The Bet - Chapter 56 free porn video

The Bet by Karen Singer Chapter 56 (Friday - week 8) In the wee hours of the morning, she opened her eyes. Her still fuzzy brain realized that the lights were on. She had fallen asleep without meaning to. Still dressed, she forced herself to get up off her bed. But with semi-wakefulness, her thoughts immediately returned to Sissy. Sissy! And she realized that she hadn't left him his usual note yet. At any other time, she would have decided to forget the note, let him deal with everything in the usual manner as she knew he most likely would. But she couldn't do that this time. Like yesterday, it was important that she leave him his early morning instructions. She left her bedroom and headed for her desk. Brief thoughts of coffee flashed through her brain, but it was too late... or too early... whatever! As soon as she could, she planned on going back to sleep again! Five minutes later, her instructions for him written, she grabbed her keys and headed over to his apartment where she quietly let herself in. She left the door open for a minute until she could turn the light on in the kitchen. The very dim light coming from the parking area through his door helped her to see. She found the light switch and turned it on. She left the note on his counter where she always left it. With the kitchen light still on so she could see better, she went to his bedroom and stood in the doorway a moment. His room was mostly dark shadows, but she could just make him out on his little blow-up mattress on the floor. There were three bottles on the floor next to his mattress, hopefully all empty. She hadn't even told him to drink them last night when he left. He had simply done it. He was that good. She quietly went over to his clock radio and adjusted the alarm for the time she figured he would need to wake up - a few hours from now. Later than yesterday, but still awfully early. Tomorrow... or rather later this morning, when she woke up... would only be a short while after he awoke. She paused to look down at the sleeping figure, amazed as always at how sound he slept every night. The distinct odor of something unpleasant in the back of his diapers was filling the air. She hadn't even pretended to put one of the suppositories up inside of him last night as she had meant to. And she hadn't told Robin to do it either. But it seemed that that was one part of him that now worked the way she wanted it to. Unfortunately, it was only while he was asleep. As she stared at the sleeping figure. She could see how he was sucking actively on his pacifier as he dreamed. She got a big kick out of that. She knew that if she took a full baby bottle and put it to his lips he would suck it down like he did his other bottles, and probably never even wake up. As she watched him sleeping, she wondered if he had any idea at all how much she thought of him. Probably not much, she decided. All her actions lately had been anything but kind. But then, wasn't that the essence of his fantasies? There was something about that thought that bothered her... her inner brain knew what that something was, but she purposely turned and left him so as not to think about that anymore. She turned off his kitchen light and went back to her own apartment. She finally got undressed and slipped a light nylon gown over her head. She turned off all the lights in her living room, leaving only the one light on by her bed. She set her alarm for later than she had the day before, but still far too early. Then she got in bed and pulled the covers over her. She was so tired. It was only with great effort that she found the strength to prop herself up far enough to turn out the light. Darkness. Darkness and sleep. Restful sleep. Much needed sleep. And much needed dreams. It was pure chaos! People everywhere... commotion everywhere. And in the middle of it all she and Sissy were trying to do Sissy's final testing! People kept running up to her with questions and demanding her time, and in all the commotion, she kept losing sight of Sissy. Fortunately, he was wearing his blue sissy baby dress so he was easy to find amid all the dark grey suits in the room, but she still had a difficult time keeping an eye on him. She answered yet another question about Feinbaum's contract and ran to find Sissy again. There he was, curtseying in his pretty blue dress and talking to one of Feinbaum's men. "Sissy," she said desperately, "did you wet yourself again?" Sissy pulled up all his layered skirts to expose his plastic panties that were all puffed out by the many layers of diapers inside. "I don't know," he said. She stared at his bulk of diapers. How could she see if he had wet himself inside all those diapers? "Mel! Get over here!" Feinbaum's voice barked. Frustrated, she left Sissy to see what Feinbaum wanted now. She was forced to talk with yet someone else about some vague part of the contract. And the whole time she was talking, all she wanted to do was to get back to Sissy to find out how he was doing. Finally, she got free. She ignored several calls for her attention from various people and went in search of him again. There he was, now in a different part of the room curtseying and talking with several people. She hurried over to him. "Can you control yourself yet?" she asked desperately. "I don't know," he replied. "What do you mean you don't know!" she argued. "You have to know!" "I don't know!" Sissy insisted. Someone was pulling on her arm. "Mel, we need you!" "But..." She needed to talk to Sissy, not discuss the contract! Once again she was pulled away to answer some of the same old questions. It was maddening. And as soon as she was done, she hurried back to Sissy again. "Can you control yourself?" she asked yet again. "I don't know," was Sissy's same answer. "But you have to know!" Mel almost screamed in her frustration. "Mel! We need you. The contract!" "No! I need..." "The contract! It's your job!" "But I have to..." "Your job! It's important!" "But this is important too!" she argued. She was pulled in two different directions at once. And again Sissy disappeared from her sight while she talked with more men in dark grey suits. It was with relief when she finally realized the meeting was over. She saw Sissy in his silly blue dress curtseying for everyone by the door and saying goodbye to each one as they left. When the last person was gone, she and Sissy were finally alone. "Can you control yourself?" she asked yet again. "I don't know," he replied. "But you have to know!" she said yet again. "Let me see your diapers." He pulled his skirts up exposing his overly padded loins. But she could tell nothing from what she saw. Nothing. How could she find out? He didn't know and she had no way to tell. The bet was over, but they had no results! But there had to be results! There had to be a winner! A buzzing sound pulled at her frustrating dream, finally pulling her away from the dream situation and into real life where she opened her eyes. Ugh! Another day. Another very early day. She sat up on the side of the bed and shut the alarm off. She remembered having to get up in the middle of the night to take care of Sissy's note. She guessed she was grateful for the sleep she had gotten before that, but she still felt groggy and unrested. Of course, it was earlier than she wanted it to be. But at least it wasn't nearly as early as it had been yesterday. She got to her feet with only one thought on her brain - coffee. Just like every morning, she had to make the coffee. It would be so nice when Sissy could bring the coffee, already made, into her bedroom every morning. So nice! As she stood in front of her coffee pot watching it work, she thought about just that, Sissy bringing her coffee in the morning. Soon now, very soon. Just another week... at least until the testing started. But... And