I woke up the next morning to, "Num yum! Num yum!" There was no doubt about
who that was. Katherine obviously wanted to eat. I groaned and rolled over.
We'd put the crib in Soda's old room so when I finally got myself up that's
where I went. "Num!" She said again when she saw me. I lifted her out of
her crib.
"Yuck, you need a change, little one." I said, smelling it right away. After that was done I took her out to the kitchen to get her some breakfast. "You want some eggs?" I asked her. "You know what, I think we'll all have eggs. Pony! Soda! Wake up!"
"Ake up! Ake up!" She yelled. I laughed and put her down so I could start breakfast. "Num yum! Num yum!" She yelled.
"I know." I said. "Sheish, I'm making it. You ain't to patient now are you?"
"Upy." She said, looking at me and holding her arms out.
I sighed. "I can't right now, see I'm making num yum." I held the egg up. I wish she'd make up her mind. One minute she wanted to eat and the next she wanted me to pick her up. It ain't easy to cook with only one hand.
Soda walked in then, showered and dressed. "Breakfast ready?"
"Upy!" She ran to him.
"Awful demanding, ain't she?" Soda said, lifting her up.
"Just hold her for me while I make these eggs, ok?" Soda nodded. A few minutes later I set all the breakfast down on the table and Soda placed her in her highchair, which we'd set up last night. "Where's Pony? Ain't he out of bed yet?" I asked.
"I'll get him." Soda said, going back to their room. They both came in a couple minutes later and sat down. Pony really ain't a morning person and especially in the summer but he knows if he doesn't wanna make his own breakfast he's gotta get up early to have whatever I make. Soda and me have to leave by eight for work.
I finished quickly and got up. I needed to hurry If I was gonna be on time. "Upy." Katherine said.
"Daddy has to take a shower." I said to her and exited. Gosh it was weird calling myself that but I figured I'd get used to it after a while. "Keep an eye on her." I said as I walked out. "Make sure she eats some eggs and not just chocolate cake."
"Darry would you hurry up in there!" Soda yelled the second I got in. "She's crying again!"
I groaned. Couldn't I have one minute of peace? I finished as quickly as I could and got dressed. "What's wrong with her?" I asked.
"She's fine now." Pony said.
"All-right. Pon, I need you to watch her for me again. Maybe tomorrow too but after that I'll have figured something out, ok?"
"Fine." Pony sighed.
"Hey, I really appreciate it." I told him. I wanted to make sure he knew that.
"It's ok." He said.
"Upy!" Katherine yelled for the hundredth time that morning.
I picked her up. "I gotta go bye bye now." I said. "You'll have fun with Pony." I gave her a little kiss and handed her to my youngest brother. She started to cry again so me and Soda rushed out of there. "Try giving her ice-cream." I suggested, as I got into the truck. Pony nodded and we saw him head for the kitchen. Yeah, I know it ain't good for her to be eating ice-cream all the time but I was just using it until I figured out what else to do.
At three that afternoon I got a call at work. Well not at the actual office place that we arrange things but at the house I was roofing that day. I already knew who it was. I figured he called and got the number from my boss. "Pony, this better be important. I'm really busy right now."
"Darry, please come home. I can't stand it anymore. She's crying and crapping and she wants something every second. Half of the time I don't understand what she wants and then she starts crying like crazy and I've got the headache the size of New York City. Please come home!"
"Pony, I can't. I'm right in the middle of-"
"Please!" Pony begged.
"Gosh, kid. It's that bad?"
"YES!"
I sighed. "All-right, I'll be there in fifteen minutes." I hung up and explained what was going on. The other guys weren't happy but I headed out anyways. When I got home Pony was more than relieved. Katherine was banging on the piano keys and the second I stepped in Pony ran out the door to the porch and lit a cigarette. "I know that I didn't just leave work so you could have a smoke." I said angrily.
"No, Darry. Seriously, she's driving me nuts!" I sighed and walked in.
"Hey Katherine, no piano, ok?" She looked over at me and smiled, reaching her arms out. I picked her up and held her on my hip while I went into the kitchen to get a glass of water.
"Darry, I'm gonna go see a movie." Pony announced.
"Not alone." I said.
"But Two-Bit ain't around and Soda and Steve are at work." He gripped.
"Pon, you ain't walking by yourself."
"Would you drive me then?"
