I know it has been a while since I posted anything on this board. This isn't a true TUG story per say. But, it covers some of the space between my last incident with Cody and the next one I am going to post here. I wrote this up for a different board but thought I would post it in both places. Have a read over it and let me know what you think.
It was the second last week of August the Summer that I moved and the year I met Cody. My mother was still in the house gathering her purse and looking for where she had left the keys to the SUV. I was in the garage waiting impatiently. I hated this sort of errand and the sooner it was over, the sooner we could get on with our day. School was starting in just over a week and I didn't want to waste any more of my Summer vacation than I needed to. I heard a familiar sound of tires rolling over the pavement on the driveway that led up to our house.
Cody rolled up on his bike right on time. It was about a 20-minute ride from his house to mine and he looked like he had rushed to get here. He was dressed in some knit shorts, a tank top and some tennis shoes. He was still wearing the pads and helmet from our last story. Apparently, his mother was a little annal about them after she spent money on them. Our last TUG seemed forgotten and we had crossed paths a few times since then. However, another situation didn't present itself and I had not decided to test my luck after our initial discovery.
"Hey, how's it going." Cody greeted me while he was slipping out of his pads and helmet.
"Pretty good, you must have really rushed to get over here. You're all out of breath." I replied
Cody panted and took a moment to gather in some oxygen. "Yeah, I didn't want you to leave without me." He replied back.
"Don't worry we wouldn't have." The voice came from the rear of our garage. My mother was standing there her purse over her shoulder and the keys in her hand.
"Thanks again. My mother was busy and it's way too far to ride my bike." Cody commented upon seeing her. "I brought my own money and all, but the ride is appreciated greatly." He finished.
"No problem, you can leave your bike in the garage and I'll lock it up before we leave so it won't get stolen." My mother offered making her way to the front of the SUV heading for the driver's seat. Cody finished slipping his pads off. He hung his helmet from the handlebars on his bike by the chin strap and dropped the pads into it like it was a bucket. Then he pushed it into the garage and leaned it up against the wall. Then he made his way around to the door behind my mother in the SUV. I guess he expected me to want to ride shotgun. He opened it and climbed into the passenger seat on the second-row side.
The SUV was a large one dark blue in color on the exterior. The inside was a dull gray color both on the lining and the seats. The vehicle could ferry 8 passengers with the two rows of rear seating. But, it was rare that it ever had more than 2 or 3 passengers on board. My mother mostly bought it because it had 4 wheel drive and apparently the snow down here didn't get plowed as well as it did where we originally lived. Cody seated himself inside and closed the door while my mother and I began to enter the vehicle. He looked around the interior of the SUV and took it all in with a slow and methodic gaze.
"Hey?" Cody started addressing my mother. "What's that?" He asked pointing over his shoulder towards the opposite side of the third-row seat. My mother's eyes darted as she followed where he was pointing.
"It's a seat mount that goes with Amy's harness." She explained looking back towards the strap that wrapped around the rear seat of the vehicle.
"Harness?" Cody questioned not quite knowing how to phrase the question.
"Yeah, it's a safety harness for the car. She uses it sometimes when she rides." My mother stated pointing out the window towards the garage wall. Cody followed her pointing finger. My car vest was hanging on the wall of the garage on a nail. I hadn't made much use of it during the summer. At least not for riding in the SUV. I was getting bigger now and I was somewhat more conscious of my appearance in public. I still liked to be all strapped in. But, at my current age and size, a normal seatbelt fit me just fine.
Likewise, the way the SUV's seats were situated there wasn't a split in the bottom of a seat for a wrap style mount to attach. The seat in the front passenger position and the middle row didn't have a split under between the bottom and the seat back. That meant if I wanted to use the vest, I had to ride in the third row. It was a hassle getting the vest on and off and then having to make my way all the way back to that position. So, for the shorter trips that we usually took, it just wasn't worth the hassle. So, I just went without it most of the time.
Cody opened the door to the vehicle and got out. He took a few steps across the garage and began to look at the var vest hanging on the wall. My mother and I both stepped halfway back out of the SUV. I stayed where I was. My mother crossed the garage and addressed our friend with a gaze. I think she was trying to figure out the level of interest he had in the matter. I was kind of hoping that it would just get dropped and we could get on our way.
"So, you really wear this in the car sometimes Amy?" Cody asked looking over his shoulder.
"Yeah, it was something my older sister started when she was a kid. She outgrew her car seat, but still wanted to ride strapped in better than a normal seatbelt would offer. My Mom got her one of those and it kind of stayed as an idea for the family. I don't use it all that much anymore." I explained trying to keep the tone of the conversation casual. Cody finding out about my TUG situation was one thing. But, I wasn't sure how he would take this news.
"Do you want to try it on?" My mother asked breaking the silence.
"Yeah, sure." Cody replied almost eagerly. I could tell he had some fascination with it. My mother lifted the vest off the nail it was hanging on and began to approach Cody.
"Turn around and hold your arms out in front of you." My mother instructed the boy. Cody complied with the request following the motion my mother demonstrated with her arms out in front of her. She undid the zipper at the rear of the vest and began the process of guiding it around Cody's torso. Although Cody and I were the same age, he was slightly bigger than I was and the vest was a little small for him at his current build. My mother removed it and put some slack in the shoulder straps with the adjusters.
She slid the vest back overtop of Cody and it hung closer to the way it should for someone of his build. However, the back still wouldn't close and there was a slight gap between the sides of the zipper. My mother opened a drawer on our workbench in the garage and fished out a double-sided zipper insert. The main purpose of it was to make the vest larger if I needed to wear it over heavier clothing like a jacket. She zipped the insert on the left side and then zipped the right side of the vest onto the zipper. It fit pretty well on Cody. Next, she made a minor adjustment to the shoulder straps and the harness fell into place.