then the realization hit her. Why wait until after the testing? This was going to be Sissy's last day at work. She could actually have him bring her coffee to her starting tomorrow morning! Why not? Yes! She would do it! She could even have him start sleeping here if necessary. She pulled a cup out of the cupboard and poured the fresh coffee into it. She took a sip, then another one. And she remembered one little thing that would be wrong with her plan - Sissy... and how sound he always slept. If she set an alarm for him, she didn't want it waking her up too soon. But she still liked the idea of moving him in with her now rather than later. The alarm was just a little detail she would have to work out. With her mind picturing Sissy, perfectly dressed in his maid's uniform, serving her morning breakfast in bed, she carried her coffee into the living room where she sat in her chair to enjoy it for a few minutes. Only when she was seated did the thoughts and worries from last night find their way back into her brain. He was fairly certain he could gain everything back in just a few hours! He had no idea at all how long he was capable of holding back. And to go along with that, he still firmly believed in the concepts of self-respect, friends, and a life. Despite what Robin had told her about his inability to control himself... despite what Cassie had been telling her about the same thing... all she could see were the obstacles that now stood in her way. How could she win? She had to win... because... But the reason she had to win wasn't something she was capable of putting into words just yet. Though she didn't want to think fully about the why of it, she only knew she had to win! Grunting, she forced herself to her feet and went to her bedroom to put some shorts and a t-shirt on before she made his morning breakfast of baby cereal. So how was she going to manage it? How was she going to overcome the obstacles? How was she going to win? A few hours? No idea? Self- respect? The loud blaring rock music suddenly set Chad's nerves on edge. As quickly as he could, he rolled off his blow-up mattress to his knees and turned the offending music off. Whew! He stared at the time on the clock. Early! Later than yesterday, but still awfully early. So why the difference? Why was it earlier than usual, but later than yesterday? As he fought his way to his feet despite his overly bloated and very heavy diapers, he could only think of one reason for the time change - another humiliation. Mel had something else new to humiliate him today cooking in that scheming brain of hers. Yet the way things stood right now, what choice did he have but to endure it? None! He would have to go through whatever she threw at him. And the best part of it was, that despite how much he would hate it, he would secretly love it just as much! That was the problem with him. He was a sissy. A big sissy. A super sissy. And the humiliation was one of his major needs. It would be nice to have a break every once in a while though... or at least have it slow down a bit. The bra holding his glued-on breast forms felt extra heavy for some reason today. As he waddled his way out to his kitchen, he tugged at it to resettle everything in place. And there was her note, right where it should be. Now to see what she had planned for him today! Sissy, Three bottles before you do anything else. Like yesterday, only do your hair - not your makeup. Wear only one diaper and your bra again when you come for breakfast - as early as you can. Chad read the note a second time. Like yesterday? Only one diaper again? As early as you can? That didn't sound good! Was she planning on taking him to work again wearing one of his silly sissy dresses? That's what it sounded like. So why was it so much later than yesterday morning? If that's what she was planning, then the big time difference didn't sound good. Maybe he'd better hurry as much as possible! He removed the pacifier from his mouth and quickly grabbed three bottles of her lousy tea from his refrigerator. He carried them into his living room where his one and only chair faced his wall of ridiculous pictures... and his framed copy of the bet contract. But once again he didn't see anything on the wall in front of him. He was too worried about what Mel had cooked up for him today! Mel stirred the pot of baby cereal one more time before turning the heat off. Now all she needed was him. She poured it out into his childish bowl and found one of his tiny baby spoons. She got a fresh bottle out of her refrigerator for him and set that next to everything else. Now where was he? Had she misjudged how long it would take him to get ready? The knocking at her door actually brought a feeling of relief. She hurried to answer it. "Good morning, Mistress," Chad said in his stupid sissy voice along with his usual curtsey the minute she opened the door. He was really quite a sight standing there in nothing but one thin diaper and his bra. His dark red purse and diaper bag looked more than a bit incongruous on his shoulders. The plastic bag containing his empty bottles was in his hand. "Good morning, Sissy," she replied as she stood back so he could enter. Like yesterday, there wasn't anything for her to inspect about him. So as soon as he had set his things down under her table by the door, she took the plastic bag from his hands and sent him into the kitchen to get up into his highchair. She had everything all laid out and ready for him so it took almost no time for her to stick the tray in place, tie his bib around his neck, and set his breakfast out for him. One big baby stuck in his highchair eating baby food. Perfect! Chad carefully spooned tiny spoonful after tiny spoonful of the awful tasting baby cereal into his mouth. At least he wasn't spilling as much of it as he used to... but there was always some that never made it into his mouth. As he ate, he watched as Mel again swapped out the empty bottles in his diaper bag for full ones, after which she was gone for a few minutes again. He assumed she was adding more diapers to his bag. After that, he watched as Mel refilled her coffee cup then leaned back against her counter to watch him. Was she going to tell him what was going on today? Yesterday she hadn't. But then when she did spring it on him yesterday, it had been a terrible shock. He didn't know what she had planned for him today, and that made him nervous... very nervous! So in a way, he wasn't looking forward to finding out. But he still worried about it and wanted to know. But like yesterday, it seemed she wasn't talking. He had resigned himself to not knowing anything when Mel finally opened her mouth. Unfortunately, what she started talking about had nothing to do with what he was currently worried about. "Robin called me yesterday," Mel told him, which instantly sent worry flags up Chad's spine. "She said she wants to be one of the judges for our bet." That didn't sound good to Chad at all. "But how can she be fair?" he asked between tiny bites of his cereal. "She claims she's going to be totally fair. And, she's somewhat insisting on begin a judge." "And you're going to let her?" Chad was really worried. "As long as she claims to be fair," Mel responded. "And since that would leave us with an even number of judges, I finally convinced Gloria to be a judge too." "Gloria?" That surprised Chad somewhat. "Yes. But... Gloria is only doing it under her conditions." She saw the dubious look on Chad's face before she continued. "And... I agreed, I guess for both of us. That is, unless you have some really big objections and then I'll tell her no." "What conditions?" Chad asked in his stupid voice. "The biggest thing, I guess, is that she's not going to let us decide the outcome of this bet ourselves. She's insisting that all the judges will get together with us on