Walking through Target's aisles, I couldn't help but feel a mix of excitement and responsibility. Shopping for children's books for my son was a new experience I cherished deeply. I pushed the cart slowly, eyes scanning the shelves for the perfect reading material.
The first book I picked up was Good Night Moon. Hoping it would be better than Good Night Gorilla I placed it in the cart. Next, I found The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Paddington Bear, Pete the Cat Robo-Pete, Five Little Monkeys Reading in Bed, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, If You Give A Pig A Party, and Where the Wild Things Are. Seeing the growing collocation of books in my cart, I smiled imagining reading these stories to Anthony. Moving down the aisle I picked up How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? The cover appeared interesting enough so I placed it in the cart. I then picked up a chapter book for young readers called Five Cheesy Stories and began flipping through the pages. It was a collection of stories about a family of mice with colorful pictures on every page. I decided to get it then grabbed The Pigeon Needs A Bath! After that, I found If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
Every book I chose had a bright and colorful image on the cover and an assortment of pictures inside. There was no doubt in my mind that Anthony would be captivated by these stories as well as the illustrations. Hopefully, he and Bella wouldn't think of the dreaded Good Night Gorilla for a while. Unintentionally, I shuddered at the thought of reading that book again.
"Mister, are you cold?" A young female voice said.
The air around me was lukewarm and I picked up a scent that was neither human nor vampire, but just like my son, it was the perfect combination of the two. Startled, I turned around to see a young adolescent girl with bright red hair, freckles on her porcelain white skin, and blueish-green eyes staring at me. She was a young hybrid, that much I knew. She was alone and holding a big blue purse and a stack of five books tucked under one arm with a single book in her left hand. I recognized the story title she had clutched in her hand since I had read it before.
"Holes is a good read." I pointed at the lonely paperback she held.
She nodded her head in agreement. "I'm surprised you would know that."
"Why is that?" I wondered.
Her statement didn't make much sense until her thoughts gave way to what she wasn't saying. She began to think intently aboutthecontents in my cart. Wait a minute! She believed these books were for me. She began picturing me on a small fuzzy bean bag chair designed for toddlers as I read Clark the Shark. Easy literature! She assumed I read easy literature that was simple enough for me to comprehend. On the other hand, she thought about being able to read Beautiful Creatures and was sure that the series would be way beyond my reading comprehension skills. How absurd!
This whole mental interaction took mere seconds. However, her thoughts were intriguing and entertaining. Her mind was open and pure with childlike wonder and silliness at every turn. In many ways, this stranger reminded me of a younger Bella due to her quick wit, love for reading, and lack of safety when it came to strangers. Realizing that the last part could be dangerous, I wanted to protect her.
"Are you cold?" She asked again because I didn't answer that question. 'I know he's not human. I hope he doesn't think he can fool me.'
"No, I'm not cold," I said to the girl.
The girl's eyebrows knit together. "I think you are lying. You don't look very warm." She emphasized the last word. In her mind, she was thinking about how cold my skin must be.
"Excuse me? What is that supposed to mean?" I asked. My tone was half caught off guard, half amused.
The girl shrugged her shoulders as her only reply. In her mind, she was reprimanding herself for revealing too much. Just as I knew she wasn't fully human, she knew what I was. She was excited to meet a vampire who wasn't a part of her family, she was also hoping I'd become her friend. Yet, she didn't want to voice what I was aloud because her parents had taught her to keep the existence of our kind a secret. I knew how that went and wouldn't say anything, not even if she kept up this fishing expedition of her's to get me to reveal what I was. Both of us could keep the pretense of being human in front of the other, that was fine by me.
"You didn't answer my question," I said to her. "What were you insinuating?"
I was curious about what she might say and very intrigued to be interacting with a hybrid who wasn't related to me. Not to mention a hybrid who was old enough to talk.
She gazed at me, her thoughts regarding my features. Her eyes then landed on my cart as she pointed at the stack of books I had. "You look like you're in high school. Aren't you a little old to be reading baby books?"
She wasn't being mean, just pointing out the obvious as she made it clear she wasn't going to answer my questions. She was also not thinking about what I asked. Therefore, I was receiving no answers at all. That was a bit frustrating.
"I'm seventeen," I offered. I was assuming she wasn't much younger than the age I was frozen at. My best guess was she was fifteen. She was tall - the height of my shoulder - with a young voice and a round childish face.
