Chapter
58
Two months
later
“… and we should be back around eleven,” Serena said,
slinging her purse over one shoulder.
“Okay, sounds good,” Elyssa said. “You guys have a good time.”
“We will,” Howie said, taking Serena by the arm. Glancing down at his girlfriend, he asked,
“You ready to go now, hun?”
“I just have to kiss Andi goodbye first,” Serena said,
hurrying into the living room, where baby Andrea sat in her playpen. At almost five months, she was getting
bigger and bigger everyday and had learned to sit up on her own.
“Goodbye, precious,” Serena cooed, leaning over to kiss the
top of Andrea’s head, which was covered with silky black hair. “Mommy loves you.”
Howie had entered the room as well, and he bent over and
kissed his daughter as well. “Bye-bye,
baby,” he said. “Bye-bye.” He waved at Andrea, who smiled a toothless
grin. Turning to Serena, he said,
“Okay, Rena, we’d better go or we’ll be late for our dinner reservations.”
Serena nodded, letting Howie lead her out of the room,
glancing back at her baby only once.
She and Howie were going out for dinner and a movie, leaving Elyssa to
baby-sit for Andrea. It wasn’t the
first time they had gone out for the evening and left the baby in someone
else’s care, but still, they had only left her a few times, and it was a hard
thing for Serena to do, being separated from her baby. She couldn’t help worrying that something
would happen, and she wouldn’t be there.
But she figured every mother felt that way and tried not to let it get
in the way.
“Well, we’re going now,” she said to Elyssa. “Call if you need anything, okay?”
“Okay, Rena,” Elyssa smiled. “Have a great time, and don’t worry too much. We’ll be fine.”
“I know you will,” Serena said, relaxing a little. She knew they would be fine. Elyssa was responsible and would be a mother
herself in just a few more months. Her
baby was getting bigger, as was she. She
was almost five months pregnant now, and it was easy to see that she was
expecting.
“Bye,” Elyssa said, waving, as Howie ushered his fiancée
out the door.
“Bye, Lyssa,” Howie called back over his shoulder, closing
the door behind him as he left.
Elyssa heard their car pull away and the garage door close,
and then she headed back into the living room.
“Hey, Andi,” she said brightly, carefully scooping Andrea up out of the
playpen. “Ready to have some fun?”
***
Two hours
later
“The end,” Elyssa said softly, closing the book, “The Very
Hungry Caterpillar”. She glanced down
into Andrea’s crib and saw that the baby was sound asleep, her pacifier hanging
half out of her mouth. Smiling tenderly
down at Andrea, Elyssa pulled a thin, lavender blanket around her, for even
though it was early July, the house was cool with the air conditioning on.
“Goodnight, sweetie,” Elyssa whispered, delicately stroking
Andrea’s baby soft cheek. She watched
her sleep for a few more minutes, turned on the baby monitor beside the crib,
and headed downstairs, leaving the door to Andrea’s room open halfway.
She descended down the stairs to the empty living
room. Stooping down, she picked up a
light pink rattle and a small stuffed bunny that were lying on the floor and
tossed them gently back into Andrea’s playpen.
Flopping down onto the couch, Elyssa turned on the TV. She flipped through the channels, hoping to
find something good to keep her occupied for the next three and a half
hours. The movie, “2Ge+her” had just
started on MTV. Elyssa had seen the
movie plenty of times, but she loved it, so she settled back to watch it
anyway.
Two hours later, Elyssa got up from the couch, as the movie
was finishing. Glancing at the clock on
the mantel, she saw that it was nine thirty.
She headed for the stairs, deciding to go check on Andrea.
In Andrea’s room, Elyssa peered over the side of the
crib. Andrea was still sleeping
peacefully, her breathing deep and slow.
Her pacifier had fallen out of her mouth completely, and she had rolled
out from under the blanket. Smiling,
Elyssa straightened the soft pastel blanket over Andrea’s still form. She felt a little shiver of delight run down
her spine as she rested her hand on her fattening stomach, thinking of how
wonderful it would be to have a baby of her own to tuck in.
Glancing at the baby one last time, Elyssa headed back
downstairs.
***
Two hours
later
“Hey, Lyss. Sorry
we’re a little late,” Serena apologized, as soon as she was inside the house.
“Oh, no problem,” Elyssa responded with a wave of her
hand.
“How was Andi?” Howie asked, setting down his car keys.
“She was an angel,” Elyssa replied. “Everything went fine.”
“That’s great,” he said, smiling.
“I’m gonna go use the bathroom and check on Andi. Howie’ll pay you, Lyss,” Serena said, heading
for the stairs.
“Oh no-“ Elyssa started to say, but Serena had already left
the room. Turning to Howie, she laughed,
“Howie, you don’t have to pay me.”
“Oh no, we insist,” he said, pulling his wallet out of his
back pocket. “We can’t thank you enough
for this.”
“Howie, really,” she insisted. “It was my pleasure. I’m you guys’ friend; you shouldn’t have to
pay me for babysitting for Andi. You
know I’m always glad to do it. Plus, I
need the practice.” She smiled.
Howie smiled back, but pulled some bills out of his wallet
anyway. “I don’t care. We’re paying you,” he said, his tone
final.
Elyssa rolled her eyes, but finally accepted the
money. “Hey, can I use your bathroom
first, before I leave?” she asked.
“Sure,” Howie replied.
“Thanks,” she said, heading to the downstairs
bathroom. A few minutes later, she was
washing her hands when she heard a loud scream from upstairs. Alarmed, she quickly dried her hands and tore
out of the bathroom.
“Howie!!” came Serena’s shrill scream. “Oh, my God, Howie come here!!!”
***