I sighed. "All-right, I'll call Soda and have him come by and get you on his way home from work. Go get that car seat I bought her yesterday. Do you know how to buckle it in?"
"I'll figure it out." Pony said and went off to find it.
"We're gonna go on a little errand." I said to Katherine who was playing with the collar of my shirt. "Pon, did she eat lunch?" I shouted.
"Yeah, I just gave her the peanut butter jar and she helped herself." I rolled my eyes. When we'd figured out how to attach the car seat we left and I drove him over there.
"Do you have that money I gave you yesterday?" I asked him. He nodded. "All- right. There's another ten for you when you get home."
He smiled. "Tuff!"
"Remember you're walking home with Soda. He'll meet you here at five thirty."
"Ok." He said, hoping out of the truck.
"Jue. Jue." Katherine said from the backseat.
Ok, what? "What do you want?" I asked.
"Jue!" She said.
Think Darry think. What could Jue possibly mean? Um. juvenile NO July NO ummmm juice? "Juice?" I asked her. She nodded. Well we didn't have juice at home, just pop and beer. We were out of orange juice and I needed to get more anyways so I went to the store. I got that, apple juice, and grape juice since I had no idea what kind she wanted and obviously she couldn't tell me. When we got home I gave her orange juice but apparently that wasn't what she wanted because she spit it out. So then I tried apple juice and I scored. I was able to get some peace by setting her in front of the TV and giving her a bottle of 'jue.'
Later on that evening Soda walked in the door and then I realized I had forgotten to call him and ask if he'd get Pony. So now it was six p.m. and my youngest brother was either waiting at the movie theatre or walking home alone. I groaned. "Soda, watch her for me. I havta go find Pony." I said, walking out the door after snatching up my keys.
"What?" He asked.
"Just for a few minutes." I said, getting into the truck and driving off.
I found Pony when I was half way to the theatre. He was on his way home. I pulled over and he saw me right away. "Hey, kiddo. I'm sorry. I forgot to call Soda."
"It's ok." He said, getting in and trying not to sound irritated about it.
When we got home I spent several hours on the phone, looking through the yellow pages. I needed to find some kind of day care. I didn't want to make Pony keep watching her. Bye the time I was done it was 9 p.m. Soda made dinner and everybody had eaten except myself so I had something really quick. It was then time to complete the long and tiring task of getting Katherine to bed. She finally fell asleep at midnight and I just about passed out the second I got into my own bed.
"Yuck, you need a change, little one." I said, smelling it right away. After that was done I took her out to the kitchen to get her some breakfast. "You want some eggs?" I asked her. "You know what, I think we'll all have eggs. Pony! Soda! Wake up!"
"Ake up! Ake up!" She yelled. I laughed and put her down so I could start breakfast. "Num yum! Num yum!" She yelled.
"I know." I said. "Sheish, I'm making it. You ain't to patient now are you?"
"Upy." She said, looking at me and holding her arms out.
I sighed. "I can't right now, see I'm making num yum." I held the egg up. I wish she'd make up her mind. One minute she wanted to eat and the next she wanted me to pick her up. It ain't easy to cook with only one hand.
Soda walked in then, showered and dressed. "Breakfast ready?"
"Upy!" She ran to him.
"Awful demanding, ain't she?" Soda said, lifting her up.
"Just hold her for me while I make these eggs, ok?" Soda nodded. A few minutes later I set all the breakfast down on the table and Soda placed her in her highchair, which we'd set up last night. "Where's Pony? Ain't he out of bed yet?" I asked.
"I'll get him." Soda said, going back to their room. They both came in a couple minutes later and sat down. Pony really ain't a morning person and especially in the summer but he knows if he doesn't wanna make his own breakfast he's gotta get up early to have whatever I make. Soda and me have to leave by eight for work.
I finished quickly and got up. I needed to hurry If I was gonna be on time. "Upy." Katherine said.
"Daddy has to take a shower." I said to her and exited. Gosh it was weird calling myself that but I figured I'd get used to it after a while. "Keep an eye on her." I said as I walked out. "Make sure she eats some eggs and not just chocolate cake."
"Darry would you hurry up in there!" Soda yelled the second I got in. "She's crying again!"
I groaned. Couldn't I have one minute of peace? I finished as quickly as I could and got dressed. "What's wrong with her?" I asked.
"She's fine now." Pony said.
"All-right. Pon, I need you to watch her for me again. Maybe tomorrow too but after that I'll have figured something out, ok?"
