Through the Eyes of a Baby

Chapter 4

4 months old

I call nice lady Mommy now. Not out loud. I'm not sure how to make it come out and her understand it. In my head I call her Mommy though. She looks like a Mommy

"Rawr!"

I started crying.

"Fang!"

"We're playing," fuzzy complained. "Jewel's alright."

I sniffled as he gave me a kiss. I smiled when he rubbed his fuzz against me. I like it now. It tickles.

"See?" He picked me up. "She's alright."

I laid against him, looking around. We were in the living room. Fuzzy kissed me, making me laugh. Happy, he walked out of the room, taking us into the bedroom.

"Alright, Jewel, what do you want to do?"

He asks things a lot but he never listens to me.

"You want to sleep?" He laid me down on the bed before getting in with me. "Alright, that's what we'll do."

I went to sleep for a little bit when he woke me up. Scary was talking.

"Now you're awake," he said, still talking. "Did you hear my story? Huh?"

I wiggled around, wanting to go. He picked me up and took me into the living room. "Max, what's for lunch?"

"We already ate lunch, Fang."

"Yeah, but I'm still hungry."

"God, you eat more than me pregnant."

"Hardly."

She got up from the couch and took me from him. "Hi, Jewel. You want Mommy, huh? Not him. Daddy's mean."

I wiggled in her arms. "Na-ba!"

"Yes, he is a stupid idiot."

"Max, those words are not kid friendly."

"Neither is your face."

"You're been spending too much time around Angel and her friends."

"No," she said, going to sit back down. "I haven't seen her in, like, two days."

"Like? Like?" He shook his head. "What do you do with Angel while I'm at work, anyways?"

"Nothing. Just, like, talk."

"Max, stop saying like."

"I am not saying like too much, Fang. God, you're, like, so- Oh. Yeah."

He just nodded his head, starting to walk away. Then he tripped over Ra-ra, my teddy. I laughed, watching scary fall. Poor Ra-ra though. I hope she's not hurt.

"Ow," he grumbled, standing up. "Who left this fucking toy on the ground?"

"For one, I'm the one that uses bad words? Two, it was probably you."

I giggled again. I like the sound of Mommy's voice.

Fuzzy made a face at me, making me laugh more. "You think that's funny, baby? Huh?"

Mommy leaned down and gave me a kiss on the head. "Fang, go get me one of those books that Mom brought over."

"Why?"

"So I can eat it," she said. "I'm gonna read it to Jewel."

"Yeah, because I just read minds," he complained, walking away. When he came back, he gave Mommy something. She opened it and started talking again but I didn't care what she said now. I reached out and touched it. It was colorful and had pictures on it.

"Ah!"

Fuzzy sat next to us on the couch. "Do you like it, Jewel?"

I ran my hands over it, squealing. Then she changed the page. This one was even better! I rubbed it too.

"Na-na."

She kept talking. "So, the little duck realized-"

"Max, have you pre-read this story?"

"No."

"Well, what if the little duck doesn't get back home? Jewel will be so hurt and afraid."

"Fang."

"What? You should have read ahead!" Fuzzy looked mad. I reached out, trying to touch his face. I almost fell over but Mommy pulled me back to her.

"Fang, I cannot read ahead ever freaking book."

"Then maybe you shouldn't be allowed to read to our daughter."

She made a face at him. "You're a dumba-"

"Max!"

She handed Fuzzy the thing with the colors in it. "Fine, Fang, you read to her."

"Maybe I will," he said, taking me too. "Now, Jewel, you have to hold on so that Daddy makes sure the little ducky gets home. I don't want you upset."

Now I was mad. I don't know what they're fighting about, but they are ruining my colorful pages thing. I want to see more!

I stared crying.

"What's wrong?" Mommy took me back. "What did Daddy do?"

"Nothing," fuzzy said, still looking at the thing. "Alright, we can read it. Come here, Jewel."

He opened the thing more so that I could see it too. Mommy put me back in his lap.

"Ah!" I stopped crying and started patting my hands against all the colors. "Na-ma."

"-and the little ducky found his mommy hiding in a log. They lived happily ever after. The end."

"Fang, that is not what the book says."

"I know, I think what I said was better."

"Was it? I mean, really? There was no twist, no-"

"Max, she's a baby. Jewel just likes to hear our voices and look at the pictures."

"Then why even read it to her? Just say your shopping list in funny voices, right?"

"You're so mean," he told her. "Jewel thinks so too, huh baby?"

