Chapter 30 "Back to Normal"
There's a lot of noise at Lily and Rick's place as the girls get ready to go to school, and Eli and Rick get ready to go to work. Eli has now found another job at a music studio, as assistant to the producer.
"I feel really useless watching you guys in the morning." Lily says to Rick.
"Why is that?" He asks, smiling.
"Because you're all so busy with your jobs and school, and I'm just hanging around here." She says, starting to do the breakfast dishes.
"You're not just hanging around, Lil. You're taking care of a newborn baby. You've got the toughest job on this house." Rick says, hugging her from the back.
"Yeah." She nods, dropping the subject.
Rick sighs. "Lil. Didn't we agree you're were going to stay three months with William and then go back to work? You seemed so happy about it."
"And I am, Rick. God, the way you talk it seems I don't love my son."
"Lily, please. I..." He begins, but then senses it's better to leave it. "I'm going now, OK. Anything you need, don't think twice before calling me." He kisses her.
"OK." Lily smiles. She watches Rick go, thoughtful. Suddenly, William starts to cry and she comes back to earth. She runs to the living room to check up on him.
***
Meanwhile, Grace and Jessie are arriving at school. Everything is almost back to normal to both of them, and no one remembers their affairs with Dimitri and Katie anymore, since in high school a new gossip goes around everyday.
"Any news about Katie?" Grace asks Jessie while they walk to their lockers.
"She e-mailed me about three days ago. She said things are OK in her Grandma's house, and that her cousins are being really nice to her." Jessie answered.
"Well, that's good." Grace says, but then realizes Jessie is not very excited about it. "Isn't it?"
"Yes, of course, it is." Jessie smiles weakly. "It's just that, I don't know, I just feel she's been different lately, but, it's probably nothing important." She tries to smile bigger to cover her concern. Grace doesn't say a word.
Soliloquy Jessie sighs. "I'm just feeling a little insecure lately, that's all. I know it's stupid."
"So, what about you and..." Jessie looks around, "him?"
Grace smiles big. "He's just... wonderful."
"You're lucky, Grace." Jessie says, before getting in her class.
***
Back at Rick and Lily's place, Lily is watching William slip on his crib. She smiles at him.
"Mom?" Zoe says, standing on the doorway.
"Oh, honey, I'm so glad you're here." Zoe comes closer and they hug. "How are you?"
"I'm fine." She smiles. "What about William?"
"He couldn't be better." Lily says. "Do you want to hold him a little?"
"Oh, no, I don't want to wake him up. He seems to be sleeping so peacefully."
"He's a very nice baby." Lily is grinning hugely and looking at her son.
"Was I a nice baby too?" Zoe asks.
Soliloquy Lily is smiling. "Oh, God, she cried so much and so loudly. I didn't sleep a minute in her first two months."
Lily runs a hand through Zoe's hair. "You were the greatest baby I've ever seen." They hug again.
"I miss it here, Mom." Zoe says.
"I miss having you and your sister here, too." Lily says. She doesn't let go of the embrace, afraid Zoe will see her eyes full of tears.
*** At Booklovers, things are busy. There's customers all around, and three salespeople, plus Judy and Jake, couldn't handle everything.
Eli arrived in the middle of this mess. He looked around the store, looking for Lucie. He saw her, showing a few books to a couple. She was Booklovers' best salesgirl. Besides really knowing how to talk people into buying the books, Eli also had a feeling that her big blue eyes, perfectly placed in a very good-looking face, helped her a lot.
After she finished with the couple, Eli approached her. "Hey."
"Hey, you." She said, putting a few books back into their place.
"You're really working today."
"Oh, yes. Things are crazy around here, fortunately." She smiles, and so does Eli. "So, did you come here for any special reason?"
"Yeah, I did, actually I wanted to know if you wanted to repeat that other night."
"Oh, that dance club was really great. But I feeling so tired lately, I think I would enjoy a nice movie and a good dinner better."
"That sound great too." Eli says.
"Great, then." Lucie answers.
"What about this Saturday? I'll pick you up at 7 o'clock."
