Stork

by Mardria Portuondo

  I prepared the bottle and handed it to her as she spoke to Kaci. It was a beautiful sight to watch. She was not scared of her baby or was running away from her, she just needed someone to help her. She brushed her shiny black hair behind her so she could kiss her baby on her forehead. Kaci was not interested in the kiss and started crying for her bottle and Victoria started to laugh.

  I heard the doorbell and ran to get it. It was the delivery truck. I opened the door for them to take the many boxes inside. I had gone through a list of things online that was needed for a newborn baby and I bought everything except furniture. Now that I know Kaci would be with me for a while, I would get an interior decorator to do her room. I had forgotten what I ordered, but there were so many boxes that I thought I might have ordered some things twice. I left the items there and ran back upstairs to see what Victoria and Kaci were doing. She was still drinking her milk.

  “Thank you, Lea,” she said as I entered the room and it was the first time I heard her say my name that Janet must have told her.

  “I am happy to help, Victoria,” I smiled and knelt before her so that I could look at Kaci as she finished up her bottle.

  “I have to get back to start dinner before the other girls get home…”

  “To start what? You just had a baby. You should be resting and you seem to be in pain.”

  “No...it is not pain. Just a little discomfort.”

  “Why are you cooking for them?”

  “Because I want to encourage them to keep me and not give Janet a hard time. Besides, when I cook for them, then I get to eat.”

  “Victoria…,” my heart was so full at the suffering of the beautiful girl.

  “No...it’s OK. Six months is not a long time.”

  “Stay here. I have room.”

  “What?” she asked so softly as if my words knocked the wind out of her.

  “I would like you to stay with us. Spend the six months here and you can leave with Kaci when you get a job and a place of your own.”

  “Lea...no. I could never let you do that. Don’t feel sorry for me and make an even worse decision for your relationship with...ahm…”

  “Rachel.”

  “Rachel. You are helping me more than you could possibly imagine and already making a lot of sacrifices to do so. I could not add to that. I am fine. I am a tough girl. I’ll manage.”

  “Are you sure?” I asked. “Will you be OK?”

  “Positive.”

  “OK. But I will be worried about you and I am already worried about Kaci...and I am worried about my girlfriend. Please stay and let me get one worry off my head. Then we will take care of Kaci together and I will have only one thing to worry about instead of three.”

  “Lea...you are going to get in trouble.”

  “I will be in trouble whether you stay or not because she will be back in two months and Kaci has to be here for at least six. I don’t want to destroy my relationship, but she will have to support me on this or do whatever she has to do.”

  “Do you think she will come around?”

  “If she loves me and want our relationship then she will have to come around. So give me the baby and go get your things. I have suitcases in the basement, you could just throw everything in and leave. Your college is like an hour drive away from here; you just have to leave early and you can get to school and back with no trouble. I will get someone to take you to get your things.”

  “I could just take a cab.”

  “No, because you are going to reach home and change your mind and I just don’t hear from you,” I said as she gently laid Kaci in her bassinet after a healthy burp.

  “I just don’t want you to get in more trouble trying to help me.”

  “Don’t worry about me. For once, think about yourself. You made a mistake. That doesn’t mean you are not eligible for help. Please let me help you, Victoria.”

  “OK. Thank you,” she said and I was overjoyed. Kaci did not have to be away from her mother. “I don’t have much to take...mostly books so one suitcase would be fine.”

  “Great. I will ask Stewart to take you to get your things.”

  “Who is Stewart?”

  “My assistant.”

  “He must hate me for doing that to him yesterday.”

  “Stewart doesn’t know what it’s like to hate. You will love him. Everybody does...except Rachel.”

  “I am scared of her,” she said referring to Rachel.

  “I am not, so I will protect you,” I smiled. “Come let me get you a suitcase.”

  As I made my way downstairs, I called Stewart.

  “Good morning, Miss Davis. How is it going with Kaci?”

  “Kaci is doing great. I thought you would be here early this morning. Are you hiding from us, Stewart?” I asked with a smile and Victoria smiled as we stood just outside the kitchen.

  “No. Not at all. Just waiting for your instruction and doing some research on baby products.”

  I laughed. “That’s funny. Victoria is here and I need you to take her to her place to get her things.”

  “I’m sorry. I don’t think I heard you well.”

  “Are you at the office?” I asked ignoring his reaction to Victoria moving in.

  “I am. Are you serious about...are you joking?”

  “No, Stewart. Get over here now.”

  “I’m...I’m on my way.”

  “Thank you,” I said and disconnected the call.

  “Another person agreeing with me that you are making a bad decision?”