Finally, there was the strap that goes from the back of the vest up between the passenger's legs. It attaches to a little clip on the armpit level strap on the front of the vest. It's meant to keep the passenger from sliding under the lap belt in the event of an accident. My mother threaded it into place and snapped it. It was a little snug on Cody and she gave him another inch of slack. Cody turned around in the vest testing out how it felt and how well he could move around. I could tell it was a foreign experience to him.
"It's a little tight." He commented looking down at it.
"It's supposed to be snug." My mother replied. "Seatbelts need some tension to work in the event of an accident. Do you want to try it for the ride into town? I mean actually wear it in the car?" She asked.
Again Cody shrugged. "Sure why not."
My mother returned to the driver side rear door on the SUV. She opened it and hit a latch under the seat. This caused the driver side seat in the second row to slide forwards and offer access to the third row. My mother gestured for Cody to enter and he followed her pointing finger. He worked his way down to the far seating position and put himself in front of the cam wrap seat mount. He looked down at the whole thing but then threw his arms up in confusion not quite sure how it all worked.
"Here, I'll help you get situated." My mother replied climbing into the rear compartment after Cody. She slid across to the center position on the seat next to Cody. My mother gestured for Cody to get his arms out of the way and let her work. He did as she asked. My mother went ahead and attached the vest to the seat mount by clipping the 4 clips onto the D-rings on the vests shoulders and hips. Once that was done she made a final adjustment to the sliders on the shoulders and snuggled up the crotch strap a little. Cody remained seated and let her proceed without any complaint.
Finally, she reached over Cody and took hold of the normal 3 point seatbelt that was part of the SUV. She pulled it down over top of the harness and clicked it into the connector. Cody looked at her with a confused look. My mother then took hold and pulled the shoulder belt all the way out until it clicked. Then she let the slack pull back into the wall.
"I thought the point of the harness was to replace the normal seatbelts." Cody stated.
"Amy likes to do both. I guess it's just extra safety." She explained.
Cody shifted around in the straps trying to get comfortable. The third-row seat didn't offer as much leg room as the other positions in the vehicle. At his size, it was probably a little cramped. Not to mention that he was tethered down good and tight in the harness. I watched through the side window and he squirmed around trying to find a good perch on the seat. Apparently, this was a new experience for him.
My mother exited the way she came in. She put the second-row seat back where it went and closed the rear door. Afterward, she climbed into the driver's seat and I took a position up front. We closed the doors and put our own seatbelts on before my mother started up the engine. With Cody secured pretty well in the rear of the SUV. We backed out of the garage and down the driveway. Cody was still struggling to get situated comfortably in the rear of the vehicle. Our ride wasn't all that far off. But he had a good 45 minutes ahead of him before our first stop.
I am breaking the story here. I have part 2 written, but it's still with my proofreader. Our destination was in town for some shopping and a few other errands. I know it's not a TUG story. But, it does lay some ground works and shows some of how the dynamic between Cody and myself continued to evolve that summer. I will have a more normalized story after this one. Part 2 should get posted sometime later this week.
Amy
A Trip into Town (f/m) part 2 added
A Trip into Town (f/m) part 2 added
Last edited by Amy 5 years ago, edited 1 time in total.
I like your long introductions, they contribute to making your stories enjoyable to read.
Now I’m curious to find out what hat happens when you arrive in town.
Now I’m curious to find out what hat happens when you arrive in town.
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Plueschbabycd
- Centennial Club
- Posts: 183
- Joined: 6 years ago
- Location: Germany
I like start too and that Cody was put in car vest could cont as light kind of tied up. 
My question would more if your have possible a second for you to? That is equal for you to.
My question would more if your have possible a second for you to? That is equal for you to.-
harveygasson
- Millennial Club
- Posts: 1374
- Joined: 6 years ago
Looking forward to the next part
Part 2:
I know this is long, I was going to break it into parts 2 and 3, but my proofreader got the whole thing done in one go so I fiugred why keep you guys waiting.
As my mother backed out of the driveway I pushed the sun visor down in front of me. I slid back the little cover on the mirror that was hidden on the underside of the visor. It was there primarily if you wanted to check your makeup or something simple. I took a minute and worked it to the right angle that I could see Cody in the rear seat. I could certainly hear him squirming around back there trying to get comfortable in his straps. I could tell this was probably a new experience for him.
Our destination was a small city about 30 minutes drive from where we lived. There wasn't very much in the community we had moved to. There were a few small specialty shops and a grocery store. However, if you want to shop at a big box store or do pretty much anything major you had to make a drive out of town. Our main purpose in going was to do some back to school shopping. Both Cody and I needed some new clothes for the fall season. We also needed some schools supplies as well.
Cody and I had become friends that summer. Our mothers also got to know each other quite a bit as well after their first meeting a few weeks prior to this incident. They talked on the phone a few times a week and they also paid each other a visit once or twice. Somewhere in the conversations, my mother had brought up she was taking me into town to do some back to school shopping. Cody's mother who was still work commented that she would have to wait a week or two to do the same with Cody. The next town over was really too far for a bike ride. My mother offered to bring him along with us on this trip and that was the matter of our business.
I watched in the mirror as Cody shifted back and forth trying to find a comfortable perch on the seat. I should clarify one mistake I made in the last post. The wrap mount for the harness could be used with the second-row seating in the SUV. The main reason I used it in the third row was that it was more cramped back there. The middle row of seating had a comfortable amount of leg room. But the third row really only had about a foot to a foot and a half of space between the front of the bench seat and the back of the second row. Paired with the harness it was tight quarters and left a passenger feeling really confined back there.
"Hey, my seatbelt won't loosen," Cody commented pulling on the strap of the normal 3 point belt.
"Yeah, I locked it in place. Amy likes to ride like that, so I thought I would give you the full experience." My mother explained.
"Locked it in place?" Cody asked.
