One Little Bit

by Tey Holden

  Karen picked up the little one from the playpen without saying a word and walked towards the house followed by Addy. Addy secured the door while Karen went upstairs and successfully placed Alex in her crib without the baby waking up. She then headed to the bedroom. As soon as Addy stepped into the bedroom, Karen grabbed her by the waist. “So, what kind of attention is it that you require?” Addy smiled but was unable to reply because Karen covered her mouth with her own. When Karen began to undress her, they heard movement through the baby monitor, and soon after a hungry cry.

  “So much for our play time.” Addy pursed her lips and pouted in disappointment. Karen rolled her eyes.

  “Maybe we can postpone the care of our needs for tonight, Ms. Larsen.”

  “It’s not like we have another choice. I’ll be looking forward to and counting on it, though.”

  “You bet!”

  ***

  Alex soon began to show her personality. She was smart and vivacious, and definitely a handful. By the time she was seven months old, she was very mobile. She crawled in the most unusual manner. It seemed as if she was in a sitting position. Her buttocks were always near the ground and she would lift them only when she propelled herself with her left foot and push with the right. It was very funny to watch her. What was not funny was how fast she was and how the women had to be on their toes to first not lose track of her and second to catch her whenever she took off. She could easily develop a speed from zero to eighty, in one second. She was also smart and waited for the moment the moms weren’t looking to make any move.

  Even though the cottage was totally childproof, Alex was so smart that they still had trouble with her. One evening, they were in the family room watching television when Karen’s phone rang. Karen took the call and went upstairs to look for certain data that Phillip needed. Addy remained downstairs with Alex. While Alex played, she started to pick up toys that were scattered around the living room. In a fraction of a second, Alex disappeared and Addy became frantic looking for her.

  When Karen heard Addy’s desperate calls for Alex, she came downstairs where she found Addy almost in tears looking for Alex. Karen joined the search for the tiny one, but neither one could find her anywhere. They knew she had not gone out of the house because the doors were locked. Then they heard a noise coming from the kitchen. They followed the noise and found her. Alex somehow managed to remove the childproof latch from the kitchen cabinet, moved all the plastic containers to one side of the cabinet and gotten inside. The noise they heard was the little one banging on a big plastic container inside the cabinet.

  Addy was hysterical. “Tomorrow I’m having all these latches replaced. What kind of safety do these things provide when a seven-month old child can open them?” She was mad and in tears.

  “It’s okay, baby. Calm down. She’s fine. Nothing happened.” Karen hugged her to calm her down. “We may not have a regular baby here.” Both women looked at each other.

  “Ker, we are just going to have to be on our toes with this one and anticipate her every move.”

  Alex was giggling on the floor, still banging on the plastic container. Karen picked her up. “We are going to have to put you on a leash, little girl.” Of course, Karen was kidding with the leash comment, but very much aware that their little one was going to make their lives very interesting.

  “Girl, who are you?” Addy questioned the little one, who immediately held her arms out and almost flew from Karen’s arms to hers. “Oops! Come here, you devilish girl!” Addy kissed the little one a million times.

  “There, go with your favorite one. I really think that you secrete something that attracts women like flies!”

  “It’s love, baby. I’m all love! Right, Little Bit?”

  Karen smiled as she picked up all the plastic containers now scattered everywhere on the kitchen floor. “Thank God we have all the cleaning stuff in the upper shelf in the pantry. We are going to have to go through a whole house safety check. In fact, I’m going to do that right now. Can’t risk anything with this Tasmanian devil around!”

  Addy laughed in the living room. “Okay little one, we are going to have to talk about your doings around here. You are developing quite a reputation and since it’s not a good one, we need to talk about it.”

  Karen looked up from her near ground position in the kitchen and laughed, loving the way Addy was talking to Alex. She always talked to her in that manner and, amazingly, the little one always seemed to pay very serious attention to her words. Karen sometimes wondered if Alex was really registering all those chats, and sometimes she almost expected Alex to reply.

  Alex crawled up on Addy and put her little arms around Addy’s neck while Addy kissed her a million times. “Umm! I love you, Little Bit. So, let me make this clear to you, the kitchen, the stairs, the bathrooms and the patio are off limits to you.” She was talking to Alex and thinking at the same time. “Let’s see what else? Ah, the exercise room, we need to lock that too. Yeah, we are going to have to put high latches in there and on the doors going out. So, are we clear, little one?”

  All of a sudden, Addy seemed preoccupied. “It seems that most of the house is off limits for you, doesn’t it? How could that be? You, the most expected and wanted person ever. This doesn’t seem right. Maybe we ought to get a big play yard for you. That’s it!! What a great idea! We are going to find us the biggest play yard ever. In fact, there’s even a better idea, why don’t we convert the new rec room into an indoor play yard for you? What do you say about that beautiful one?”

  Karen looked up from the floor while still tidying the kitchen. “Oh Lord! She’s taken over your mind! That child would lead you to the fire and you’d walk right into it for her.”