  “Well, he thinks Rachel is a bad decision too so his words don’t carry much weight.”

  “Is she?”

  “Who Rachel? No. She is not a bad decision,” I said and walked away from her to call Daisy to bring up a suitcase from the basement.

  CHAPTER 5

  I was a little uneasy about what I was doing but if Rachel loved me and really wanted to be with me then she would support my desire to help Victoria and Kaci. I felt good about this and thought not to worry about Rachel because I had two months to come up with a plan before she got home. Daisy brought up the suitcase so while we were waiting for Stewart to come, I decided we should have lunch.

  “Victoria, Daisy is going to make us lunch. What would you like?”

  “I will eat whatever you are having.”

  “But if you could have the most delicious lunch, what would it be?”

  “Macaroni and Cheese casserole...with lots of cheese baked on top...with broccoli and…”

  “Do you know how to make it?”

  “Yes.”

  “The kitchen is all yours. Make us that delicious lunch,” I said and she laughed and skipped toward me.

  I showed her around the kitchen and left her to do her thing while I went to check on Kaci. She was starting to squirm a little and I was just dying to give her a bath, so I went downstairs and opened one of the boxes and removed the bath I had ordered. It had a little hammock inside so that I could put the baby on while I washed her. Victoria heard the opening of the box and came to investigate.

  “It is Kaci’s first bath. Would you like to do it with me?” I asked.

  “Of course! Let me turn off the stove. I was just boiling water,” she replied. “Are all these things for Kaci?”

  “Yes. I ordered them yesterday.”

  “Oh my God! Look at all these things. She is so lucky to have found you. I couldn’t…,” and she started to cry again.

  “Hey, no more crying. We are going to try to be happy from now on, OK?” I said and wiped her eyes with my hands.

  We had just met but I felt like I knew her forever. She was slowly weaving herself into my heart...Kaci was already there. She reached for another box just as the doorbell rang. I opened the door and Stewart walked in. His eyes immediately caught Victoria.

  “Holy shit! Excuse me...but...is that Victoria?” he asked and I had never seen him react to anything like this.

  “Yes. That’s her.”

  “Goodby
e Rachel,” he said under his breath.

  “What? No. Rachel is safe.”

  “I beg to differ,” he smiled and made his way to Victoria. “Hi, Vicky. I’m Stewart.”

  “Her name is Victoria,” I corrected.

  “No. That’s OK. My family calls me Vicky or Vic. Nice to meet you, Stewart,” she greeted and Stewart could not take the lousy smile off his face. “I hope you like Macaroni and Cheese, Stewart. That’s what I’m making for lunch.”

  “That’s my favorite dish,” he lied. “I can’t believe you got my boss to agree to Mac and Cheese.”

  She picked up another box and I saw her knees buckle and a sound escaped her.

  “Victoria!” I shouted and reached for her.

  “I’m fine…I just stood up a little too fast.”

  “No, you are not well...maybe you should go to the emergency room…”

  “No! Please. I just had a baby so things are still sore but I am fine. Right now I am not feeling anything.”

  “Well, stop lifting those boxes. You know what? I want Daisy to make lunch. You can do your casserole another day,” I said then got up and went to Daisy.

  “Why don’t you want to go to the emergency room?” I heard Stewart ask.

  “I already have a bill at the hospital and I don’t have insurance. If I am dying then I will go, but I can’t for feeling a little stick in my pelvis. I am fine.”

  “Even if you are fine, you need to be checked out,” he said softly to her.

  “I heard you had your hands full yesterday,” she said to Stewart, changing the topic. “Sorry about that.”

  “You should be sorry. My mother thinks I got a girl pregnant. I heard her and my two sisters knocking at my apartment door last night and I could not open it.”

  Victoria burst into laughter and Stewart joined in as he continued the story.

  “So why didn’t you tell them it wasn’t you?”

  “Because Miss Davis warned me not to say anything. I would have to tell them the whole story and the less people knew, the better. But now that you are here and we have full permission to have Kaci, I can tell them.”

  I watched them and my house was filled with laughter for the first time. It felt good, and Victoria was so easy to like that I couldn’t be anything but happy to have her around.

  “Victoria, please don’t touch anything else. You are not well, although you refuse to admit it,” I said. “Stewart, where can I find a doctor who does not take insurance...that I can pay cash?”

  “Not in this area but even if we find one, they are going to want tests to be done and make referrals. They are going to want insurance.”

  “Fuck. What are we going to do…?”

  “We have free clinic back home. I could take Kaci...and I could get checked out. It is in my old neighborhood. I wouldn’t want my family to see me or hear that I was there but that is an option.”