"If you pull the belt all the way out and let it go back in you can tighten it, but it won't loosen. At least not until you put it all the way back in. It's a feature used to install a car seat so that it won't move around. But, if you pull it all the way out it can hold you pretty still." I commented. I demonstrated the matter by pulling my shoulder strap all the way out until it clicked. Afterward, I let it roll back in and pull tight against my body.
Cody spent the next 15 minutes or so testing how little he could move strapped down as securely as he was. He had the ability to turn his head from side to side and the full use of his arms and hands. But, if he didn't release any of the straps his upper body was pretty much cemented in place. With both shoulder secured you cannot lean forward at all and the crotch strap keeps downwards tension on the shoulder belts. It really limits how much upper body movement you have at your disposal. After a while, Cody just gave up and found a position he could live with.
A few minutes later we pulled up to our first stop. It was the bank that my parents had their main accounts at. My mother pulled the SUV to a stop and turned off the engine.
“You two stay put, I’ll be back in a few minutes.” My mother explained before she exited the car and began heading for the bank. I shifted my attention from the ride down to our passenger who was still squirming around in the back seat of the vehicle. I watched in the mirror again as Cody seemed to finally find his perch. He had been there for about 15 minutes finally finding a semi-comfortable position to sit in. He was quickly learning how effective a car harness like the one I had provided was a getting a person to sit still.
Normally, with a seatbelt, your pinned at the waist and across one shoulder. With the harness, you are pinned at the waist and both shoulders. This means you cannot lean forward more than an inch or two. Likewise, you cannot shift your midsection around the seat by more than a few inches. A harness like that is locked tightly in place while a normal seatbelt has some give. Likewise, there is also the crotch belt. It provides some downward pull on the shoulder straps and the lap belt keeping them low and snug. It also makes it nearly impossible to slouch forwards in the seat. The best thing to do is just find a comfortable upright position and stay with it.
However, there are some advantages to using a harness instead of a normal seatbelt. Cody was starting to learn that the system worked both ways. While it keeps you from moving around very much, it also provides a lot better support than a normal belt. If you can find a comfortable perch, you can just lean into the harness and let it take up your weight. Once you do that, a harness can be really comfortable and offer a feeling of absolute security if you lean into it. This is one of the reasons, Jennifer and I fell in love with the restraint early in our lives.
Cody was starting to realize this fact about the time my mother returned from the bank 10 minutes later. Both of us spent that time sitting in silence with our seatbelts still fastened. I left mine alone, Cody really didn’t have a choice in the matter. After we finished at the bank we began to make our way to the main purpose of your trip. Our outing took us to our local Target store to pick up stuff for school. We arrived there late morning. As it normally is a week before school, the place was rather busy with a multitude of shoppers looking for last minute items for the coming school year ahead. My mother had to find a parking spot about halfway back down the parking lot, which meant a long walk to the store. She shut off the engine and the two of us climbed out of the SUV. We waited for Cody, but after 2 minutes he still didn’t appear. My mother opened the door to see what the hold up was.
“All you need to do is unclip the 4 little hooks that attach the rings on the vest to the seat and it should let you come loose.” She explained as Cody was still seated in the rear corner of the vehicle with his belts fastened securely.
“I figured that the problem isn’t the harness, it’s this stupid thing on the normal seatbelt,” Cody replied pointing down at something we couldn’t see from where we were standing.
“Oh!” I exclaimed. “I’ll get it, Mom I need to borrow your keys.” My mother handed me the keys to the SUV and I bean working my way around and back into the seating area where Cody was apparently stuck. I reached down and put the car key against Cody’s seatbelt buckle. A second later it released and the seatbelt zipped itself back into the storage position. After that, it only took about 30 seconds for Cody to disconnect the harness from the attachment points on the seat mount and follow me out of the SUV.
“What the sam heck is that stupid thing anyway.” Cody pointed out directing his finger to the little white plastic buckle.
“It’s called a buckle guard. It’s like a lock for a seatbelt. They are mostly meant to keep younger children from undoing their seatbelts while on the road. But, they're pretty effective against big kids too. At least if you don’t have something to release them.” I explained pointing down at the keys in my hand.
For those of you unfamiliar with the product. A buckle guard is a small plastic box that covers the female end of a seatbelt. It slides on overtop of the end of the buckle where you have the push button to undo it. There is a slot in the top of it so the seatbelt tung can still pass through and you can fasten the seatbelt normally. However, there is a smaller slit about half an inch long and an eighth of an inch wide. This resides overtop of the button that you normally push to release the seatbelt in your car. The little slot means you cannot use your hand to unbuckle the belt. But, pushing a key or another small object through the hole allows you to unlock the seatbelt and release the person wearing it.
Once Cody and I were clear of the vehicle, my mother started to approach Cody from behind. She reached up to undo the zipper that kept the vest portion of the harness fastened behind the passenger’s back. But, Cody seeing her approach him, pulled away and turned around to face her.
“I need to undo the zipper in the back so that you can take the harness off.” My mother explained.
“Actually, couldn’t I just leave it on?” Cody asked a very perplexed look on my mother’s face. “I mean it took you almost 5 minutes to get me into it the first time. So, I figure if I just leave it on, it will go much faster when we get out.”
My mother just shrugged and gestured that we should head towards the store. Cody took up the lead with the two of us following him close on his heels. Growing up I have worn the harness outside of the car similar to how he was wearing it now. There were a few instances when I was younger where a dog leash got clipped onto part of the vest and it was used as a walking harness. But, after turning 10, I normally wouldn’t wear the harness in public outside of putting it on or taking it off at the car. Sometimes, I would leave it on in colder weather if I was wearing it under my jacket. In that case, nobody could see I was wearing it. So, it really didn’t matter. However, I wouldn’t have willingly left it on out in the open like this. However, Cody didn’t seem overly bothered by it. He walked along in front or with us for most of the trip and just ignored the fact that the harness was there.
