One Little Bit

by Tey Holden

  “I couldn’t check her teeth. She wouldn’t open her mouth.”

  “Oh for God’s sake, Addy you are too nice, here I just washed my hands, let me check.”

  Addy had turned to pick up a toy and heard Karen, but when she turned it was too late. Karen inserted her finger into Alex’s mouth attempting to feel for any teeth. Addy opened her eyes and brought her hand to her mouth in horror. “‘NO!” She yelled, to no avail. It was too late.

  Karen felt the little teeth in the flesh. She yelled as she tried to yank her fingers from Alex’s mouth, but Alex wouldn’t let go. Her mouth was shut tight. Addy had to pinch her cheeks so that she would let go of Karen’s finger. Alex began to cry the minute she felt the pressure of Addy’s fingers against her cheeks.

  Karen was almost crying as well. “Fuck! She almost bit my finger off!! Fuck! I never thought she’d have such a strong jaw. She’s like shark. I think I’m going to call her Jaws from now on!”

  Addy chuckled as she calmed the little one down. Addy’s finger left two red marks on Alex’s cheeks. “Aaawww, you poor thing look at your cheeks. I’m sorry, baby.”

  “You are sorry for her? Look at my finger!” Karen had two deep teeth marks on her finger. “She almost bit it off! I’m bleeding!”

  “Don’t exaggerate, Ker. She’s a tiny little thing. Look at how beautiful she is!” She was talking to Alex now who had already calmed down and was playing with her toes.

  “I guess she does have teeth.” Addy announced still grinning. “Let me see your finger, Mommy?”

  Karen grimaced. “Two shark teeth! That’s what she’s got! I’m glad I didn’t breastfeed her!”

  Addy chuckled. “Shut up, go put a band-aid on it.”

  “Little girl, we are going to have a talk about biting. What do you think you are doing? Are you in some kind of all-out war against your mommies?” By now, Alex was again happy with all the attention she was getting.

  Karen came back holding her band-aid. “Yes, she’s got her war paint on, as far as I’m concerned. And I think she knows she’s winning, by the way.” Karen was still hurting from the stinging bite. “I hope she doesn’t get into the habit of biting, because if she does I’m going to the pet store, and I’ll get a muzzle.”

  “Mommy Karen, how could you do that to this beautiful face? Come here, Mommy, let us kiss your booboo.”

  “I’ll let you kiss whatever you want, but not her.” She pointed to Alex. “She might finish the job and rip off my finger!” Alex’s eyes sparkled. She didn’t know what was going on, but she was having a great time. She had an adorable smile and her two lower teeth were now prominently showing as all the drool fell from her mouth. “Oh Ker, look! I can see the teeth now. Aren’t they beautiful?”

  “Yeah, yeah, that smile is a winner for sure. But she’s not going to fool me anymore.” Alex was on Addy’s lap. Addy was bouncing her up and down as Karen made loving funny faces to her. Alex liked it and even chuckled a few times.

  ***

  There were many happenings as Alex was growing up. Karen was inexperienced and almost afraid to deal with her. Every time she did anything other than play with her, it ended in some sort of disastrous situation. Even Addy, with all her experience, had her own unique happenings with Alex.

  Indeed, Alex had proven to be quite a challenge. For example, the first couple of months, giving a bath to Alex had been an easy task. It was a matter of setting her in her little tub with the reclining giant sponge to hold her and just soaping and rinsing her. Except for an occasional cry when water fell in her eyes, bath time had been pleasant and uneventful. As a matter of fact, it was an activity that Karen loved because the little one loved the warm water and was always smiling and happy. So, bathing Alex became Karen’s task.

  Things began to change when Alex was able to sit upright and they thought that it was no longer safe to set the baby tub on the countertop. The tub was then moved inside the bigger bathtub in the bathroom, and later they gave up on the little tub and just sat her on a bathing-ring, which was affixed to the bottom of the tub. This tub had never been used, and it had been decided that it would be for Alex’s exclusive use. Nevertheless, it was cleaned before every bath, just to make sure it was perfect for Alex.