Saturday to determine the winner - like it or not. And the judges will decide the criteria for determining who wins, not us." Chad thought about that for a moment. He would have argued that they should be able to decide the thing among themselves, but he was the one who originally thought they might need judges to decide it fairly. So he certainly couldn't protest about that. "Okay," he finally replied. "I guess it's okay." Mel nodded. "I thought you'd approve." So now was she going to tell him what was going on today? But once again, she fell silent, and he went back to finishing his breakfast. His nervousness increased with every tiny spoonful of the awful tasting mush. When he had finished, Mel wiped his hands and face with his bib and let him out of his chair. "Okay Sissy. Let's go get you dressed." This was the part that Chad worried about, but at least she had mentioned getting him dressed so she wouldn't be sending him to work in just his diaper. Silently, he grabbed his purse and now heavier diaper bag from under her table, while she just grabbed her keys. Then he followed her back outside and over to his apartment - still wearing only his diaper and bra. He was glad to get back inside with the door closed behind him. It was awfully embarrassing being outside dressed as he was. But now the question was - how embarrassed was he going to be when he left again - for work? Like yesterday, Mel took him into his bathroom where she did his makeup again. And like yesterday, she seemed to go lighter with it than he usually did. He didn't get much of a chance to study his face because as soon as she finished, he had to follow her into his bedroom where she went straight to his closet. Mel stared at all the clothes in his closet, but there were really only two outfits she was looking for. She looked back at him briefly and smiled wickedly at him. He looked very nervous. She couldn't blame him. She looked back at his closet for a moment before suddenly springing on one outfit and removing it from the closet. She held it up for him to see. "Perfect!" she declared. "I can't imagine you wearing anything better than this." Chad nearly died! She was holding up his most babyish pink sissy dress... the one that left his diapers completely on display - all the time! "No!" he groaned. "Please Mistress, no! Not that! Anything but that! Please! Please Mistress, please!" "Oh come on," Mel replied. "You know you'll love it!" "No Mistress. Please! Not that. I can't wear that! Not to work! I can't!" Mel looked at him with a somewhat surprised look on her face. "Gee! I can't imagine why you're carrying on like that today. Look what you wore to work yesterday. This can't be much worse than that!" Now it was Chad's turn to look surprised. "But Mistress... It is! It's much worse. I can't hide my diapers at all in that! Please Mistress. Not for work! Please!" "Holy cow you're raising a fuss today!" she said, her voice sounding somewhat irritated. "Okay, if you're going to feel that strongly about it..." "I do!" Chad replied quickly. "I do. I can't wear that dress to work! Please!" he begged. "Well then," Mel replied as she held the pink dress in one hand and gazed back into his closet. "I guess I could give you a choice. You can either wear this," she held up the pink dress again, "or..." she reached into the closet and pulled out two hangers, "This!" she proclaimed as she held the garments up so he could see. Chad stared in shock. Of course! He should have known! He was relieved, but not by much. In many ways, her second choice would be worse than the first, but not by much. Reluctantly, his hand shaking a bit, he pointed at the second outfit - the bright miniscule plaid skirt and itchy wool top of his sissy schoolgirl outfit. Mel smiled. "Somehow I thought you'd pick that one." Chad was in no hurry to put the outfit on. The sweater and knee socks were made of wool that was not only very warm, they itched something terrible! As he was drawing the skirt up his legs, he realized something. "Mistress," he said. "Are you going to add more diapers again?" He wasn't sure at all that he wanted to know the answer to that one because more diapers would mean that they would definitely show below the bottom of his skirt... but not adding more diapers would mean that he would be forced to make his diapers leak all day again. "No Sissy," Mel replied. "Robin has promised to make sure you leak like you're supposed to all day. So only one diaper I'm afraid. Although I know how much you really like the diapers showing below your skirt. You could always consider rolling the skirt at the waist a bit so your diaper does show." Chad's whole body shook for a moment at that one before he realized she was teasing... he hoped. "No thank you Mistress," he replied as he fastened the skirt in place. But now came the miserable itchy sweater. Why did she have to buy a wool one? Did she have any idea how much the thing irritated his skin? But then he remembered, she did know. And that was the reason she had bought wool socks to go with the outfit. Ugh! A few minutes later, Chad stared at his reflection in the mirror. The bright green, red, and white plaid skirt - so short it was positively sinful! But with only the one diaper under it, he couldn't see anything below the bottom of the skirt - at least from his angle. He pulled down on his skirt anyway in an attempt to tug the thing lower. It didn't move. Above the skirt he was wearing his white angora wool sweater with the pink bow at the neckline. He was already fighting to stop himself from trying to scratch at his skin underneath it. Below the sinful skirt were his red wool knee socks - itchy too. And on his feet... saddle shoes. The heart shaped necklace and dangly earrings that Mel had bought him to go with the outfit were his only jewelry today. He stood there looking at himself as Mel fastened the white bow on top of his head. Picture of a sissy! Again! At least this time he couldn't actually see the diaper he was wearing under his skirt. When he had worn the outfit all around the mall last weekend, Mel had stuck him in so many diapers that they could easily be seen below his skit. He didn't think anyone could see the one diaper he was wearing today, but he wasn't all that sure about it. How about from the back? "You took so long getting dressed," Mel said to him, "that I hope too many people won't be around to see you going into the building today." Chad panicked again. Yesterday she had gotten him up much earlier and had made sure he got to work before anyone could see what he was wearing - mostly anyway. But today it was later, and if he didn't hurry, then he'd be arriving at prime time... when most of the people arrived. He turned fast and ran out to the living room. "Get your pacifier!" Mel called behind him. "And don't forget your little sissy purse!" Chad grabbed his pacifier from the kitchen again and rushed to transfer his phone, keys, and a few things from his wallet back into the tiny little purse again. He looked up at Mel. "Are you driving me to work today?" he asked since she had taken him yesterday. "No, I think you can get there by yourself today." Chad opened his door to leave, but he turned back to Mel and quickly curtseyed. "Bye, Mistress," he said hurriedly through the pacifier in his mouth. Mel giggled. "Have fun Sissy." Driving while itching so badly was nerve wracking. In fact, just the itchy wool was nerve wracking without driving. But he made it to work - early, but not very early. He could see a few people pulling in and heading to the building from various parts of the parking lot. But he knew that if he waited much longer, the amount of people who would see him would grow - by a lot! Hurrying as fast as he could, he opened his car door and got out. He opened his rear door and grabbed his diaper bag. Then, after