Cody got more than a few peculiar looks while we were shopping. But nobody said anything to him directly and he didn’t make an issue out of it. We probably spent the better part of an hour and a half traversing the store finding everything we needed. Since not much of note happened I am not going to talk about buying pens, notebooks, and other school supplies. Cody and I each needed some clothing for the coming cold weather season. I had to try on over a dozen things and Cody stood by with my mother relatively patiently while I did. He didn’t try much on. Like most boys he knew is sizes and went by trusting the label. Both of us got new winter coats, hats, and scarfs. We passed by a display of gloves in the girls' section and my mother told me to pick some out.
I looked through the display and found what I was looking for after some hunting. I picked out two pairs of mittens. One was a knit pair with an internal lining and a wool outer shell. The second pair was a set of ski style waterproof ones that went all the way up and over my wrists. Cody watched as I made my selections and put them into the cart. He looked at me rather perplexed.
“Why are you choosing those instead of gloves?” He inquired.
I had to think for a moment to reach a rational answer. “I prefer mittens because they're warmer than gloves. They also bunch your fingers up and make it harder to do things. You know like unlock handcuffs or unbuckle a harness in the car.” I pointed out pointing at the vest Cody was wearing. The real answer to that question was a lot simpler. I am in my mid 20’s right now. In all that time I have never actually owned a pair of winter gloves with separate fingers. I have always worn mittens because I like the restrictions they put on your hands during the colder weather.
Cody nodded accepting the explanation that I had fed him. After I got the two pairs of mittens and one more outfit we headed over to the men’s section to shop for him. I know I am jumping around a little bit, Cody hadn’t actually picked out any clothing up to this point. Cody’s selections were a little less intensive than mine. He had a finite list from his mother and filling it was rather simple. Mostly because aside from the new winter coat he didn’t try anything on. I spent the time that my mother and he were picking out clothing looking across the aisle at something that caught my attention in the boys' department. My focus was broken Cody poked me gently in the back of the head. He was wearing a blue pair of ski mittens over his hands when I turned to face him.
“I don’t really need gloves, but after your explanation, maybe I’ll get these anyways.” He offered with a quick laugh. I smiled and then turned my gaze back to where it had originated. Cody followed it and laughed again when he saw what had caught my eye.
Across the aisle was a rack of blanket sleepers. The one-piece fleece zip-up pajamas with the little built-in feet. Cody and I crossed the aisle and took a closer look at them, more out of curiosity than anything else. The smallest size would probably fit a kid in the 4 to 5-year-old range. However, the sleepers went all the way up to an 18/20 size, which would probably fit an average sized adult. They were available in a variety of prints, most of which were rather childish. Cody took one that was a dinosaur pint off of the rack and held it up in front of him. It looked like it was probably big enough to fit him with some room to spare.
“You should totally go and try that on,” I said with a laugh almost if it was a dare.
“Ok.”, Cody said with a shrug of his shoulders as he started towards the rear of the men’s department where the fitting rooms were. Once he got there he talked with an employee who was kind enough to unlock one of the stalls for him. A few minutes later, Cody emerged from the dressing dawning the footed pajamas. Indeed they were big enough to fit him. Probably a size bigger than they really needed to be. He had them on over top of his clothes and the vest harness. All he had taken off was his sandals. Cody spun around in a circle while my mother and I both cracked up a little. He looked pretty silly, but he did it with a smile on his face.
“You should so get those,” I said with a heavy amount of sarcasm in my voice.
“Naw, I think I am going to pass,” Cody replied. “I don’t think my Mom gave me enough extra money.” He explained. My mother crossed the distance between them and took hold of a cardboard tag hanging from one of the sleeves.
“Do you want me to get them for you?” She asked. “You could mow my lawn or do some other chores to pay me back.” She offered. If I remember right, the pajamas were something like $12.99. So, it wouldn’t have been a major dent in her wallet.
“No, I think I am still going to pass.” Cody began with a more serious tone this time. “They are comfortable and I appreciate the offer, but I really don’t wear pajamas at all. Normally, I just sleep in my underwear and maybe a tank top if it’s cold outside.” He finished.
We waited a few minutes for Cody to head back into the dressing room and change out of the pajamas. Afterward, he came out and we finished up the shopping. After checking out and heading back out to the parking lot, we loaded up the rear of the SUV and piled in. Cody went back to the position with the seat mount and reconnected the harness to the bench seat. He didn’t bother with his normal seatbelt as our next destination was about 5 minutes away from where we were. Cody needed a haircut and it was a short trip over to the barbershop. Upon getting out of the SUV this time, Cody still left the vest on as he did at our first outing.
There isn’t much to discuss at the barber’s shop. Cody got his hair cut short and we were in and out in 20 minutes. The 45-minute ride home was also minimal eventful. Cody took the same position at the rear of the SUV. He tethered my vest to the seat mount and even put his normal seatbelt on over top of it. I watched again in the little mirror on the back of my sun visor. This time, Cody wasn’t squirming around much for the ride home. He seemed a lot more relaxed and comfortable in the harness that he had during the ride down. We talked on the trip home about the upcoming school year and a few other topics that I don’t remember. Finally, we pulled into the driveway at our house.
There was a familiar vehicle there waiting for our arrival. Cody’s mother made the trip over after work to pick her son up. After all, he really couldn’t transport everything he bought home on his bike. She was sitting on our porch swing reading a magazine as we pulled up. My mother parked the SUV and honked the horn to get her attention. Cody’s mother closed her book and started towards us. Cody started shifting around quite a bit suddenly in his straps trying to dislodge himself it appeared.
“Hey, Amy can you come back here and help me. I’m stuck” Cody explained with a measure of panic in his voice.
“All you have to do is undo the seatbelt and unclip yourself from the seat mount. It’s not that difficult, I took off the buckle guard earlier.” I explained.
“I kind of put it back on.” He explained. I rolled my eyes and began making the short trip around the front of the SUV so I could help Cody again. Meanwhile, my mother popped the back hatch open and Cody’s mother made her way up to the rear of the vehicle.