"OK, but let's meet at the movie theater at 7 o'clock."
"If you prefer," Eli says, wondering why she didn't want him to pick her up at her place.
"It's a date then." She says. "I have to get back to work now."
"Me too. See you Saturday." Eli says, leaving Booklovers, glad that it was easier than he thought it would be.
***
Back at Lily and Rick's place, Lily has just finished having lunch. Now she was going to breastfeed William - she did that every two hours. William was a very hungry boy.
"Hello my baby! Time for your lunch." Lily said, picking him up from the crib. She sat on the bed and found the perfectly comfortable position. Then she started breastfeeding William.
While she was there, Zoe came back to the room. When she saw that her Mom was breastfeeding her brother, she made a move to go away, but Lily stopped her.
"Hey, come back. You can stay here."
"This is weird, Mom." Zoe said.
Lily laughed. "If you don't sit here and get used to it, it's always going to be weird."
Zoe sighed. "OK. But it's just because I don't get to spend much time with you."
She then sat on the bed next to Lily. She watched the scene uneasily for a while, then asked, "How does it feel?"
"To tell you the truth," Lily said, smiling, "It's weird." They both laughed.
After a few minutes, Lily suddenly said, "Oh."
"What's wrong, Mom?"
"No, it's just that the milk got stuck."
"It can get stuck?"
"Sometimes it can become solid. I mean, a small part of it." "Oh, my God. How do you melt it again?" Zoe asked, looking concerned and disgusted.
"There are some special massages that the doctor taught. It's something that happens every now and then." Lily said while she put William back on his crib.
Zoe got up from the bed. "You know, I think I'll leave seeing the massage for another time."
Lily smiled. "OK, honey."
After Zoe left, Lily went to the bathroom and took off her blouse. As she did the massage her doctor taught her, she couldn't help wondering about this. She knew it was a usual thing and it happened with all mothers, but it was happening everyday with her. And on that day, it was already the third time.
After she finished, she went down to the living room and got her telephone book. "Hello. I'd like to schedule an appointment with Dr. Bellows."
TO BE CONTINUED...
There's a lot of noise at Lily and Rick's place as the girls get ready to go to school, and Eli and Rick get ready to go to work. Eli has now found another job at a music studio, as assistant to the producer.
"I feel really useless watching you guys in the morning." Lily says to Rick.
"Why is that?" He asks, smiling.
"Because you're all so busy with your jobs and school, and I'm just hanging around here." She says, starting to do the breakfast dishes.
"You're not just hanging around, Lil. You're taking care of a newborn baby. You've got the toughest job on this house." Rick says, hugging her from the back.
"Yeah." She nods, dropping the subject.
Rick sighs. "Lil. Didn't we agree you're were going to stay three months with William and then go back to work? You seemed so happy about it."
"And I am, Rick. God, the way you talk it seems I don't love my son."
"Lily, please. I..." He begins, but then senses it's better to leave it. "I'm going now, OK. Anything you need, don't think twice before calling me." He kisses her.
"OK." Lily smiles. She watches Rick go, thoughtful. Suddenly, William starts to cry and she comes back to earth. She runs to the living room to check up on him.
***
Meanwhile, Grace and Jessie are arriving at school. Everything is almost back to normal to both of them, and no one remembers their affairs with Dimitri and Katie anymore, since in high school a new gossip goes around everyday.
"Any news about Katie?" Grace asks Jessie while they walk to their lockers.
"She e-mailed me about three days ago. She said things are OK in her Grandma's house, and that her cousins are being really nice to her." Jessie answered.
"Well, that's good." Grace says, but then realizes Jessie is not very excited about it. "Isn't it?"
"Yes, of course, it is." Jessie smiles weakly. "It's just that, I don't know, I just feel she's been different lately, but, it's probably nothing important." She tries to smile bigger to cover her concern. Grace doesn't say a word.
Soliloquy Jessie sighs. "I'm just feeling a little insecure lately, that's all. I know it's stupid."
"So, what about you and..." Jessie looks around, "him?"
Grace smiles big. "He's just... wonderful."