'Seventeen and still reading Pet the Cat? Oh, what a shame. What is this world coming to?' She dramatically thought to herself. Then out loud she politely said, "We all read at our own pace, I guess. Though I'm eleven and I can read at a 12th-grade level."
"You are eleven?" I asked in astonishment.
This young hybrid appeared older than her age, whereas my son was the opposite. He was a couple of days shy of being a month and a half, yet he could pass for a newborn. During Anthony's checkup, Carlisle had talked to me about hybrids growing quickly which explained this stranger's rapid growth. However, since Anthony was on the small size this girl's older appearance caught me off guard.
"Yeah." She answered me, her tone made it seem like her age should be obvious. "I've been reading since I was a toddler and started reading chapter books when I was five and in kinder."
"That's impressive," I complimented.
"Thanks." She couldn't forbear her grin. "When did you start reading?"
I didn't miss that she used the word "when" and not "what age" when she voiced her query. She was fishing for details about how long I had existed.
"I don't remember," I answered honestly.
Her eyes flashed from my face to the items in my cart then back to me. 'Maybe he's a noob at reading and he just doesn't want to admit it.'
I suppressed scoffing at her inner monologue. If only she were aware of how much I have read in my existence, not to mention in her lifetime, maybe that would change her train of thought. However, I kept that information to myself.
"So, you were an early reader," I began as a question popped into my mind. I had to know more about her intelligence since I was the father of a hybrid. "How did you learn to read that young?"
"I learned on my own when I was two." She stated truthfully. "I began reading small books with three to four words on a page, then I kept going and read harder ones. I like to challenge myself."
"You learned to read on your own? At age two?" My jar dropped.
She nodded yes but didn't speak.
It was easy to see she was proud of her early reading accomplishments. Her grin was a mile wide. I returned her smile. It was also easy to see she enjoyed telling others she read well without trying to brag. A dozen titles of children's books ran through her mind, making me realize something; she was probably the best person to ask for book recommendations. But first, I needed to know something.
"So, you're eleven-years-old and you're shopping for books alone at night? You know that's dangerous, right?" I asked seriously and added, "Not everyone you meet has the best intentions. Some adults kidnap kids, you know. It's not safe for a young girl such as yourself to be out alone."
Serious as can be, she looked straight into my eyes. "If anyone tries to grab me, I'll kick them in the balls. My dad permitted me to do that. He says I'm a pretty good ballbuster, whatever that means." She shrugged her shoulders.
I couldn't help but chuckle.
"And you and I both know," She continued, lowering her voice. "My kick would have any man crying and needing emergency care. Would you care for a demonstration?" She walked towards me, mentally preparing herself for what to do.
Shit! She was serious. There isn't much in this world that could physically hurt me other than fire or another supernatural being, which she happened to be. Well, half supernatural at least. Nevertheless, I wasn't about to agree to be kicked in the groin.
Putting my hands up in front of me to show I surrendered, I quickly said, "No thank you. I believe you. A demonstration is not needed."
"Suit yourself." She stood at the edge of my cart.
"Where are your parents and don't you have school tomorrow?" I questioned her. The fact she was here alone at night disturbed me.
"Thank you for the concern about my parents' whereabouts, but that's none of your business." She responded with a toothy grin. "As for your other question, I don't go to a brick and mortar, I'm home-schooled. That means I could do school at night if I need to. But now I want to know something. Don't you have school tomorrow?"
"Taking a sick day." I explained and added, "It's late. Shouldn't you be in bed?"
"I napped for an hour and a half before lunch today. I'm well rested and energized for a good 24 hours." She was being truthful and shedding light on the sleeping habits of a half-grown hybrid. It was very educational for me.
As our friendly banter carried on, I felt the need to keep this child safe from any monsters who might be out and about. Even though she could take care of herself due to her vampire instincts and strength, not to mention her ballbusting self-defense technique. She was still a vulnerable child and someone needed to look after her.
"Hmm. The teenager who reads baby books is trying to act like an adult." She teased me after I pointed out, once again, that she shouldn't be out alone.
"So insulting." I pretended to be offended. "And to think I was going to ask for your help with picking out books."
"You where?" She wondered happily.
I nodded my head yes. "I need a total of 30 and I only have 13. However, since you are being rude, I'll continue my search alone." I said jokingly.