I patted the colors again. "Na-na."

"Yep," he said, giving me a kiss on the head. I looked up at him and smiled. Fuzzy smiled back. He liked for me to smile at him. I don't know why.

"So, when it poops, what does it look like?"

Mommy hit the boy in the head. "You want to find out? Change her diaper."

"No," fuzzy said. "He's going nowhere near my baby until he stops calling her an it."

"It's not like I wanted to change her diaper anyways."

"Good," scary said, picking me up. He carried me over to the couch, putting me in his lap. "Tell Gasman to leave, Jewel. Say, 'I don't like you.'"

I closed my eyes, sleepy again. Fuzzy kissed my head.

"She's thinking it, at least."

"Angel's right," the boy said.

"About what?" Mommy asked him.

"Fang. God, you're like Iggy now."

"How am I even remotely like Iggy?"

Mommy sat down on the couch with us. She ran a hand down my head. "Well, you're both male, for starts."

"Shut up, Max."

"No, Fang, you can't use that word."

"Shut up is two words."

"Well, you can us up but not shut. See? I'm still right."

"Yeah, okay."

"You guys fight a lot," boy commented.

"So?" Mommy kissed me. I giggled, opening my eyes. "Are you staying for dinner Gassy?"'

"Yeah, I guess."

"Did Mom loan you're her car?"

"Yeah. She said that if I crash it, she'd cut off my-"

"Gasman! God. Did she really say that?" Mommy looked upset.

"I was gonna say wings, Max, but I'll let you and your filthy brain keep thinking I was going to say something else."

"Geez," fuzzy said. "I hope our daughter's mind isn't like yours."

"Shut up, Fang."

"You guys should get a dog," boy said, going into the kitchen.

"Why?"

"Kids like dogs," he told Mommy. "I bet she'd like one."

"No," fuzzy said. "She's a baby. And dogs bite."

"You bite," Mommy said.

"Only for you."

"God, Fang. Having a kid took all your good comebacks and sarcasticness."

"That's not a word."

"See? You're a woman now."

Mommy made a noise that sounded like her nose was runny. "Hardly."

"Hey, Max?" Boy called form the other room. "Do you have any cheese?"

"Why?"

"I'm hungry."

"I said that I was going to get dinner soon," fuzzy said.

"Yeah, but I'm hungry now."

"We have cookies," Mommy said. "Don't eat cheese."

"Why?"

"You fart enough without it."

"Max."

She just smiled, even though he was in the other room and couldn't see it. "You should come by, like, more often, Gazzy."

"Like? Angel much?"

"See?" Fuzzy said. "Even he thinks so."

"What?" Mommy started biting her nails. "It's contagious."

"Well, me and Gasman didn't get it."

"Guys, like, don't get it."

"Right. The word like is sexist."

"That's what I'm saying."

Fuzzy shook his head. "You hear your mommy, Jewel? Huh? She's uneducated."

"Fang!"

"What? You are."

"So are you."

"True," he said. "At least I can admit it though."

"Ah!" I wiggled in fuzzy's arms. He just gave me a kiss.

"Stop it," he said. "Be a good girl. Then again, Max is your mother."

"God, all you ever do is, like, put me down."

"I have to when you say like all the time."

"Well, it's hard not to say like when someone mentions it."

"No, it's not."

"Yes it is!"

"Cookie, Max?" Boy walked back into the room.

"Hey, where's mine?" Fuzzy asked.

"I don't get you one," boy said, going to sit down in the chair.

"Well, Jewel and I are offended."

"Really, Fang?" Boy asked. "I am losing so much respect for you."

"That makes one of us," Mommy said.

"You respect me?" Fuzzy asked.

"What? No, of course not. He's losing respect, I've already lost it."

"Night-night," fuzzy whispered, laying me down in bed. "Have good dreams."

"Sweet dreams."

"Shut up, Max," he said, going to get back in bed.

It was quiet for awhile, and I was almost asleep when they started talking.

"Max?"

'What?"

"When are we going to have sex again?"

"Fang, I'm just not-"

"I know, but it's a good question."

She rolled onto her stomach. "What? Are you going to hook up with someone if I don't screw you?"

"Max, no. God."

"Why does sex matter so much to you? You should love me and Jewel more."

"I do."

"Right, okay."

He kissed her head. "I love you more than anything, except Jewel."

"Oh, you love her more now?"

"I always have. You do too."

"Yeah, but I just love everyone more than you."

"Thanks, Max. Thanks."