closing the car doors, he ran for the building as fast as he could. At least the saddle shoes were fairly good for running in. The running also seemed to salve some of the itchiness his body was enduring. But at the same time, he realized that his running was also drawing all too much attention to him... from everybody that was around. But he couldn't stop now though, it was too late... everybody coming in had already seen him. He kept going, briefly wondering if they could see the diaper he was wearing under his skirt. Hopefully, he was going too fast for them to tell what it was! He opened the doors and dashed inside. More people in the hallways! He slowed his pace down to a nervous walk since all those people were in front of him and most of them were going the same direction he was. Well, most of them anyway. There were two women talking and heading toward him in the distance. Could he get to the corner and turn before they got there? He walked faster, almost catching up to the man in front of him. He got to the corner but the women were all too close... and the looks on their faces as they saw him told him way too much. "Sissy..." he heard one of them calling as he turned the corner to head down the next hallway. He purposely ignored her and kept going - still at his nervous pace. A few turns and three people later, and he was finally at his desk. Whew! But he had been seen! By more than one person! And some of the people who had seen him were women that he knew from the break room! Now what was he going to do? As Robin got out of her car, her mind was totally occupied with wondering what Sissy was going to wear today. But Mel had said yesterday that she was going to let him choose again, so she wasn't expecting anything "interesting." Pity! She had rather enjoyed yesterday. As she turned down one of the hallways, she ran into one of the women she met with every day in the break room. "Robin!" the woman said as she hurried over. "What's with Sissy today?" "Sissy?" "Yeah, we were here a little early today to get some copy work done, and we ran into him as he was hurrying in. The outfit he had on!" "Outfit?" Robin asked, not knowing what she was referring to. "And not only that..." she dropped her voice to a whisper. "It looked like he had a pacifier in his mouth!" Robin's eyes went wide. "He did?" "Yes! He did!" Robin wanted to laugh. "I can't wait to see what you're talking about!" Robin replied. "Well, you better make sure he gets to break this morning, or I can guarantee that most of the company will be down there to see him for themselves! Me included!" "Um... okay. I'll do my best to get him there," Robin replied. What was Sissy wearing? It sounded like Mel had put him in something else that was very interesting. She was betting that it was one of his other pretty sissy dresses - especially since he had come in with the pacifier in his mouth. She giggled at that thought as she now hurried toward her desk. She turned the last corner hoping to see him out in the hallway again, but he wasn't there. Was he hiding again? If his outfit was anything like what he wore yesterday then she couldn't blame him. Halfway down the hallway, she saw his head poke out sideways again - and again she noticed the same white bow in his hair. Yes! Another little girl outfit. But when he quickly stepped out into the center of the hallway and she could see his entire outfit, she was so stunned she stopped short once again just to look at him. Unbelievable! She was so stunned that it was a moment before she could continue walking. She had expected a little girl outfit... but not... this! "Good morning Robin," Chad said in his stupid sissy voice after curtseying and removing the pacifier from his mouth. Then of course he had to replace the pacifier and curtsey again. "Good morning, Sissy," Robin replied, although her entire attention was focused on what he was wearing. Wow, that skirt was so short! And was that top made of wool? It certainly looked awfully heavy! She had seen pictures of him in the outfit, of course. They were among the ones that Mel had sent after his trip to the mall. But seeing the outfit for real was totally different. She set her bag down in the hallway and walked all the way around him. His hands kept playing with the short hem of his skirt... no, he was trying to keep it tugged down. On a whim, she picked up the back of his skirt a bit. Yep, one very soaked diaper just barely covered by the skirt. If he moved wrong the thing would show for sure! "Do you know," she said as she got back toward his front side again, "that I just ran into one of the women we see in the break room every day? She asked about your outfit, but of course, I had no idea what you would be wearing today." She giggled. "She also mentioned that you had a pacifier in your mouth when she saw you." Chad nearly died! His pacifier! In his rush to get to his desk, he had forgotten all about it! How was he supposed to explain that? For that matter, how was he supposed to explain anything? "Is that diaper leaking?" Robin finally asked. Blushing, Chad again curtseyed and removed his pacifier, "Yes, a little," he admitted. Pacifier, curtsey. "Good. It's always best to start the day with no problems. Go change it," she told him. No problems? He had nothing but problems today. Big problems! But he curtseyed and hurried into his cubicle to change his soggy diaper. He had forgotten about his stupid pacifier! As if what he was wearing wasn't bad enough! He fought the urge to rub madly at his chest to relieve the constant itching from his sweater. It wouldn't do any good if he did! Robin watched as he simply pulled his tiny skirt all the way up. He certainly didn't have the problem he had yesterday where he had to deal with too many skirts. His skirt today was the exact opposite of what he had to deal with yesterday - too little skirt. It only took him a few minutes to change. When he was done, she looked at him for a moment. Something seemed wrong. Well, not wrong, just not what she thought she should be looking at. "Take your pacifier out and suck your thumb instead," she ordered. She watched as he put the pacifier on his desk and stuck his thumb deep into his mouth. "Much better!" she declared. "Suck your thumb today, it goes better with your outfit." With that, she walked out to finally go to her own cubicle and get ready for the day's work. The pacifier had been perfect with the babyish dress he was wearing yesterday. But the outfit he had on now was... okay, she was guessing some kind of schoolgirl look, so it was still childish, but it was an older child. And for some reason, she liked the thumb better with it than a pacifier. She giggled a bit at the thought, that for him, his thumb in his mouth could be considered an accessory. Mel sat at the conference table in the Feinbaum building and listened as the meeting started to wrap up. She had worn her new blue suit today and felt much more in style with everyone else. The meeting had gone pretty much as she expected it to. They had gone around the room discussing different sections of the contract, but the end result was that everybody seemed to be happy with it now. When they had gotten to her, she had simply said she saw no problems with any of it and they had moved on. Dick Feinbaum was running the meeting, but it was his father who put the finishing touch on it all. "That's it then," Harry Feinbaum finally said. "We meet with everybody at Green Growers on Monday morning and recommend that they go ahead. And I'll set up the finalization with Sunshine for Tuesday. It looks like we're about done with this one," he said sounding pleased. "Thank you everybody for your hard work. If nobody has anything else, that's it for today." He looked around the room, but nobody had anything to add and the meeting quickly broke up. Mel was back