by Kitty Parker
Jack listens to Matty as he tells Daisy that the episodes in FTanada are the best ones and Daisy asks why and Matty proceeds to tell her all about the crazy episodes they've seen that he remembers from that state.
"So many weird people live in FTanada," he says. "They must migrate there or something." He pauses. "You said Uncle Celtus lived in FTanada for a while, right, dad?" He asks and Jack grins at that.
Ophelia burps and he settles the baby in his arms, murmuring to her that she's the best little girl in the whole world. Daisy settles against him and rests her head on his shoulder and Matty tosses Otter pieces of popcorn in the air; the dog eagerly catching them with his mouth.
It wouldn't seem much to other people. Staying in on a Saturday night, watching episodes of Cops, of all things, on the television but Jack smiles a little to himself over the whole thing because what the hell more can he ask for?
…
* * *
The End.
Part Eight.
After a few short weeks, she and Ophelia already have a morning routine together. Daisy has always been a morning person. Even when she was a young girl and had no reason to be up early. She has always preferred sunrises to sunsets and if she wakes up too late to see one, she will feel as if her entire day has already been wasted.
Jack has always been a morning person, too, but he's also never had a crying infant to interrupt his sleep during the night and it's taking a while for him to get used to it. So when Daisy gets up in the mornings, just as their bedroom is turning grey with the pre-dawn light, Jack is still snoring softly away in their bed. And when Daisy has finished going to the bathroom, washing her hands and face, brushing her teeth and hair, she goes into the bedroom next to theirs and Ophelia is starting to wake as well.
Daisy smiles every single morning when she leans over the crib and sees her baby daughter. She is healthy and happy, beautiful and… perfect. Daisy remembers how it was when Matty was this size. She was so young and so terrified, she wasn't really able to enjoy having a baby and being a mother. Every second of every day was spent, taking care of Matty and trying to keep her head above water. But this time, with Ophelia, it's different. This time, she's older and a little wiser, and she has a husband to help her with the burden and Daisy feels like she is able to treasure every second rather than worrying about every second instead.
"And how did you sleep, my little Ophelia?" Daisy asks as she lifts Ophelia from her crib and gives her a kiss on the head. Ophelia smiles a tired, gummy smile at her and blinks at her with her big blue eyes – the size inherited from her mom and the color an exact match of her dad's – and anytime Ophelia smiles, Daisy smiles, too.
Each morning, she takes Ophelia to the changing table and sings to her softly as she changes her diaper and putting her into a fresh onesie. Daisy admits that she went a little crazy when Ophelia was born and went shopping for the first time, looking at all of the absolutely adorable clothes she could buy for her baby girl. Again, with Matty, even with help from her parents, she had tried to be so mindful of the little money she had but with Ophelia, she has a bit more money now – she and Jack are on a comfortable financial level with her cupcake shop and his promotion at the garage to manager – and between presents from family and friends and Daisy shopping, Ophelia has a full wardrobe – that she'll grow out of in no less than six months.
Today, Daisy changes her into a gray onesie with a picture of a strawberry and Berry Cute written beneath that and she sings. "Oh, Ophelia. You've been on my mind, girl, since the flood. Oh, Ophelia, heaven helps a fool who falls in love."
And Ophelia smiles as she always does when Daisy sings to her.
Daisy hoists her up in her arms and leaves the nursery, heading towards the stairs, and she peaks into the bedrooms as she passes. Jack is still fast asleep because even though he's usually a light sleeper, he's usually the one to get up at Ophelia's two o'clock feeding and that keeps him passed out for a bit. Matty is still asleep, too, in his room, their pit-bull, Otter, sleeping on the floor just inside of his bedroom where he usually always sleeps if he's not stretched out in the hallway, tripping them in the dark.
Otter lifts his head when he sees her pass and within a second, he's on her heels, following Daisy down the stairs into the kitchen. They have a routine, too, and Daisy goes to unlock the backdoor for him and let him out into the yard.
