Chapter 25: Child Prodigy and Adult Failure

           When we had found out that I was giving birth to fraternal twins, Prince had phoned King right away to tell him to buy two more baby cribs. It was nice to come home and find everything set up. Prince and I put Buzz and Sandy in their new cribs. I kissed Sandy's head. She would look just like me, I knew it. Meanwhile, Buzz had a nice mix of our genes.

           "He'll be a lady killer," Prince had said.

           "What?!"

           "Like, he'll get all the ladies," Prince corrected, flustered. Well, that was something I could imagine. The two dozed off to sleep immediately.

           I turned to Andy, who was sitting, wide-eyed, in his crib. His hair was cut and dyed, and he looked much better. His eyebrows had been dyed as well. "Mama," he said as I approached him. He looked the two babies, confused. "Baba?"

           "Yes, baby," I nodded, and pointed to Buzz. "Buzz," I pointed to Sandy, "Sandy. Buzz is your brother, Sandy is your sister."

           Andy furrowed his brow as he tried to retain this information. "Ba," he tried, "Bwudah." I nodded in encouragement. "Amby, ihdah." I tried not to laugh in case he thought he was failing, but his little voice was so cute. He patted his doll. "Idah?"

           I shook my head. "No, your doll isn't your sister. Your doll is your friend," I said, "Like me!"

           Andy laughed a baby laugh. "Mama id mama, nod fwend!"

           "Mama is your friend, too, silly. Go to sleep now." I kissed the top of his head and left Prince with his two new babies.

           "Oh my god! Prince!" I said in realization, "We completely forgot to celebrate your birthday!"

           "It's alright. These two are the best birthday presents anyone could receive," Prince said, leaning into a crib to kiss Buzz. Aw. It would be a hassle to celebrate three birthdays in a day, but all three were worth it. 

           "Dada," Andy cried, reaching his arms out to Prince. He was probably jealous. 

           I left Prince to change Andy into his adorable pajamas and read him to sleep. It was honestly one of the cutest things I've ever seen. 

           A tough year passed quickly. I survived on coffee. Andy was walking, running, using the toilet on his own, and speaking in slightly understandable sentences. He had named his doll Jessie and always sang to it. Andy carried Jessie around everywhere he went, even when using the potty or eating a meal. King helped out a lot and worked from home. Although he didn't say, Prince and I knew that Sandy was his favourite out of the three. He always took care of both Sandy and Buzz's needs, but he always fed and changed Sandy's diaper before Buzz. Meanwhile, I had been singing a few Sing-a-grams, but mainly staying at home taking care of my children. Prince had started taking writing courses and wasn't home much.

           It was nice to have Pino around, and whenever I felt overwhelmed and didn't want advice, I would go down into our gated front yard and unlatch his cage and speak to him. Pino was getting sick though, so I worried on whether it was best to keep Pino locked in his cage and feed and clean him properly, or to set him free and have a family. Although it wasn't as if Pino was going to find love and nurture his babies till he died from old age, I still would rather let Pino go and believe that he had a good life.

           When Buzz and Sandy were eight months old, I let Pino go with a sad farewell.

           There were plenty of low moments, like when I had to slave over an oven preparing dinner, or clean up after King who used his age as an excuse, or do the laundry or change diapers. The worst part was cleaning. I absolutely hated cleaning after being subjected to it for so many years, but I did it anyway. I still cleaned and repaired the toilets and other appliances. I was the 'handyman' of the house, after all. My least favourite chore was cleaning sinks, which was the one chore I had to do the most often. But it all payed off knowing I not only lived in a safe house, but it was a safe environment for my three kids.

           Although we didn't like taking Andy upstairs in case he fell down the stairs by accident, we did on occasion. He would always crawl over to the xylophone right away. The first time he did, all he did was suck on the mallet. I took a picture of him the first time, and I was laughing so hard. He was wearing his little bunny pajamas and blue socks.

           I stopped laughing when Andy started playing out patterns on the xylophone, though. He would start by hitting one note three times, then add one. Then he'd play the first note three times, play the second, and add another, etc. I was amazed with his memory ability and pattern recognition. "You're going to be a very smart boy..." I had murmured. I wished I hadn't, though, because Andy looked up at me with his big brown eyes, and stopped playing.

           "Mama?" he said, as if surprised I was there.

           "Keep playing," I said, laying down next to him on the carpet, "Mommy likes it when you play."

           That's why, an hour later, Prince walked up in surprise to find me lying next to Andy with my eyes closed while Andy played on the xylophone.

           "We've got a musical prodigy," Prince said.

           "I know," I said with a grin and a wink, "He must take after me."

           

           I walked in on Prince in the bathroom, meaning to wish him happy birthday. I found him shrugging his shoulders, dressed in a work outfit, letting out a moan as his back cracked. I had a sudden déja vu as I was brought back to when I saw how old Becky was. I saw the same age in Prince.

           "Happy birthday, dear," I said, kissing him.

           "Thanks hon," he replied. I could see the tiredness in his eyes. "36 just feels old right now."

           I  helped Prince change into his normal clothes-though we did more kissing than changing-and went downstairs to make breakfast. When he walked downstairs, he was glowing light.

           "Oh, damn, Prince couldn't you wait!" I said, alarmed. I had never experienced a young adult to adult change, but I was sure it would be the least dramatic and painful. 

           Prince laughed as he sparkled. "Not like I can help it, silly!"

           The light faded away and he didn't look any different from what I could tell. He was maybe a bit taller, but his clothes fit just the same.

           He stood proudly, hands on hips, in a picture perfect pose. "I feel like a man!" he said proudly. His voice had deepened. I suddenly felt a different, inexplicable attraction for him.

           "I'll make you feel like a man," I growled, approaching him friskily. Of course he gave in and we had some fun until we decided we needed to take care of the kids.

           "Too bad," Prince groaned, rolling out of bed, "I could have stayed here all day." I grinned mischievously.