  By this time, Alex was already able to sit and since she loved the water, she soon realized that if she hit it with her hands the water would splash. The little one was strong and soon discovered that the harder she hit the water the more it would splatter, and she loved it. She didn’t even mind when water fell in her eyes. At first, she had been startled and cried, but then it became normal and fun. Since Alex discovered how fun playing with water was, bathing her began to be challenging. By the time Alex’s bath ended, Karen was usually soaked from head to toe to the point that it was hard to tell who had actually taken the bath. When Addy saw her the first time after the splashing discovery, she nearly died laughing. “What happened?”

  “This kid is a brat! That’s what happened! The more I told her to stop the more she did it. She splattered everywhere. Here, hold your daughter! I have to go in that bathroom and mop the floor before we slip and fall.”

  Addy had been folding Alex’s laundry and was getting ready to take Alex from Karen’s arms. Alex looked lovely wrapped up in her pink towel with the little hood over her head. Before she was able to hand Alex over to Addy, there was yet another mishap. “Oh my God! She just peed on me! This kid cannot remain clean for one second! She’s like that Peanuts cartoon boy who always had the little cloud of dust around him. Look at me! She peed on me!”

  Addy laughed. “Aaawww, Mommy Karen! How could you possibly say that? Here, let me have my little cloud of dust, and you go change and mop the floor.” Addy chuckled and took Alex. Karen turned around still mumbling something about needing an army of people to keep up with the brat.

  Addy started to talk to Alex regarding splashing the water and getting Mommy Karen wet, and as always Alex was always in the happiest of moods whenever she heard Addy’s voice. “Little Bit. Let’s go get you clean and dressed. Whoever said that you are not a sweet little girl? You certainly are, aren’t you? You are my sweet Little Bit, yes you are!”

  Addy took her to the nursery and laid her on the dressing table. She already had her in a diaper, so any other possible disaster in that department was averted. However, when she turned for a second to grab a baby jammie, one of the many that she had just folded, Alex grabbed the bottle of baby powder and created her very own Christmas scene. When Addy saw her, she tried to take the bottle of powder from her hand, but Alex continued to move her hands quickly thinking that Addy was playing with her.

  At that precise moment, Karen stepped into the nursery. “Okay, the bathroom is dry. Oh, Lord! What happened here?” Alex and Addy looked like ghosts with baby powder all over them. Karen started to laugh.

  “Don’t say anything!” Addy cautioned. “She’s quick. I turned for a second and voilà! We are going to have to be extra careful with this one. I think we should strategize to anticipate her movements. We need to have all the bases covered. It seems that she knows all the moves and they are fast.” Alex continued smiling and going about her merry way oblivious to the fact that she was covered in baby powder.

  “Look out! “Karen yelled when she saw that Alex was about to licking baby powder off her hands. When Addy realized what was happening, she grabbed Alex’s hands. Not liking the restrain, the adorable princess began to cry.

  Karen went to the bathroom and brought the damp bathing towel and began to wipe baby powder from Alex’s face and hands first, and then her head and the rest of her. “Good grief, she even has it in her ears.”

  “Maybe we should bathe her again.” Addy suggested as a fast way to remove the powder all over Alex.

  “No! We don’t want to risk another flood. Just be careful nothing falls in her eyes, or she’ll be crying until tomorrow.” Somehow, they managed to clean and later feed her. Since she was clean, fresh and full, she fell asleep so
on after. Once in her crib, both women looked at her adoringly.

  “I think we are going to have our hands very full here, Mommy Addy.”

  “I think so too.” They chuckled and kissed.

  “Come here, let me get some of that powder off you.” Karen used Alex’s damp towel to swipe Addy’s face. “Maybe I should give you a bath to remove all this powder.”

  Addy smiled. “Well, we do have some time now that she’s asleep.”

  Karen immediately grinned. “You are on. We need a break. That child is running us ragged, and she’s not even crawling or walking yet.”

  “Oh, dear God! Help us!”