The kitchen is her favorite room in the entire house – painted turquoise and white with plenty of room for her to bake. It's small, yes, compared to most kitchens in houses nowadays, but she still has plenty of room to bake and it's so much bigger than the tiny apartment kitchen she used to bake in.
When she and Jack decided to was time to move from the apartment, they sat down and did their research, looking for a house in their town that would fit their budget. They weren't about to go house-broke, buying a house they could barely afford just so they could have some big house and way too much space they didn't need. The house they settled on is small but they pay in mortgage as much as they had paid in their rent and that's one of the reasons it's perfect. And Daisy has always dreamed of living in a little house like this when she was older. She loves the farm and the old farmhouse but the house is huge – especially now that it's just her parents living there – and Daisy can't imagining her family living in a monstrosity like that.
This small house is absolutely perfect. Three bedrooms upstairs with a bathroom and linen closet and down on the first floor, a living room, dining room and kitchen that all flow into one another and a tiny bathroom beneath the stairs. There's a basement and a laundry room and she's so thankful she doesn't have to save her quarters anymore and they have an attached garage that Jack spends hours in – working on cars or one of his projects – and the backyard is fenced so Otter has the run of it and Matty has plenty of room to run around. It's perfect and meets all of their needs and size doesn't matter.
Holding Ophelia strongly in one arm, she takes out the can of coffee grounds and begins brewing a pot, and then taking a bottle of the breast-milk she had pumped the night before from the refrigerator, she begins warming it up over the stove.
"You and me are going to have a fun day today, baby girl," Daisy says with her lips to Ophelia's baby-fine dark hair. "We have grocery shopping and then we have to go to the bank and then we have to go buy something for your Aunt Maybelle's birthday. Maybe we'll go to the department store. Your daddy has a card and he always seems to find the best stuff for presents there."
"Damn card's been nothin' but a scam since I got it."
Daisy turns and sees Jack shuffle into the kitchen, looking as if he's still half asleep. She smiles and takes the bottle from the stove. "Good morning," she goes to him and standing on her toes, she gives him a kiss on his cheek, and he turns, kissing her temple and then kissing the top of Ophelia's head.
Taking Ophelia and the bottle, Daisy heads to the table and on her way, she opens the back door so Otter can come back inside. She settles down at the table and situates Ophelia in her arms, the baby taking the bottle's nipple as soon as it's to her lips. Daisy smiles as Ophelia blinks up at her, suckling the milk.
Jack comes to the table with two mugs of coffee and he sits down in the chair next to her. He rests his head in his hand and closes his eyes as he lets out a yawn.
"What are you doing up?" Daisy asks him quietly with a smile and she brings her cup of coffee to her lips, taking a small sip.
He keeps his eyes closed as he answers, fighting back another yawn. "Wanted to get in early this mornin'. I get in early, I get to leave early."
"I don't know how much use you'll be to the garage and the other guys if you're falling asleep where you stand," Daisy teases him lightly.
"'m fine," he says but even as he says it, there's another yawn, and Daisy smiles, looking back down to Ophelia. "You gonna be at practice later this afternoon?"
"Yep," Daisy looks to him again and he's practically asleep once again, his eyes closed and his head rest
ing heavily in his hand. "Will you be?" She asks.
He doesn't answer for a few moments and Daisy purses her lips together to keep from laughing. He has fallen back asleep right there at the table. Daisy sips at her coffee and when Ophelia finishes her bottle, Daisy stands up, grabbing a dishtowel and tossing it over her shoulder before she begins patting the baby's back lightly, burping her.
Ophelia burps and Daisy kisses her head. "Be quiet for daddy, Ophelia," she instructs the baby and sets the baby down in the bouncy activity seat they have set up for her on the floor. Nathaniel had bought it for her and every time he comes over, he sits on the floor with her and seems to enjoy the different jungle animals and the sounds they make more than Ophelia does.
