Oliver looked at the book that Laurel picked up from the shelf, "Who's this for?" He asked. "Is it someone's birthday soon that I forgot about?" He asked as he looked around on the shelves and saw a myriad of books with brightly colored covers, the curse of children's fiction.
"It's for the baby," She told him. "I'm gonna read these to our baby," She told him as she looked through more of the shelves, looking for appropriate books that didn't make her want to gag the authors with their weirdly enforced gender roles.
He looked at the book and read the back cover. "THE TALES OF BEEDLE THE BARD, a Wizarding classic, first came to Muggle readers' attention in the book know as HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS…" The cover read and he realized what this was. It was folktales from Harry Potter. He'd been interested in it, but he hadn't said anything and he looked at Laurel. "Don't you want to read regular fairytales to our child?" He asked as he put the book back on the pile.
Laurel shook her head. "Normal fairytales enforce weird gender stereotypes that no matter what gender our baby is, it won't be participating in." She told him as she put a couple more books on the stack. "Don't worry, I'm gonna read them the series too. But I thought this one would be a good starting point. Once they get a little older and can remember being read to, then we're gonna crack out the Harry Potter books," She told him.
He chuckled under his breath and shook his head. "You don't even want to try regular fairytales?" He asked.
"Will you give these a chance? I think you'll like them," She told him as she took the big stack of books from the children's section of Barnes and Noble and walked over to the law section to check out if there was anything that she didn't own. There were a few self help books published by hacks, but all the legitimate stuff she looked over was fine and she owned at least one copy of.
He smiled. The thought of her reading to him again, that was fantastic. He loved that idea. "So are we gonna read them together?" he asked.
She nodded to him. "If you can get another copy sure," She told him. "I'd love to read them with you." She told him. "Is there anything else we need?" She asked him.
He shook his head. "Give me a minute to get another copy of the folktales you have approved for our children," He teased her lightly.
She narrowed her eyes at him and stuck out her tongue, "You'll appreciate that in the long run," She shouted, but not too loud, aware they were, in fact, in public. She went to the checkout line and he followed shortly behind. They were probably about five people deep in line and he held the book awkwardly in his hands. "Just put it on the top of the stack, genius," She told him.
He put it gently on the top. The line moved and they were waved to the next cashier open. Laurel put the bookstack on the counter and swung her purse around to get her wallet out. She pulled out her green Barnes and Noble card and smiled to the cashier, who had a name tag that read Beth. "Did you find everything, okay today, Miss?" Beth asked.
"Oh, I did." She told Beth as Beth scanned all of the books. Oliver smiled to beth. "This is my favorite part of new people in the house. New books." Laurel told her.
Beth smiled unsure of how to take that and so she said nothing, "Do you have a rewards card?" She asked and Laurel dutifully slid it over to help the process. She didn't want to be the ones who stood the line up forever. Oliver gave her his credit card and she swiped it as she gave them their books. She gave Oliver the receipt to sign and his card back.
When they got home, Laurel put the books on the bookshelf she'd insisted on in the baby's room and looked to him as she took a book off the shelf. "You ready to read?" She said as she tossed the other book to him. She looked at the rocking chair and looked to him. There was only one chair. "So here or…?" She asked him.
He took a seat in the chair and patted his knee to invite her in. She took a spot on his lap. "So at the beginning?" He asked her as he opened the first few pages.
She shook her head. "We're gonna start on the second story, because it makes my point better," She told him as she turned the pages in her book and he turned the pages in his.
He looked a little questionably at the title, "The Fountain of Fair Fortune?" He asked.
"Hush," She said as she came to the page and smiled, "Ready?" She asked him as she looked up at him. He nodded and she started into it. "High on a hill in an enchanted garden, enclosed by tall walls and protected by strong magic, flowed the Fountain of Fair Fortune…" She started.
As they flipped through the fourteen pages of the story, he had to admit that there was something to the idea that this book was different. It treated men and women differently than normal folktales. The women in this one were not damsels. He knew that was important to Laurel. That they not be taken as such and he finished the story up, "The three witches and knight set off down the hill together, arm in arm, and all four led long and happy lives, and none of them ever knew or suspected that the fountain's waters carried no enchantment at all," He finished.
"So how'd you like it?" She asked him.
He nodded. "It's definitely better than regular folktales. It will show our potential daughter, it's okay to be the author of her own journey. And our potential son that he should respect that narrative." He told her as he kissed her hair and closed his eyes.
She grinned. "I told you that this was the one we needed."
"And you were right." He told her as he laughed. "Like always,"