           

           We grabbed our kids-Prince held Buzz and I held Sandy. We hadn't planned a big party for them or Prince because we knew it would just confuse poor Andy who had enough trouble remember the five people he lived with. I stared wide-eyed at the candles, glad that I wouldn't suffocate my child with my breasts this time.

           "Count of three. Ready? One, two-" I said, but was cut off by Prince.

           "Since Buzz was born a minute and thirty eight seconds before Sandy, shouldn't I blow his candle out first?" Prince asked.

           The body of a man, the brain of a boy. "Sure, whatever floats your boat, birthday boy."

           "Birthday man," he said before leaning over and blowing out Buzz's candle. I waited a few seconds before doing the same.

           We set down our children. I watched Buzz and was, quite frankly, amazed. There was a pathetic puff of sparkles and Buzz emerged, dressed in white shoes, violet shorts, a blue shirt and a purple striped vest.

           "Well, that doesn't bode well," I said with concern.

           A single, faint blue sparkle drifted away from Buzz. I watched as our little boy looked around, his big blue eyes crossed. He had a dark brown buzz cut. I chuckled at the irony. We were probably asking for it by naming our kid Buzz. 

           "You mean his clothing or the lack of sparkles?"

           "The latter."

           "Mmm. Maybe he won't be such a bad kid if we smack it out of him."

           "Prince!"

           "Kidding, kidding."

           "I can tell that he's going to be very good looking though," I said as he looked up at me with puppy dog eyes. Dark hair and blue eyes was always a good match. 

           "Don't forget about your daughter!" King cried before blowing on a party kazoo.

           I turned back just in time to see the last fading sparkles emitting from Sandy. Drat. Now how was I supposed to know how much she'd get out of life? She was wearing a cute pink dress and socks with her lip stuck out. She was so adorable! She had a matching buzz cut to her twin and my shade of hair. She had blue eyes, but whereas Buzz had my shade of blue, Sandy had darker eyes. Odd.

           We spent the next three years like we did before, only that Andy helped out around the house and Buzz did his best to be a brat. Sandy was stuck in the middle, very close to Buzz, but hanging on to every word Andy said. She wanted to please them both. She was a completely different child when she was alone or just with Prince or I, though. Then, she was sweet and happy and pure. I bought her and Buzz the cutest outfits. When I brought my three children out in public, everyone would coo and then squeal even more when I would say how Sandy and Buzz were twins.

           Prince had written many articles for the paper and even kept a blog, which kept him happy. King grew more and more despondent as the days went by without him being allowed to see Jodi. Jodi had reached her childhood years and still didn't know who her biological father was. I didn't interfere with them.

           Meanwhile, I tried to hide my bitterness as best as possible. When I had married Prince, it had been with the hopes of pursuing my career as a singer, not as a stay at home mom. Although I loved all three of my children, I felt like I needed more of my life.

           "Isn't that selfish, sweetie?" I said as I held Sandy. She was dressed in a bear suit with a matching hat.  She and Buzz could easily be best looking kids at school when they grew up. Andy would probably be handsome as well.

           Buzz was always purposely taking off his diaper to pee in the baby room. I felt bad for Andy, who still slept in there because we didn't have space. We had given Andy a little toddler bed when he started to try to escape his crib. 

           It was amazing how much pee Buzz made, although I knew sometimes he made his sister help. Buzz was quite intelligent-perhaps too smart for his own good. But he did enjoy playing in the toy box. He spent the majority of his time in the little easy to open box that Andy had barely glanced at when he was a kid.

           It always scared me when Buzz climbed in the toy-box, because I was worried that he would fall in and not be able to crawl out and end up suffocating. He didn't understand when I scolded him for it. It was cute to see him laughing and playing with a little horse toy, though. Then I'd turn my back on him for a second and he would be trying to eat his sock.

           All the effort was worth it though. I really did have three fantastic kids. Although my youngest two were the most work, they were also the most entertaining. I watched as Sandy lay spread out on her bed in her bear suit, looking adorable.

           "Mama?" Buzz gurgled, pulling at my pant leg. I reached down and scooped him up into my arms.
           "Not too loud, sweetie, your sister is sleeping."
           Buzz gave me his big puppy dog eyes look and stuffed his thumb in his mouth, nodding. "Mama," he said again, poking my collarbone, "La, la, la?" He sang out the words in notes.
           My heart sank. "I do like to sing, sweetheart."
           Buzz looked away and started fidgeting, so I put him away in his crib to sleep. Ugh. I was never going to make it big.

           On the day of my 26th birthday-Prince was 40, Andy was 6, and Buzz and Sandy were 5. I was eating some cake from King's leftover birthday party. We hadn't put a candle on it for King to blow out because the next life state for King would be death.

           Prince had gotten a new leather jacket which I thought wasn't bad. It was a little odd seeing him in anything besides his normal clothes, though, especially because it wasn't like him to just go out and buy something.

           I had caught him peering at his face judgmentally. First he ran a hand over his hair, then he checked his teeth... The worst part was when he stroked all his tiny little wrinkles and lines with concern. That was the biggest difference I noticed when Prince had aged up. He had little creases next to his eyes and smile lines. The little grooves running from his nose to his mouth had deepened as well.

           I smiled, happy of my young age and face. I was virtually line-less.

           I picked up my cake plate and stood up, meaning to put it away. But then I started glowing light! I dropped the plate in surprise. It hit the floor with a loud crack, startling me, especially in this odd state. Why was I aging up? This made no sense! I felt only the tiniest tinge of warmth, as if I was trying to warm myself up with a candle.

           It must've been the cake! By eating the cake, I probably triggered some age up! I couldn't let this happen though, I had so much to do with my life, I wanted to be a famous singer and have millions of adoring fans... My body emitted an ominous glow of light. I started freaking out. How could I stop this? This was horrible! Could I cancel a transformation? I wanted to be a young adult forever! That was the ultimate age! I felt a sweat break out on my forehead as I panicked.

           But it was over as quickly as it had begun. The sparkles faded away. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Maybe I wouldn't be all wrinkly and gross. Maybe I would just be taller and wiser. Maybe this was all for the best.

