And So We Moved, a Cantrell: The Early Years Save “Lulu,” Joseph said. Seeing her frown at his chosen nickname for her, he began again, gently taking her by the shoulders. “Louise, I know you’re in ...
Baby, Maybe?, a Cantrell: The Early Years, Part One Update
Joseph came home from work one evening, strangely dazed, looking as if he carried the weight of the universe on his broad shoulders. “Joey?” Louise said, busily spooning food into an expectant, hungry baby, which she immediately set aside. “Is everything all right?”
“Yeah, I think I’m just getting bogged down at work. I don’t know, it’s a great school, wonderful staff, everything almost takes care of itself, but I’m just, I don’t know. . . I’m starting to feel — a bit burnt out.”
“You are working awfully hard. You always do. I should think you wouldn’t have to keep selling yourself. They’ve seen your credentials and your work ethic. I know you. You push yourself harder than is needed. Maybe you should take a bit of time off. Just a day or two to relax and unwind. Play the piano — do something creative. Might do you some good.” Joseph gave her a wan smile. Noticing little Erik sitting in the highchair, he walked over to pick up feeding the little guy, where his wife left off.
“So, what would you like to try tonight?” Joseph asked. Erik gazed up at him, expectantly, if not a tad warily. Louise had informed him the child was a good eater, but he didn’t at all like mango
“Okay, let’s try something you haven’t had before, shall we?” Glancing at the jar’s label, he said, “I promise it’s not mango. Mama says you just don’t like that at all.”
After giving him a spoonful, Joseph couldn’t tell how the baby felt about it. “Well, yes, no, maybe so? Another bite to help you make up your mind?”
Joseph paused for a bit in between bites, after seeing the expression on Erik’s little face. Suddenly the boy screwed up his features and let out a howl.
“I’m so sorry, son. I’ll just put this on the list of things you really don’t like. Let’s try some finger food.
*~~*~~*~~*~~*
While Joseph was busy feeding Erik, Louise answered her phone. “Oh, Jay, hello. Okay, where? Vector 972 — Oh, that’s on just the other side of the of the Province. Yes, in the Moo Goo Tai Pan Valley, yes, that’s the best pronunciation I can give. Yes, thank you, that sounds fun.”
Joseph looked up from one messy Erik. “What sounds like fun?” he said.
“We’ve been invited to a spontaneous dance party on the other side of the Province. I think we should go.”
“I do, too. Might just be what I need to shake this funk of mine.”
“We have evening credits at the Daycare. Let’s go.”
After Joseph quickly cleaned up Erik, they grabbed both children and dropped them off at the Daycare. Then it was on to the Bluffs. The dance party was already in full swing. This didn’t stop the couple from jumping in. For the first time all week, Louise saw the carefree smile return to her husband's handsome face. Unfortunately, she also experienced quite a hitch in her side. Close to her due date, she was hopeful.
“Joe, I’m sorry to break things up, you seem to be having the time of your life, but I think we need to go home.”
“But we just got here,” he complained.
“Now, Sweetheart. I’ve got this curious hitch in my side . . .”
“Are you saying it’s go-time?”
“Maybe. I hope so. I just know we need to go and go now.”
The brand new fully loaded Hovercraft that came as a perk with the job, flew them across the vector that made up the Human Compound and named the Province. They swung by, picked up their children and got home again in less than fifteen minutes.
Louise excused herself and went into the bedroom, where she expected her labor to fully begin. She would contact her human physician from there. Sadly, the hitch in her side faded away. She came back out into their small Livingroom.
“Braxton Hicks?” Joseph asked.
“Must have been a false alarm. I’m so sorry, Sweetheart. You were having such a nice time, too. Can you ever forgive me?”
“Don’t trouble yourself over it. We’ll just have to do it again.”
She sat down and leaned her head against his shoulder. “I’m so done being pregnant.”
“I know you are. How about if we get the Kiddos to bed and I’ll give you a nice back rub?”
“You are the best and I don’t deserve you.” He smiled at that.
Nearly a Full Boat, a Cantrell: The Early Years, Part One Update
Louise couldn’t get any bigger at this point. She was huge. After the one false alarm she was beginning to fear her state of pregnancy was for keeps. Or she wasn’t pregnant at all and had just gained an unsightly amount of weight. Oddly enough, whenever she gave this notion any real thought, she would receive a rather brutal kick from the Being within.
Their house was way too small. Erik was getting to be such a big baby. Still not crawling, but he was able to pull himself up on a piece of furniture. Glancing at the 2260 calendar, even though Vulcan’s season didn’t align, Erik’s first birthday was upon them. They left church just after they shared one cup of coffee with their Church Family during Coffee Hour.
Happily, Erik was so worn out he fell asleep almost as soon as his blond head hit the crib mattress. This left Louise some time to bake a chocolate cake for the wee one. Feeling almost sentimental about him not being quite such a baby anymore, she got another hitch in her side and wondered, if this baby and Erik would end up sharing a birthday?
Joseph took Aaron out back to help keep him occupied and allow Louise to have the kitchen to herself. Aaron was always asking a lot of questions. Sometimes he would pester his mother so much while she cooked, she would accidentally leave out a few
key ingredients.
After about an hour or so, Louise called them back inside, baby on her hip. “Come on,” she said, as she stepped out onto the backdoor stoop. “Erik says he’s ready to blow out his candles now. And he would be most pleased if the two of you would join him as he celebrates this milestone.”