in her car a short while later and decided to go home to change. The new suit was nice and it was comfortable, but no use wearing something like that to the office for what she still had to do today. And today she would be meeting with clients again all afternoon. Chad was sitting at his desk not doing much of anything except occasionally scratching at some of the constant itch, when he saw an email come in from his boss, Tom Robinson. He opened it quickly. The email asked if he thought he would have time before he left on vacation to handle a few minor tasks that had come up. Chad figured he pretty much knew what those tasks were since he handled them frequently. He wrote back quickly to tell Tom there would be no problem, he should be able to handle them easily. Ten minutes later, a short list of items that needed attention hit his desk. He looked at the list and quickly got to work. Robin thought she heard the faint sounds of typing coming from Sissy's cubicle. What was he doing? She didn't have anything left for him to do on their project, and break time was coming up in a little while. In fact, his leaking time limit was coming up even sooner. So why wasn't he sitting on her floor drinking another baby bottle? Curious about what he was doing, she got up and went around to his cubicle. "What are you working on?" she asked as she walked in. Chad knew that break was coming up soon. He also knew that Robin was most likely going to make him go this time - which he was hoping he could avoid. He got up from his seat and curtseyed. "Tom sent me a list of things that has to get done right away." He curtseyed again... and hesitantly, stuck his thumb into his mouth. Robin checked the program he had opened on his computer and realized that he was indeed working on things for Tom. "Okay," she said. "I was just wondering. Are you leaking yet?" she asked. Thumb out, curtsey. "Not yet," he admitted. Curtsey, thumb back. Robin shook her head. "You know your time limit is almost up. If you're not leaking by then, then I can assure you that you're not going to like what happens - at all! And trust me, I already have Mel's permission!" Chad had no idea what she was talking about, but it didn't sound good. Thumb, curtsey. "I still have a little while," he replied. Curtsey, thumb. "But not all that long! Go get a bottle... now!" Reluctantly, Chad left the first actual work he had done in a little while and went around to Robin's cubicle to get another bottle. He knew his diaper was very, very wet. Almost wet enough to start leaking. So hopefully, it wouldn't take all that much longer. Hopefully. As Robin followed him back to her cubicle, she wondered just what she would do to punish him. Mel had told her it would be totally up to her. Whatever she decided was best. She really had no idea what she would do, but she also knew she would most likely come up with something. But he seemed to be doing so well with getting his diaper to leak on time, that she seriously doubted she would ever have to worry about it. He had an hour and forty-five minutes to be leaking each time, and he was consistently making it in almost an hour and a half. And he still thought he could win their bet? But then, he did have those two days to regain control. But could he? She really had to wonder. A few minutes later, while Sissy was sitting on the floor of her cubicle working on his baby bottle, her office phone rang. "Hello?" she said as soon as she picked it up. "Robin!" a female voice that she recognized said, "I heard the most outrageous things about Sissy this morning!" Robin glanced back at Sissy on the floor of her cubicle, having a pretty idea of what the "outrageous" was that she was talking about. "Yeah, his outfit is... somewhat outrageous today." "Not only that, but I heard he was wearing something... different... when he ran out of here last night. Some kind of blue dress or costume or something!" It sounded to Robin like the rumors about Sissy's outfits were spreading fast. "Yeah, the dress he was wearing yesterday was blue. He just couldn't make it to break yesterday." "Well, I hope he's going to be there this morning." "Oh, we're planning on it," Robin replied. She looked down at him and saw him looking back up at her with a fearful expression on his face. "Good! See you then," the woman replied before hanging up. Robin realized that she had just agreed to make sure he was going to be at break in a little while. And she knew of no excuse to keep him out of it this time. "Break time is coming up in a little while," she said to him. "And it sounds like the rumors about your outfits are spreading fast. The woman I just talked to mentioned your blue outfit from yesterday. I don't see any way for you to avoid going to break now." But this time, Chad thought he had an excuse. Even though he wasn't finished with his bottle yet, he stood up and curtseyed. "But Robin," he said, "Tom said he needed that stuff taken care of right away! I can't go to break. Especially not if I have to sit here and finish this bottle too!" Robin just stared at him for a moment. Tom had said that? But she had seen the kind of thing he was working on at his desk. It was most likely true. And things like that did come up once in a while. She actually didn't know if she was disappointed or relieved. "Very well Sissy. I guess you better take care of business - for once! But I think you better plan on going to break later today or you're most likely going to have the whole company down here to check on you." Chad knew that what she had said was all too true. But not having to go yet was a huge relief. Instead of replying, he simply curtseyed and sank back down to the floor where he put his baby bottle to his mouth, and a moment later, his hand went under his skirt. He stood right back up again and curtseyed. "I think I'm leaking." Robin didn't know whether to giggle or just feel relieved. She realized then that she was mostly just happy that he had a good excuse for not being at break this morning. She was relieved, because she wouldn't have to worry about anyone asking questions that might affect her! Andrea answered the office phone on the second ring. "Hello?" "Hi Andrea, it's Gloria." "Oh hi Gloria. Mel's not in the office right now, but I expect her back shortly." "Actually, I wasn't calling for Mel this time, I'm calling to talk to you." "Oh! That's right, Mel said you were probably going to call about Sissy's testing thing." "Yes. I guess Mel told you that I had certain... conditions that I'm insisting on if I'm going to be one of the judges for this thing?" "She said you did, but she didn't tell me what," Andrea replied. "Well, I was thinking of getting everyone together to discuss the whole situation." "Okay, that sounds fine with me, but it would have to be after work." "Actually, I was thinking about this weekend sometime," Gloria told her. "I usually work evenings when you're off and I know how hard it would be for everyone to get time off during the day." "Sounds fine to me... oh but I did promise Mel I would do something for her on Saturday." She giggled. "Something with Sissy." "Actually, I was thinking more like Sunday afternoon... if you're available." Andrea thought about that for only a moment. "Sounds okay," she replied. "I'm not doing anything then." "Good. Then all I have to do is see if I can get everyone else here too." "Are you wanting to meet at your office?" "I was thinking about it. It's easy to find and there's plenty of parking." "You know, since it's a Sunday, it might be easier to meet in one of our conference rooms here. That way we'd have more seats and anything else we might need." Gloria thought about that for a moment. "Maybe that would be better," she replied. "Can you clear it with Mel when she comes back?" "I will, but I know it will be no problem at all. What time do