"I was only playing." She rushed to the shelf behind me.
Her eyes lit up as she began informing me in a lighthearted manner, of the best books for my reading level that wouldn't be so difficult for me to read independently, and the ones to avoid. Despite the jabs at me not being able to read anything beyond picture books, he took this task very seriously. As she spoke about literature I could tell she was wise beyond her years. She joyfully assisted me with picking out books such as No, David, Corduroy, David Gets into Trouble, The Bad Seed, The Tiger Who Came to Tea, and several others. Before placing them inside my cart she took time explaining each story to me. After she gave me each blurb I asked a few questions about each storybook character which she gladly answered.
Our conversation went on though neither of us ever once asked for the other's name. That was something I couldn't explain why; it just happened that way.
I began to regard this girl as my friend. Especially after she picked up Diary of a Roblox Detective and added it to her pile of books. She began recommending a few Roblox books for me to expand and improve my reading skills. She was only joking. I knew that, but I pretended to be offended, which she found pretty funny. Our conversation went from literature to if I ever heard of the game Roblox before today. Of course I had, I don't live under a rock. After I mentioned I was familiar with a few Roblox games and played sometimes with my older brothers, she asked me for my username. I gave it to her and in return, she told me what hers was. She then placed her books in my cart long enough to pull out her phone and send me a friend request on the gaming app. It didn't take long at all. As she slipped her phone in her purse and picked up her books she urged me to check my phone and accept her friend request. I did what she asked.
"I'm surprised you play Roblox since you enjoy reading baby books. Seems you might like to play a Bluey game instead." She poked fun at me.
I rolled my eyes as I shoved my phone back into my pants pocket. "If you must know, little one, these books are for my baby son. In many ways, he's like you."
"He is?" Her eyes light up in understanding.
"Yeah." I nodded my head. "My girlfriend who I'm on a trip with wanted to read him a bedtime story, but I don't have his favorite book with us. It was…misplaced. Therefore, I had to come here and buy a few."
A thousand thoughts ran through her mind. "You lost the book accidentally on purpose, didn't you?" She accused me. Her tone and thoughts suggested she was sure she was right.
"What gives you that idea?" I wanted to know.
"Here," - she took a couple of steps, closing the distance between us. She thrust her stack of books at me, making me hold them before she reached into my cart and pulled out one of the paperbacks- "Well, this book The Pigeon Needs a Bath! was my favorite book when I was one-year-old. It was one of the books I begged my parents to re–"
"Aha! So you do have parents." I interrupted her, playfully teasing her since she hadn't answered my earlier questions about where her parents were.
Annoyance crossed her features and she rolled her eyes. "Bruh, of course, I have parents." She spoke aloud then concluded the rest in her mind. 'Gee. For someone who has a baby, he does not seem well educated on families. Everyone has parents. But this old dude seems clueless. Does he not know how biology works?'
I laughed aloud at her inner monologue. She gave me a disapproving look.
"It's not polite to laugh at people." She scolded me. Immediately her friendly demeanor evaporated. She set the paperback in my basket and grabbed her stack of books from me. 'And here I thought he was nice. He's rude like everyone else in this world.'
"Sorry." I apologized, ending my laughter.
"Anyway, I had my parents read that pigeon book to me a million times each day. My mom read it without complaint. However, my dad got tired of it and hid the book in a box in our attic, saying it was accidentally lost. I found it though." She explained in a tight tone, stepping away from me.
"So your father lost it accidentally on purpose?" I asked, using her choice of words.
"Yeah. Sure." She shrugged her shoulders. "Dads can't handle reading the same book more than five times in a row for some odd reason. They don't seem to like it, just like I don't like being laughed at." With a huff, she turned around and started walking up the aisle.
It was clear I had hurt her feelings. I didn't know her name, yet I didn't want her to be sad. Or alone in a large store.
"Hey, wait a minute," I called, pushing my cart after her.
"What?" She turned around, her eyes hard. "I really don't want to talk to someone who laughs at me. I don't like bullies. Leave me alone."
"I'm truly sorry." I apologized again. "I wasn't laughing at you."
She placed one hand on her hip. "I don't believe you."
"Yeah well, I'm being honest. I wasn't laughing at you." I said again, looking into her guarded eyes.
