Ketchup Popsicle - 9

They had just returned from the park for the third time that day - Sandra discovered that Daniel was big enough to be pushed in a baby swing and it was so much fun for both of them and so they kept going back. Besides, there was nothing else to do really. The phone rang as Sandra was putting Daniel down for a nap.

"Hello?"

"Sandra! It’s Marta, how are you dear?" They hadn’t spoken since Marta walked out the morning before. There was something different in her tone. She was being nice.

"I’m alright." Sandra replied, not falling for the act.

"Listen, I was wondering if you wouldn’t like to go to the gym with me a few days a week. We can bring Daniel – they have babysitters."

Sandra was taken off guard by the proposal. She knew that Marta did frequent the gym as she had once asked Mike how his mother looked so good for her age. Could she see herself in a gym working out and sweating? Did she have the energy? Common sense told her that working out would actually give her energy and as a bonus she could lose all her baby fat. And it would get her out of the house…but it also meant spending a lot of extra time with Marta. It was a tough decision.

"Sandra? Are you there?" Marta asked.

"Yes, sorry. Thank you Marta, I think I’ll take you up on that. It sounds great." Sandra cringed again at the thought of spending all that time with her.

"Wonderful Dear. I’ll pick you up every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning. You’ll fit into your clothes again in no time." She added just to get a jab in, Sandra figured.

"Great. Can’t wait." Sandra lied.

"So what are you kids up to now, can I come over for a little visit?"

Sandra looked at the clock and it was getting to be four in the afternoon – colic time. "Sure Marta, come on over. If you don’t mind, I’ll get ready while you’re here. Mike and I are going out tonight." Then she added quickly, "We’re taking Daniel with us." You can come and deal with the colic between now and then, she thought wickedly. She wanted to start chuckling like an evil villian.

"Oh." Marta mumbled. And then in a faux cheery voice sang, "I’m on my way!" Marta was clearly not pleased that she wasn't asked to babysit and Sandra hung up the phone smiling. Then she lay down on the couch for a nap before Marta arrived.

Mike finally came home at around five and Sandra pretended to be getting ready in the bathroom while he and his mother did everything to settle little Daniel through his scheduled crying bought. She didn’t know why she couldn’t just flat out ask them to give her a break. She didn’t want them to think she couldn’t handle her own baby. But she truly dreaded the arrival of 4:00 pm every single day. At around 6:15 she strolled into the living room where Mike and Marta were looking exhausted and frustrated. Sandra marched over and took Daniel in her arms who very quickly settled back down to his regular self squeeling and laughing and inadvertantly pulling her hair. She smiled at them feigning apology at the fact that the baby clearly preferred her to them. These games amused her and made her not like herself very much at the same time. But Sandra was so bored that she had to create these intrigues just to stay sane. Or had she already lost her mind, she wondered.

Sandra was feeling pretty good about her appearance as they left for dinner that evening. She even slung on a pair of black heels with her jeans making her feel much less sloppy than she felt every other day of the week. She tucked Daniel into his car seat, gurgling and drooling. Sandra had dressed him in a pair of little yellow overalls that had a giraffe on the front pocket. His soft brown hair swirled above his forehead like the Gerber Baby and she thought that Daniel was just as cute if not cuter than that little marketing jackpot of a child. When Mike turned on the car, the stereo blasted into life so loud that Sandra couldn’t even make out what was playing on it. She hit the power button and gave Mike a dirty look as Daniel began to scream.

The rest of the evening was awkward but pleasant. Having Daniel with them at the restaurant was perhaps not her brightest idea, but Mike didn’t seem to mind. He held him through most of the meal and only passed him off to Sandra when he began to fuss or cry. Sandra fed the baby in the large stall in the bathroom as not to offend anyone. She dug into her own dinner with animal ferocity I when she got back to the table and saw the steaming hunk of meat awaiting her with a side of mashed potatoes and gravy. It had been so long since she had a decent meal. This was of course due mostly to the fact that she had been the one doing the cooking for the last six months. She was beginning to wonder if they made a Cooking for Dummies book that she could purchase.

Back at home later that night, Daniel was snuggled into his crib after his exciting evening on the town. Sandra and Mike settled onto the couch, but instead of watching a movie or something they could enjoy together, Mike turned it to the Sports Network. They watched highlight after highlight from the days many sporting events before Sandra yawned, kiss Mike on the cheek and headed for bed without saying another word. She wondered if they’d ever have sex again or, if in Mike's eyes, she was only there to look after Daniel. Her self esteem was at a record low given that her midsection jiggled every time she moved and her butt was a whole other issue. She felt like a troll next to Mike who took off every weeknight, except for Fridays, to hit the gym for two hours. It just didn’t seem fair. She was suddenly very thankful for Marta’s offer to bring her along to the gym. Maybe if she got back into shape Mike would look at her like he once did so very long ago before she got pregnant.