July 2079 (flashback, almost ten years ago). Mick Graham is 54, Jordan is 19, Colette Marin is 22.
Colette came over to drop the boys off with Jordan at his dad’s place. Jordan stared at the babies like they were alien creatures. They were still wrinkly and pink and curled up like raisins. When she told him that he would need to take them sometimes, he imagined they might be many months older before that happened.
“Their formula is in the bag,” Colette said. “It’s already mixed, but it needs to go in the fridge. That’s important, did you hear? In the fridge. But they like it warm, just don’t microwave it. Tell me you’re listening?”
“Don’t microwave it,” Jordan repeated. “But warm?”
“In a bowl of warm water for about five minutes. Not hot water. They eat every two and a half hours. That’s twice while you have them. Each. Okay? They need tummy time, you can’t just leave them in their carriers. And Milo spits up, so don’t rile him up too much after he eats. Ugh, can you even tell them apart?”
“Uh, yeah, totally,” Jordan said unsurely, looking terrified. He 100% couldn’t tell them apart. He wondered if it was a terrible idea to write their initials on their backs with a marker?
Jordan’s dad was listening at the threshold of the kitchen, so he emerged. “Don’t worry about it, Colette,” Mick said. “I’ve done this before. Jordan was a spitter, too.”
She looked at them both, back and forth, doubtfully. “Oh. Well. Okay.” She wasn’t totally sold, and 100% wouldn’t have left the babies here if Jordan didn’t have his dad around. She didn’t feel like she had many options. She couldn’t afford a nanny, or even a babysitter. This realtor training would mean decent money for her and the boys, and that was the most important thing right now. Beggars couldn’t be choosers. “Just keep them alive for a few hours. Do you think you can?”
Colette touched each of the babies on their soft foreheads, then she went, car started up, and pulled out of the driveway.
Mick laughed. “She’s a gem, ain’t she?”
Mick went to the babies right away and picked up one of them up. “This one is Milo.”
Jordan was astonished. “But how do you know?”
Laughing again, he pointed to the carrier. “She wrote their names on the seats.”
“Yep, there’s your daddy over there. You see him, don’t ‘ya?”
Mick held the baby with such ease, his large hand cradling the baby's whole head with another hand under his butt.
“Come on, son. Come hold him. He won’t bite you. Not yet anyway.”
It wasn’t like Jordan had never met these babies before. There was one time a few days after Colette came home from the hospital. Another time a weekend after. His father was there both of those days, too, but the babies were different now. In four weeks, they’d already grown. They weren’t sleepy and still anymore, they were wiggly and needy and probably disappointed in him already because they needed something called tummy time and their hopeless father didn’t even know what that was.
It wasn’t like Jordan had never met these babies before. There was one time a few days after Colette came home from the hospital. Another time a weekend after. His father was there both of those days, too, but the babies were different now. In four weeks, they’d already grown. They weren’t sleepy and still anymore, they were wiggly and needy and probably disappointed in him already because they needed something called tummy time and their hopeless father didn’t even know what that was.
“She said put the formula in the fridge.”
“Well, go ahead and do that, then come sit down.”
“Well, go ahead and do that, then come sit down.”
It didn’t take long to put a few bottles in the fridge. So Jordan went to the living room.
Mick handed a baby to Jordan and then he picked up the other one. Jordan held the infant just as it was handed to him. The baby had honey brown eyes, the same shade as Colette’s eyes, but kinder, and they both watched each other curiously.
Milo, it was. This one was Milo. That one was Felix. Colette hadn’t let Jordan pick their names, but they were okay names. Jordan didn’t assume he could have done a better job naming two whole humans.
But then Milo started to fuss.
“Eeh,” Jordan mumbled. “What’s wrong with him?”
“Keep your hand behind his neck, then lift him to your shoulder,” Mick said. “Pat his back. There you go. A little harder is okay. Yep, there you go.”
Mick handed a baby to Jordan and then he picked up the other one. Jordan held the infant just as it was handed to him. The baby had honey brown eyes, the same shade as Colette’s eyes, but kinder, and they both watched each other curiously.
Milo, it was. This one was Milo. That one was Felix. Colette hadn’t let Jordan pick their names, but they were okay names. Jordan didn’t assume he could have done a better job naming two whole humans.
But then Milo started to fuss.
“Eeh,” Jordan mumbled. “What’s wrong with him?”
“Keep your hand behind his neck, then lift him to your shoulder,” Mick said. “Pat his back. There you go. A little harder is okay. Yep, there you go.”
Milo gurgled and burped.
“He’s gonna spit on me,” Jordan said.
Mick grinned. “He might. And he’ll do worse than that, too.”
The babies were quiet and happy. Jordan just kept doing what he was doing because he wasn’t confident enough to try anything else. It seemed to work. The baby liked it.
“You’ll do right by these boys,” Mick said. “I know you will. Just give it some time.”
The babies were quiet and happy. Jordan just kept doing what he was doing because he wasn’t confident enough to try anything else. It seemed to work. The baby liked it.
“You’ll do right by these boys,” Mick said. “I know you will. Just give it some time.”
—
notes: just a quick little flashback that emerged while I was freewriting on Jordan and Colette’s history, and it was too precious not to share! And now I’m a little bit devastated that Mick is no longer with us, because wasn’t he awesome?
The rest of chapter 4 takes place in the current timeline.
Oh, this is so sweet. And I agree, its a pity Mick is no longer around. Maybe he'll elbow his way into a few more flashbacks...
ReplyDeleteI would consider another flashback for him if it makes sense for the story, but at the moment I don’t think there will be any more. Kind of like real life, when people are gone, we don’t get them back again. 😢
Delete