Just as Daisy has finished placing the cinnamon rolls in the round cake pan to slip into the heated oven, she turns her head when she hears feet on the footstep and Matty comes down, his book-bag in one hand and his practice football pads in the other, banging his thigh. Otter lifts his head and wags his tail but goes back to eating his breakfast of dry kibble.
"Good morning," Daisy whispers to him with a smile and puts a finger to her lips.
When Matty sees Jack at the kitchen table, sitting up and fast asleep, he is about to burst out laughing before he catches himself. He goes into the living room to drop off his things and then comes back into the kitchen. First, he goes to Ophelia and bends down, kissing her on the head, and the baby already always has a smile for her older brother, which she gives to him now, and then he goes to get a glass from the cabinet.
Matty looks like her – a fact which she is always thankful for because it was hard enough being so young and raising him on her own without having to look into Jimmy's face every day. And Ophelia features will develop more as she grows past the newborn age but Daisy knows that she will grow to look like her daddy. Matty has her blonde hair and Ophelia's hair is already dark like Jack's.
"I'm going to the grocery store this morning," Daisy says to him, still whispering. "Do you want anything special?"
"Handi-Snacks," Matty answers in a matching whisper as he gets the jug of orange juice from the shelf in the refrigerator door and Daisy smiles at her son's addiction, watching the timer on the oven so she can turn it off before it beeps and wakes up Jack.
She still can hardly believe how stubborn that man is sometimes. He could be upstairs, sleeping peacefully in their bed while she and their son didn't have to whisper one another like two spies trying to hide but nope. He wanted to get up long before he actually had to and fall asleep at the kitchen table – the busiest room in the mornings.
As soon as the time gets down to one second, Daisy is quick to turn the oven off and then pull the pan of cinnamon rolls out, setting them down on the counter and taking the pack of icing, dripping it over the rolls. When Matty comes up to her side and begins to reach for one, she gently takes his hand and pulls it away.
"Let them cool for a second, Matty," she whispers and Matty sighs as if that's the hardest thing that's ever been expected of him.
Three things happened at once then. Ophelia drops one of her toys – a giraffe rattle – and it falls onto the floor with a clatter and within seconds, the baby began to cry. The doorbell suddenly rings. And Otter begins barking, running towards the front door.
Jack's head jerks and his hand falls away. "Wha'?" He asks, bolting up straight in his chair, confused and disoriented for a moment but then looking wide awake.
Matty goes to pick up the rattle and he lifts Ophelia from her chair, bouncing her slightly to try and get her to stop crying, and Daisy wipes her hands on a dishtowel before going from the kitchen to the front door to see who is there that early in the morning. Otter is standing on his hind legs, his front paws against the side window glass and he's barking still but his tail is wagging and Daisy puts her fingers around his collar, gently pulling him back. Jack appears beside her – he doesn't like her going to answer the front door on her own – and he peeks through the peephole before turning the locks and opening the door to reveal Adam Hersh, dressed in his Deputy's uniform and his marked Sheriff car parked in the driveway.
"Fresh blueberries, as requested," he gives them both a grin and is holding three plastic containers in his arms.
Daisy lets go of Otter's collar and takes the containers from him as the dog instantly bounces up to greet Adam and Adam grins, rubbing the dog behind his ears.
"You are the best. Thank you, Adam. And thank Carolina, too," Daisy smiles, looking down at the freshly-picked berries in her arms.
She and Jack had just planted their own blueberry bushes in their backyard but it would be some time before they started producing berries. Adam and Carolina, newly married, had recently moved into a house with their very own matured blueberry patch taking up most of the backyard and had begun giving pounds of them to Daisy, who used them in all sorts of her baking.
"We didn't request them at six o'clock in the mornin' though," Jack frowns grumpily at his close friend before turning and heading back towards the kitchen.
Daisy smiles and rolls her eyes at Adam. "I told him to go back to bed for a little bit," is all she says and Adam grins. It seems like everyone in town knows that Jack is trying to get his body clock adjusted to a newborn. "Do you have time for a cup of coffee?"
