She continued to stare. The driver made a right-hand turn and I shook my head. "Stop. I changed my mind. No sense putting on a show if there is no audience."
Diane looked at the traffic signal, then back at me. "Are you serious?" I didn't answer. The light changed and I walked her across the street. We went into a convenience store. She followed me as I meandered through the aisles, all the time aware of the discomfort she was in.
The human body will typically process water in an hour or so. And the more water, the more urgent the need to get rid of it. At some point, it would begin to hurt. Diane was certainly past that point. But, she had something else warring inside her - her upbringing and professionalism. Even through she was wearing the adult diaper, unloading her bladder in public was unthinkable. I knew what was going on with every step she took - the private war within her between her body and its needs and her sense of herself and her limits. At some point, nature would take over. I knew that too. Nobody is strong enough to last forever. She thought it was a matter of willpower. She was mistaken.
I was tempted to tell her that. To tell her that she had no reason to hold out, it was inevitable so now was as good as ten minutes from now. But I wouldn't tell her. That would spoil the game. She had to think she'd let herself do it, that she had a choice.
"Here we go," I said, taking a 1 liter bottle of spring water off of the shelf. "This will do nicely."
Diane followed me as I walked to the checkout line. There were three people in front of us. I let Diane step in front of me, gave her just a slight nudge and she stumbled, catching her balance by grabbing the metal divider. I could tell from her grimace that she'd leaked another small trickle. I rested my hand in the small of her back, turned her, and pulled her close for another long kiss. She tasted exquisite.
When we got outside the store, I walked another block with her, further away from the hotel. I stopped in front of a small bistro. There were two large potted trees in front of the place, two empty sets of tables and chairs, and three customers sitting at a third.
"Hold your hands over the planter," I told her. She gave me a puzzled look but leaned forward slightly and did what I said. I unscrewed the top from the bottle of water and held it a few inches above her hands. "Close your eyes." She bit her lip and closed her eyes. I began to drizzle the water over her hands, letting it run from her thumbs over her palms and fingers, landing in a puddle in the planter.
"Feel that. Doesn't it feel nice? Nice lukewarm water." I continued to pour at an agonizingly slow pace. "Feel the flow, the steady trickle..." The look on her face changed. She was squeezing her eyes tighter now, trying to concentrate. "Diane? Diane, you might as well surrender. Imagine how nice it will feel. How warm..." I moved the bottle, the trickle was now over her wrists and just barely onto her forearms. "You know you will eventually, don't you?" I continued in a soft monotone. "You do everything eventually, don't you?" I moved the water now back and forth from her wrist to her fingertips.
The people at the table were watching, pushed slightly back from the table and leaning in their chairs. I saw them out of the corner of my eye, ignored them. I was focused on Diane's face. Her jaw was quivering, eyes tighter than a minute ago. I tilted the bottle just a bit and the flow quickened. She shook her head, gently at first, then hard, back and forth. I saw tears welling in her eyes. I slowed the water to a trickle and heard her gasp. Then, her face relaxed, her eyes unclenched and her body moved slightly forward.
"That's a good girl. Yes, Diane. It feels so much better now, doesn't it?" I continued pouring the water until the bottle was empty. She was completely relaxed now, her surrender accomplished, her defenses abandoned. She'd taken another step, turned into something different than even before.
I tossed the empty bottle into a waste can nearby and held her hands, helped her stand erect. The three people at the table broke into polite applause. I nodded and smiled.