"You're lucky, Grace." Jessie says, before getting in her class.
***
Back at Rick and Lily's place, Lily is watching William slip on his crib. She smiles at him.
"Mom?" Zoe says, standing on the doorway.
"Oh, honey, I'm so glad you're here." Zoe comes closer and they hug. "How are you?"
"I'm fine." She smiles. "What about William?"
"He couldn't be better." Lily says. "Do you want to hold him a little?"
"Oh, no, I don't want to wake him up. He seems to be sleeping so peacefully."
"He's a very nice baby." Lily is grinning hugely and looking at her son.
"Was I a nice baby too?" Zoe asks.
Soliloquy Lily is smiling. "Oh, God, she cried so much and so loudly. I didn't sleep a minute in her first two months."
Lily runs a hand through Zoe's hair. "You were the greatest baby I've ever seen." They hug again.
"I miss it here, Mom." Zoe says.
"I miss having you and your sister here, too." Lily says. She doesn't let go of the embrace, afraid Zoe will see her eyes full of tears.
*** At Booklovers, things are busy. There's customers all around, and three salespeople, plus Judy and Jake, couldn't handle everything.
Eli arrived in the middle of this mess. He looked around the store, looking for Lucie. He saw her, showing a few books to a couple. She was Booklovers' best salesgirl. Besides really knowing how to talk people into buying the books, Eli also had a feeling that her big blue eyes, perfectly placed in a very good-looking face, helped her a lot.
After she finished with the couple, Eli approached her. "Hey."
"Hey, you." She said, putting a few books back into their place.
"You're really working today."
"Oh, yes. Things are crazy around here, fortunately." She smiles, and so does Eli. "So, did you come here for any special reason?"
"Yeah, I did, actually I wanted to know if you wanted to repeat that other night."
"Oh, that dance club was really great. But I feeling so tired lately, I think I would enjoy a nice movie and a good dinner better."
"That sound great too." Eli says.
"Great, then." Lucie answers.
"What about this Saturday? I'll pick you up at 7 o'clock."
"OK, but let's meet at the movie theater at 7 o'clock."
"If you prefer," Eli says, wondering why she didn't want him to pick her up at her place.
"It's a date then." She says. "I have to get back to work now."
"Me too. See you Saturday." Eli says, leaving Booklovers, glad that it was easier than he thought it would be.
***
Back at Lily and Rick's place, Lily has just finished having lunch. Now she was going to breastfeed William - she did that every two hours. William was a very hungry boy.
"Hello my baby! Time for your lunch." Lily said, picking him up from the crib. She sat on the bed and found the perfectly comfortable position. Then she started breastfeeding William.
While she was there, Zoe came back to the room. When she saw that her Mom was breastfeeding her brother, she made a move to go away, but Lily stopped her.
"Hey, come back. You can stay here."
"This is weird, Mom." Zoe said.
Lily laughed. "If you don't sit here and get used to it, it's always going to be weird."
Zoe sighed. "OK. But it's just because I don't get to spend much time with you."
She then sat on the bed next to Lily. She watched the scene uneasily for a while, then asked, "How does it feel?"
"To tell you the truth," Lily said, smiling, "It's weird." They both laughed.
After a few minutes, Lily suddenly said, "Oh."
"What's wrong, Mom?"
"No, it's just that the milk got stuck."
"It can get stuck?"
"Sometimes it can become solid. I mean, a small part of it." "Oh, my God. How do you melt it again?" Zoe asked, looking concerned and disgusted.
"There are some special massages that the doctor taught. It's something that happens every now and then." Lily said while she put William back on his crib.
Zoe got up from the bed. "You know, I think I'll leave seeing the massage for another time."
Lily smiled. "OK, honey."
After Zoe left, Lily went to the bathroom and took off her blouse. As she did the massage her doctor taught her, she couldn't help wondering about this. She knew it was a usual thing and it happened with all mothers, but it was happening everyday with her. And on that day, it was already the third time.
After she finished, she went down to the living room and got her telephone book. "Hello. I'd like to schedule an appointment with Dr. Bellows."
TO BE CONTINUED...