting any escalation in the relationship.
It was Mike's turn to be Ricky, and while he reluctantly agreed to wear a diaper, he said that using it was completely out of the question.
The three friends spent the afternoon on the beach, lying in the sun, then playing in the sand. After a while, Mike brought out some sand toys they'd gotten for 'Ricky,' and the three of them built a sand castle together.
Once it started getting dark, they went inside to shower before Michelle and Cindy came over. When the women had arrived, the four adults sat on the couch and talked, while Mike sat on the floor wearing an especially juvenile pair of purple Barney shortalls and played with some toy cars.
John made drinks for everyone, including a sippy cup of juice for Mike. John and Aaron started on the beers, while Cindy and Michelle both chose glasses of Chardonnay.
"Great to see you again, ladies," Aaron said. "I was worried last week that John, Ricky and I were going to be stuck here by ourselves all summer. But here you are, and we sure do feel lucky to have met such beautiful women."
Cindy giggled, but said nothing, choosing to sip her wine.
Michelle smiled. "And I can't tell you how glad Cindy and I to have met you guys, and made such good friends."
Friends? Aaron was beginning to think that Michelle had been leading him on pointlessly all week when a red-faced Mike waddled up to him and stage-whispered, "Daddy!"
Aaron smiled down at Mike, and although from the smell made it perfectly clear what had happened, he said, "What is it Ricky?"
Mike didn't even have to think about maintaining the childish voice. "I make a poo-poo, Daddy."
"That's no problem, champ," Aaron said, picking Mike up and giving him a hug. "Let's get you into a nice fresh diaper."
John grinned when he saw the girls' positive reaction to Aaron's gentle fathering. He winked at Aaron as "Daddy" took Mike out of the living room, and decided that tonight was the night when he would make it clear to Cindy that he wanted something far more rewarding than mere friendship.
Aaron wrinkled his nose as he changed Mike's diaper. "Phew, you stink." Then he said, 'Hey man, thanks for doing this."
Mike nodded. "I dethided it wath time to take one for the team." Mike decided not to mention that he hadn't meant to go to the bathroom, he just hadn't noticed until it was too late.
Aaron, in turn, decided not to mention that Mike seemed to be lisping without even meaning to. Besides, whatever made Michelle and Cindy think that "Ricky" was adorable, was fine with Aaron.
Aaron took Mike back through to the others. Michelle picked Mike up and patted his diapered bottom. "All cleaned up, sweetie?" she asked with a smile.
Mike blushed. "Uh-huh."
"You look a lot happier than you did last time I saw you," Michelle said. "I hope you're not still mad at me."
Mike looked over at Aaron, who hadn't revealed what had happened the night before in the restaurant restroom. He shook his head. "Nuh-uh."
Michelle smiled. "What a good boy."
Mike smiled back at her. Knowing that Michelle thought of him as just a little boy who had messed his diaper was definitely not a boost to his ego. But he knew that the better things went that night, the more fun he would have with Michelle the next time, when he was back to his real physical age. So he was determined to be on his best behavior.
Michelle sat down with Mike on her lap and said to Cindy, "Where's the gift we brought for Ricky?"
"I've got it," Cindy said, and opened her bag and took out a book. "It's called 'Bed-time for Billy,'" she said. "We thought Ricky would like it, the pictures are great and it's just right for a three-year-old. Hey, Michelle, why don't you read it to him now?"
John rolled his eyes. Listening to a bed-time story wasn't what he had planned for the evening.
But Aaron, sure that the more the women liked Ricky, the more progress he'd make with Michelle, said, "Ricky loves stories, don't you Ricky?"
Mike nodded his head vigorously, putting on a show of eagerness. "Sto-wee, sto-wee!" he cried, clapping his hands.
Michelle laughed. "That settles it, story-time it is." She took the book from Cindy and began to read.
The story, unsurprisingly, was about a little boy's bed-time routine. Not riveting stuff for the adults, but Michelle had a very pleasant reading voice, and John and Aaron were content to start drink their beer, sit back and listen. Neither man became impatient or frustrated at their date turning into a baby-sitting exercise. Instead, they felt very relaxed and mellow. It had to be the beer, they thought to themselves, that was making them feel so laid-back.