           I glanced in the refrigerator and caught sight of my reflection. Oh, god, I was hideous.

           Prince strolled into the room. "Oh, look at that! You aged up! Happy birthday sweetie!"
           He leaned in for a kiss but I pushed him off. "Prince! Look at me! I'm all wrinkly and gross!"
           Prince looked hurt. "I'm all wrinkly..."
           "But you're 40! I'm 26 for crying out loud! How come I'm so wrinkly?"
           Prince shrugged. "You'll always be beautiful in my eyes."
           "A toad would be beautiful in your eyes, Prince!" I spat. "I wanted to pursue my dreams of being a singer, Prince, not marry and get knocked up so that I'm wrinkly and old with three kids and no job by the time I'm 26!"

           "Darling, you can still follow your dreams of being a singer," Prince said, still looking hurt.
           "No one whose old can ever follow their dreams, Prince," I said with annoyance, "Especially if they're ugly like me."
           Prince shook his head, trying to understand me. "Honey, you're only 26. You have plenty of time ahead of you to be a singer."
           "You and the kids are holding me back! I'm sick of my damned life! Maybe we have money, but you can't buy happiness with money! And you sure as hell can't buy talent with money!"
           Prince chuckled and I grew even more furious at him. "Cindy, are you having a mid-life crisis?"
           I'm afraid I said some rather nasty curse words to him. "MID-LIFE CRISIS?! SO NOW I'M EVEN AS OLD AS YOU?! MORE LIKE A QUARTER-LIFE CRISIS YOU INSENSITIVE-" I stopped talking when I thought of the children. "Bugger off, Prince. Just leave me alone."

           Prince listened to me and gave me alone time, figuring it to be for the best. I neglected the kids for a while. I made a list of things I wanted to do with myself. I started with exercising. Prince seemed relieved at me taking up running. I ran on the treadmill upstairs, wanting to get rid of fat I got when I was pregnant and general flab I had taken up over the years.

           Maybe it would've been better if Prince hadn't left me alone. Maybe it would've been better if he had forced me to wisen up and realize all the marvelous things I had in my life. But he didn't. And that made all the difference. 
           I made more changes. I dyed my hair orange, suddenly finding my blond hair too plain Jane and schoolgirl. I changed my hairstyle. I experimented with makeup. I bought new clothes.
           I didn't want to be attractive in only Prince's eyes. And to achieve that, I would have to flaunt myself around a bit. 
           "Looking sexy," I said in the new voice I used. It was hoarse and suggestive. 

'Sexy' wasn't exactly the right word for my look.

Chapter 24: Fruitful and Fertile

           Eight months later, Prince and I were holding a birthday party for our little boy. We invited family members and friends to come see Andy age up. We bought him a high end cake and put one candle on it to represent his first year of life. The first person I greeted was Becky of course, who was walking around with her late baby ready to pop at any moment. She was huffing under the hot beam of the sun and her bizarre outfit which couldn't have aided her comfort. Becky wore a long sleeved shirt under a black t-shirt, white and red striped tights and a blue skirt. It was the most bizarre thing I had ever seen.

           After a bit of questioning, Becky admitted that she had had a private wedding to Wylie and they had been living together ever since that day in the park. She said that Wylie was also rich, but unlike King, she actually had a sexual attraction for Wylie. 

           "He was really accepting of my baby," Becky said cheerily, "And says that he will raise it as his own."

           "I'm really happy for you Becky," I said, trying to hug her, although it was difficult for two extremely pregnant women to do. "You've gotten your wish! You're living with a rich, hot guy and you're on your way to becoming a mother!"

           Becky laughed. "Now that I think about it, it sounds like everything my mom wished my life would be like."

           I went to check in on the newcomers and found everyone standing on the porch. Becky came too. Anastasia was there. We were shy at first, but then we caught up on each others lives. I had discovered that she was now dating someone named Scotty Beaver, and Drizella was dating... Robbie Platt! I felt a pang of sorrow as I realized I had lost touch with all of my friends... I hadn't talked to anyone besides Becky since the ball. At least I could catch up with people at this party.

           "Is that Sonoko Lee?" Anastasia asked with panic, nodding towards the vampire.

           "Uh-huh," I said, biting back my laughter. Drizella and Anastasia's history with our neighbours hadn't been good, but Sonoko and I had run into each other a few times these past months and we've become good friends. 

           Step-mother was invited as well, and she looked a sweet as a flower. I wondered if she was suffering from some disease, because she looked so happy now. Anastasia told me she was still single. I wondered if by me going and getting married, it made step-mother happy for some reason. It made no sense, but still...

           "Cindy, sweetie, I think we should blow out the candles now!" Prince called to me, beckoning everyone inside.

           "Where's King?" I whispered, not sure I wanted him and Becky meeting again. I took Andy from Prince's arms.

           "Sleeping," he muttered, lighting the only candle we had placed on Andy's expensive cake. "He was up all night."

           "I'm surprised that he'd miss this," I said, rocking Andy in my arms.

           "I think he wanted to avoid Becky," Prince admitted, then took a step back. "Gather round, everyone!"

           Our guests stepped forwards, and started clapping. I leaned down to blow out the candle for Andy. I was afraid that I was going to age up instead, so I faltered. "Hon, you're suffocating him," Prince called to me.

           I looked down to see Andy reaching his arms out as my boobs blocked his breathing. My breasts had grown a lot because of the pregnancy. "Sorry, darling," I said, straightening up. It was difficult. I couldn't understand why I was so big. I was never this big when it came to Andy.

           I took a breath and blew out Andy's candle. Andy gurgled happily and closed his eyes. He started fidgeting, and I realized I needed to set him on the ground in order for him to age up. He started sparkling, then there was a burst of pure white light that blinded me for several seconds. 