  “It is not an option,” I said. “Stewart? What do we do? Is there a way to get them on mine?”

  “Of course. Easily.”

  “Great! How?”

  “Marry her.”

  Silence fell on the room. Stewart could not believe he suggested it. Victoria was shocked at the mere idea. I was processing his words.

  “How long will it take to get her on?”

  “Are you people insane?” Victoria asked.

  “Immediately,” Stewart ignored her shocked response. “Your policy is a gold policy, which you never use. They would be happy to add her out of fear that they might lose you. You get the marriage certificate, and I get to it.”

  “Lea, I can’t make you do this?”

  “Why not?”

  “Rachel will kill you. No...oh God...what did I do?”

  “Rachel...please…,” Stewart said rolling his eyes.

  “Stewart! Stop!” I shouted and Victoria jumped.

  The doorbell rang again.

  “Is that Jill? I can’t deal with her right now. Stewart, please tell her she can’t come in.”

  Stewart got up and opened the door but did not tell Jill what I said.

  “I am so happy to see you, Jill. Come on in. We need your opinion on something.”

  “Oh God,” I said and held my head in my hands.

  “Oh hi, Victoria,” she beamed. “Nice to see you again.”

  “Nice to see you too, Jill.”

  “Why would you return without calling?” I asked her.

  “I did but you did not answer. I just came by to see if you needed any help with my baby niece,” she said then turned to Victoria. “Is that alright, Victoria? Can I be Auntie Jill.”

  “As long as it's OK with Lea,” she smiled prettily.

  “I say no.”

  “Lea,” Victoria laughed. “Be nice to your friend. I am sure it is OK, Jill.”

  “Thank you, Victoria.”

  “Jill, Lea wants to add Victoria and Kaci to her health insurance because they badly need to see the doctor, so I told her that if they got married, I could get her on right away and in a couple of days she would be good to go. What do you think?”

  I looked at Jill and already knew her answer before she spoke. She would jump at anything that had potential to push Rachel out.

  “I think it is a marvelous idea! We could be the witnesses. Stewart, you are a genius. I mean to come up with a solution like that...that was just…”

  She stopped short as I got up and took Kaci’s bath with me.

  “Where are you going?” Jill asked. “We are having a discussion.”

  “You discuss it among yourselves. I am going to bathe my baby.” Fuck! What did I just say? Silence fell and the two idiots looked at each other with a smile. “I mean, Victoria’s baby. Come on, Victoria. Leave those two clowns and let’s go give Kaci a bath.”

  Victoria got up and I was worried about her climbing the stairs.

  “Don’t look so worried. I am OK.”

  “Please call Janet and tell her to pack your things for you. I will send Stewart to get them. I don’t want you going back there and picking up boxes of heavy books.”

  “No, I would just…”

  “Are you going to fight me on everything?”

  “No.”

  “So you will call Janet?”

  “Yes, I will.”

  “Good,” I said and I held her hand to help her up the stairs. I knew those two were looking and celebrating Rachel’s demise behind my back, but I ignored them.

  When we entered the bedroom, Kaci was awake and just looking.

  “Hi, Kaci. You are such a good girl,” Victoria said as I got her bath ready.

  I got a towel, a wash rag, and a bottle of baby wash from her room and when I returned Victoria was getting her undressed.

  “Look, Lea. Her umbilical cord fell off. She is turning into a little lady.”

  “She certainly is,” I smiled playing with her fingers.

  I picked her up and brought her into the bathroom and placed her on the hammock in her bath. I washed her hair and her soft delicate body but avoided her belly button that was still a little unhealed. At first Kaci didn’t cry but now she was wailing. Victoria sang to her while I hurriedly rinsed her clean. She was standing close to me, and the moment we were sharing felt so special that tears came to my eyes. With every new thing we did together, I realized how much I was missing it from my life. I almost leaned over and kissed her face because she felt so special and so pure. I smelled the danger she posed to my relationship with Rachel because I should be making our wedding plans, but instead, I was putting Victoria’s interest first, knowing that if we got married for the insurance, there would be no marriage for Rachel and me.

  I took Kaci out of the water and handed her to Victoria who already had the towel opened. She wrapped her and the wailing stopped. She laid her on the bed like I instructed.

  “Go in her room and bring me the moisturizer that is on the dresser,” I said to her.

  “Into her what? She has a room?”

  �
�Yes. Well, I am getting an interior decorator to remove the furniture that is inside and turn it into a nursery, but I was waiting to hear from you first to know how long Kaci would be with me.”