At this very moment, I caught the dark thoughts of a man a few aisles away from us. This child who was mad at me was alone and unbeknownst to her, there was a hunter on the prowl looking for easy prey. From what I gathered in his mind, she was on his radar because she was young, pretty, and alone. He had seen her earlier and had been searching all over the electric section before looking in the toy aisles for her with no luck. Once he found her he planned to talk to her and show her the prepaid phone he used as a prop, pretending he just bought it and didn't know how to set it up and needed a young person's help who was familiar with technology. He would then offer her 20 bucks if she helped him. But before he would allow her to "help" him he would bring up his dog who was waiting for him in his vehicle with the windows rolled up, and make a big deal about needing to go check on her. There was no dog of course. It was only a ploy to lure the girl into his trap, placing her in his van and taking off with her as he had with dozens of young girls over the years.
Hearing his thoughts made me angry and I had to fight to stay in control of myself. If this had taken place during my vigilante days, I would have hunted the predator, making him my meal. However, this was a different time in my life and I was a different person. I was a father with a half-human baby and a human girlfriend. For their safety, I couldn't risk being a killer nor could I fall off the wagon and drink human blood. Without trying to, I began imagining what my future would look like if I did do either of those things; it wouldn't be good.
My mind turned to the present. Not wanting this night to turn out bad for anyone, especially this girl, I made it my mission to keep her by my side until I could figure out where her parents were.
"Look," I spoke slowly, trying not to let panic seep through my tone. "When I said I wasn't making fun of you, I really wasn't. I was laughing… at something else."
'Sure he was.' She thought to herself, then spoke aloud. "If that's true, what were you laughing at if it wasn't me? Be honest because I'm not a fool. I can spot a liar from a mile away."
Before I could come up with a reasonable explanation two things happened simultaneously. The first thing was, the horrible creature disguised as a man walked into the aisle we were in. His beady eyes made contact with me as his excited thoughts regarded the girl. He didn't approach her since she appeared to be with me and not alone as he previously suspected. The second thing that happened was my mind picked up the thoughts of another nearby child who was shopping with his parents. That child was thinking about imaginary creatures that were real to him, only, no one else could see or hear them and he had to take medication for it. This gave me an idea that wasn't far from my own reality.
"Honestly?" I asked.
"Yes." She nodded her head. "Just admit you were making fun of me."
"I wasn't," I said, for what felt like the millionth time. I bent down and whispered in her ear, "Would you believe me if I said I hear voices in my head that no one else hears? I was laughing at something that one of the voices said because it was funny. That's the truth. I was not making fun of you."
At the exact moment I straightened up, she gasped. Her thoughts were now understanding as the man hung in the aisle of children's books pretending to be interested in a few, picking them up, reading the summary, and putting them back down while he glanced at us every few seconds. He was wishing I would leave and that wasn't going to happen. He didn't feel comfortable approaching the child in front of me. He felt fearful of me and didn't know why. After all, my outer appearance was that of a non-threatening teenage boy. Feeling anger course through me, I turned in the direction of the monster. The moment he caught my eye I curled my lips, exposing my teeth. I gave the vile man a menacing grin that had him retrieving to the exit. With him gone, I relaxed a little as I turned back to the child.
"That's my secret though." I gulped. It was a half-truth, one that I never revealed to anyone outside my family, until now.
"I won't tell." She promised. "And I'm no longer mad at you."
I smiled at her.
Seconds later we were ambushed by a group of people. Their scents revealed to me that this group was not human. There were two women both pushing carts full of items, one woman had dark brown hair, brown eyes, and tan skin. For whatever reason, I could not figure out what she was. The other woman - a vampire - had pasty white skin, dirty blond hair, and red eyes. There was also a young girl and boy - neither of the hybrid variety - who were obviously siblings with brown hair, hazel eyes, and tan skin. The brown hair kids were similar ages to the red-haired hybrid child I had been talking to. The brown hair girl wore headphones over her ears and was carrying three large packages of slime and the boy held a giant Nerf gun in one hand and a purple Minecraft sword in the other. He appeared to be going into battle and for reasons I could not explain, that made me nervous. Before a second could pass I knew the red-haired, book-loving child -whose name was Sky- belonged with these people.
"Sky," The blond-haired woman, who was most likely her mother, said as she hugged her. Her thoughts were all jumbled up; it was useless to try to decrypt. "How many times have I told you not to wander off by yourself? Anything could happen to you."