“What in the heck are you wearing Cody?” His mother asked seeing her son all tangled up and strapped down in the pile of seatbelts.
“It’s a car safety vest.” My mother began to explain. “It’s actually Amy’s. Your son saw it and got curious. So, I went ahead and let him try it out for the ride down. He’s had it on since we left our driveway shortly after he got here.”
My mother continued the explanation about what my vest was, how it worked and some of the history behind it while they unloaded everything from the back of the SUV. I spent the next 5 minutes helping Cody free himself from the seatbelts and work his way out of the SUV. Once he was extricated, his mother came over and gave the vest a closer inspection long before Cody could slip out of it. She gave a good chuckle and shot us a smile before closing the trunk of her vehicle with all of Cody’s purchases.
“Do you want to stay for lunch?” My mother offered to look at Cody and his mother.
Her invitation was accepted. The 4 of us headed into the kitchen. Cody didn’t remove the vest at this point either. I wasn’t sure if he just likes wearing it, or if he wasn’t sure he was allowed to. Once we were inside the kitchen, my mother pulled out a chair from the table and gestured for Cody and his mother to have a seat.
“Amy would you get the lunch meats out of the fridge and grab some plates for our guests.” She explained.
I did as I was instructed. Cody tried to get up offering to help, but my mother gestured again for him to have a seat. At first, I just thought she was being a good host. However, after Cody was seated again, her first stop was one of the lower kitchen drawers. She slid it open and retrieved a little strap that looked like a letter X with 4 clips on the ends of it. She walked up behind the chair where Cody was sitting and clipped one of the ends of the strap onto the D-ring on his left hip. Cody almost jumped from his chair not knowing how to respond. But, my mother pulled against the strap and he was jerked back down again. Afterward, she attached the second clip to his right hip and followed with the rings on his shoulders.
After that was done, she drew on the ends of the straps at a few key points putting tension on them. The X strap pulled tight and locked Cody’s vest tight against the chair he was sitting in. Afterward, she gave his chair a slight push forward under the table and began the process of helping me prepare some sandwiches.
Cody shifted back and forth in his chair. I think he was more uncomfortable because his mother was watching than actually being in the harness. After a minute of squirming, he settled into a position and remained pretty still. My mother and I brought over the sandwiches and we began to eat.
“So do you like being strapped down like that Cody?” My mother asked.
“It's an interesting experience.” He replied. “Not sure if I would want to be like this every day. But, it’s fun to try something a little unusual he admitted.”
“So do you want me to get one of those for you?” His mother asked. “After all, Amy probably wants hers back at some point.” I turned a little red with the comment. Having watched Cody spend most of the day in my vest. I had forgotten it was mine and how awkward it could make you look to an outside party.
“I guess I wouldn’t mind it, but they are probably rather expensive and the money would probably be spent better on something else.” He finished quickly, trying to change the subject. Cody was as red in the face as I had been a few minutes ago.
“Cost really isn’t an issue like it was with the pajamas.” My mother responded.
“Pajamas?” Cody’s mother inquired. Her question was met with a short version of the story about Cody trying on the dinosaur sleeper. His mother and all of us had a quick laugh at that one.
“As I said cost really isn’t a factor. My kids have all had one or more of the vests growing up. So, I have a couple of extra ones in storage in the basement. I also have several extra straps for the car and ones like the one tethering you to your chair right now. So, I’ll send a set home with you and your mother before you take off today.” My mother offered.
“Thanks, we’ll see they get some good use rather than sitting around in your basement.” Cody’s mother responded. The expression on Cody’s face fell from one of sarcastic humor to one of someone who just stuck their foot In their mouth.
Well, that wraps up this little story. Again, it really wasn’t a tie-up story in the traditional sense of the subject. But, it covers some of the backgrounds about how Cody got introduced into the idea of car vest. Likewise, it serves as a good window into some of his personality and the stories to come. My mother made good on her promise and set vest and the various mounts home with Cody and his mother later that day. I should be moving onto more appropriate stories for this forum next. This one was really meant for a different community with a few edits to better fit here. Thanks for reading and I’ll look forward to sharing another story next time.
I know this is long, I was going to break it into parts 2 and 3, but my proofreader got the whole thing done in one go so I fiugred why keep you guys waiting.
As my mother backed out of the driveway I pushed the sun visor down in front of me. I slid back the little cover on the mirror that was hidden on the underside of the visor. It was there primarily if you wanted to check your makeup or something simple. I took a minute and worked it to the right angle that I could see Cody in the rear seat. I could certainly hear him squirming around back there trying to get comfortable in his straps. I could tell this was probably a new experience for him.
Our destination was a small city about 30 minutes drive from where we lived. There wasn't very much in the community we had moved to. There were a few small specialty shops and a grocery store. However, if you want to shop at a big box store or do pretty much anything major you had to make a drive out of town. Our main purpose in going was to do some back to school shopping. Both Cody and I needed some new clothes for the fall season. We also needed some schools supplies as well.
Cody and I had become friends that summer. Our mothers also got to know each other quite a bit as well after their first meeting a few weeks prior to this incident. They talked on the phone a few times a week and they also paid each other a visit once or twice. Somewhere in the conversations, my mother had brought up she was taking me into town to do some back to school shopping. Cody's mother who was still work commented that she would have to wait a week or two to do the same with Cody. The next town over was really too far for a bike ride. My mother offered to bring him along with us on this trip and that was the matter of our business.
I watched in the mirror as Cody shifted back and forth trying to find a comfortable perch on the seat. I should clarify one mistake I made in the last post. The wrap mount for the harness could be used with the second-row seating in the SUV. The main reason I used it in the third row was that it was more cramped back there. The middle row of seating had a comfortable amount of leg room. But the third row really only had about a foot to a foot and a half of space between the front of the bench seat and the back of the second row. Paired with the harness it was tight quarters and left a passenger feeling really confined back there.