           When my eyes half adjusted and the light spots went away, I saw a little toddler in black shoes and brown shorts that I didn't remember buying. He had long, curly white hair and was glowing rainbow colours. Andy looked at his hands and moved his feet around, adjusting to his new self. He kept glowing for at least a minute. I was truly amazed.
           "Has anyone ever seen a baby age up before?" I asked with worry.
           Step-mother nodded. "The more they sparkle, the more they'll get out of life when they're older. Andy is sparkling quite a bit in comparison."
           I grinned. I'd bet that Anastasia and Drizella didn't sparkle at all. I wondered how much I sparkled. This was probably like telling your kid about their IQ-it just wasn't something that you did.

           I scooped up Andy and held him before passing him to Prince. "We'll have to cut his hair," I said, already thinking of wardrobe and outfit plans.
           "Maybe dye it, too," Prince said with concern, "I don't know where he got white hair from."
           "We don't want him to be bullied," I considered. 
           "No, we don't want that," Prince agreed.

           I set Andy down next to me and grabbed a large slice of cake. I was fat anyway with my baby bump.  Prince tooted a noise maker before crawling over to Andy, teasing him. I felt guilty for not immediately celebrating my son's birthday with hugs and such, but my mood was all over the place because of my pregnancy. Damn hormones.

           I watched as Prince held Andy's hands and helped him stand up. "Daddy'll teach you how to walk," he said, helping Andy move his feet forwards.
           "Mommy'll teach Andy too," I added before gobbling part of the cake. 
           Becky hobbled forward, grabbing the knife to cut the cake. "Pregnancy must be making us cake hungry," Becky said.
           "That's my excuse," I said, "Cheers, anyway."
           "Happy birthday, Andy!" Becky said, leaning down to give him a quick hug.

           When I finished I let out a loud burp and cleaned up my dishes, then mashed up a bit of cake for Andy. "When you're done playing with him, you can give him this," I told Prince before going around to play the part of the hostess. I walked by step-mother talking to someone I didn't know... He was black, had two earrings, and had a 'barely-there' haircut. He seemed familiar... I watched as step-mother attempted to flirt with him. He didn't seem offended or disgusted, but he didn't return her gestures. I went up to talk to him in case he was a party crasher. 

           "Sorry, I don't believe we've met before," I said, facing the man.
           "It's Barry? King invited me," he said shyly.
           I gasped. "BARRY?!?!" I could barely recognize him, all grown up. "Wow! You look so different... How's your sister?"
           "Lela? She's good." We talked for a while, catching up on each other's jobs and such. He told me about how he was a successful guitarist and singer, and I couldn't help but feel envious. I still had to make my dreams of being a singer come true.
           "So how do you know King?" I finally asked. I felt guilty about having not invited him.
           "We had a meeting with him where we discussed which political party I would donate towards. It wasn't just me," he added, seeing my look of skepticism, "I had four sponsors who would double my donation, each. I held a lot of power."
           I chuckled. "King actually thought that you were gay because you apparently had an earring in your right ear and then went skinny dipping."
           Barry burst out laughing as well, clutching his stomach. "My one ear was infected so I couldn't wear my left earring. Oh, I didn't even think of that! No, I'm single, but straight," he informed me with a grin.
           After a few more minutes chatting, I could tell that step-mother was getting impatient, so I said my good-byes. While I was walking away, I heard step-mother whisper, "I'm glad you're straight and single, Barry..." 
           I giggled to myself and left Barry to be harassed by my step-mother.

           I found Becky and pulled her to the side. She was really pale looking. "Becky, I've got to be honest with you-your outfit is hideous. You have a great sense of style. Why would you wear this?"
           Becky mocked that she was hurt. "What? You don't like my ridiculous candy cane tights and blue skirt? I don't get you, Cinderella."
           I laughed. "No seriously, now, tell me."
           "Well, I'm due any second now, so I figured that if I wear nice clothes, then they'll get dirty and yucky and I'll probably have to throw them out. So I threw on these clothes that I'll probably throw out anyway, so when I break my water I won't be ruining my clothes."
           "That's actually really smart. I'll do the same."
           "I am a genius, Cind," Becky said, shrugging.
           "Oh, come off it," I said, fake shoving her shoulder. I leaned my head to her stomach. "Shut up for a second so I can listen to your baby." With my ear against her belly, I could feel a slight kick and a faint sound like water rushing.
           Becky cupped her belly, grinning. "I'm listening to yours now."

           I returned to the kitchen to find Andy gobbling down cake and Prince refusing some flowers from Kerry Kasmir. "Kerry, I'm married with a kid and expecting another. Who do you think you are?"
           "Just a friendly offer, Princey-poo," Kerry trilled, giggling.
           "Look, I know you're just here for pictures, miss Paparazzi," Prince snapped, pushing her away. Andy let out a squeal and threw a handful of cake on the ground.

           Kerry stormed away, but Ariella Chen sweept up the dropped bouquet of flowers and held them out to Prince. "C'mon, Prince, it's been a while since you've had fun. Just accept the flowers."
           Prince rolled his eyes. "Absolutely not! I'm married and-"
           "I've heard it, silly. But you can take them and give them to Cinderella," Ariella said.
           Prince coughed. "Well, I-"
           "I'll just take them now," I said, sweetly, grabbing the flowers and breathing deeply into them. "Thanks, Ariella. I think the party's over now anyway. Bye-bye!"
           Ariella glared at me before following Kerry's path. I left the flowers on the table and took care of Andy, who was trying to knock over his bowl of cake.

           I walked around the house, trying to clear out various party guests. I walked into King's room to discover King awkwardly standing around his dresser, obviously trying to get changed out of his pajamas. The little cat stereo was turned on and Drizella, dressed in her hooker outfit, was dancing to it. King kept looking back at her, a terrified expression on his face. Drizella would grin at him and make a sexual dance move.
           "Drizella!" I shrieked.
           She turned around, startled. "What?"
           "Time to go."
           I decided to go to my old home with Drizella. I hadn't been there in over a year. Maybe I would be able to see Lucifer.
           "I'm going to my old home," I said, kissing Prince goodbye. "Have fun with Andy. I think his diaper needs changing."
           Prince kissed my cheek, then said, "I think we need to potty train him soon."     
           Obvious-ly.

