Through the Eyes of a Baby

Chapter 5

5 Months

I don't like fuzzy anymore. He's mean and scary again. I'm not gonna call him fuzzy no more. Now I'm going to call him mean. That's what he is. Mean.

"Just shut up, Max!"

I started crying, but they didn't hear me.

"What is your problem, Fang? Can't accept the fact that maybe, just maybe, you did do something with-"

"Max, I haven't seen her in a month. Not because I wanted to stop, but because you wanted me to stop," he said. "It's not like I hung out with her alone. She was just always where my friends and I were. Is that my fault?"

"If you know that she upsets me, maybe you should just stay away from her."

"I try too! I haven't even talked to her in a month, Max," he took a deep breath. "What do you want me to do? Huh? Tell me, please. I would just love to know."

She tired to push past him and out of the room, but mean caught her arm. He pulled her to him, giving her a kiss on the head.

"Fang, I just don't like you around her."

"Why is it my fault that she called me?" He asked, holding her. "Huh?"

I stopped crying, watching them from the bed. Mommy cuddled against him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Tell her to stop," she whispered, closing her eyes.

"Alright, Max. Whatever you want."

It was silent for awhile. They just held onto each other. Mommy and mean were boring. I fell asleep for a little while. When I woke up, Mommy was in bed with me and mean was gone. She was talking into the phone. Mean taught me what a phone was the other day. He explained it for a long time before I got it. There's like voices in there and you talk to them when you're lonely.

"Yeah, Mom, I know," she said, not looking at me, but facing me. "No, he's not. Yes. Mom, you know Fang. Yes. He knows that I'm upset now and will lay off. Mom, no. Yeah, she's sleeping. Mmhmm."

I reached over and patted the bed near her. Mommy smiled at me.

"Yeah, she just woke up. No. Yeah, love you. Bye."

Mommy put the phone away before giving me a kiss. "Are you awake, baby? Huh Jewel?"

I wiggled, wishing that she would pick me up. She didn't though.

"You know what, Jewel? We should do something today. You'd like that, right? Better than that fight me and Daddy had this morning, right? Did that upset you?" She gave me kisses. "I'm sorry. So sorry."

I started blowing bubbles. Mommy frowned. She didn't like my spit and drool. Mean thought it was funny. He was tell me how cute and funny I was when I did it.

"Why do you have to be so messy?" Mommy asked, shaking her head. "Do you know how much that annoys me?"

Why else would I do it?

Mean came home late. It was already bedtime. Mommy was waiting up for him.

"Hey," she said as he walked into the bedroom. "How was work?"

"Good," he said, coming over to my crib to give me a kiss. His fuzz tickled, making me giggle. "How are you girls? Did you have a good day?"

"Yes," she said. Mean went over to her and gave her a kiss. It lasted a lot longer than the one he game me and was in a different place. When he pulled away, she said, "Are you hungry? There's left over pizza in the fridge."

"You did finish a pizza? Are you sick?"

She pushed him a little. "I bought an extra pizza because you always come home hungry."

"Thank you," he said, giving her a quick kiss this time before walking out of the room. When he came back, he had food with him. "Want some, baby?"

"No," Mommy said as he got into bed. "Don't get the covers greasy."

"Why do you say that when you know that I will?"

"Out of habit."

He laughed. "Here, let me feed you the curst."

"No."

"Yes," he said, forcing some in her mouth. "See? You like it."

I yawned.

"You tired over there?" Mean called out to me. "Have a goodnights sleep, baby. Daddy's got big plans for tomorrow."

Mean woke me up in the morning. "Hey, Jewel, you ready to get up?"

I whined as he lifted me up. I just wanted to sleep.

"I know, I know," he said, laying me down on the bed. "Time to get changed."

"So where are you guys going again?" Mommy asked as he took me into the living room a few minutes later.

"Iggy's house."

"Why?"

"Me and Iggy are going to watch the game."

"And what is Jewel supposed to do while you do that?"

"Sleep."

"The game doesn't start this early, does it? Fang, it's only nine."

"We're going to just hang out till one."

"Why are you going over there so early?"

"Max, are you accusing me of something?" Mean asked.

"No, not yet."

He shook his head, putting me in my carrier. "Max, this is starting to get old, real fast."

She said some other stuff back to him, but I got bored. He left and put me into his thing that makes me sleepy. When I woke up, we were with food smelling guy.

"Alright," food guy was saying. "First you need to get all the ingredients."

"Like what?"

"Eggs, flour, butter-"

"Hold on, let me get it before you start listing things!"

I made a noise. They had me in my carrier, on the floor. I could only see their legs.

"You up?" Food guy asked. "Me and your daddy can't play with you right now, Jewel. Know why? Daddy is making something for mommy. He's going to learn how to make her a cake."

"What else?" Mean asked once he had gotten the stuff food guy had said. They talked and did stuff for awhile so I went back to sleep. When I woke up again, I was with that woman that lives with food guy.

"Hi," woman said. She was holding me. "Fang, your baby's up."

"Yeah, whatever," he said. Mean and food guy were on the couch. Mean was leaning forward, staring at the TV and food guy was listening real hard it looked like. I yawned, bored. I wanted Mommy. She'd play with me.

"Are you guys really this into a game?" Woman asked. "I mean really? It's just a stupid-"

"Shhh, Kim," food guy said. "I'm trying to listen."

She shook her head. I giggled, shaking mine. It made my head hurt though, so I stopped.

Mean and food guy started yelling at the TV. I got scared and started to cry. Mean stopped yelling and took me from woman.

"Hey now, don't be afraid," he said, giving me kisses. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scary you, baby. Daddy's sorry."

I sniffled, cuddling against him. He and food guy still yelled, but they were softer now. When we finally went home, Mommy was watching TV too. She wasn't yelling though.

"What are you watching?" Mean asked her as he handed me over.

"Desperate Housewives."

"Ew," he said, making a face. "Me and Jewel hate the show. Huh Jewel?"

I just giggled.

"This cake is really good."

Mean nodded. "Yeah."

It was a day later and we were in the living room. They were eating and I was chewing on my teddy.

"This is what you spent all that time with Iggy on, huh?"

"Yep," he said, smiling. "See? If I'm cheating, it's with Iggy."

She made a face. "Mental image."

"Ew, you gave me one too."

They both sat their cake down.

"I'm not all that hungry anymore."

"Me neither."