"Hey, my seatbelt won't loosen," Cody commented pulling on the strap of the normal 3 point belt.
"Yeah, I locked it in place. Amy likes to ride like that, so I thought I would give you the full experience." My mother explained.
"Locked it in place?" Cody asked.
"If you pull the belt all the way out and let it go back in you can tighten it, but it won't loosen. At least not until you put it all the way back in. It's a feature used to install a car seat so that it won't move around. But, if you pull it all the way out it can hold you pretty still." I commented. I demonstrated the matter by pulling my shoulder strap all the way out until it clicked. Afterward, I let it roll back in and pull tight against my body.
Cody spent the next 15 minutes or so testing how little he could move strapped down as securely as he was. He had the ability to turn his head from side to side and the full use of his arms and hands. But, if he didn't release any of the straps his upper body was pretty much cemented in place. With both shoulder secured you cannot lean forward at all and the crotch strap keeps downwards tension on the shoulder belts. It really limits how much upper body movement you have at your disposal. After a while, Cody just gave up and found a position he could live with.
A few minutes later we pulled up to our first stop. It was the bank that my parents had their main accounts at. My mother pulled the SUV to a stop and turned off the engine.
“You two stay put, I’ll be back in a few minutes.” My mother explained before she exited the car and began heading for the bank. I shifted my attention from the ride down to our passenger who was still squirming around in the back seat of the vehicle. I watched in the mirror again as Cody seemed to finally find his perch. He had been there for about 15 minutes finally finding a semi-comfortable position to sit in. He was quickly learning how effective a car harness like the one I had provided was a getting a person to sit still.
Normally, with a seatbelt, your pinned at the waist and across one shoulder. With the harness, you are pinned at the waist and both shoulders. This means you cannot lean forward more than an inch or two. Likewise, you cannot shift your midsection around the seat by more than a few inches. A harness like that is locked tightly in place while a normal seatbelt has some give. Likewise, there is also the crotch belt. It provides some downward pull on the shoulder straps and the lap belt keeping them low and snug. It also makes it nearly impossible to slouch forwards in the seat. The best thing to do is just find a comfortable upright position and stay with it.
However, there are some advantages to using a harness instead of a normal seatbelt. Cody was starting to learn that the system worked both ways. While it keeps you from moving around very much, it also provides a lot better support than a normal belt. If you can find a comfortable perch, you can just lean into the harness and let it take up your weight. Once you do that, a harness can be really comfortable and offer a feeling of absolute security if you lean into it. This is one of the reasons, Jennifer and I fell in love with the restraint early in our lives.
Cody was starting to realize this fact about the time my mother returned from the bank 10 minutes later. Both of us spent that time sitting in silence with our seatbelts still fastened. I left mine alone, Cody really didn’t have a choice in the matter. After we finished at the bank we began to make our way to the main purpose of your trip. Our outing took us to our local Target store to pick up stuff for school. We arrived there late morning. As it normally is a week before school, the place was rather busy with a multitude of shoppers looking for last minute items for the coming school year ahead. My mother had to find a parking spot about halfway back down the parking lot, which meant a long walk to the store. She shut off the engine and the two of us climbed out of the SUV. We waited for Cody, but after 2 minutes he still didn’t appear. My mother opened the door to see what the hold up was.
“All you need to do is unclip the 4 little hooks that attach the rings on the vest to the seat and it should let you come loose.” She explained as Cody was still seated in the rear corner of the vehicle with his belts fastened securely.
“I figured that the problem isn’t the harness, it’s this stupid thing on the normal seatbelt,” Cody replied pointing down at something we couldn’t see from where we were standing.
“Oh!” I exclaimed. “I’ll get it, Mom I need to borrow your keys.” My mother handed me the keys to the SUV and I bean working my way around and back into the seating area where Cody was apparently stuck. I reached down and put the car key against Cody’s seatbelt buckle. A second later it released and the seatbelt zipped itself back into the storage position. After that, it only took about 30 seconds for Cody to disconnect the harness from the attachment points on the seat mount and follow me out of the SUV.
“What the sam heck is that stupid thing anyway.” Cody pointed out directing his finger to the little white plastic buckle.
“It’s called a buckle guard. It’s like a lock for a seatbelt. They are mostly meant to keep younger children from undoing their seatbelts while on the road. But, they're pretty effective against big kids too. At least if you don’t have something to release them.” I explained pointing down at the keys in my hand.
For those of you unfamiliar with the product. A buckle guard is a small plastic box that covers the female end of a seatbelt. It slides on overtop of the end of the buckle where you have the push button to undo it. There is a slot in the top of it so the seatbelt tung can still pass through and you can fasten the seatbelt normally. However, there is a smaller slit about half an inch long and an eighth of an inch wide. This resides overtop of the button that you normally push to release the seatbelt in your car. The little slot means you cannot use your hand to unbuckle the belt. But, pushing a key or another small object through the hole allows you to unlock the seatbelt and release the person wearing it.
Once Cody and I were clear of the vehicle, my mother started to approach Cody from behind. She reached up to undo the zipper that kept the vest portion of the harness fastened behind the passenger’s back. But, Cody seeing her approach him, pulled away and turned around to face her.
“I need to undo the zipper in the back so that you can take the harness off.” My mother explained.
“Actually, couldn’t I just leave it on?” Cody asked a very perplexed look on my mother’s face. “I mean it took you almost 5 minutes to get me into it the first time. So, I figure if I just leave it on, it will go much faster when we get out.”
My mother just shrugged and gestured that we should head towards the store. Cody took up the lead with the two of us following him close on his heels. Growing up I have worn the harness outside of the car similar to how he was wearing it now. There were a few instances when I was younger where a dog leash got clipped onto part of the vest and it was used as a walking harness. But, after turning 10, I normally wouldn’t wear the harness in public outside of putting it on or taking it off at the car. Sometimes, I would leave it on in colder weather if I was wearing it under my jacket. In that case, nobody could see I was wearing it. So, it really didn’t matter. However, I wouldn’t have willingly left it on out in the open like this. However, Cody didn’t seem overly bothered by it. He walked along in front or with us for most of the trip and just ignored the fact that the harness was there.