           I marveled at the home as we pulled up in the taxi. It looked the exact same, except... I could see where the paint was peeling on the walls, and where the porch needed sweeping. Through the windows I could see thick coats of dust laying on the dresser and furniture. There was nothing new in the house. I spotted Robbie around the back. I made a mental note to talk to him.
           I thought about what Becky had said. I didn't want to ruin any clothing. I shrugged to myself and walked inside, where I went back to my old room (which looked the exact same) and dug through my hidden compartment, under the loose floorboard, until I found some of my old clothes I hadn't bothered to bring. Then I went to the bathroom (the sinks were in a desperate need of cleaning and the mirror had a crack running along one side) and changed. I pulled my hair back in a bun and tried to match what Becky had done. A camouflage t-shirt over a long sleeved shirt, dark tights that had holes every where, and a short pink skirt. I found it was actually more comfortable to walk in the skirt.

           When I was done changing, I went around the back to talk to Robbie. I passed by Kerry Kasmir, who must've followed me, and two other larger ladies. The three of them were standing around Pino's cage. I realized that Pino probably still lived at home.

           Kerry sneered at me as I peered into the cage. I was relieved to find Pino eating from his food dish. At least someone was feeding him. I opened the cage door and helped Pino onto my shoulder. "You're coming home with me," I said firmly, ignoring the three women's laughter. Pino was mine, after all.

           "Hey, Robbie," I said, turning around to chat with him. Pino flew off somewhere.
           "Hello, Princess Cinderella," he grinned.
           "Oh, no need to call me-"
           "I'm only teasing."
           I smiled. "So how'd you and Drizella hook up?"
           He rolled his eyes. "Weird, right? I dunno, we started to chat at that one birthday party... And I was there for her when Jared broke it off-"
           "Wait, she and Jared were dating?" I squealed. I couldn't help it. Drizella and Jared were a match made in heaven.
           Robbie looked uncomfortable, and I felt guilty. "Yeah, they went out after the ball... I guess they kissed and then they decided they needed each other. But a few weeks after dating, Jared wanted to go to university, and he got a scholarship, so they broke up."
           I tried to hide my disappointment. "Oh, I see."
           Robbie smiled. "I kinda live here, now, though. Well, I do live here. I'm moved in!"
           I found that surprising, but managed a smile regardless. "Awesome! Congratulations! Well, I'd better get going. See you around!"
           "Bye, Cinderella!"

           As I passed by the window, I caught Anastasia whispering something to step-mother, giggling like a little school girl. I recalled a time when we were teenagers and Anastasia did that. Some things never change.

           I also passed Drizella arguing with the woman I saw near Pino earlier. "Lindy Avilla, you're nothing but a dirty slut!" she cried.
           "Wow, Drizella Tremaine, look whose talking!"
           The next second they were laughing and hugging. I rolled my eyes. Things with Drizella also never changed. Before I got in the cab, I whistled for Pino. He landed on my shoulder and I got in the cab, hoping the driver wouldn't notice.

           I made the cabbie driver stop at the pet store, where I payed for a cage to be delivered to my home. They promised that it'd be delivered within the next day. Pino had pooped on my shoulder, but he didn't know where my new home was, so I had to let Pino stay on my shoulder as the taxi driver drove me home. He kept flaring his nostrils and I realized I smelled pretty bad. I payed him extra for having to deal with me.
           I let Pino go when I got home and trudged inside, fairly tired. Prince greeted me with a kiss on my cheek. "Whew... I think you need a shower, darling."
           I rolled my eyes. Thanks. "Right. Where's Andy?"
           "In the baby room. I can't get him to go to sleep."
           I sighed and walked upstairs, where I scooped Andy up from the ground. He was a toddler now, and probably wouldn't go to bed just because he had his doll. I changed Andy into a fresh diaper and socks and grabbed a children's book for him. Then I laid him in the crib and read to him. He was asleep before I got to page three.

           The next month, it was time for the baby to be born. Prince and I had asked for the child's gender to be a surprise, but we had picked out names we liked for both genders. I had given up on wearing my nasty clothing because holes appeared everywhere in the material and I just wanted to look pretty anyway. I walked downstairs and caught King eating macaroni, grinning to himself. 
           "Why are you so happy?" I asked, filling up a bowl of cheerios for myself.
           King chuckled. "For a while, I thought I would never have grand-kids  And now I have Andy and another one on the way!"
           "Just don't forget to take Andy to get his hair cut and dyed today," I said. We had decided that the only way to make Andy look like a normal kid was to cut and dye it. We would dye it brown, like Prince's hair.

           King changed in Andy's room, leaving his old clothes scattered on the ground. I picked them up, annoyed, and told him to get Andy ready for his haircut. He huffed a bit and turned around to change Andy's diaper. I went up to the laundry room and took out the clean clothes, swapped the wet clothes for dirty, put the wet clothes in the dryer... Even though it was easier than hand washing all the clothes, doing laundry was still a hassle.
           As I folded one of King's shirts, I realized that perhaps King was grumpy because of his child with Becky. Becky had given birth to a little white haired girl (the white hair must be inherited from King) that she had named Jodi. King hasn't been allowed to see Jodi yet. He finally believed that Jodi was his child, thanks to DNA proof.

           When I returned, King was looking huffy again, but Andy was giggling and playing with his dolls and toys, so I assumed he took care of Andy. He marched out of the room, saying, "I'm going to go get the baby carrier. See you later."
           I shrugged. Old men get grumpy as they age. Mood swings too, I guess. I felt a sudden pain in my lower abdomen. A contraction. I went to fetch Prince.

           I hobbled out of the house as Prince called a taxi. I rubbed my belly, looking at it fondly. Soon enough, I would be holding my second child. Perhaps Prince and I would stop there. For the time being. I wasn't sure how many children Prince wanted, but I knew I was fine with two. 

