"Oh, come on, now, Mira. Please open up."

Virginia cradled the baby in her arms. Her blouse was open and her breast was exposed. The child, though, winced at the sight of it. She cannot be serious, the baby - or her spirit - thought.

"Mira, please don't be afraid. My milk is harmless."

The baby continued to resist, her lips tightly pursed.

Virginia sat back in her chair and looked up at the ceiling. She sat up, an idea forming behind her eyes.

"Oh, my little one, please don't cry

I'll keep you safe and sound

I will always love you

My precious little girl

I will always be around."

Mira yawned a bit. She couldn't help but open her mouth. Virginia took advantage of this and, gently, clamped the baby's mouth upon her nipple.

She fussed for a few moments as Virginia held her, but then, the milk from her breast flowed into her mouth. It was sweet and nourishing. I had no idea how good this tasted.

Virginia gave a sweet look as the child continued to suckle. "That's right. Drink up."

"Did I hear singing?" Tim knocked on the frame of the door.

The woman looked up. "You might have."

"You have a lovely voice. Why didn't you pursue a career?"

"There are a lot of singers, but not that many teachers." Mira released her hold on her mother's breast. "Of course, it's gonna be a while before I see the inside of a classroom." Her light tone had become infected with sadness.

"Hey, hey." Tim stood behind her and massaged her shoulders. "I can take care of all of us. I'll be heading back to work next week. You don't have to worry about a thing. Besides, someone needs to take care of our little bundle." He lightly tickled Mira's stomach. She seemed to slap at his hands, but he didn't notice.

"Yeah, but I didn't want it to be like some stereotypical family where the man is the breadwinner and the woman stays at home."

"Don't think of it like that. Think of it as…playing Supermom. You fight off the forces of strife by raising our daughter and keeping house."

"Did you really think that was going to work?"

"No, but I hoped with all I was. Now, how 'bout I take a turn with Mira?"

Virginia handed him the baby and stood to her feet, using the handles of the chair to lift herself up.

"And thanks for last night."

Tim eased himself into the chair. "I can't take all the credit. She tired herself out."

"Not just that. Thanks for taking me to bed."

"You'd do the same for me, I know."

"That depends. How much do you weigh?"

"I love you, too." As Virginia walked out, Tim glanced down at his daughter. "You mean the world to me, you know that? It's you and your mother that mean the world to me. Your mother, you and this apartment that mean the world to me. You, your mother, this apartment and…the easy access to shopping this apartment provides. All of that means the world to me…but you and your mother, in particular…"

Tim looked down at Mira, who had spit up on his shirt. He exhaled. "Serves me right for now wearing a towel, huh?"

XxXxXxXxX

The following week, Tim returned to work. His job as assistant personnel manager allowed him to make a comfortable living; certainly enough to support his family. The demands of the job - screening potential employees - were a little trying at times, but he was thankful for the opportunity to meet new people.

Some of these people were eager to meet him…a little too eager. Tim ran across a number of applicants who were jaw-dropping in their beauty. They were none too shy about flaunting it, either. One such person removed their shoe and ran their stocking-clad foot along Tim's leg, inching ever closer to the promised land. Needless to say, she was denied a position at the company.

Tim walked through the door of the apartment. His tie was loosened and his shirt was halfway unbuttoned. Clearly, he was tired.

Virginia walked up to greet him. "Hello, honey. How was work?"

"Grueling. In addition to interviewing applicants, I had to go over some employee's reports that were messed up." He threw his tie onto the hook of a closet. "Then I had to rush to catch the bus or it would've been a 45 minute wait for the next one." He plopped down in an easy chair.

"Oh. Poor dear. You just rest for a bit."

"Thanks, sweetie." He pants a little. "By the way, how was your day?"

"My day?"

"I'd hate to seem like…one of those guys who whines about his crappy day without hearing about his wife's day."

"How nice of you." She sat on the couch. "Well, Mira was crying, so I rocked her to sleep, then I watched some TV, then Mira woke up and I fed her. She went back to sleep and I decided to do some cleaning around here."

"Supermom saves the day again."

Virginia waved her hand. "Oh, stop."

"What did I tell you?"

"What did I tell you? A mother is supposed to take care of her child. My mom did it. Her mom did it. I know your mom did."

"Of course."

"So, what do you want for dinner?"

"What do we have?"

Virginia opened the door to the freezer. "A wide selection: meatloaf, lasagna, fish nuggets…"

"Maybe we ought to get a little shopping done?"

"I would guess so." Virginia jerked a thumb toward the kitchen. "That microwave was a godsend. Who got that for us?"

"I think it was your Uncle Frank."

"No. It was your Uncle Frank. Mine got us the set of dishes."

"Oh, right. You know, I sure could go for a neck message. Who got us that neck massager?"

"Trixie Tang."

"And she was the maid of honor. Is there something I'm missing?"

"Well, back in the 9th grade, the two of us got to be friends." The woman stood up and walked around her husband. "She had been crying about not fitting in with the obnoxious tramps at that school. I talked to her and offered a shoulder to cry on. Years later, she said that if there was anything I needed, just let her know."

Tim glanced at his wife. "Funny how I never knew this until now."

"It didn't seem worth discussing, then you mentioned the neck massager, so I figured, 'Why not? I'll tell him'." She opened the bathroom door and took it out. "Besides, it's not like you're still in love with her. Are you?"

"That boat sailed a long time ago."