Cody got more than a few peculiar looks while we were shopping. But nobody said anything to him directly and he didn’t make an issue out of it. We probably spent the better part of an hour and a half traversing the store finding everything we needed. Since not much of note happened I am not going to talk about buying pens, notebooks, and other school supplies. Cody and I each needed some clothing for the coming cold weather season. I had to try on over a dozen things and Cody stood by with my mother relatively patiently while I did. He didn’t try much on. Like most boys he knew is sizes and went by trusting the label. Both of us got new winter coats, hats, and scarfs. We passed by a display of gloves in the girls' section and my mother told me to pick some out.
I looked through the display and found what I was looking for after some hunting. I picked out two pairs of mittens. One was a knit pair with an internal lining and a wool outer shell. The second pair was a set of ski style waterproof ones that went all the way up and over my wrists. Cody watched as I made my selections and put them into the cart. He looked at me rather perplexed.
“Why are you choosing those instead of gloves?” He inquired.
I had to think for a moment to reach a rational answer. “I prefer mittens because they're warmer than gloves. They also bunch your fingers up and make it harder to do things. You know like unlock handcuffs or unbuckle a harness in the car.” I pointed out pointing at the vest Cody was wearing. The real answer to that question was a lot simpler. I am in my mid 20’s right now. In all that time I have never actually owned a pair of winter gloves with separate fingers. I have always worn mittens because I like the restrictions they put on your hands during the colder weather.
Cody nodded accepting the explanation that I had fed him. After I got the two pairs of mittens and one more outfit we headed over to the men’s section to shop for him. I know I am jumping around a little bit, Cody hadn’t actually picked out any clothing up to this point. Cody’s selections were a little less intensive than mine. He had a finite list from his mother and filling it was rather simple. Mostly because aside from the new winter coat he didn’t try anything on. I spent the time that my mother and he were picking out clothing looking across the aisle at something that caught my attention in the boys' department. My focus was broken Cody poked me gently in the back of the head. He was wearing a blue pair of ski mittens over his hands when I turned to face him.
“I don’t really need gloves, but after your explanation, maybe I’ll get these anyways.” He offered with a quick laugh. I smiled and then turned my gaze back to where it had originated. Cody followed it and laughed again when he saw what had caught my eye.
Across the aisle was a rack of blanket sleepers. The one-piece fleece zip-up pajamas with the little built-in feet. Cody and I crossed the aisle and took a closer look at them, more out of curiosity than anything else. The smallest size would probably fit a kid in the 4 to 5-year-old range. However, the sleepers went all the way up to an 18/20 size, which would probably fit an average sized adult. They were available in a variety of prints, most of which were rather childish. Cody took one that was a dinosaur pint off of the rack and held it up in front of him. It looked like it was probably big enough to fit him with some room to spare.
“You should totally go and try that on,” I said with a laugh almost if it was a dare.
“Ok.”, Cody said with a shrug of his shoulders as he started towards the rear of the men’s department where the fitting rooms were. Once he got there he talked with an employee who was kind enough to unlock one of the stalls for him. A few minutes later, Cody emerged from the dressing dawning the footed pajamas. Indeed they were big enough to fit him. Probably a size bigger than they really needed to be. He had them on over top of his clothes and the vest harness. All he had taken off was his sandals. Cody spun around in a circle while my mother and I both cracked up a little. He looked pretty silly, but he did it with a smile on his face.
“You should so get those,” I said with a heavy amount of sarcasm in my voice.
“Naw, I think I am going to pass,” Cody replied. “I don’t think my Mom gave me enough extra money.” He explained. My mother crossed the distance between them and took hold of a cardboard tag hanging from one of the sleeves.
“Do you want me to get them for you?” She asked. “You could mow my lawn or do some other chores to pay me back.” She offered. If I remember right, the pajamas were something like $12.99. So, it wouldn’t have been a major dent in her wallet.
“No, I think I am still going to pass.” Cody began with a more serious tone this time. “They are comfortable and I appreciate the offer, but I really don’t wear pajamas at all. Normally, I just sleep in my underwear and maybe a tank top if it’s cold outside.” He finished.
We waited a few minutes for Cody to head back into the dressing room and change out of the pajamas. Afterward, he came out and we finished up the shopping. After checking out and heading back out to the parking lot, we loaded up the rear of the SUV and piled in. Cody went back to the position with the seat mount and reconnected the harness to the bench seat. He didn’t bother with his normal seatbelt as our next destination was about 5 minutes away from where we were. Cody needed a haircut and it was a short trip over to the barbershop. Upon getting out of the SUV this time, Cody still left the vest on as he did at our first outing.
There isn’t much to discuss at the barber’s shop. Cody got his hair cut short and we were in and out in 20 minutes. The 45-minute ride home was also minimal eventful. Cody took the same position at the rear of the SUV. He tethered my vest to the seat mount and even put his normal seatbelt on over top of it. I watched again in the little mirror on the back of my sun visor. This time, Cody wasn’t squirming around much for the ride home. He seemed a lot more relaxed and comfortable in the harness that he had during the ride down. We talked on the trip home about the upcoming school year and a few other topics that I don’t remember. Finally, we pulled into the driveway at our house.
There was a familiar vehicle there waiting for our arrival. Cody’s mother made the trip over after work to pick her son up. After all, he really couldn’t transport everything he bought home on his bike. She was sitting on our porch swing reading a magazine as we pulled up. My mother parked the SUV and honked the horn to get her attention. Cody’s mother closed her book and started towards us. Cody started shifting around quite a bit suddenly in his straps trying to dislodge himself it appeared.
“Hey, Amy can you come back here and help me. I’m stuck” Cody explained with a measure of panic in his voice.