The cake sat on the end of the kitchen counter, candles ablaze. “Okay, take a big, big breath and blow the candles out like this,” she said, as she carefully blew out just one. She quickly relit it.
Closing her eyes, she made a wish for Erik.
“Okay, now. Big breath and — blow!”
Erik’s light blue eyes grew very large. “You did it, you got them all!” How did you manage that? Total breath control, my word.
In another minute Erik was a Toddler. “Oh, there’s my big, big boy!”
*~~*~~*~~*~~*
One late afternoon, three weeks later, Joseph came home from work. He seemed to have a bit of a bounce to his step. He joyfully, in fact, collected the mail from the mailbox out front, separating the bills and letters from the junk mail, and then pulled open the front door. “Honey, I’m home,” he called out. Louise smiled. She had watched him from the window. She approached and gave him a kiss.
“You look as if you’ve had a terrific day, come sit down, and let’s eat.”
“I have indeed. I have news and an announcement to make.”
“Oh? Please spare me the suspense, I’ve been having a lot of Braxton Hicks today.”
Joseph nodded and smiled as he said, “I have been promoted! With it came a tidy raise, and a bonus. A bonus. And you know that house we looked at over on Old Penelope?”
“You mean the one that was built there after old man Cahill passed away? The Spanish, almost adobe-style house?”
“Yes, that’s the one. Nice big yard to give the kids room to run around. I believe we now have the proper income to allow us to make a bid on the place. I drove passed it on my way home today, and it is still listed.”
“Joseph, don’t tease me.”
“I’ll call the agent right now.”
“That’s terrific,” he said into his phone, “I look forward to hearing back from you.”
Well?” Louise said, rubbing at her lower back. The cramping hadn’t really let up, as she thought it might. In fact, the pangs were coming closer apart with more intensity. Joseph gazed at his wife.
“Are you all right?”
“I think I may really be having the baby, this time. The Braxton Hicks seem to be moving into something far more productive.” With that she got up and walked into their bedroom. In only moments Joseph heard the distinct hum of a personal Transporter, as the human physician, Doctor Lawrence, arrived.
“Honey,” Joseph called out to here, “the realtor said he was going to call the owners of the house and advise them of our bid. We could hear back from him very soon.”
“Wonderful, I’m having the baby right now,” she said.
“Fantastic, had I known this is all it was going to take, I would have sought other good news to bring home, sooner.”
“Is that what did it?” Doctor Lawrence said.
While Louise was busy in the other room, Joseph took a look at his two Toddler sons, “Whose turn it is to go first for a bath?” With the scarcity of water on this planet, the family chose to use the bathwater, twice. First one boy and then the next. The parents, each took very short showers.
At once harsh babbling was exchanged between the two of them.
Picture of Aaron and Erik in front of the tub
Before it came to blows of one sort or another, or likely shoves, Joseph said, “Boys, boys, no need to expend unkind words to each other. Daddy will decide.” Turning, he focused on Erik. “I know, it must be your turn, You’re looking pretty grimy. You must have thoroughly explored the back garden. Am I right?” he said, snatching Erik up. Noticing his mismatched apparel, he said, “Did you get dressed in the dark? Or are you just a tad on the Bohemian side?”
“We have another son,” Louise hollered from the main bedroom, halfway through Aaron’s bath.
By the time Joseph had bathed both of the older boys, the newborn had awakened from his light snooze. Grabbing up a bottle and very carefully heating it up in the microwave, he went to meet his third son. Since they both agreed early on, they didn’t opt to have the child’s gender revealed to them hoping for the surprise. The couple had decided should this child be yet another son, they would name him Joseph Alistair Cantrell, III. He would likely go by Joey, Jr., but that was his preference to make.
Gazing down at the rather handsome lad, Joseph’s heart swelled with pride. Three sons. He had three sons to carry down the family name and legacy. “Hello, there, Joey. I’m your Daddy.”
When next the newborn squalled, Erik came running into his parent’s bedroom. He stopped short in front of the funny basket his parents had brought in. Peering into it, he thought, What’s that?
*~~*~~~*~
As the clock drew near the seven o’clock hour, Joseph rounded up the other two children. “Honey, is Aaron in there with you?”
“No. Just Erik. He’s fascinated by the noises Joey makes. Did you check out back?”
“No, but I will.”
Sure enough, Aaron sat in his little Toddler Swing, gazing out at something. Perhaps, just the skyline. He was obviously lost in thought.
“Aaron?” Joseph said, gently, drawing the almost four-year-old’s attention. “What is it? What’s wrong, son?”
“What you get another one for?” Joseph hunkered near the swing. He ran a hand over his face, trying to figure out a good way to answer the boy.
“Because mommies and daddies make families. And this is our family. Mommy and Daddy always wanted a big family. Lots of children, round about our table. You know the Mason family at church? They have five children with another one on the way.”
“Too many. I don like so many. No more attention for me.”
“Aaron, son. You will always be the Firstborn and that’s a very special mantle to wear. Believe me, I’m the firstborn of your uncles and aunties. Besides, we love each of you equally. You’re all different, you’re all special in your own way. We love all of you. You’re our family. And one day we hope to have more children. Mommy wants a baby girl.”
Aaron furrowed his brow. “A girl? What’s a girl?”
“Well, let me see if I can boil this down for you. A girl is what your Mommy used to be before she grew up.”
“Huh?”
“It’s okay. You’ll get it in time.”
All for now, Thanks for reading!
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