Mike continued to do his part, giggling at the funny parts of the story, and pointing at the brightly colored pictures. He was surprised that he wasn't more embarrassed at Michelle treating him like a little boy, but the truth was that it felt nice to be held in her arms, and have her pay attention to him, even if it wasn't in the way he'd originally wanted. There would be plenty of time for adult entertainment the next night. For now, Mike was content to sit on Michelle's lap and listen to the story.
As the story went on, even John and Aaron started to get into the story. As Michelle told them about how the mother gave Billy his supper, bath and a bed-time story of his own, John and Aaron imagined themselves as children, and thought back to how their own mothers had put them to bed in similar fashion. There was something of a childish enjoyment in the way that they listened to the story. If they could have seen themselves, John and Aaron would have been embarrassed at the expression on their faces; just like little boys, paying close attention to the events of the juvenile story.
Mike, meanwhile, was also enjoying the story. In fact, as Mike listened, the more comfortable he felt, and gradually his head started to nod, and his eyes slowly but surely closed. He wanted to stay awake, but couple of minutes later, Mike was fast asleep.
"Out like a light," Michelle whispered to Aaron. She closed the book and said softly, "I can finish reading him the story another time. Probably this little guy's bed-time."
Aaron rubbed his eyes, suddenly aware that he had been in danger of falling asleep himself. "Yeah," he said sluggishly. Then, "I mean, that would be great, Mike...Ricky would love that." Realizing he had just said Mike's real name gave Aaron a nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach.
His cursed himself for feeling so foggy, and he put his bottle of beer down, deciding that he definitely didn't need anymore. How could a couple of beers have left him feeling so confused? He glanced over at John, but he didn't seem to have noticed Aaron's mistake. And neither of the women , so it looked as if Aaron had gotten away with it.
Michelle stood up, holding the sleeping Mike in her arms. "Okay if I help you get Ricky to bed?" she asked. "He's such a little cutie-pie."
"Oh, sure," Aaron said, "That'd be great."
Michelle looked over at Cindy. "You going to be all right by yourself with John?" she asked with a smile.
Cindy laughed. "I'm sure we'll find something to do."
Michelle carried Mike through to his bedroom, followed closely behind by Aaron.
Cindy turned to John and said, "That must have been boring for you, listening to the story."
John shrugged. "It was okay." He wasn't about to admit to Cindy that he'd actually been enjoying 'Bed-time for Billy'.
"Hey," Cindy said, "I've never seen your bedroom. Why don't you give me a little tour."
"Huh? I...sure!" John jumped to his feet, making Cindy laugh.
They went through to his bedroom and Cindy sat down on the bed. When John stayed in the doorway, unsure of where to go next, Cindy patted the space next to her. "Come on, Johnny, don't be shy."
John went over, as instructed, and sat beside her. It was clear that Cindy was waiting for John to make a move, or at least say something. John had been wanting to kiss her for days, but now that the moment had arrived, he felt tongue-tied and terrified. He'd never been this nervous with a woman. Well, not since he was a teenager.
And that was it! John realized that he felt exactly as if he were an immature teen, some kid with no experience, working up the courage for his first kiss. Why did he feel like this? He sneaked a glance at Cindy. She looked so mature, so utterly out of his league.
They sat in silence for a few seconds, which turned into a full, horribly uncomfortable, minute. Finally, with an air of pure exasperation, Cindy said, "Don't you like me, John? I've been waiting for days for you to make a move, and now I'm getting impatient. Do you want to have some adult fun, or are you just going to sit on your hands all night? Honey, you're not gay, are you?"
John blushed at the question. "No," he croaked, feeling as if his voice was breaking. "Of course I'm straight, and of course I...like you," he finished lamely.
"Such words of passion, you're the master of seduction," Cindy said sarcastically.
John's face burned with embarrassment. Why couldn't he think of what to say, what to do?
"Kiss me, John."
John hesitated, his stomach turning cartwheels, then he leaned over and kissed her. His eyes shut tight, he felt overwhelmed, as if this was his very first kiss. Cindy returned the kiss, pressing her lips hard against his, and soon they were kissing passionately.
"Aren't you the frisky one," Cindy said, "Just like a horny teenager." She let him put his hands on her breasts, and he gasped with excitement as she rubbed his crotch. But just when he felt he was regaining his old composure, just when he reached between her legs, Cindy pulled out of the embrace and pushed John's hands away.
"Come on, Johnny, you're cute and all, but you don't actually think you're old enough to be going all the way with me, do you? I like experienced men, honey, I don't sleep with teenage virgins."