you want to do this?" "I was thinking around two in the afternoon." "Okay, I've got it on my calendar for two o'clock Sunday afternoon, right here in one of the conference rooms." "Great Andrea. Thanks. Now I just have to call everyone else." Robin entered the break room and immediately scanned the room for Derek. Yesterday, Derek had actually deflected the questions about Sissy for her - after he had told her that he wouldn't! But would he play ball for her today too? She seriously doubted it. But would he even be there this morning? She doubted that too. When Derek showed up, it was usually in the afternoon. So Derek wasn't going to be able to bail her out this time with helping her come up with an excuse for Sissy not being there. But then, she did have an excuse this time, and for once, it was the truth. "Robin, where's Sissy?" the questions started the minute she got her coffee and tried to sit down with it. "Tom Robinson just called and gave Sissy some stuff that has to be finished right away," she said. "So this time, blame Tom. Sissy was all set to come." "You're sure?" one of the women asked dubiously. "Yeah, sure! Ask Tom," she replied, knowing full well that none of them really would. Besides, according to Sissy, Tom had done just that! Except he had emailed instead of phoned, but it amounted to the same thing. The question was dropped, but she could tell that everyone wasn't happy about it. But other questions weren't dropped. "I heard he was sucking on a pacifier when he came in this morning," one of the women said to Robin. "He was!" another woman confirmed. "I saw it!" "Me too! I was there with her," still another woman said. Robin wasn't sure what to say about that. "Um... I don't know. I guess you're going to have to ask him about it later." "And how about the outfit he's wearing today?" the woman said with a giggle. "It looked like some kind of schoolgirl thing the guys would all get a kick out of." Robin nodded. "Yeah! He's definitely wearing that today! Believe it or not!" She looked around the table. "If you thought the hooker outfit he wore the other day was bad, wait till you see this one!" She was rewarded by shocked looks from around the table. "Oh God!" one of the women exclaimed. "And you're sure he's too busy to come again?" Robin nodded. "Yeah. He's got a lot going on right now." But the woman wasn't quite satisfied yet. "Well... do you think he would mind if I stopped by there on my way back from break?" "Me too!" another woman added. "This, I've got to see!" Robin realized that like it or not, Sissy was about to get some visitors. She just hoped he wouldn't be drinking another baby bottle when they got there. She also realized that his diaper bag was still out on top of her desk. She had better keep them away from her cubicle as well! Chad was back at his computer working on the stuff for Tom when a high- pitched voice behind him suddenly giggled and said, "Hi Sissy." He turned fast in his chair and saw a couple of women he often saw in the break room standing in the entrance to his cubicle. He noticed Robin standing right behind them. Panicked, he quickly made sure his legs were pressed tightly together and he pulled on his skirt a bit before he turned around any further and stood up. He was definitely shocked to see them there. Not knowing what else to say, he stood there holding his skirt down, and said a very embarrassed sounding, "Hi." One of them giggled. "I couldn't believe it when I heard what you were wearing!" she exclaimed. "Did you wear that because you thought it would be fun again, like what you wore the other day?" A light of mischievousness flashed through her eyes. "Or did you wear it for another purpose?" Another purpose? Chad had no idea what she could be talking about. "Another purpose?" he asked. "Derek!" the second woman exclaimed. "Derek?" Chad was almost filled with horror at the thought, but he noticed that all three women, Robin included, were laughing. Instead of replying, he stared bashfully at the floor as he said. "No not really." One of them giggled again before she said, "I've got to get back to my desk. I just had to come down here and see for myself though. Do you think you'll be finished with what you're working on by this afternoon?" Chad looked nervously up at Robin. "Um... I'm not really sure," he replied. "This has to get done." The woman looked disappointed. "He'll be there!" Robin replied. "Even if I have to do half the work for him!" "Oh good!" one of the women said excitedly. "I know everyone wants to see you!" Amid a few more giggles, the woman and her friend left, leaving Robin standing in his cubicle smiling at him. "How much do you still have to do?" she asked him. This time, Chad curtseyed before answering. "A few things," he admitted. Curtsey... then when Robin continued to just stare at him, he slowly raised his thumb to his mouth and started sucking on it. "Let me see the list he sent." Chad curtseyed before pulling up the email from Tom. Robin read it. "You could have gone to break," she said. "There's really not that much here to do!" Chad decided not to reply. "Don't plan on skipping break later, because you're not getting out of it! Now, come along, it's bottle time again!" Two minutes later, Chad was again sitting on the floor of her cubicle drinking infant formula from one of his baby bottles, while Robin was hard at work on their project. Tom Robinson had just finished meeting with someone and was walking back to his desk when he heard several of the women mentioning Sissy again. But then, Sissy was often the topic of conversation among the women around the company. Today, he wasn't really interested in the latest gossip about Chad... or was it Sissy. As he was passing the women though, one of them suddenly stopped him. "Oh Tom!" He stopped to see what she wanted. "How much work did you send down for Sissy to do?" she asked. Tom was surprised by the question. Besides, something like that wasn't any of her business! "Why?" he asked, slightly irritated that she should ask such a thing. "Well, it's just that we were all looking forward so much to seeing him at break but he didn't show up because he had too much to do again." Tom was a little surprised at that and didn't fully understand. "Too much to do? I didn't mean for him to miss break!" "Oh," the woman said, "you know how he can be sometimes. He does take his job seriously. It's just that we were all hoping to see him today. That's all." Tom didn't know how to reply to that... or if he should reply, so he left it at that and walked away. He takes his job seriously? Dressed the way he does? But Tom knew that Chad did take his job very seriously. And, Chad was good at what he did ? very good! But it seemed like everything else about Chad?s life right now was anything but serious! He had already unconsciously turned the direction he needed to go before he realized what it was he was doing? and what it was he had to do! Chad finished his latest bottle and stood up. He stuck the empty bottle back into the diaper bag on Robin?s desk. He was about to curtsey to her back before leaving to do his own work again, when Robin suddenly turned around. ?Sissy, take a look at this.? Chad went up behind her to stare over her shoulder at her computer screen. ?I?m thinking about changing this. What do you think?? Once again, Chad entered a discussion with Robin, where he was forced to curtsey, remove the thumb from his mouth, speak like an idiot, stick his thumb back again, and curtsey again? over and over and over! Tom turned down the last hallway where Chad?s desk was located. As usual, the area was quiet and deserted. He really needed to move them out of here to a better area of the building. It?s just that, at the time he had set them up, these two desks were the only ones he could find available that were right next