           We got in the backseat of the taxi and I smiled. Prince still didn't seem happy, just like last time. He probably just worried more than me. He looked over at me and grinned. "I love you, baby," he said.
           "We'll be holding a real baby soon," I crooned, pecking him on the cheek. Prince rubbed my belly tenderly. I reached over and squeezed his hand. We were silent, holding hands for the rest of the car ride. I was glad that Prince was calm, but I had hoped he would be a little more excited.

           It took a little longer this time-nine hours-because I hadn't broken my water beforehand. But it was worth the wait. "So you don't think Sandy sounds too much like Andy?" Prince asked with concern.
           I smirked. "Of course they do. But Sandy is short for Sandra whereas Andy is short for Andrew."
           Prince smirked right back at me. "Can you imagine? We'll be going 'Sandy! Come here! No, not you, Andy, Sandy."
           I chuckled, reaching down and stroking my baby's hair. "Poor Buzz. He just doesn't fit in. His name isn't short for anything."
           "Oh, what're we going to do, Cindy?"

I shrugged and pushed baby Buzz in the only stroller we had brought while Prince carried Sandy.

Hoo-boy. Now we had three children to take care of.

Chapter 23: Spill Guy, Vomit and Special Dolls

           I tucked Andy away in the crib, and he fell asleep immediately. He was so beautiful. I stroked his face as he slept, making sure that he was in a safe position on his back. I leaned in and kissed his face before standing up and stretching. I had been going on adrenaline for many hours after we had gotten home, but now I felt ready to sleep. I gazed around the baby room, wondering what memories it would hold. There was the dresser, the cushy chair, the drapes, and the potty. The colours were calm and relaxing. Someday I would have to change it. Andy might prefer blue or red, and maybe he would want pictures of dinosaurs in his room. I didn't know.

           I glanced out the window. It was early morning. I had convinced Prince to go to bed, and he had done so with only a little bit of protesting. I felt my eyelids drooping and my feet getting tired. I stumbled into the bathroom to see Becky, clean and in her work clothes, already occupying the washroom. She had evidently just taken a bath. Her age really hit me, as I stared at her work clothes that made her a woman. "Sorry, Cind," she said with a smile. She paused on her way out. "Congratulations, by the way. Andy is really handsome. I can tell that he's going to look just like you both."

           I smiled as a thanks, not really energetic enough to say anything. If Becky was getting ready for her work day, it must've been about six thirty in the morning.

           When I was done in the washroom, I was too tired to change into my nightie, so I just stripped off my dirty maternity clothing and climbed into bed. As I did, Prince's cell phone rang. While he was in bed. Obviously he had been too tired to change as well. He stirred, but turned over, lying on his phone before falling back to sleep. I let my eyes close as well, and sleep came within seconds.

           The days went by very quickly with our new baby. Prince and I were always rushing around to make sure Andy was okay. I breast fed him, Prince bottle fed him, and we both played with him. He was still as bald as the day he was born, but I could definitely see features in him that were like those of Prince's and mine. I could see his eyes darkening, and I knew he would have Prince's eye colour. He would probably have my nose, and it looked like my facial structure as well. 

           Changing diapers was the worst. I hated it. I absolutely detested it. Prince was very willing, surprisingly, but he hated bathing Andy, strangely enough. We were bonding very well with our child, and bonded with each other as well. King adored Andy, and even took time off work once in a while to spend the whole day playing with Andy. He was very good with children, apparently, and he was great with Andy. Andy always stopped crying whenever King rocked him in his arms, and immediately fell asleep when King sang to him. 

           King had gained a new stride, as I noticed one day when he set off to work. That was another habit we had gotten into. I would sit by the window, feeding Andy in the morning, and I would watch the mailman come and go, and as Becky and King went to work in their cars. Yes, Becky had taken on a job after all, but just as King's personal assistant. 

           Some things were still the same. I still had to clean the sink, and I still had to make my bed and do the laundry. Becky, Prince, and King helped as well, of course, but the three of them were intensely busy in their own work. Prince had confessed to me that once our son grew up, he wanted to become an author. He had a secret passion for writing.

           One thing I had been adamant about was that I would prepare the meals. I trusted my cooking skills and knew what to make while breastfeeding. That was my excuse, of course, that Prince couldn't argue against, but the real reason I wanted to cook was because Prince was only okay at cooking. We ate at the dining table now, as I had learned was proper. One morning, I was finishing up my pancake next to Prince and King (who went on about how particularly good my pancakes were that morning) when I heard the doorbell ring.

           "I'll get it," I said. King and Prince grunted in agreement. I rolled my eyes. It was a delivery man, holding a package and papers.

           "Hello, ma'am. Special delivery. Local, I think. If you could sign here, I'll be on my way," the man said, handing me the package and holding out the papers.

           "We weren't expecting anything," I said, taking the package and peering at the papers.

           "Whether you were or not, ya just gotta sign here to prove that it was delivered to you and you received it," he explained, thrusting the papers at me.

           I took a pen and signed, thanking him and closing the door before bringing it in. "What is it?" Prince asked when I walked in the kitchen. He was loading the dishwasher.

           "I'm not sure," I said, ripping the package open with difficulty. There was a note attached that I looked at before opening the rest of the package. "It says, 'Dear Cinderella and Prince, although I could not attend your wedding and have not visited you and your newborn, I have seen your lovely child. I thought that this might help him grow. It is not an ordinary doll, however it may look. Trust your child and be pleasantly surprised, otherwise you might find yourself with your foot in your mouth. It may not make sense now, but in later years you might thank me for this. Consider it a present for Andy. I send my congratulations for your new family. Love, Fairy Godmother.'"

           Prince took the doll out of the package. It looked handmade, but durable. It had a light on the top of its head and a little face. "What does she mean by this?" Prince said, looking amused, examining the doll.

           "I'm sure we'll know 'in later years,'" I quoted. "I trust her, anyway. And I'm sure Andy will like it." I took the doll upstairs and placed it in the crib with Andy. I knew of the warnings and dangers of having a toy in a crib with your baby, but I trusted my godmother. I would trust her with my life. I would trust her with my son's.