John was confused. Surely, surely he had slept with women in the past, surely he'd had plenty of girlfriends. But those memories had become fuzzy. Had they really happened, or were they just an adolescent fantasy? And how old was he, anyway?
John looked at Cindy, into her eyes that were filled with amused pity, then down at his hands, crushed by her words. Of course Cindy was right. What would she want with a kid like him?
Cindy patted his arm, and said, "I tell you what. We can sleep in the same bed, and I mean just sleeping, nothing else. So you can see what it's like to be in bed with a woman. Something to tell the other kids in school, right?"
John nodded. Cindy's offer seemed like second-best, not what he'd originally wanted, but he knew that it was all he could hope for. They lay down together on the bed. Cindy put her head down on John's shoulder and went to sleep, and John fell asleep soon after.
In "Ricky's" bedroom, Michelle gently lowered Mike onto the bed and removed his Barney shortalls. "I'll leave him in just his T-shirt and diaper, if that's okay, Aaron."
"Yeah," Aaron said. It certainly was easier to let Michelle take care of Mike. He had been getting bored with playing "daddy". It was clear that whoever played the part of Ricky was going to get the most attention. Once Michelle had tucked Mike into bed, they left the bedroom.
Michelle said, "It must be hard work, looking after Ricky all the time. Do you ever get tired of it?"
Aaron nodded. "Oh yeah. Kids are really boring. I like doing grownup stuff, you know?"
"Absolutely," Michelle replied. "I know exactly what you mean. Ricky must get in the way sometimes."
"Sure!" Aaron said. "You're reading my mind, here!"
They sat on the couch and Aaron put his arm around Michelle's shoulder. It was good to finally have her to himself. Yes, it hadn't been fair that Mike had hogged all the attention earlier in the evening, definitely not fair that some little kid who was practically a baby should get all the fun.
They looked into each others eyes, and Aaron tried to remember what he'd been wanting to do. Oh yes, he was wanting to kiss her. Strange, but he wasn't quite sure why he'd wanted to do that. Suddenly, there was something a little silly about wanting to kiss a girl.
Michelle said, "You've got a funny look on your face, Aaron, are you all right?"
Aaron giggled. Perhaps instead of kissing Michelle, he could pull her hair and run away. Or he could get a bowl of cold water and throw it over her head. That seemed hilarious to Aaron, just thinking about it made him laugh even harder
"Now," Michelle said sternly, pulling away "You are going to be a good boy, aren't you Aaron?"
"Huh?" Aaron stopped laughing. There was something in Michelle's tone of voice that made Aaron feel as if he was in some kind of trouble.
"I don't want to have to put you over my knee and give you a spanking. Because that's what I do with bad boys. I spank their little bottoms."
Michelle's words were having a confusing effect on Aaron. Didn't she say the exact same words to him the night before, when he was being Ricky? He could remember how he had felt when she had taken him to the restroom, put him across her knee and spanked him. He had felt, for those few moments, as if he really was three years old. The sting of her hand on his bare skin was so vivid! But how could he have explained that to John and Mike, how could he have explained that she had made him feel like a real little boy?
It was likely, Aaron was sure, that Michelle was joking with him. But on the other hand, he felt as if Michelle was only too ready to scold him like he was a little boy, and punish him as well. Was it all a game? As Aaron looked into Michelle's eyes, he was all too aware that he didn't want to take the chance that she was kidding.
"I...I'll be good, Miselle," Aaron said nervously. "I mean, Michelle, I pwo-promise."
"Ohhh,' Michelle said, suddenly smiling. "How cute! You sound just like Ricky. I don't think you're a big boy, I think you're a little boy just like him."
Aaron shook his head, glad that Michelle no longer sounded mad at him but aware that it would be a disaster if Michelle didn't think he was an adult. He stood up as tall as his three year old body would allow and said, "I'm a big boy, Miselle, I don't wear a dy-puh or any-fing."
Michelle raised her eyebrows. "Are you sure? You look a little chunky around the waist, Aaron."
Delighted that he could prove his maturity so easily, Aaron unbuttoned his pants and let them fall to the floor. "See?" he said, proudly showing off his boxer shorts. "I wear big boy unda-weh, Miselle, I'm a big boy!"