  ***

  That spring was delightful. The weather was wonderful and the women loved to take their little one out for strolls. Alex was always wearing a different sweater, a hoodie or hat on her head, a blankie around her legs, and socks and baby shoes, which were always falling off.

  She apparently didn’t like anything on her head and continuously pulled off anything on it unless it was tied. Also, if it was tied too close to her skin, she’d fuss over and cry resulting in the immediate loosening, or removal of the item. She also always found a way to remove her shoes or socks. Most of the time she was only wearing one shoe and one sock, and not always on the same foot. “Little one, you have to keep your feet warm!” Her feet were always going at eighty miles per hour. She smiled when Karen tried to put them back on, and when Karen got too close, she’d pull her hair to play with it. “I think she likes your hair, Ker.”

  “Yes, Addy, that must be the reason, she tries to pull it off every time I give her a chance.” Addy laughed every time Karen complained about her mishaps. She had already accepted her fate and almost began to enjoy her predicament. Especially because she was always rewarded by endless love from her partner, and a beautiful smile form the little rascal, who definitely loved her attention.

  Alex was adorable and as they strolled around town with their bundle of joy, everyone had something to say or do with her. Some people in town even suggested a modeling career because she was just such a beautiful child.

  At six months, Alex barely had any hair on her head, and the little hair she had was almost invisible because it was thin and white blonde. Addy began to call her ‘the little Viking.’ Her head was beautifully shaped and her little mouth and nose were perfect. However, her most remarkable feature were her eyes. No doubt about it, she had her mother’s eyes. And if those were beautiful, the enormity of that beauty was magnified by the fact that, in Alex’s case, they were encased in such a small face. Alex’s eyes were so extraordinarily huge and beautiful that they seemed unreal. She was also a good size strong baby, neither chubby nor thin. Her legs, arms, hands, and feet were proportionate to her shape. Alex was like the doll every girl dreamed of having. And, of course, both women were fascinated with their bundle of joy.

  They took every opportunity they could to rest when Alex was asleep. Addy had just put her down for the night and when she came downstairs, she found Karen sprawled on the sofa, one leg down, her favorite way to lie on the sofa. Addy placed a knee on the sofa and straddled the toned leg and very carefully settled between the backside of the sofa and Karen, avoiding Karen’s abdominal area, which Addy thought might still be tender. Karen brought her other leg up and placed it over Addy’s. Addy’s chin rested on Karen’s shoulder blade. “Umm. I’m always comfy in my favorite spot. ”

  “I’m always comfy holding you.” Karen smiled. “She drains us, doesn’t she? I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted most of the time.”

  Addy chuckled. “Yes, she’s a handful for sure, but she is worth every bit.”

  Karen chuckled. “Yes, she is.”

  “She looks just like you in your baby pictures.”

  “I can’t imagine that she took all my characteristics from the gene pool. I mean, what about the brown-haired sperm donor?” Karen asked.

  “You mean the only brown-haired man in Sweden?” Addy laughed and made Karen laugh too.

  “Do you think she got anything from his gene pool?”

  “I don’t know, but it seems that she took most of her physical attributes from you. Which is really wonderful. I hope she grows up to be your exact replica.”

  Karen smiled. She always liked when Addy complemented her. “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” Karen reminded her.

  “Well, this beholder finds you perfect.”

  “Addypooh—.”

  Addy placed her lips over the ones waiting for hers.

  ***

  One quiet afternoon, while Addy was fixing food in the kitchen, Karen started talking about a vacation.

  “Hey, baby, I was just thinking that we’ve forgotten to plan a vacation for this year. Do you want to go anywhere? Do anything special?”

  “Why don’t we rent a place on some quiet beach and have ourselves a few weeks of total rest and abandonment?”

  “Alright, that sounds perfect to me. Does somewhere in the Caribbean sound good to you? Maybe Laurie can join us there for part of the time. We can rent a place in the Virgin Islands? How about that?” Karen loved Laurie, and always included her as part of their plans. She also knew that it made Addy happy to have her around, and Karen’s life was all about making Addy happy.