"But Mom," Sky whined childishly. She looked up at me as she tried to free herself out of her mother's grip. "I wasn't alone. I was helping my friend pick out books."
All attention went from Sky to me. It was a bit uncomfortable for everyone's eyes to be on me.
"Hi, I'm Edward," I smile politely at Sky's mother. "I made sure your daughter was safe. You never know what kind of people are lurking around a store. Even though she told me she could take care of herself I kept an eye on her."
I felt a bit guilty for not telling Sky's mother what could have happened to her daughter if I had not been there. But I kept that to myself for the sake of Sky; I didn't want to traumatize her with something that didn't happen. However, I did comment on it not being safe for a child to wander around a store alone. Both mothers agreed with me, and then the brown-haired one gave a speech to the children, as well as to me, about safe adults. She was very intuitive and knew I wasn't an adult even though my age was never brought up.
"Thank you for keeping her safe, Edward. We've been looking all over the store for her." Sky's mother let go of her daughter as she spoke to me. In her mind, she was thinking about how she had followed Sky's scent around the whole store twice before it led her here.
"You're welcome." I extended my hand to her and she shook it.
"Yes, thank you." The other woman said. Right then, I knew she was a witch and she knew I was a vampire. Neither of us voiced what the other was as her two children began chatting with me about the toys they were holding.
I showed the appropriate amount of interest in toys that held no interest to me. It was the polite thing to do after all. Sky caught on to what I was doing and turned the conversation back to books since it seemed to be her favorite thing to talk about as well as something that held my attention. However, once she brought up the Roblox books and the fact that we were Roblox friends -she made it seem like she and I knew each other forever instead of having met minutes ago- her friends asked if they could be friends with me on Roblox too. I told the three children I wasn't that much of a gamer and wasn't on very much, but agreed to this with their mother's permission. Eventually, the two mothers corralled their children and headed to the checkout.
As they walked in one direction and I in another, I couldn't help but feel relieved to know the little girl was safe and sound with her mother. I continued shopping, grabbing a few more essentials: a pack of diapers, some baby wipes, tiny little white pajamas with yellow ducks on them, a blue robe with a yellow duck printed on it and matching slippers, a baby activity mat, and a few toys. I also picked out a soft yellow blanket with a picture of a duck on one corner that I knew Anthony would love. Just as I was about to head to the checkout line, I started thinking about Bella. She only had enough clothes to fit inside a backpack. My mind was made up, I was going to surprise her with a few things. I turned the cart toward the clothing section for young women.
I picked out a few dresses I'd like to see her in, some comfortable tops, and a few pairs of jeans. As well as some comfortable clothes for her to sleep in. I hesitated, wondering if I should be heading to the lingerie section next. The thought had me feeling a bit out of my depth. Just then, my phone rang in my pocket. I took it out and saw the name on the screen. It was Alice.
"Hey, Alice," I answered before she could start chatting away as usual.
"Edward, I knew you were gonna do that," She said, her voice playful. "I also know what you're going to do next but sit tight because I'm going to be a bit mysterious for a bit. It's more fun that way."
"Fun for who?" I asked in a dull tone.
"Me of course." She giggled.
I scoffed. Just because she had a gift of seeing the future didn't give her a right to be weird. Yet, sometimes, like right now, she was. Quickly the giggling ended and then she put on a mock serious tone, sounding like a carnival fortune teller spouting out nonsense.
"Not that this isn't great and all," I said with heavy sarcasm. "But can we get on with it?"
"On with what, dear brother?" She wondered, a smile in her voice.
I rolled my eyes, knowing my spiky-haired sister loved to tease me. "Alright Alice, mind telling me what's going on already?"
If she called something was up. Something important that I needed to know.
"First, you have to turn around since you got the wrong clothing size for Bella." She informed me.
"What do you mean the wrong size?" I asked, staring down at the clothes in my cart. "This is the size she wears."
"Correction," Alice spoke in a gentle yet firm tone. "That was the size she wore pre-baby. Luckily for you, I happen to know her clothing size, including bra size, sexy nighties, and underwear. You're buying it all."
Her words caused me to freeze in embarrassment. This was not something I wanted my family to know. But of course, since Alice knew, they all did. Keeping secrets was not her strong point. Realizing my parents would catch wind of what I was buying had my face flushed even though it wouldn't be visible to any human.