           I returned downstairs to find Becky licking a plate clean. "Becky! What the hell do you think you're doing!" I cried, astonished. 
           She set the plate down and looked at me guiltily. "I don't know what overcame me..."
           I gave her a weird look and took her plate to the kitchen. That was really odd.

           A few hours later, I walked in on Becky vomiting into the toilet. "Becky!" I cried, racing over to her side. "You made yourself sick with that food!" Becky looked up at me, extremely pale, then tossed her cookies again. She sat shuddering on the bathroom floor. I pitied her and helped her up after a few minutes. "Go lie down," I said gently, "I'll check your temperature." I flushed the toilet and washed my hands off.
           "Don't bother, Cinderella," Becky said, looking dejected. 
           "You're really pale, Becks," I said, leading her out of the room.
           She just shook her head. "I'm fine." She laid down on a couch anyway, and I pulled blankets over her so she wouldn't get cold. "I'm fine," she muttered again before succumbing to sleep.

           The next few weeks went by uneventfully. Prince and I managed to get a handle on our lives even better so that we took care of Andy and our time with each other. Andy really loved the doll and cried whenever he was apart from it. He hadn't cried in ages now, except when he was really hungry or needed a diaper change. The doll really did work like a charm. Occasionally King would get jealous and take Andy all for himself. Sometimes this worked, sometimes Andy would cry out for his doll.
           Instead of Becky being Andy's step-grandma (it was weird enough that Becky was my step-grandma-in-law), I asked her to be Andy's aunt and godmother. Of course, Becky readily accepted. 
           Best of all, Prince and I made time to have fun with each other. We did it in the night, mainly, then fell asleep immediately, both of us exhausted. In the morning we would cuddle while we waited for King and Becky to leave. King always took care of Andy in the morning by feeding him and changing his diaper before setting off for work.

           One morning, when Andy was about four months old, I was making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for later when I heard voices. I wasn't normally one to eavesdrop, but I could tell that it was King and Becky. Their voices sounded aggravated, but they were on the opposite side of the house from me, so I couldn't make out what they were saying. I stopped spreading peanut butter on the bread and set my knife down and tip-toed to the spiral staircase, where I could see and hear them without being seen.

           Becky was saying something to King, looking aggravated. All of a sudden, King stuck a finger in her face, slamming his cane on the floor in anger. Becky looked terrified.
           "You slut! You cheating slut! I trusted you! And here you are, getting knocked up with someone's kid!" King bellowed.
           "I'm not a slut, I didn't cheat on you, and it's not someone's kid, it's your kid!" Becky cried, throwing her hands in the air.
           I tried not to gag as images of King and Becky having sex flew into my mind. He was so old! What was Becky thinking? That would explain her throwing up. From the pregnancy. Personally, I would be throwing up after doing it with an old geezer.

           "How the hell could it be my kid! I'm ancient! I can't reproduce at this age!" King yelled, throwing his hands in the air as well. Well, the one hand. With the other he clenched his cane bitterly.
           "Figure it out! You used Viagra! We didn't use protection!" Becky shouted.
           That was too much. I dry heaved as quietly as I could, absolutely revolted.
           "Don't lie to me! I was told by the doctor that I couldn't produce any more," King said with annoyance.
           Another dry heave.
           "Well something happened, because I'm pregnant, and you're the only one I've had sex with in several years!" Becky thundered back. I remember Becky telling me about how she lost her virginity to a hot guy she met at a bar one night. It was just a one night stand, with protection and all, but Becky tells me that she doesn't regret it the least bit.
           "I know you're lying, Becky. If you really want to prove it to me, then once the baby is born, get a DNA test! Until then, though, there's no way I'm allowing you to live in this household!" 
           "You know what, screw you, jackass! I don't need to deal with your crap!" Becky pulled her ring off her finger and tossed it at him. "Keep this piece of trash!"
           

           "Now get the hell out of my house!" King bellowed, stuffing the ring into his pocket. Becky glared at him once more. King merely smirked at her. Then Becky whirled around and stormed away. I managed to get back into the kitchen just in time as Becky grabbed her coat and left, slamming the door behind her. I finished making the sandwiches rather blindly as tears streamed down my face. What was wrong with King? I hoped dearly that Prince wasn't like him. 
           An hour later, I phoned Becky's cell. It went to voicemail. I left a message telling her to call me back. Another hour later, I got a call.
           "Cind?" Becky said in a rather muffled voice. I knew that she was crying. 
           "Oh, Becky," I said, breaking down in tears again. "I heard what happened."
           "Cind," Becky sobbed, and I pitied her. "It's horrible."
           I let Becky shoot her mouth off about King for a while, some of which I agreed with after the way he had treated her. Then I faced the situation. "Becky, how far along are you?"
           "About two months or so."
           "And you're not showing yet?"
           "A little bit."
           "Where are you going to stay?"
           "I don't know, Cind."
           I paused. "And you still have stuff here... Tell you what, I'll phone you up when King leaves here. Then you can come here and pack your things. I'll lend you some money for a hotel or something. And you'll need to find a new job."
           "Okay," Becky said, obviously too distraught to think straight.
           "Where are you now?"
           "I drove my car over to the park, and I'm just sitting here."
           "Well you'll still get money if King wants a proper divorce," I said reasonably.
           "That's true. Oh damn, Cindy, I have to go, this emo juggler is approaching me." I could tell by her words that Becky was already feeling better.
           I laughed. "Good luck! I'll call you soon!" 
           I only now realize the irony of my words.