  Addy closed her eyes, imagining being on a beautiful beach. “Yeah, that would be great.”

  “Alright, I’ll start the search on the internet. I’ll take care of it. You just check on the tiny one if she wakes up, and I’ll make the arrangements.”

  “Okay.”

  After much research, they agreed on the month of September and rented a four-bedroom beach house on the island of Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands.

  “Why Virgin Gorda? I’ve been there and it’s beautiful, but what made you decide on that island specifically?”

  “Well, it has beautiful beaches. Also, the island is mainly residential, and it doesn’t have that ‘touristy’ feeling, and although English is spoken there, Spanish is spoken on many of the surrounding islands. Maybe Alex will learn to speak Spanish with you teaching her and us visiting the nearby islands. I just want to check out the place and maybe take a serious look at real estate there. I think this is a good opportunity to start researching the Caribbean.”

  ***

  Karen had resumed doing small jobs for Phillip on an as-needed basis. Normally she’d work when Alex was asleep, or when Addy was watching Alex and she was not needed. Normally the afternoon was a good time to work because it was Alex’s naptime. Addy would normally rock her to sleep in the bedroom, but when the weather was nice, she’d sit on the outdoor swing and invariable the rhythm of the swing made Alex sleepy. During one of her breaks, Karen came downstairs and not finding anyone inside, she stepped out to the patio.

  The summer afternoon was perfect. The sun was shining, the temperature was warm and the cool breeze from the ocean was refreshing. As she walked outside, she found the perfect picture of serenity. Alex was asleep in her playpen, sucking rhythmically on her pacifier. She looked adorable. The playpen was set under one of the trees and covered with a net to prevent ‘bugs and things,’ as Addy called them, from bothering Alex. Addy was reclined with her eyes closed in one of the Adirondack teak chairs. She looked relaxed, content, and beautiful. Karen approached them quietly, not wanting to wake either one. She sat across from Addy and looked contentedly between her two loved ones. I could look at them forever and never get enough.

  Moments like those had become common in her life and yet, she would always cherish them as if each was a first. She was resolved to never take life for granted. This was her life, her home, and her family. Right there in front of her was the very essence of her happiness. How she adored the woman sitting across from her was incomprehensible. Nothing in her life could ever match or even come close to compare to what she felt for her. Addy was the one propelling everything in her life, even the little one, that little miracle that was now an integral part of their lives, and t
heir happiness. She had a daughter of her own flesh and blood all because of Addy. As if feeling observed, Addy opened her eyes and slightly smiled when she found the green eyes fixed on her. “Are you ever going to get tired of looking at me?”

  “Never.” Karen got up, walked over to her, knelt between her legs, and kissed her. It was a tender, but forceful kiss.

  “Umm, a kiss like that usually leaves me hungry for more attention.”

  Karen ran her hands up and down Addy’s thighs. “Tell me what kind of attention you want, I can provide it right here, right now, if you’d like.”

  Addy looked around as if checking if it would be okay. Karen grinned. She loved the way Addy catered to her mischief. She raised her left eyebrow and lowered the right one, and in a very specific and pronounced manner spoke. “The need is growing by the second, but since we have a daughter and a reputation to uphold, maybe we should take the discussion of my many needs inside so that you can take care of all of them.” She stressed the plurality of her needs making Karen grin even more, and her heart beat faster. Among many other feelings that were all of a sudden creating some needs of her own, Karen could feel the skin on her face stretching.

  “Addypooh, you are putting so many wrinkles on this face from grinning that sometimes I think I will be looking like a prune when I’m seventy.”

  Addy chuckled. “Then, we’ll be two raisins in the sun, honeybunch.” She kissed Karen. “We may have a problem, though. If we move the tiny one, she might wake up.”

  Karen looked at the sleeping child and sighed. “We are going to have to risk it. I also have some needs that require attention. Come on. I’ll get her. If you do it she might be more inclined to wake up. You are the one always rattling her.” Addy opened her mouth to complain but was quickly hushed. “Sssh! Don’t talk!”