“All you have to do is undo the seatbelt and unclip yourself from the seat mount. It’s not that difficult, I took off the buckle guard earlier.” I explained.
“I kind of put it back on.” He explained. I rolled my eyes and began making the short trip around the front of the SUV so I could help Cody again. Meanwhile, my mother popped the back hatch open and Cody’s mother made her way up to the rear of the vehicle.
“What in the heck are you wearing Cody?” His mother asked seeing her son all tangled up and strapped down in the pile of seatbelts.
“It’s a car safety vest.” My mother began to explain. “It’s actually Amy’s. Your son saw it and got curious. So, I went ahead and let him try it out for the ride down. He’s had it on since we left our driveway shortly after he got here.”
My mother continued the explanation about what my vest was, how it worked and some of the history behind it while they unloaded everything from the back of the SUV. I spent the next 5 minutes helping Cody free himself from the seatbelts and work his way out of the SUV. Once he was extricated, his mother came over and gave the vest a closer inspection long before Cody could slip out of it. She gave a good chuckle and shot us a smile before closing the trunk of her vehicle with all of Cody’s purchases.
“Do you want to stay for lunch?” My mother offered to look at Cody and his mother.
Her invitation was accepted. The 4 of us headed into the kitchen. Cody didn’t remove the vest at this point either. I wasn’t sure if he just likes wearing it, or if he wasn’t sure he was allowed to. Once we were inside the kitchen, my mother pulled out a chair from the table and gestured for Cody and his mother to have a seat.
“Amy would you get the lunch meats out of the fridge and grab some plates for our guests.” She explained.
I did as I was instructed. Cody tried to get up offering to help, but my mother gestured again for him to have a seat. At first, I just thought she was being a good host. However, after Cody was seated again, her first stop was one of the lower kitchen drawers. She slid it open and retrieved a little strap that looked like a letter X with 4 clips on the ends of it. She walked up behind the chair where Cody was sitting and clipped one of the ends of the strap onto the D-ring on his left hip. Cody almost jumped from his chair not knowing how to respond. But, my mother pulled against the strap and he was jerked back down again. Afterward, she attached the second clip to his right hip and followed with the rings on his shoulders.
After that was done, she drew on the ends of the straps at a few key points putting tension on them. The X strap pulled tight and locked Cody’s vest tight against the chair he was sitting in. Afterward, she gave his chair a slight push forward under the table and began the process of helping me prepare some sandwiches.
Cody shifted back and forth in his chair. I think he was more uncomfortable because his mother was watching than actually being in the harness. After a minute of squirming, he settled into a position and remained pretty still. My mother and I brought over the sandwiches and we began to eat.
“So do you like being strapped down like that Cody?” My mother asked.
“It's an interesting experience.” He replied. “Not sure if I would want to be like this every day. But, it’s fun to try something a little unusual he admitted.”
“So do you want me to get one of those for you?” His mother asked. “After all, Amy probably wants hers back at some point.” I turned a little red with the comment. Having watched Cody spend most of the day in my vest. I had forgotten it was mine and how awkward it could make you look to an outside party.
“I guess I wouldn’t mind it, but they are probably rather expensive and the money would probably be spent better on something else.” He finished quickly, trying to change the subject. Cody was as red in the face as I had been a few minutes ago.
“Cost really isn’t an issue like it was with the pajamas.” My mother responded.
“Pajamas?” Cody’s mother inquired. Her question was met with a short version of the story about Cody trying on the dinosaur sleeper. His mother and all of us had a quick laugh at that one.
“As I said cost really isn’t a factor. My kids have all had one or more of the vests growing up. So, I have a couple of extra ones in storage in the basement. I also have several extra straps for the car and ones like the one tethering you to your chair right now. So, I’ll send a set home with you and your mother before you take off today.” My mother offered.
“Thanks, we’ll see they get some good use rather than sitting around in your basement.” Cody’s mother responded. The expression on Cody’s face fell from one of sarcastic humor to one of someone who just stuck their foot In their mouth.
Well, that wraps up this little story. Again, it really wasn’t a tie-up story in the traditional sense of the subject. But, it covers some of the backgrounds about how Cody got introduced into the idea of car vest. Likewise, it serves as a good window into some of his personality and the stories to come. My mother made good on her promise and set vest and the various mounts home with Cody and his mother later that day. I should be moving onto more appropriate stories for this forum next. This one was really meant for a different community with a few edits to better fit here. Thanks for reading and I’ll look forward to sharing another story next time.
One other matter, I know this story wasn't originally meant for this forum. But it covers some ground that I thought needed to be discussed before I moved forward. It covers somethings about Cody's personality and fills in some of the background needed. For my next story, I'll put it to a vote for you folks. Do you want me to share something that happened on my first day of high school in the new town, or would you prefer another TUG event the first time I went over to Cody's house?
Hey Amy,
Great story as always and looking forward to more of your future work!
Just a quick question , you mentioned this story doesnt fit on this community, do you post to other communities as well? Also I dont think you need to worry so much about whether a story fits in this community as like you mentioned stories like this still help build each characters personalities and I personally think this story was still in the spirit of TUGs!
Anyways, enjoyed reading this and you continue to write more!
Great story as always and looking forward to more of your future work!
Just a quick question , you mentioned this story doesnt fit on this community, do you post to other communities as well? Also I dont think you need to worry so much about whether a story fits in this community as like you mentioned stories like this still help build each characters personalities and I personally think this story was still in the spirit of TUGs!
Anyways, enjoyed reading this and you continue to write more!
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Plueschbabycd
- Centennial Club
- Posts: 183
- Joined: 6 years ago
- Location: Germany
Hello Any I even so was never with your sister upset if had parts with less tied up. Set show more personalty of the person in this case I get even technical expatiation of belt lock and lock bugle and that you till now love mittens.
Both story options gave me curious. But I’d lean closer to the High School story, for now.