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...
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?"
"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.
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.
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