Michelle nodded, looking for some reason as if she was about to burst out laughing. "Yes, it looks like you are a big boy, after all, sweetie. Now, sit down with me and I'll read you a story, won't that be a nice treat for a big boy like you."
Aaron beamed with pride. He was glad that he'd been able to prove that he was a big boy and not some little kid who needed diapers. He pulled up his pants and didn't feel strange at all when he put his thumb in his mouth and snuggled up next to Michelle.
Michelle opened the book and smiled. "Honestly, Aaron, I'm surprised you're still awake. It must be well past your bedtime, and you look very sleepy to me. Such a sleepy little boy, just like Ricky. Remember how Ricky went night-nights when I read this story to him?"
Aaron was determined to prove Michelle wrong. He was older as Mike, after all, he wasn't some dumb baby who needed diapers. But he was tired, no doubt about that, and with Michelle reading 'Bed-time for Billy' to him, and stroking his hair, it wasn't long before Aaron was fast asleep.
Scene 7
When John woke up, he was surprised at the smell of waffles in the air. For a moment, he thought he was back home with his parents, waking up for a lazy Saturday morning. He looked around, and didn't recognize the room at first, before he remembered about the beach house and...Cindy!
He looked at the side of his bed, but Cindy was gone. Without bothering to get dressed, he ran into the kitchen to see what was going on.
Cindy and Michelle had certainly been busy: the table was piled with waffles, pancakes, sausage, and bacon. Five places were set with glasses of orange juice.
Cindy smiled at John. "Sit down, honey. Mike and Aaron should be up soon."
The smell had made John so hungry that he started in on the waffles without even realising that Cindy had just referred to his friends by their real names.
Sure enough, a three year old Mike wandered in soon after, still in T-shirt and diapers, and Michelle helped him into one of the chairs and cut a pancake for him.
The last to arrive was Aaron, groggy from a poor night of sleep on the couch in Ricky's room.
The five of them sat around the table, an odd parody of a family meal.
No one spoke for a while, and then finally, Cindy said, "Boys, we need to have a talk about our...relationship, as it were."
That, John knew, was a bad sign. "Cindy, shouldn't we talk about this privately?"
"John, don't speak with your mouth full. This is important, and we need to talk about it now. Michelle, would you care to start?"
"Yes," Michelle said. "We begin with this." She took their age changing device out of her pocketbook and put it on the table. "I believe all three of you are familiar with it."
That snapped all three boys wide awake.
"Cindy, I can explain..." said John.
At the same time, Aaron said, "Misselle...Michelle, it's not what it wooks wike...looks like."
Michelle waved a hand dismissively. "It's exactly what it looks like. But seeing as the guy who gave you this thing is a good friend of mine, you picked the wrong women to try and cheat. Now, John, let's start with you. You tricked Cindy into thinking you were an adult, so she decides what happens to you."
She handed the device to Cindy. John still felt a little fuzzy, but he didn't think that was right...wasn't he an adult? And then he saw the table get higher.
"Frankly John, you weren't nearly as cute as 'Ricky,' Cindy said, "But that's easily remedied. There we go. Three years old, perfect. Once we get you into some nice Barney clothes, you'll feel right at home."
Cindy smiled at John as he gazed in confusion at his arms and legs. Then she handed the device back to Michelle. "You can handle Aaron and Mike."
"Thanks," Michelle said. "I'll be honest, Aaron. I don't like you as an adult or a kid. Selfish, demanding, aggressive. Everything I hated in my last boyfriend. But you're Mike's brother, so there must be something good inside of you. So I'm going to give you another chance.
Aaron's face grew hopeful. "Thank you, you won't regret-'
Michelle cut him off. "Another chance to grow up right, I mean. Perhaps, with Cindy as your mommy, you'll grow up to be a gentleman."
She pressed a button on the device. Sitting across from the two girls were three three-year-olds. One was in oversized boxer shorts looking terrified. A second was in a mass of oversized clothing and just looked confused. The third, wearing a T-shirt and a diaper, was oblivious to the changes around him, focusing mostly on reaching across the table to grab another pancake.
Cindy grinned. "Since Mike is already dressed appropriately, I guess we're done here. Would you boys like us to help dress you before we finish breakfast?"
"Wait," Michelle said. "I'm not through with Mike."
Cindy looked at Michelle in surprise.
Michelle looked at Mike as he tried to get the pancake, and she smiled. "I thought Mike was pretty sweet as an adult, and I'd like to try dating him for real."