"You just make sure your husband knows that if I stay, killin' me isn't an option for him while I'm wearin' the uniform," Adam grins and comes into the house, closing the front door behind him and following Daisy into the kitchen. "Hey, Matty," he greets the boy, who's now sitting at the table with a plate of two cinnamon rolls in front of him and his fingers sticky with icing. "You ready for your game tomorrow?" He asks.
Jack is sitting back in his seat at the table with Ophelia in his arms, the baby's cries having quieted down and she's sucking on her pacifier, her eyes drooping sleepily.
"Yep," Matty nods and answers with his mouth full. "The Warriors have a killer offense though."
"Maybe, but they don't have one thing. They don't have you," Adam smiles at him as Daisy comes to set a cup of coffee and a cinnamon roll down in front of him and Matty grins at that. "Thanks, Daisy. You think you could give Carolina some cookin' lessons or somethin'? I love that girl but I'm startin' to lose weight since I married her."
"She can't be that bad," Daisy says as she takes the cup from in front of Jack, which is still filled with now-cold coffee and sets a fresh cup down in front of him.
"She's pretty bad," Adam says as Daisy sits in the chair between Jack and Matty. "I had to teach her how to make spaghetti last night. Boil water and open a box. Don't know what the hell she lived on before," he said.
Jack is quiet as Daisy and Adam continue talking cooking and then talk shifts to football as it usually eventually does. He looks down at Ophelia in his arms, almost completely asleep now, and he feels like joining her. He didn't think it'd be this hard to get himself used to her. He loves her more than anything in this world; didn't even know feeling this much love for just one thing was possible. But he's pretty sure she's trying to slowly kill him and he feel like he should tell her to stop it because he's her dad and she only gets one of them and she can't go killing him.
He wouldn't think it was a big deal. She wakes them up around the same time every night. Usually around two o'clock for milk and a clean diaper and Daisy says she's easy because Matty would wake her up at least twice after not going to sleep until sometimes after ten. Daisy was a walking zombie for the first couple years of Matty's life. So, compared to him, Ophelia is easy but not getting a full night's sleep is beginning to take a toll on him. He goes to bed each night and he feels as if he doesn't completely ever fall asleep because he knows Ophelia will wake him up in a few hours.
And he wants to ask Daisy how the hell she's able to function like a human being.
He's zoned out of it because when he hears scraping of chairs on the floor, he snaps himself out of it and sees that the others are standing up. Daisy is taking the dishes to the sink
and Matty is following her to wash his hands.
"I'm gonna drive Matty to school so you don't have to worry about it," Adam tells him.
And normally, Jack would shake his head and refuse the offer because he usually drives Matty to school on his way to the garage but Matty has to get in early today because the Bulldogs are having two-a-days now with the league's championship coming up. Practice before school and practice after. And Jack's still wearing his sweatpants and tee-shirt he wore to bed.
"Thanks, man," Jack says and has the urge to yawn again but he's able to swallow it down and Adam claps him on the shoulder as he walks past him.
"Take it easy on your daddy, Ophelia," Adam smiles down at the baby in his arms. "He's an old man."
And Jack finds himself too tired to even tell him to shut up.
With his shoes on now and book-bag on his back, Matty comes back into the kitchen from the living room and goes to Jack and Ophelia. "Bye, dad. Bye, Ollie," he says, his nickname for Ophelia. He leans down and kisses Ophelia on the head and Jack shifts her to one arm so he can wrap the other around Matty in a quick hug.
"Be good today," he tells him and Matty nods.
Daisy leaves the kitchen and Jack can hear her at the front door, hugging and kissing Matty good-bye and thanking Adam again for the blueberries and taking him to school. Jack gets up to let Otter out once more in the backyard and then taking his cup of coffee – now lukewarm – he carries Ophelia back upstairs. Setting the cup down, he then leans over the side of the crib in the nursery and sets her gently down, watching as she doesn't even stir from her nap and he covers her with her blanket. At least one of them is able to get some sleep.