to each other. He mentally stuck moving Robin and Chad / Sissy on his never ending list of things to look into. He stopped at Chad?s desk, but Chad wasn?t there. He could see one of the tasks he had sent for Chad to do up on his computer. He heard voices in Robin?s cubicle and figured they both were there. He continued on to Robin?s desk, where he stared for a moment before making his presence known. Chad was wearing the shortest damn skirt he could ever imagine. And as Chad leaned over to look at Robin?s monitor, he could even see a tiny bit of white from whatever underwear Chad was wearing under the skirt. Out of the corner of his eye, he also noticed the diaper bag on Robin?s desk. She had probably brought it with her instead of leaving it with her baby. ?Um?? he said to get their attention. Both Robin and Chad turned quickly at the unexpected visitor. Chad?s hands immediately dropped to his skirt again where he kept them, once again continuously pulling it down. ?Tom!? Robin said, totally surprised to see him. ?You scared us!? Tom would have smiled, but he was too preoccupied with trying to make sense of what Chad / Sissy was wearing. It looked more like something a teenager at the mall would wear? if there! Was he trying to look sexy or something? Get the attention of all the men at work? Most likely, he?d get the attention of the women more! He wanted badly to say something about the crazy way Chad was dressed, but once again he was reminded of the company directive concerning Chad, so he said nothing about it. ?Um?? he said, still unable to take his eyes off of Chad, ?I just heard that you weren?t able to make it to break again this morning. I didn?t mean for that stuff to make you miss your break, so I came down to see just what you?re working on that?s keeping you so busy. You said there would be no problem taking care of it.? Not thinking, Chad put his foot back and curtseyed before speaking. ?It?s not a problem,? he replied. ?I just wanted to get it done as soon as possible.? He curtseyed again. His thumb was nearly in his mouth before he realized what he was doing and stopped it. He also realized that he had just curtseyed to Tom ? twice! Tom stared at him for a moment. He hadn?t missed the curtseys at all. Was Chad mocking him by doing that? ?Are you trying to be funny with me?? he asked sternly. Huh? Chad hadn?t meant to be disrespectful in any way. He hadn?t even thought about curtseying, he had just done it? out of habit. In his nervousness, he actually had to fight with himself to not curtsey again. ?I really didn?t mean to be,? he replied. ?It was just something that happened.? A lousy excuse, Chad realized. It certainly wouldn?t explain anything? even thought it was true. Still feeling a bit put off by it, Tom let it drop. ?Let me see what you still have to do before you leave today.? Once again Chad had to force himself not to curtsey ? especially since Tom seemed so irritated and domineering now. He led the way to his own computer, still holding his skirt straight down so it wouldn?t show what he was wearing underneath. He was glad to sit down in his chair and turn his back to everyone where he wouldn?t have to worry about it. He showed Tom what he was currently working on now, what he had already finished, and what still needed to be done? all of it from the list Tom had sent him. ?So how long do you think it?s going to take you to finish what?s left?? Tom asked. Chad shrugged. ?About an hour. Maybe less.? Tom nodded. He was fairly sure he hadn?t sent Chad all that much to do. ?And how much do you need to finish on your part of the project before your vacation next week.? ?We were just discussing that,? Robin came to his rescue. ?We made some changes and we were just trying to decide if we should change something else when you stopped by.? Tom nodded. Development always worked like that. ?Can I see what you?re doing?? This time, Robin led the way back to her cubicle. Chad wanted to stay put in his chair, but he figured he better join them. Robin showed Tom all the changes that had recently been made and also asked his opinion on the very things she and Sissy had been discussing when they were interrupted. Tom looked at the work carefully. It was all excellent work, and as far as he could see, the project was all but finished. ?I?ll let you two decide that,? he finally replied. ?When do you think this will be wrapped up for the client?? he asked. ?The middle of next week at the latest,? Robin replied. ?How much more do you need to do?? Tom asked. ?It looks like it?s pretty much done.? ?Mostly, but besides this change, it still needs to be thoroughly tested,? Chad replied, proud of himself that he didn?t curtsey. ?Complete testing can take days.? Tom knew that, and was grateful that they were so thorough with what they did. As far as he could see, everything here looked like it was completely under control. He glanced at Chad? well, most things were under control anyway. Chad? Sissy? was anything but under control! But he couldn?t say anything about that ? as per Mr. Baxter?s orders. He was about to leave when he noticed again the pink diaper bag on Robin?s desk? something he would not normally see on any of the desks in the company, even though many of the women had young kids. But the sight of the bag reminded him of something else. ?I thought you had a boy?? he said to Robin as he indicated the pink, very girly bag. ?Oh,? Robin replied, trying to find something to say about Chad?s girly diaper bag. ?I?m just borrowing that one.? Tom nodded. Perfectly logical. He had been, he had seen, and there were no problems? as long as you didn?t count the way that Chad was dressed. He nodded and walked out, still trying to get the way Chad was dressed out of his head ? which was totally impossible. That crazy short skirt that he had to keep holding down, the silly white bow in his hair. Knee socks! What woman wore knee socks now days? No wonder all the women in the company were talking about him. And no wonder they all wanted to see him! Both Chad and Robin breathed a sigh of relief. ?Is he gone?? Robin asked quietly. Chad poked his head out and checked the hallway. He could see Tom almost to the corner where he would turn. He continued to watch until he was out of sight. ?He?s gone,? he finally replied. Then he realized he hadn?t curtseyed before he said it. He quickly dropped another one and stuck his thumb back in his mouth. Robin smiled. ?You even curtseyed for him,? she said teasingly. ?Just like you do for me. I think that was so sweet!? ?It almost got me in trouble!? Chad replied. ?Thanks Sandy. I?ll see you Sunday then.? Gloria hung up her phone. That took care of Andrea, Cassie, and Sandy. All that remained now was Robin. Anxious to get the arrangements over with, she dialed Robin?s number. Robin was just finishing up the last of the changes they had decided to make when she heard her cell phone ringing. She quickly found it and answered. ?Hello?? ?Hi Robin, it?s Gloria. Did Mel tell you I was going to call?? ?Hi Gloria. Yes, she did. I take it this is about judging their bet?? As she said it, she was already getting up out of her chair to head down the hallway where she could talk easier without being heard. ?Yes,? Gloria replied. ?I?m trying to get everybody together on Sunday afternoon to discuss it so we all know what we want to happen when we have to decide this thing.? ?You mean if we have to decide it,? Robin corrected her. ?Well, that?s one of the little conditions I had when I agreed to be a judge. This won?t be up to Mel and Chad anymore. The decision will come from us and only us, and it will be on Saturday. Even if they think they know the outcome ahead of time, we?ll make the final determination based on what we decide we want to see.? ?So one way or another, we?ll get to see exactly what happens?? ?Exactly!? ?That?s