"Oh, Edward! Get over your old Victorian points of view. Would ya?" She huffed. "It's perfectly acceptable for men to purchase women's undergarments these days. Ugh! Don't be a prude. Oh! And a breast pump! You're going to buy her one of those too. Got it?"
"Fine," I said.
"Atta boy." She sang the words.
"Thanks, Alice," I muttered, turning the cart around.
Remaining on the phone, she assisted me with finding each item in the correct size. With her help, she even added to my list of clothes for Bella, reminding me to get sweaters, socks, and shoes. Thinking she had told me everything, I was ready to hang up until she stopped me.
"By the way," Alice continued. "You're going to have to refurbish Esme's bathrooms, including sinks, tubs, redo the showers, and replace the knobs on the cupboards and adjust them properly."
"What are you talking about?" I ran my hand through my hair.
"There's three bathrooms in one of the houses she's going to show next month. All of them need to be repaired and you're going to do it." She spoke slowly like this was going to help me understand.
"Why am I going to do that?" I asked, feeling lost.
Alice exhaled. "You're going to be her repairman."
Well, if that was supposed to clear up my confusion it did not. Esme had her own set of people who fixed up the houses she sold. So, why would she need my help? That was not something I was comprehending. At the exact moment I opened my mouth to voice this, Alice spoke first.
"Silly me," She sounded a bit annoyed. It was not clear if the annoyance was directed at herself or me, or maybe both. "I forgot to mention that you, Bella, and Anthony are going to stay in Idaho for a week. You-"
"We are?" I was caught off guard by this news.
"Yes, yes." She was talking fast. "Keep up, don't be slow, and don't interrupt me, please. As I said, you, Bella, and Anthony will be staying in Idaho for a week. You'll have a great time reconnecting with each other and making new friends. I've seen it. But Esme won't be happy with you because she wants more time with the baby, you know? You'll end up owing her big time. This is why you will be repairing a fixer-upper she's going to flip."
I sighed, knowing Alice's visions were never wrong. "Thanks for the heads up, I'll make sure I'm prepared."
"Speaking about being prepared," She spoke in a rush. "You're going to want to tell Bella about your little interaction with the kids and their mothers you met tonight. That way she knows who the little girls are before the messages start pouring in and you can avoid jealousy striking her when she sees two girls' names on your phone."
"Texting me?" I repeated in disbelief.
"Yes." She answered, her tone matter-of-fact. "First, the chatting is going to be solely on Roblox. Then you'll give the children your number, and the rest is history." She giggled.
"Why would I give them my number?" I wanted to know.
Alice let out an exasperated breath. "Because they are supernatural kids who are home-schooled and need friends from our world, and so do you. The boy, Brody, is a 13-year-old warlock and has more in common with you than you think. He likes engines and fast cars as much as you do. His 11-year-old sister, Eliana, is a young witch who just wants someone to talk to and you are a good listener…when you choose to be. Where the hybrid girl, Sky, and her parents will help us - even Carlisle- learn more about Anthony. Even though our father's a doctor and was around Aro's hybrid twins long ago, he doesn't know everything about hybrids. Plus, some of his nutrition knowledge is outdated, just don't tell him I said so. I've "seen" his reaction, and I don't wish to relive his lecture."
"Okay. I won't repeat that." I reassured her.
"Thanks." She went on. "Anyway, Sky's parents will be able to give him a better insight into that. By no means are they experts, only parents of a hybrid. Even though her folks are not vegetarians they are family-orientated like us and won't harm Bella."
"Good to know." I let out a sigh of relief. Her safety was always a concern for me.
"Yup." Alice agreed with me. "They are also willing to offer advice on raising a hybrid to you and Bella."
"Wait," I said, realizing something. "Can you see Sky?" I meant she could see the hybrid girl in her visions, but wasn't about to say that while I was out in public. However, my sister knew what I was talking about.
"Yeah." She answered, sounding very enthusiastic. "It's amazing. I was sure hybrids were blind spots in my visions because Anthony seems to be, though now I'm thinking it's a part of his gift of siphoning our talents."
"Fascinating," I spoke in amazement.
