Ketchup Popsicle - Part 7

When Mike arrived home just after six Sandra immediately handed him the baby who had been crying non-stop since four. The doctor said it was colic and would go away eventually. Sandra solemnly understood the cause of shaken baby syndrome about one and a half hours into Daniel’s crying rage each and every day. Nothing she could do would appease the little guy. She tried everything from changing to feeding to singing to walking outdoors with him in the stroller. He just wouldn’t stop crying – there were a few times when he wiled so fiercely that she thought his head might pop off. Nothing could have prepared her for what Daniel had begun to put her through for two hours every day just before Mike would get home. The few times when she thought she was sure she would absolutely lose her mind she would put screaming Daniel into his crib and hide in the washroom to cry for ten minutes or so before retrieving the little monkey and trying to soothe him all over again.

The rest of the time, he was a complete angel full of coos and gurgles and poop. She loved him so dearly, so much so that she swore that nobody could even begin to fathom what love is until they have a child. She couldn’t get enough of his smell, his silky skin, his grey eyes, and his tiny little toes that would curl around her top lip when she kissed the bottom of his feet.

Mike took the crying baby without a word and Sandra went upstairs for a cry herself – not because she was sad – she just had to release the frustration of the afternoon's wailing session. It was so stressful. She hopped in the shower to further de-stress. The steam and heat helped release the tension in her neck and arms and legs and back. Half way through her shower she heard Daniel begin to wind down and knew that he would need to be fed as soon as she was through.

Mike and Daniel were sitting on the bed when she came out of the shower. Mike was leaning back on his elbow making faces at Daniel who was happily kicking his legs and waving his arms in every direction. Sandra smiled at the sight; it did something to her every time she saw them together that way. It softened her a little each time and the cold hard loveless months she endured during her pregnancy slowly began to fade from her memory.

"My mom called me today at work." Mike began as Sandra scooped up Daniel to feed him. Mike always stared on with wide eyed wonder when Sandra fed Daniel. She didn’t blame him, it was a miraculous thing. "She said that you yelled at her today." Mike said, not moving his eyes from the suckling baby.

Sandra flushed slightly, "About that…" She was expecting Mike to be upset with her.

"It’s OK, I know how she is. I lived with her for nineteen years." He said.

"It’s just that she’s such a pushy bitch." Sandra blurted out.

"Whoa, she’s still my mother Sandra."

Sandra blushed slightly, "I know, I’m sorry. It’s just a lot for me to deal with."

He stroked the baby’s head and then got up to change his clothes. But instead of putting on jogging pants to lounge around the house in, he pulled on a pair of jeans. New jeans.

"You went shopping?" She asked. Why did he get to leave the house and do whatever he wanted and she had to stay at home and never go anywhere or do anything? Because she had a baby - that’s why, she thought to herself.

"Huh, yeah I guess." Mike replied pulling on a tight fitting navy blue t-shirt.

"Where are you going?" Sandra asked starting to get annoyed by his flagrant freedom.

"It’s Friday - I’m meeting the guys for a drink." He said.

"Are you kidding me?" Sandra couldn’t help herself. "Hello? Haven’t you noticed that your life has changed? My life has changed. You don’t see me hooking up with the girls once a week for cocktails." Her voice had become high pitched and the baby began to cry a little.

"You’re being dramatic." Mike said teasingly, "I’ll see you later tonight." He leaned over and kissed the baby and tousled Sandra’s hair like you would do to a toddler. Then he disappeared through the doorway and down the stairs.

"What just happened?" Sandra asked Daniel who had fallen asleep in her arms. Sandra looked at the phone but had nobody really to call. All of her friends lived so far away - cocktails with the girls was a joke. She popped Bridget Jones’ Diary into the DVD player perched on top of the dresser and fell asleep, with Daniel safely in the middle of the king size bed, about half way through the movie.