"Fine." Pony sighed.
"Hey, I really appreciate it." I told him. I wanted to make sure he knew that.
"It's ok." He said.
"Upy!" Katherine yelled for the hundredth time that morning.
I picked her up. "I gotta go bye bye now." I said. "You'll have fun with Pony." I gave her a little kiss and handed her to my youngest brother. She started to cry again so me and Soda rushed out of there. "Try giving her ice-cream." I suggested, as I got into the truck. Pony nodded and we saw him head for the kitchen. Yeah, I know it ain't good for her to be eating ice-cream all the time but I was just using it until I figured out what else to do.
At three that afternoon I got a call at work. Well not at the actual office place that we arrange things but at the house I was roofing that day. I already knew who it was. I figured he called and got the number from my boss. "Pony, this better be important. I'm really busy right now."
"Darry, please come home. I can't stand it anymore. She's crying and crapping and she wants something every second. Half of the time I don't understand what she wants and then she starts crying like crazy and I've got the headache the size of New York City. Please come home!"
"Pony, I can't. I'm right in the middle of-"
"Please!" Pony begged.
"Gosh, kid. It's that bad?"
"YES!"
I sighed. "All-right, I'll be there in fifteen minutes." I hung up and explained what was going on. The other guys weren't happy but I headed out anyways. When I got home Pony was more than relieved. Katherine was banging on the piano keys and the second I stepped in Pony ran out the door to the porch and lit a cigarette. "I know that I didn't just leave work so you could have a smoke." I said angrily.
"No, Darry. Seriously, she's driving me nuts!" I sighed and walked in.
"Hey Katherine, no piano, ok?" She looked over at me and smiled, reaching her arms out. I picked her up and held her on my hip while I went into the kitchen to get a glass of water.
"Darry, I'm gonna go see a movie." Pony announced.
"Not alone." I said.
"But Two-Bit ain't around and Soda and Steve are at work." He gripped.
"Pon, you ain't walking by yourself."
"Would you drive me then?"
I sighed. "All-right, I'll call Soda and have him come by and get you on his way home from work. Go get that car seat I bought her yesterday. Do you know how to buckle it in?"
"I'll figure it out." Pony said and went off to find it.
"We're gonna go on a little errand." I said to Katherine who was playing with the collar of my shirt. "Pon, did she eat lunch?" I shouted.
"Yeah, I just gave her the peanut butter jar and she helped herself." I rolled my eyes. When we'd figured out how to attach the car seat we left and I drove him over there.
"Do you have that money I gave you yesterday?" I asked him. He nodded. "All- right. There's another ten for you when you get home."
He smiled. "Tuff!"
"Remember you're walking home with Soda. He'll meet you here at five thirty."
"Ok." He said, hoping out of the truck.
"Jue. Jue." Katherine said from the backseat.
Ok, what? "What do you want?" I asked.
"Jue!" She said.
Think Darry think. What could Jue possibly mean? Um. juvenile NO July NO ummmm juice? "Juice?" I asked her. She nodded. Well we didn't have juice at home, just pop and beer. We were out of orange juice and I needed to get more anyways so I went to the store. I got that, apple juice, and grape juice since I had no idea what kind she wanted and obviously she couldn't tell me. When we got home I gave her orange juice but apparently that wasn't what she wanted because she spit it out. So then I tried apple juice and I scored. I was able to get some peace by setting her in front of the TV and giving her a bottle of 'jue.'
Later on that evening Soda walked in the door and then I realized I had forgotten to call him and ask if he'd get Pony. So now it was six p.m. and my youngest brother was either waiting at the movie theatre or walking home alone. I groaned. "Soda, watch her for me. I havta go find Pony." I said, walking out the door after snatching up my keys.
"What?" He asked.
"Just for a few minutes." I said, getting into the truck and driving off.
I found Pony when I was half way to the theatre. He was on his way home. I pulled over and he saw me right away. "Hey, kiddo. I'm sorry. I forgot to call Soda."
"It's ok." He said, getting in and trying not to sound irritated about it.
When we got home I spent several hours on the phone, looking through the yellow pages. I needed to find some kind of day care. I didn't want to make Pony keep watching her. Bye the time I was done it was 9 p.m. Soda made dinner and everybody had eaten except myself so I had something really quick. It was then time to complete the long and tiring task of getting Katherine to bed. She finally fell asleep at midnight and I just about passed out the second I got into my own bed.