Not long after that we disconnected our call. Quickly I grabbed a breast pump and a few more baby items before going to the grocery aisle to get food for Bella. With everything I needed, I rushed to the checkout line just as a male employee got on the loudspeaker, informing everyone the store was going to close in 20 minutes. I paid for my cart full of items, loaded them in my car, and headed back to the hotel room where the most beautiful girl in the world and our baby were. When I entered the room with ten bags, leaving the rest in my car for a second trip, I saw Bella sleeping soundly despite Anthony's soft cries. I could tell she was really tired and needed rest. Even though his thoughts let me know he wanted his mother, I wasn't about to wake her. I put the bags down on the table, went over to the crib, and gently picked him up. He needed a diaper change and nourishment. I took care of both tasks quickly.
Anthony was fed and clean. Yet, he did not wish to be placed in his crib. No, of course not. That would have made my job of putting the items I bought away too easy. This was why I was holding him as I placed an assortment of fruits and vegetables into the refrigerator telling him what each item was as I showed it to him. Talking to babies helps them better understand language and learn about the world around them, my parents had told me. However, it seemed to just make my son cranky. He screamed at the words "cucumber," "mushrooms," "brussel sprouts," and "apples." It was an ear-piercing scream that I was sure would wake Bella, though by some miracle she stayed asleep while I put the food away, and Anthony cried.
For the longest time, I didn't know what was the matter until his thoughts filled me in. First, he wanted Bella, which was not an option. She needed her sleep and I was not about to give in to his demands and wake her. Second, he wanted a certain book to be read to him. The very book Bella had asked for that had me running to Target. The one book I could have recited from memory, but chose not to for my sanity.
Knowing what he wanted had an idea forming in my mind as I decided to wait till later to get the remaining bags from my car. Since I brought the most important items up first, which were food and books, the other items could wait. With my unhappy son cradled in my arms, I sat at the table and pulled one of the bags of books towards me. As I did that I hoped he would like a few of these just as much as he liked Good Night Gorilla.
"Anthony, I went to the store and got you a few things," I spoke gently, adjusting him in the crook of my left arm. Doing that had him looking up at me and quieting down some. "Shall we see what books I bought for you?"
Anthony's only response was to cry.
I reached into the bag closest to me and pulled out The Pigeon Needs A Bath! The cover of the book had the oddest-looking bird I've ever seen with little flies around its head, insinuating it was dirty. Saying the title had me thinking of Sky because she had expressed enjoying this picture book when she was younger. As I showed the image on the cover to Anthony, I silently vowed to myself that I would never accidentally on purpose lose any of my son's favorite stories, no matter how many times I would have to read them.
Anthony's green eyes grew wide with curiosity as his arms stretched out and his tiny hands reached for the book. I smiled at him. Maybe I was biased because he was mine, but everything he did I thought was amazing. Even the simple things like reaching for a book I was holding. I opened it and his unhappy cries turned into excited coos.
As I read to him, his eyes were huge with fascination. Not once did he turn his attention away from the pages. Not even when Bella mumbled something unintelligible in her sleep. He seemed to enjoy this story about a stubborn pigeon who would not take a bath. If I must admit, it was a bit amusing. He wanted me to keep re-reading it. Each time I approached the end of the paperback his thoughts urged me to read it again. Ten times was enough for me though. I put that book on the tabletop and reached into the bag for another.
Anthony fussed, wanting more of The Pigeon Needs A Bath!
"Well, let's see what we have here. Shall we?" I pulled out the next one.
He whimpered, wanting his way.
"Anthony, it's another book," I said with exaggerated enthusiasm.
He stopped his whining and stared at me. He was now interested in what was going to happen next.
"This one is called, The Monster at the end of this Book Starring Lovable, Furry Old Grover." I read the title.
Showing him the cover of the book that had the blue monster from Sesame Street on it, had a startled expression on his face. It made me laugh until I realized he was fearful of the blue creature he was looking at. Tears began streaming down his cheeks as he sobbed in horror, frantically moving his hands and kicking his feet.
"You don't like drawing?" I ask, showing it to him again.
Anthony scrunched up his face which was now turning red. His whole body shook as he screamed in fear.
"I'll take that as a no," I spoke more to myself than to him.
Quickly, I sat the book face down on the table. Out of sight, out of mind, right? Wrong. That didn't work, he didn't calm down. He was scared over a drawing of a monster in children's literature. As irrational as this was, he was frightened. I began apologizing and reassuring him of my commitment, he was my son and I would do anything to protect him. I kissed his head as I adjusted him, resting his head on my shoulder as he cried it out.