CHAPTER TWO
Kay woke up the next morning and carefully stepped over Charlie. They had spent the night in sleeping bags in the living room, which had excited Charlie. Kay smiled down at her three year old son curled up in his Spider-Man sleeping bag, a Bedtime Bear Teddy Bear clutched tightly to his chest, his hair sticking up all over the place. Kay bent down and place a small kiss on his forehead that made him squirm slightly in his sleep, then stood up and made her way to the kitchen. The smell of cooking eggs and bacon was enough to penetrate Charlie's sleep fogged brain and he stumbled into the kitchen in his Nightmare Before Christmas pj's, with his teddy bear still clutched tightly under one arm. Charlie's hair was sticking up in every direction, and his bright blue eyes were still bleary.
Kay laughed as her son dragged himself into one of the kitchen chairs and blinked owlishly at her.
"Good morning Charlie. Eggs?"
"Umph." Charlie mumbled, making Kay double over in hysterical laughter.
"Charlie, you look like an extra in a zombie movie." Kay said through her giggles.
"Umph." Charlie repeated, deciding it was to early in the morning for any intelligent conversation. Kay took pity on her son, and sild a plate of eggs in front of him. Charlie grunted something and began inhaling the food. Kay watched Charlie with wide eyes, making sure to keep her hands away from Charlie's mouth. He finished and shuffled out of the room without a word. Kay stared after him, then shrugged, and ate her own breakfast. When she had finished that and done the dishes, she walked out to find Charlie sitting on his sleeping bag and watching cartoons on TV, looking only slightly more alert than he had in the kitchen.
"Are you feeling more sociable now baby?" Kay asked with a smile as she sat next to him. Charlie yawned and crawled into her lap and snuggled into her chest, but nodded all the same.
"A little Mama."
"Your just not a morning person, are you honey?" Kay asked with a smile, petting his hair. Charlie shook his head.
"No Mama."
"Well, how about the park?"
"Yeah!" Charlie yelped, scrambling off of her lap and running to his room, where Cordelia had put the suitcases containing Charlie's clothes. He came back dressed in a pair of dark blue jeans, a white tank top with a dark red short sleeve button up shirt over it and a pair of black sneakers. He also had a New York Yankees baseball hat on his head.
"Come on Mama! Let's go!" Charlie yelled.
"Okay, okay." Kay laughed. She was in a pair of jeans and a dark red tee shirt herself with a pair of white sneakers. She had on a matching New York Yankees baseball cap with her hair pulled up through the back.
"Where's your jacket?"
"Do I need it?"
"Just in case."
"Okay Mama." Charlie chirped, running back and getting his oversized black Nightmare Before Christmas hoodie that had Jack's face on it.
"Now can we go Mama?" Charlie begged. Kay laughed and picked him up.
"Yeah, we can go."
At the park, Kay took a lot of pictures of Charlie on the swing, or sitting in the dirt on his butt after flying off a slide. Charlie didn't mind, laughing and waving at his mother while running around, wearing himself out. Kay finally suggested they head home when she noticed Charlie let out a huge yawn and rub a dirty fist across his eyes. Charlie didn't protest, but he did reach up to her, silently asking to be carried. Kay reached down and picked him up, letting him warp his arms around her neck and rest his head on her shoulder. On the way past the mailboxes in the lobby, Kay saw that she had mail.
"That's weird." She muttered.
"What weird Mama?" Charlie asked.
"We have mail sweetie." Kay said, opening the door with the small key Mrs. West had given her. It was weird, they shouldn't have been getting mail yet. Kay had left a forwarding address at her old place, but that would still take a few days. Kay took out the two envelopes, and noticed that they were addressed to someone named Anthony Cetanwakuwa Boudreaux.
"Boudreaux?" Kay said out loud, than snapped her fingers. "Oh, this must be the guy who lived here before us."
With Charlie now dozing lightly in her arms, Kay walked down the hall to Mrs. West's apartment. She knocked on the door, and the pretty older woman opened it after few minutes.
"Yes? Why Kay, what can I do for you honey?" Mrs. West asked with a smile. Kay had to smile back as she held out the mail.
"This was in my mail box. It's for an Anthony Boudreaux. Was he the guy who had my apartment before me?"
"Yes, he was. Tony used to live there with his fiancé, a vague, blonde headed girl who was kind of an air head. I didn't like her much. After she canceled the wedding, he moved out. Wanted a smaller place, and one that didn't have bad memories."
"Oh. Well, do you have a forwarding address so I can send them to him?"
"Oh, no I don't. But I do have a work number around here somewhere. . ." Mrs. West turned and rummaged through some drawers in a desk. "Here it is!" Then she looked at the clock. "Oh no, my daughter and I are going to be late for her doctors appointment."
"I could call him for you." Kay offered.
"Would you? That would be so great." Mrs. West handed her the number and smiled at Kay. "Thank you so much."
"Not a problem." Kay told her with a smile. She took the number, then smiled down at Charlie. "Come on Charlie, I'll race ya." She told her son. Charlie laughed and took off for the stairs, his mother right behind him.