"Nice to know you weren't on it." Virginia placed the massager behind her husband's head. "I really like having you around."

XxXxXxXxX

"So, what's it going to be, meatloaf or fish?"

"Fish sounds nice."

Mira's eyes blinked a little. She smacked her lips as she looked around. Weren't the lights turned out? Why are they on?

"Good evening, my little one." Angela faded into view as she walked toward the crib. Her outfit was a dark jacket and skirt with purple blouse. She waved her hand over the baby.

"Oh, it's you."

"Don't feel so down."

"Why shouldn't I feel down? I can't go anywhere, I can't walk and sure the food's nice, but the way to get it is revolting."

"I think I know just what to cheer you up."

She pulls a pitch pipe from her pocket and blows into it, producing a note.

"A handful of happiness

what every child should have

little boys and girls alike

smiling all day long

A handful of happiness

you needn't ever fear

this is just what you need."

"That didn't even rhyme. And it was hardly a song."

"It's a work in progress. It may never be finished."

Mira put her hands to her head. "Why do you torture me like this?"

"Vicky…Mira…you might see it as torture, but I see it as keeping you sane."

"Putting me back in my body would really keep me sane."

"We've been over this. Putting you back would be quite impossible. Your body was a banquet for worms, with sandwiches for months."

"Then put me someplace else!"

"There is no 'someplace else', Vicky. This was the decision and you're gonna have to live with it."

"That's what you think." Mira sucked in a huge breath of air and held it.

Angela just looked down at her. "Is that really supposed to scare me?"

The baby said nothing as she continued to hold her breath.

The spirit snorted. "Right. That's quite enough of that." Angela reached her hands into the crib and tickled the girl's sides. The baby giggled a little, letting out the air. She sucked air in once more. Angela ran her fingers along the baby's stomach in a half-pinch, half-massage fashion. Mira laughed out loud.

XxXxXxXxX

Still in the chair, Tim took a long sniff of his fish nuggets. The expulsion of air from the ketchup bottle created an obnoxious loud noise. After a few shakes, the condiment squirted onto the meal.

He passed it to Virginia, who shook it and let the ketchup flow out.

They paused as they heard a noise…coming from Mira's room.

The couple got up from their seats and ran down the hall.

XxXxXxXxX

Virginia cracked the door open and reached a hand in to flip the light switch on. She went in and saw Mira rolling around in her crib, laughing. Tim followed her and stared in amazement.

"What do you think she was laughing at?"

"I have no clue, but it must've been hilarious." Virginia reached her hands down and picked up her daughter. The girl's laughter lessened in intensity. "Oh, my baby."

Mira glanced around her room. Once again, Angela had vanished into thin air and her parents - her loving parents - remained. She was growing quite irritated with this routine, and vowed to change it.

XxXxXxXxX

Months passed with very little change for the family. Tim went off to work, leaving Virginia and Mira behind. In between the diaper changes and nap times, Virginia would talk to her daughter about anything she could think of: her childhood, her family, her love for Tim. It was this last subject that dominated the conversations. Needless to say, Mira was uninterested.

From time to time, Virginia found herself going on about the woman who would've been Mira's aunt, as well as, if she were so willing, her godmother - Vicky. The brunette couldn't stop the tears of sadness as she talked about her sister, musing about idiosyncrasies that she'd never get to experience again.

Genuinely touched by her words, Mira crawled over and hugged her mother as best as she could. Virginia merely chalked this up to the baby being fascinated by stories of this woman she barely knew and felt that some consoling was in order.

Once there was enough money set aside, Virginia took her little girl grocery shopping, making sure to buy healthy foods. She and Tim decided that their little girl would have a stronger and more well-adjusted upbringing than they had; no sugar, plenty of love and affection and punishments whenever necessary.

XxXxXxXxX

"I bet your excited that your first birthday is coming up, aren't you?"

After a moment, Mira feigned excited cooing sounds from her highchair. Her spirit had figured out long ago that there comes a time when one's birthday soon de-evolves from an anticipated event to just another day on the calendar.

"Oh, I can't wait until you're older, then I can do your hair, go clothes shopping…man, I miss doing that stuff with Mom."

The door opened. "Honey, I'm home!"

"That's a little cliché, don't you think?"

"Perhaps." Tim kissed Virginia on the cheek.

"Can you believe it? Mira is going to be one year old next week."

"I can't." He walked over to the baby and picked her up. "Wow. Where has the time gone? It only feels like yesterday that we brought you home." Mira scrunched her face a little. "I looked into your eyes and said…" Tim sniffed the air slightly. "Wow. What have you been eating?"

The woman shook her head. "I don't remember you saying that."

"That's because I'm saying it now. She needs a change." Virginia got up from the couch, but Tim put his hand up. "No. You've had her all day. I'll take care of it."

She smiled. "Bless you."

XxXxXxXxX

Tim placed Mira on the bathroom counter. "I really hope your mother hasn't been feeding you that leftover chili." He unhooked the diaper and dumped it in the hamper. "I was hoping to get it later on, maybe at midnight." He gently wiped her behind and tossed the paper in the toilet. "But let's keep that between you and me, all right?"

Mira said (or, for that matter, did) nothing as her father put a fresh diaper on her.

"There we go. Good as new." Tim hugged his daughter, who seemed to sigh with indifference. Good grief. He's enjoying this a little too much. Why did I have to wait until he got home?