Mike looked up at her briefly at the sound of his name, but went back to reaching for his pancake. Michelle walked around the table, picked him up, and started carrying him to 'Richard's' room, while Mike held out his hand towards the food. "Pan-ake!"
She put him in the room and removed his T-shirt and diaper, then used the device to return him to his normal age.
Cindy ran into the room. "Michelle, you can't be serious about this. We had a plan!"
"Things are different now, Cindy. Give me the other device."
Cindy shook her head. "No! You can't just change things like this!"
"You'll still get everything you wanted, but I'd rather have a boyfriend than a boy. It's my decision to make."
Reluctantly, Cindy went to her own pocketbook and pulled out a small remote control which she handed to Michelle.
Michelle hit one button on it, then shut the door, leaving Mike inside.
The return of Mike's adult self happened instantly. One moment he was sitting on the bed watching the adults talk, the next moment he remembered that he was one too. He remembered everything. Their plan for the girls, his infantile behavior, the regression of his brother and his friend, Michelle's comment that she wanted him to be an adult...and a boyfriend.
He went over to the dresser and got dressed, then walked back to the kitchen, to find that Cindy and Michelle had dressed both John and Aaron in 'Ricky's' clothes - Barney T-shirts and bathing shorts - and the little boys were devouring their breakfast. John, in the middle of stuffing a piece of pancake into his mouth with his fingers saw Mike and remembered that something wasn't right. He climbed off the chair and ran over to Mike, trying to express his worries. When he noticed that Mike was taller than him now, it only confirmed that something odd had happened.
"Mike!" he cried, "Not okay!"
Mike looked at John, who was looking about as worried as a three year old face could handle, and then at Michelle, who was silently pleading with him to play along. After a moment's thought, he decided that what had happened to John and Aaron was a fair response to the way they'd behaved.
He picked John up. "What's the matter, champ?"
John looked at him in confusion. Why didn't Mike realize something was wrong, and why couldn't he figure out what it was? He tried again. "No good!"
Mike smiled. "I bet you need your diaper changed, right?"
That was it. John hadn't even noticed, but that was exactly right. He had wet his diaper without even noticing. He nodded. "Weh dy-puh."
Cindy intervened. "Alright, John, let's go in your bedroom and I'll change you."
Somehow, John didn't want that. "Nuh-uh. Mike change!"
Cindy shook her head. "Uncle Mike's busy, John, so you're going to have to settle for Mommy," she said brightly, and she carried John into the bedroom.
Epilogue
That afternoon saw Cindy keeping track of her twin sons, who were trying to run wild across the beach. Cindy managed to keep them under control, mostly working on a large sand castle. In particular, she kept them from bothering any of the other people using the beach.
Two of those other people were Michelle and Mike, lying together on a blanket.
Mike closed his eyes, enjoying the heat of the sun on his body. "Why didn't you just leave me as a kid?"
"You were so sweet, both as a kid and an adult. But I prefer the adult version. Besides, it was Cindy who really wanted kids. I was just helping out a friend."
"So she's going to raise the John and Aaron alone?"
"The twins? Yeah, although I'm sure 'uncle Mike' will help a little."
Even with his eyes closed, Mike could tell that she was smiling. Mike laughed softly. "My pleasure." Then he said, "How will she raise them as twins?"
"The mental effect of the device is pretty strong," Michelle said. "They'll adapt to the situation pretty quickly if Cindy keeps telling them they're twins."
Mike reached for her hand. "And what about us?"
"What do you mean?"
"Where do the two of us go from here?"
Michelle sat up, ran her fingers through her hair. "We date like normal people. You know, talk through the night, find out just how amazing we both are, and if all goes well, fall in love...I mean, continue falling in love."
She waved at Cindy, who was hard at work helping the boys put the finishing touches to their sand castle.
"Hey," she said, "Maybe we'll even marry someday. I'm not too worried. I've seen you as a little kid and liked it, so if things don't work out, I can just wait until you're old and senile. And who knows, maybe some day we'll have kids of our own."
Mike sat up and blinked at the bright sun. "Yeah?"
"Yeah," Michelle said. She grinned and pointed. "I like that one." Mike followed her finger to a group of college students playing volleyball.
Mike said, "He already belongs to someone."
Michelle just smiled and snuggled into his arms.
THE END