"TK, do you know what we need?" Kari asked at breakfast.

"More bacon?" TK suggested, helping himself to the last piece.

"No. We need to go to parenting class."

"Parenting class! What for?"

"For our baby! We have no idea about how to take care of one!"

"What are you talking about? I babysat all through high school. I can take care of a baby."

Kari studied him. "What do you do if the baby won't stop crying?"

"Call his parents." TK answered smugly.

"We're going."

And that was the end of that.

"Hello. I'm Taro. I'll be your instructor as you embark on this wonderful adventure called parenthood." Taro smiled, and TK rolled his eyes. Corny, he thought, but at least she doesn't tell bad jokes. Hey! Cookies! TK dug into the cinnamon ginger flavored cookies that were on a plate on a nearby table. He was joined by several other fathers, who had spotted the cookies as well. Taru said some other things that which TK tuned out.

Suddenly the group parted and Kari was calling him over to a changing table.

"What's this?" TK picked up the doll that was lying on the table.

"Weren't you listening? This is our baby. We need to take care of it."

"But it's a doll."

"No, it's our baby."

"It's a doll."

"Okay!" Taro called to a noisy room. "Your babies will start crying now. It's up to you to get it to stop. Ladies, you go first. Ready? Go!" All the babies started to cry. TK watched in amazement as Kari diapered the baby and fed it, then gently patted its back until it stopped crying.

"Very good ladies." Taro said. "Now give it to your husbands. Ready boys? Go!" The babies cried again. TK diapered, fed, and burped the baby just as Kari had done, but it wouldn't stop crying. TK began to get frustrated.

"Shut…up!" He yelled, smashing the doll's head against the changing table.

"Our baby!" Kari cried, horrified.

"It's a doll!" TK said.

"You're killing it!"

"It won't shut up!"

"Mr. Takashi!" Taro had come over. "Do you have any idea what this is?"

"Obviously some kind of birth control!"

"No, Mr. Takashi, this is a baby."

"It's a doll!"

Taro sighed and put a key into a hole in the doll's back. The doll stopped crying.

"Hey! Where can I get one of those?"

"Mr. Takashi, I think you qualify for my Saturday 'Extra Difficult Parent' Class."

"No I don't."

"Yes you do."

"I think it's a good idea, TK. Taru had a very impressive background." Said Kari.

"I will not pay for Taro to teach me how to do something I can do just fine!" Kari looked at the dented head of the doll.

"Then I'll pay for it." She said.

"No!"

"Yes!"

"I am not a difficult parent!"

"You're going, and that's final!"

"Wonderful! In this coarse I will work hands on with Mr. Takashi. I promise a five star parent by four o'clock." Taro went to help another couple.

"What does he mean by 'hands on?'"

TK turned out the light on Friday night and got comfortable. "I'm not going, you know." He said to his wife.

Kari turned over to face him. "TK, how many times do I have to tell you? You're going."

"I don't want to."

"TK, this is not about you. This is about our son. You have to do what's best for him, not what's convenient for you. That's fatherhood. Promise me you'll think of him."

TK put his hand on Kari's stomach. Her pants have been getting tighter and tighter. Their son was growing, and there was no turning back. He nodded. Kari was right. It was time to get serious.

"I promise. I'll do anything for our son."

Kari smiled and pulled the covers to her chin.

"You know, I really don't like this guy." TK said as they walked down the hall in the community center on Saturday.

"You don't like anyone, do you?"

"Yes I do."

"Dr. Greystone, Taro…"

"That's different. They're both weenies." TK saw that Look on Kari's face. "But I'm going anyway." She smiled.

"Good morning, Mr. Takashi! Are you ready to learn about how to care for your future child?" Those corny lines again. TK thought. Taro was all smiles. And he would be, with all the money we're paying him.

"You bet he is. And call him TK." Kari said. "Well, honey, I'll be back at four." She kissed him on the cheek and left.

"Okay TK-"

"Mr. Takashi." TK corrected firmly.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I kinda put on that routine for the wives. It's so annoying." TK raised his eyebrows, unsure whether or not to believe him. "So let's get started. Let's go with the basics. This is a baby." Taro held up a doll. "Yes, I know it's doll, but use your imagination." TK had to smile. Taro had said it so sarcastically. "Anyway, there are three things you need to know about it. How to feed it, how to burp it, and how to change it. Because the first couple months, that's all they do. Eat, sleep, and burp."

He opened a cabinet and took out a vial. "Now, babies need warm milk. Don't ask me why, I'm not a mother. But you heat it up on the stove or in the microwave." Taro demonstrated. "The most important thing to do is test how hot the milk is by putting a drop or two on your forearm, like this. What do you think? Is it to hot or too cold?"

TK took the bottle and put a drop on his skin as Taro had. The milk wasn't scalding, but TK wasn't sure. "I think it's too hot."

"Very good! You're wife doesn't give you enough credit. Remember, baby's mouths are more sensitive than yours." He got a different bottle. "How about this one?"

"Is this one okay?"

"Two for two, Mr. Takashi! Okay, now give it to the baby. Support it's head…that's it."

"This is easy!" said TK, as the baby 'drank' the milk.

"Lesson number two. Babies need to be burped. They can't do it on their own, and all that gas can be quite uncomfortable. So take the baby and put it over your shoulder. Pat it firmly. I said firmly, not violently! Gentle, that's right. Good. Oh!" TK's back was suddenly wet.

"I don't even want to know what that is. How the heck did that doll do that!"

"It's programmed that way. But it's okay, babies do that. You would usually put something, like a towel or cloth diaper, over your shoulder to keep your shirt clean."

"Failed to mention that little detail, did you?"

"Well, the good news is you burped the baby!"

"Yippee." They got TK cleaned up.

"Lesson three. Now, your baby needs changing. The diapers are over here. Undo those tabs. Now wipe it…right. This baby has a rash, so put some lotion on your finger and wipe it. Yes, right there. Good. Slip the old one out and put the new one on. A little tighter, perfect. You're a natural." TK smiled and picked the baby up, remembering to support its head.

"All right, now what we're going to do is…" Taro proceeded to instruct TK in bathing, holding, carrying, rocking, and caring for an infant. TK was well versed in babies by the time Kari came to pick him up.

"Wait! There's one more thing." Taro picked up a book from a big stack. "This will help you in parenting. It comes free with the lesson. There's a list in the back of other books you may want to read. Good luck!"

"Well, did you have fun?" Kari asked.

"I learned a lot." TK admitted.

"Good." Kari hid a smile.

"Go ahead." TK said.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Come on. You know you want to."

"Okay. I told you so." Kari laughed.

"Yep. You were right."

"Thank you. So I bought the some cute things for the baby, and I scheduled another appointment with Dr. Greystone. (Don't make that face at me TK, it has to be done!) We get our first ultrasound at the end of this month!"

Sorry, kind of a choppy ending to a chapter. I'll do better next time. And sorry about TK's little temper tantrum with the doll, he just needs to learn a little patience. : )