"Mama?" Judith called for the fifth time in as many minutes.
"Yes, sweetie?" Lori answered patiently, remembering the ever-so-curious stage of the two-and-a-half-year-old toddler.
"Where's Daddy?" the little girl asked as she ran back over to where Lori was, hemming some pants for her daughter, who had finally grown out of the ones she'd been wearing for quite awhile.
"He's working outside, makin' sure we have food to eat, remember?" she reminded Judith, who nodded in return, running her chubby hands over the blankets on the bed.
"Where's Ca-ahl?" she drawled, still having not mastered the pronunciation of the letter 'R'.
"He's outside with Daddy, silly girl," Lori answered again, ruffling the girl's smooth brown hair.
"Oh yeah! I fo-got," Judith giggled, hoisting herself up onto the bunk beside her mother.
"Judith!" Lori gasped as her hand jerked with the movement of the bed, barely missing her finger with the needle she was easing through the fabric. "Careful!" she scolded, giving her daughter a hard look until she noticed that the girl had frozen in place, her bottom lip sticking out and beginning to tremble. She was at a stage where even the smallest reaction from one of the adults or her big brother would cause her to crumble into tears. Rick had to be especially careful because she hung on his every word; she was definitely a Daddy's girl.
"I…I sowwy, Mama," she stammered, looking up at Lori with big eyes, tears gathering on her long eyelashes.
"It's alright, sweetheart," Lori set her sewing on her other side and opened her arms up to Judith who immediately crawled over and into her mother's embrace. "I'm not mad at you, but you need to remember to listen to instructions, okay?" She felt Judith nod against her collarbone. "Do you remember what I told you to do when Mommy is sewing?"
"Yes," she sniffled. "Be cah-ful so nobody get an owwie?"
"That's right," she affirmed, stroking her daughter's hair - it was getting so long - she couldn't believe how fast time was flying and how quickly kids grew up, even in a world where everyday had a question mark hanging over it. She sighed, thankful for the time being that her family and their group had been given so far. She'd never thought they'd make it this far when she was pregnant, she hoped the good fortune they'd been given would continue.
Lori was startled out of her thoughts by the sound of the cellblock gate opening. She expected to find her husband or son walking in, but instead she saw Daryl with a small bundle of cloth in his arms. Lori's eyes widened, her first thought being that Daryl had found an abandoned baby.
"What's wrong with the kid?" he asked, jerking his chin towards Judith who still had her head buried in Lori's chest.
"Just a little accident is all," Lori supplied, nudging her daughter to get her to greet her uncle Daryl who came up to kneel in front of her.
"Hey Jude, I found somethin' that might cheer ya up," he announced, bringing up his hand to tickle the toddler underneath her chin. She giggled and turned her face so he could see her, but remained close to Lori. The woman arched an eyebrow at him in question, assuming at this point that it couldn't be a baby.
Just as he began to undo the fabric, Lori heard a very small, high-pitched mewing sound. She grinned as he finally revealed a small kitten, small enough to fit in the palm of his hand. Golden fur accented by dark orange and white stripes and blue-green eyes that were not far from Judith's own eye color peeked out from underneath the cloth. It began meowing in earnest as he lifted it with one hand to show mother and daughter. Judith gasped and smiled at the kitten, but her face quickly changed as she scrunched her brow. "Wha's that?" she asked.
"It's a kitten, baby," Lori filled in, she'd forgotten that Judith was still very naive to many things that were once considered normal and common knowledge. Spending most of her time inside the prison walls and playing in the confines of the courtyard, she hadn't seen much of the things the world had to offer unless it was on the page of a book. "Remember the picture book with the animals?" she tried. There hadn't been any cats in it but it had many farm animals, including a dog.
Judith nodded enthusiastically, she loved the book and insisted upon "reading" it at least once a week.
"This is a different animal," Lori explained. "It's a baby cat, they like to run and climb and play."
"I wike to play!" Judith cheered. "I could play with it?"
"Of course," Lori laughed. "But let's hold it first so it feels comfortable with you, okay?" She motioned for Daryl to hand the kitten to the toddler. He nodded, using both hands to gently support the small creature as Lori helped Judith to put her arms into a cradle position. "Be gentle," she encouraged as he placed it into Judith's arms. The kitten purred and nuzzled its head against the little girl, causing her to beam proudly, looking up at her mother for reassurance.
"Good," Lori encouraged, wishing she had a camera to capture the cuteness of her daughter holding a sweet little kitten. "He-um-it likes you!" she finished, looking to Daryl. "Do you know what it is?"
"It's a girl, actually," he chuckled. "There were a few others, but they didn't make it. This one's a lil' asskicker just like yours."
Lori snorted. "Mind the language around said little one."
He grunted. "Yes ma'am," he watched Judith and the kitten for a moment. "Well you got a name for it, kid?"
Judith looked questioningly to Lori again. "Name?"
"Yes, sweetie, the kitten can live here with us so we'll need to call her something. Just like we call you Judith or Jude for short." She could see the wheels turning in her daughter's mind as she pondered what she might like to name her new pet.
"I could name her Ca-wot since she sure looked like one, huh? And call her Ca-wie for short?" she asked. Both adults chuckled at her choice; carrots were Judith's favorite vegetable to eat, though she didn't have many choices. Lori marveled at her cleverness in naming the cat based on its color and picking a nickname for it. Her little girl really was growing up too fast.
"You can name her anything you want. I like Carrot." The kitten had gone from nuzzling to turning over in Judith's arms, lying on her back just like an infant would. Lori reached over to stroke the white fur on its belly. Judith looked down at her cat and smiled. "I weally like Ca-wot," she announced, snuggling her closer. Lori nudged her daughter. "What do you say to your uncle Daryl?"
"Thank you, uncle Da-wyl," Judith said obediently but genuinely.
Daryl smiled a little and nodded. Lori cleared her throat. "And what do you say, Uncle Daryl?" she teased.
"Uh, yeah, you're welcome Jude," he muttered and got up to walk away, but paused in the cell entryway. "You think Rick will like Carrot?" he said over his shoulder. Lori could see the smirk on his face; she had been wondering the same thing. Her husband had never been very into pets and had resisted Carl's many pleas for a dog.
"I guess we'll find out soon enough," she answered, continuing to watch Judith cuddle her new friend. "But something tells me this one will convince him to love it," she added, gesturing to her daughter.
"Yep," he nodded, walking out and heading towards the stairs. "Lost the battle to that little girl a long time ago."
Lori smiled and hummed in agreement. She reached up from the kitten's belly to scratch under its chin, causing it to purr loudly and flail its little arms and legs. Judith giggled with delight.
"Do it again, Mama!"
She obliged her daughter, laughing with her. She had been wrong before, back when she didn't want to have the baby. Sure that it wouldn't have any good memories. There was still joy in the world; the scene in front of her was a perfect example.
Even in the midst of the darkness, life was still full of little surprises.
