Ah, control...the greatest illusion of all...
"Shawn! Come on!" Henry pleaded, trying one more time to maneuver the rubber-tipped spoon into his son's mouth.
But Shawn just turned up his nose and clamped his mouth shut, absolutely refusing to budge.
"Look, Kid." Henry growled, putting the spoon back in the small bowl of mashed peas. "You're going to eat, okay? I'm the grown-up, you're the kid. I'm bigger than you. And I say you're going to eat!"
Henry's eyes locked with his twelve month-old son's, and for a moment he swore he saw a defiant glint in them.
No… he told himself, refusing to believe it.
It's a baby…
Babies aren't defiant.
"Shawn, come on!" He tried again.
Shawn shook his head and reached out to the counter behind Henry, grunting as he tried to grab something off it.
Henry turned around.
"Oh!" He smiled to himself, finally seeing the jar Shawn was looking at. "You want the pineapple baby food. Sorry, Kid. Your mom said it had to be peas. Don't ask me why…"
As he turned back around to the high chair again, he swore Shawn was glaring at him.
But babies don't glare…
"Look, Kid." He reasoned, picking the spoon up again. "It's not my fault. I'm just following orders, here. Your mom said peas, so you're eating the damn peas."
But Shawn's lips were closed even tighter than before.
Henry sighed and gently pinched his son's nose closed.
"You have to breathe sometime, Shawn." He intoned, the spoon poised to shovel the peas in as soon as he did.
But Shawn didn't breathe.
He started to exhale strongly through his nose, his face turning red with the exertion. Almost like he was blowing his nose…
No…
Sure enough, tiny bubbles began to appear around the edges of Henry's fingers, quickly bursting and leaving his hand slimy.
"God, Shawn!" He groaned, wiping his fingers off on his pants. "That's disgusting! What's the matter with you?"
Shawn was laughing now.
Not out loud, of course…but Henry could see it in his eyes.
The kid was laughing!
Suddenly, this was personal.
"Alright, Shawn," he growled. "Playtime's over! You're eating the damn peas!"
Shawn just shook his head again and reached for the pineapple baby food.
"No!" Henry snapped. "No pineapples!"
Shawn's lower lip began to quiver.
"Don't you dare." Henry warned, but it was too late.
Shawn was already screaming.
Henry folded his arms and leaned back in his chair.
"You can scream all day, Kid." He said. "You're still not getting the pineapples. I'm bigger than you, remember?"
Shawn seemed to take him up on his offer, as he continued to scream.
For a solid ten minutes, the two Spencer men sat at an impasse, Shawn screaming until he was red in the face and Henry sitting with his arms folded, refusing to budge.
Finally, Mel came in, carrying several large grocery bags. She set them on the counter and took in the scene.
"Henry! What the heck are you doing?" She demanded. "I told you to feed Shawn, not torture him!"
"He won't eat!" Henry argued. "He wants the damn pineapples!"
"Then why didn't you just give him the pineapple?"
"You said--"
"Oh, forget it!" Mel sighed irritably, rolling her eyes as she pushed Henry off the chair. "Put the groceries away. I'll feed him."
She grabbed the pineapple off the counter and opened the jar, cooing gently to calm her still-screaming son.
As Henry stood up and walked away, he swore Shawn winked at him.
No…
Babies don't wink…
