Page 16 of Mindy
“Like me.” Mindy chewed on her bottom lip.
“Sort of except you haven’t been living as an infant, and you do set your Little aside in order to work most days. At The Center, you’d learn to live authentically as a Baby all the time with no exceptions.”
“I wouldn’t work?” Mindy asked incredulously.
“Nope. There are some Littles who have graduated from the program and now live in the attached gated community who work in some capacity. However, that wouldn’t happen for a long time, and it’s only in special circumstances where the Little can maintain her role easily.”
“How could I afford this? I don’t have any money?”
Tricia smiled. “It’s fully funded by the community, Baby girl. The Mommies and Daddies who live in the area and support The Center fund it.”
“So I would quit my job?” Mindy was finding it easy to keep firing off questions now that they’d started.
“Yes. And move out of your apartment. You would box up your special belonging for The Center to store for you until you find your forever Mommy or Daddy.”
“What if I’m not a good fit, and it doesn’t work out? I wouldn’t have my job or my apartment anymore.” This was Mindy’s biggest concern.
“The success rate at The Center is unprecedented, Baby girl. Some Littles take longer than others to get placed with a caregiver, but all of them eventually do. We call that adoption.”
“What doyoudo there?”
“I’m the manager for the daycare where Littles go during the day while their caregiver is at work.”
“Oh.” She hadn’t thought about that. “They can’t just stay at home alone?” After all, all Littles were grown adults who could take care of themselves.
Tricia shook her head. “Littles are never left unattended, Baby girl. They live permanently at a very young age when it’s not appropriate to be left alone.”
That was hard for Mindy to wrap her head around. She enjoyed being Little as often as possible, but she couldn’t imagine being able to fully shut off her grown-adult side and never bringing it back out. “Are Littles allowed to talk?”
“Yes. That’s the one exception. Unless their little mouths are plugged with a pacifier or bottle, Littles are permitted to speak and communicate with their caregivers and other Littles.”
“They don’t walk?”
“Not at first. The success rate of The Center stems from starting over from birth, learning to let other people take care of you in every way. Doing so helps Littles recenter themselves, let go of everything life has thrown at them, and start from scratch in every way.”
Mindy shuddered as she thought about the implications. Diapers, bottles, cribs, changing tables…
“I know you’re intrigued, Baby girl. I can see it on your face and the way you keep squirming. Have you tried wearing a diaper since the other night?”
Mindy shook her head. “I was too embarrassed to buy them.”
“Ah. I think you would benefit from spending some time at a younger age to help you decide if it’s right for you. How about if I provided you with some supplies to make that possible?”
Mindy licked her lips. “You would do that?”
“Of course, Baby girl. I want you to be happy and well-adjusted. That’s the goal. If I didn’t feel strongly in my gut that you would be a good fit for The Nurturing Center, I wouldn’t have suggested it. But I want you to be certain too. There’s no going back.”
“Okay.” It was hard to avoid squirming. She wasn’t sure if it was the discussion itself or the way Tricia was staring at her so intently. Both maybe.
Tricia pushed to standing. “Give me five minutes. I have a box of supplies in my trunk. I’ll bring them in.”
Mindy gasped. “You have them with you?”
Tricia grinned. “Yep.” She tapped Mindy’s nose. “I suspected they might come in handy. Be right back.”
Mindy rose and followed Tricia to the door. She stood inside her apartment, ringing her fingers, shocked and nervous while she waited. As soon as Tricia returned, Mindy’s nerves shot through the roof.
Tricia carried the box through to Mindy’s bedroom and set it on the floor before sitting on the edge of the bed. She reached out toward Mindy, who was standing in the doorway still ringing her fingers together. “Come here, Baby girl.”