           I packed Becky's bag for her and snuck it away. King didn't seem like he was about to leave anytime soon, and I couldn't stand the thought of Becky homeless. I phoned her again. "Becky? Are you still at the park?"
           I heard a giggle and a man's voice. "Uh, yeah. One second," she said and I heard her whisper something to someone else.
           "Yeah, okay well Becks just stay there. I'm going to bring your stuff over," I said when Becky returned.
           "Great, thanks!"
           I grabbed Becky's suitcase and made for the door. "Where are you going?" I turned. It was King. I felt really awkward standing there in this situation.
           "The park," I replied defiantly.
           "Super! Me too," King said and headed out as well. "I can drive you then."
           Damn it. I piled into the passenger seat, searching for an excuse. "So which park are you going to?" King asked, starting the car. There were only two. I knew that Becky was at the main one. 
           "Ah, any park," I said nonchalantly. "I just need some fresh air."
           "Sure thing, then," King said and drove away. I crossed my fingers, hoping he wouldn't question my suitcase or drive to the big park. To my relief, he drove to the smaller park, the one near the main park.
           We got out of the car and King walked up to a man in a blue suit. I followed awkwardly, clenching the suitcase in my sweating hand. How to get away? King greeted the other man and introduced him to me. I nodded, not paying attention. The man and King seemed lost in conversation, even more so when King whipped out his wallet and pointed at pictures of Andy and talking all about his grandchild. 
           "I'm just going to go for a walk..." I said, and let relief wash over me when King wished me a farewell and continued talking to the man.

           "Don't wait up for me!" I called back before walking over to the big park. I saw Becky and waved to her as if we hadn't seen each other in years. She waved back. As I got closer, I realized she was sitting next to someone. An emo juggler? They were leaned in close to each other. Damn it Becky. She wasn't even broken up for a day and she goes about flirting with other men. Maybe she was just on the rebound.
           I handed Becky her suitcase, but when I offered her some cash she flat out refused. "Becky, you need the money," I argued.
           "Actually..." she said, and turned to the guy, giggling.
           "Cindy, this is Wylie Luck. He's..." she leaned in to me, and Wylie looked away, pretending not to be listening, "....spill guy."
           'Spill guy' was our code name for the guy who Becky lost her virginity to, because he spilled a drink on her. Awkward, meeting the guy you had a one night stand with. There seemed to be some chemistry between them, though...
           Wylie laughed and turned back to us. "Just to make things clear here, Becky gave me her number-or should I say, 'a' number? I tried to phone the number, but I ended up being greeted by a very gruff man." Wylie looked at Becky suspiciously. I did as well.
           Becky burst out laughing. "I was so hammered! I tried to give you my proper number, but I guess my 0 looked like a 6, my 1 looked like a 7, and my 4 looked like a 9!"
           Wylie rolled his eyes. "I ended up talking to her principal, for Christ's sake!"
           I burst out laughing as well. "So did you see her here and decide to confront her?"
           "That's exactly what I did! And she didn't recognize me in my work clothes-" he looked down at his ridiculous outfit, "-but a quick confrontation was all it took."
           "And a quick explanation was all it took for us to be friends again," Becky said, staring passionately into Wylie's eyes. Yuck. "Anyway, Cindy, Wylie offered for me to stay at his house until I can find better living conditions."
           I raised my eyebrows. "I would offer you a place, but well, you know..."
           "It's no biggie. Thanks for bringing my stuff, Cinderella."
           "Will you file for divorce?" I really didn't want King and my best friend to be married, but I didn't want either of them to be unhappy or have to deal with tons of drama.
           "Definitively," Becky said sternly, "King is a dick. Also, he's too old, honestly." 
           I nodded. "And Amen to the fact you finally realized that!" We chatted a bit more, but finally I hugged her goodbye, nodded goodbye to Wylie, and made my way back home.
           What a day. To top it all off, when I got home, I was feeling sleepy, so I took a nap. When I woke up, I vomited into the toilet.

           I didn't feel all weak like I did before. I felt cleansed and lighter. I flushed the toilet, then walked over to the sink to wash my hands. It spurted everywhere. "DAMN IT!" I shouted, losing my cool.
           The door banged open as Prince walked in. "Hey, babe," he said in a nonchalant matter, and grabbed a toilet cleaner and started scrubbing the toilet as I worked on the sink.
           "They're divorcing now, you know," I said bitterly.
           "I'm aware."
           "I hope you don't blame Becky," I snapped cruelly.
           He stopped cleaning the bowl. "I don't want to get in a fight with you and I don't want to take sides. But I do know that dad wasn't being crazy when he acted the way he did."
           "No? You don't think he was being utterly irrational and rude?" I mocked, letting the water fly all over me.
           "No, I don't," Prince said and continued cleaning the toilet, "Because he and my mum tried to have kids and it didn't work. And dad has wanted grandkids for ages, so he was absolutely overjoyed when we had Andy. And then suddenly he meets Becky and he falls in love with her and he was just stunned that someone so young and pretty and funny would marry him."
           "Yeah, I was pretty stunned too," I snorted.
           Prince ignored me. "So not only is he madly in love with her, but he was afraid of losing Becky like he lost mom. And then suddenly she says she has a kid and it's just so overwhelming for him that he doesn't believe it and he's hurt."
           "But she didn't cheat on him," I countered, finally fixing the sink. "And he had no trust in her for whatever reason."
           "It's not that he didn't trust her, it's that he doesn't believe he earned this privileged of being gifted with another child and a beautiful woman, so... instead of accepting and welcoming the truth, as a means of self-defense, dad would rather push away the one he loves than be hurt by them," Prince explained.
           It actually made sense. Prince put the toilet brush away and flushed the toilet before washing his hands. "There was that saying-'If you love something, set it free. If it comes back to you, it's yours forever, if not, it was never meant to be.' I think dad is testing that theory."
           I pulled Prince into a tight hug. "He'll be disappointed, I think, because Becky has moved on." I kissed Prince on the lips. "I'm sorry. But she is my best friend."
           "I understand. All is forgiven." He kissed me back.
           "Don't ever try that with me, okay Prince? I'll just be hurt and scared to come back."
           "I promise."

           "Oh right, and... can you get me my other nightgown?" I asked, pulling away.
           "Why?" Prince asked, looking at my nightgown for spots of vomit.

"I'm pretty sure I'm pregnant."