Sharon Tanner's Sewing Circle

It was a warm spring Saturday, and Sharon Tanner had finished all her chores early. John had taken the kids to the matinee, which left plenty of time for Sharon to organize the next meeting of the Maple Avenue Sewing Circle. Sharon and her friends all looked forward to the monthly meeting, a welcome reprieve from disciplining the children and being disciplined by their husbands. It was a space just for them to create things, give back to the community, and talk about their lives (after taking their pacifiers out, of course)

And a very lively conversation had happened when the topic turned to the new disposable diapers.

Sharon spoke first. "I personally don't see the point of the disposables. They're a fad, nothing more. Why spend so much on things that will just be thrown away?”

Linda DuBois, a friend of Sharon’s from church, spoke next. “I don’t know, Sharon. I think these new disposables are very convenient. My husband appreciates not having to clean them out, and they leak a lot less than the cloth type. The designs are cute, too!”

“But what about the smell?” said Dorothy Bryan, a very stern and matronly figure. “Leaving them in the trash can will cause a horrible stench to linger around the house. It’s already unpleasant when you’ve gone in them, imagine having to smell them every day until the trash gets taken out!”

“We’ve already got those”, said Linda. “And I’d say if it’s good enough for Marie Montgomery, it’s good enough for me.”

“Does she actually wear those outside of those commercials?” asked Margaret Cooper, who was attending the circle for the first time

“Yes. She gave the boys in Hollywood quite a show when she showed off their new heart print designs.”

“When I was around that age, women weren’t supposed to show their diapers like that.”

“It’s Hollywood, Margie.”

Then, when no one expected it, someone addressed the elephant in the room. Her voice was elegant and refined, as if she was a stage actress.

“Why do we have to wear these anyways? We vote like the men do, why can’t we use toilets like they do?”

“Well,” said Sharon, “that’s unexpected coming from Betsy van Allen.” On Maple Avenue, and even the general neighborhood of Pleasant Point, Betsy van Allen was perhaps the Queen Bee, the greatest symbol of traditional femininity. And here she was, questioning something that every woman seemed to take for granted.

“I mean, I know that we’ve always worn them. Just, why? That time of the month only happens once a month, that’s why it’s called ‘that time of the month’”

Just then, Deborah Collins, a mousy and shy woman with cats’ eye glasses and a pacifier in her mouth, took out her paci and began speaking. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, sometimes I wish I could just use a toilet. But then I realize that there’s no real fun in it. Where’s the intimacy of having someone change you? Where’s the convenience of just going wherever you want?”

Deborah was not convinced. “I think they’re doing it to control us, honestly.”

“What exactly do you mean?”

“They want us to be dependent on these things so we can be dependent on men changing us.”

“Why Betsy, what’s gotten into you?”

“I’m thinking for myself, Debbie! Why can’t I think for myself?”

Sharon interrupted. “Okay, this conversation is lively and all, but does anyone else smell something...poopy?”

Everyone paused. In the heat of their arguments, the poor dears all wet and messed their diapers.

“It’s us. We all had accidents” said Betsy, reluctantly.

“There’s no men around. How are we gonna change?”

“Can’t we change ourselves?”

“It’s unladylike! We have to change each other.”

The ladies of the sewing circle all took turns changing each other. Linda changed Dorothy, Dorothy changed Deborah, Deborah changed Margaret, Margaret changed Betsy. At the very end, Betsy changed Sharon.

Sharon was not prepared for what would come next.

Betsy’s hands were so gentle, so soft. She was almost as good of a changer as John--scratch that, just as good. But from another woman? Sharon couldn’t imagine that in a million years.

Betsy gingerly taped a Royalty diaper on Sharon. Sharon whispered to Betsy’s ear “You’re very good at changing diapers.” Betsy whispered back “I’ve been changing them since I was 10. I’m an expert”.

Everyone got back in their seats. “Okay,” said Sharon, “I think we should all suck on our pacifiers for the next half hour or so.”

Everyone nodded. Nobody spoke of this incident ever again.