one of the things I?m most interested in, I think,? Robin told her. ?After all this time, I want to see how this thing really comes out. Especially since Sissy insists that he?s going to win, but at the same time, I personally don?t see how!? Her words though raised a bit of concern in Gloria?s mind. ?Robin, are you sure you?re going to be able to help judge this thing fairly?? ?Absolutely!? Robin confirmed. ?I really do want to see who deserves to win and who deserves to lose. One way or another.? Gloria felt much more assured. ?Good. We?re all meeting on Sunday afternoon at two o?clock at Mel?s office. Andrea said we can use the conference room there. Can you make it?? ?I don?t see why not,? Robin replied. ?I?ll just have to get my husband to babysit for a little while. But that shouldn?t be too hard to arrange.? ?Great!? Gloria replied enthusiastically. They would all be there. Everyone! She felt much better about all of it now. If Mel wanted this bet to be judged? and judged fairly? then she was going to make sure of it! Mel was back at work, but work wasn?t the main thing on her mind ? Sissy was! To be more precise, Sissy and the fact that he seemed to be so sure he was going to win. How could he? And of course, her bigger problem was that she no longer had any information at all on how long he was capable of holding back. Nothing! She didn?t know if he had any control at all ? as everyone seemed to claim, or if he had secretly managed to increase his control somehow. She was totally in the dark about it now? and there was only one more week to go. So? what did she need to do about it? Did she need to do anything? Unfortunately, his sureness that he was going to win bothered her enough that she felt she had to do something? but what? She had planned on taking all next week off just so she could work closely with him to make sure he couldn?t hold back. Unfortunately, the darn Feinbaum contract had come up. That was a nuisance, but not really a major problem. She could still spend most of her time working with him. And when she couldn?t be with him, then? well, she would think of something. So since she felt she needed to do something because he was so sure he was going to win, then what could she possibly do? There had to be something that would shake his certainty about winning. Or? should she be looking for something to shake his determination to win instead? Maybe that was the key. Maybe she should be looking for ways to make him change his mind about winning ? make him want to lose instead. That would certainly be to her advantage! So? why was it that he was so determined to win in the first place? Yes, he liked winning ? and so did she. But that wasn?t going to help her here. She grabbed her notepad and pen. Chad had three main reasons he had followed faithfully to keep him determined to win. On her pad she wrote ?self-respect.? Then a little further down the page she added ?friends.? Finally, further down the page she wrote, ?A life.? Three reasons. His three reasons. On the surface, they all seemed very good. But as she stared at the reasons closer, she had to seriously wonder what each of those three things meant. And a moment later, she revised her thoughts. It wasn?t what each of those ideas meant, it was what each of those ideas meant to Sissy! Because since he was such a big sissy and had some ?not-exactly- normal? needs clogging up his brain, she had to take all that into account. She underlined self-respect. Of the three, it seemed to be the most straight-forward. But was it when you added in his sissy needs? What was self-respect to someone who craved the kind of public humiliation that drove him? That certainly complicated the issue! How could someone like that want self-respect? The two concepts didn?t seem to go together at all! So how could he gain self-respect in the middle of all the humiliation he seemed to need? She was reminded of his cooking ability. She knew he was proud of that. He was also proud of his job! She knew without a doubt that he didn?t want to lose his job? even though her long-term plans for him called for him to do just that. She wanted him working for her, in her house, not for the company he worked at now. So that was going to be one of those little issues she was going to have to look at closer. On her pad, she wrote down ?cooking? and ?job.? But it wasn?t much. What would gain him self-respect? Or rather, what did he think was a measure of self- respect? With his abnormal needs, she didn?t have a clue. She turned to the second item on her page, ?friends.? Okay, she could see that one. With his need to be humiliated so much, he probably wouldn?t have very many friends. At least, not any that he used to have. But? she was his friend! If he would just realize that! So was Robin, and Sandy, and Cassie, and? She was about to add Derek?s name. Derek used to be his friend. His best friend in fact. But now? Right now, Derek was still too unnerved by Sissy?s needs. Right now, Derek wasn?t really his friend at all. But would he be later? after Derek started to accept Sissy?s needs? No, she couldn?t add Derek to the list at all. Maybe later, but that would be a big maybe! And for that matter, could Sissy possibly think of Sandy, and Cassie, and Robin, and? her, as his friends? That was another question. Sissy wanted friends. But now that the cat had been let out of the bag, or more like exploded out of the bag so that everyone now knew what he was, the friends he thought he could have would have to change a bit. Like it or not. Win or lose. Sissy?s friends were going to have to change. She wondered if he realized that fact himself. She thought about her own friends, what few she really had. They were certainly important to her. Going out and socializing. Socializing! Was it even possible for Sissy to socialize? as a sissy? She guessed, not in any normal way. But friends were people you talked to? told things to? laughed with? and complained about things to? and? cried with at times. Friends were what often held you together in the midst of bad times. Friends were important! But would Sissy be able to do any of those things with the friends she had just listed? With a sinking realization, she figured probably not. She turned to the final item on her page, ?a life.? She stared at that. What the heck did it mean ? to anyone? let alone Sissy? People were always saying, ?Get a life!? It was a common enough phrase. But what did it really mean? And more importantly, what did it mean to someone with Sissy?s kind of needs? Just as with self-respect, ?a life? and ?sissy? didn?t seem to go together. She closed her eyes. It was too hard to fathom what ?a life? meant to someone like Sissy. For that matter, it was hard to figure out what it meant for herself. What did she consider to be ?a life?? She guessed that her job was part of it ? a major part. Right now, her job was most of her life? if you didn?t count trying to win this bet with Sissy. So to her, her job was a major thing. So what else was part of having ?a life?? Family? Or did that count up there along with friends? No, she couldn?t lump family in with friends. Not at all. Family? loved ones? the group of people you belonged to and who in turn belonged to you? were important in any life. And now, that one big item was a huge gaping hole in her own life ? since the death of her parents. She had no family anymore. Well, not really. She had never felt so alone since the accident. And all the friends and everything else couldn?t make up for that lack of family one little bit. But Sissy didn?t seem to have any family either. At least, none that she knew of. Could she include family as part of having ?a life?? She wasn?t sure, but something told her it belonged there. Finally, her mind turned to one other item that she figured should be part of it all. But wh