  “I think Mommy Karen is jealous, Little Bit. I’m going to have to save some kisses for her.” Alex was jumping in full force up and down on Addy’s lap.

  “It’s eight o’clock, you keep playing with her like that and nobody is going to sleep in this house tonight.”

  “Yep, she’s jealous Little Bit, let’s go upstairs and get you to bed. I have more than one person I need to take to bed tonight.” On her way up, Addy grabbed a baby bottle warmed it, and headed upstairs with Alex. She passed by Karen and coming close to her audibly inhaled, and seductively, whispered in her ear. “You smell good, Blondie. Give me twenty minutes, and I’ll be in bed with you.”

  Karen smiled, Addy certainly knew how to push all her buttons. Alex was asleep, fed and changed half an hour later. When she walked in the bedroom, Karen was reading in bed. Addy dimmed the lights and smiling began to slowly undress. She took her blouse and shorts off, and then her bra. Every time Addy attempted the striptease act, it was never completed because Karen could never wait long enough before she pulled her onto her.

  “Ms. Larsen, you can’t resist me.”

  Barely audible, Karen admitted defeat. “You are my soft spot, no I can’t.

  Part 11

  They soon began to gear up for their vacation, and when September came, they were off to the beautiful Caribbean. They arrived in Virgin Gorda on a perfect tropical day. The sun was bright, with a few beautiful clouds in the clear blue sky, and the breeze from the ocean was perfect to cool the warm afternoon. “Umm, I’m going to love it here.” Karen savored the warmth and the breeze.

  “This is as close to paradise as one can get. I love the tropics.” Addy took in the view and inhaled the refreshing breeze.

  Karen smiled and turned to walk back to the SUV they had rented, she opened the trunk and shook her head. “My God traveling with this little one is going to be a challenge. I can’t believe all the stuff we have here. Whoever came up with the idea of packing light never had a baby.” Karen continued to complain as she unloaded the vehicle.

  “I think this gives us one more reason for buying a summer place and doubling up on anything we can. Although by the time we would be able to come back here with her, we will probably need other things.” Addy said as she walked with the little
one in her arms inside the house.

  “This place is beautiful. I could get used to this view.” Karen followed Addy inside with the baby’s diaper bag on her shoulder.

  “Let’s take a look at the bedrooms.” Addy said as she walked into what appeared to be the master bedroom. “Nice bed. Let’s set Alex here temporarily while we unload.”

  Karen had just put down the last of their luggage on the floor and began to set up Alex’s playpen so that, when Alex woke up, they could put her there and finish unpacking and getting the place ready. They also had to go to the grocery store for supplies.

  Alex had fallen asleep on the car ride to the house. They placed her on the master bedroom’s bed and positioned pillows all around to prevent her from falling off the bed. Not that it would happen since the bed was king size, but they never took chances with the little one. She was not used to the heat, so the few hairs on her head were damp with sweat. Karen got near her on the bed and kissed her lightly on the head. “God, even her sweat smells good, she takes after you on that Addypooh.”

  Addy chuckled. “Ker, that’s because it’s clean sweat. We bathe her every day and put baby lotion on her. How could she not smell good?”

  Karen came over and put her arm around Addy’s waist. “So, we know her secret. What’s yours, sexy? Can’t be just your perfume. You know I’ve tried it sometimes and it doesn’t smell as good on me as it does on you.”

  Addy grinned. “That’s because it’s the combination of the perfume and something else.”

  “It’s that something else that drives me mad. Care to show me the something else?” Karen came around from behind and nibbled her neck.

  “Ker, look around you, do you not see how much stuff we need to unpack?”

  “I see, but the tiny one is sound asleep and there are three other beds in this house. I think that we can take some time off to investigate that something else.” Karen grinned and continued with her teasing and her nibbling, as she tightened her arms around Addy’s waist. Addy grinned as well, knowing that she had no defense when it came to Karen, and that Karen knew that she’d always win.

  Just about then, Alex cried from the bedroom. She didn’t normally cry whenever she woke up. Instead, she’d make sounds as if calling for them. But this time when she woke up, she cried. Both women immediately ran to the master bedroom to tend to the little one. Karen was the first to arrive and picked her up. Recognizing the familiar face, Alex crawled towards her mom the minute she saw her. Addy was delighted to see the pair. “What is it baby girl? What’s wrong with you? What’s all this crying about?”

  Karen looked at Addy while the little one pouted and cried holding on to her. Addy sat down on the bed next to Karen and hugged them both and kissed Alex. “What do you think happened?”

  Alex climbed onto Addy needing her comfort as well. Being in the arms of both mommies was soothing and Alex soon calmed down. “I think she’s frightened. She woke up in unfamiliar surroundings and we weren’t here.” She took a look at Alex and spoke directly to her. “Are you okay, baby? See your mommies are here.” She kissed her and Alex began to bounce in her arms and to smile, and to drool as she smiled, showing the tiny teeth inside her mouth.

  “Okay, you stay with her and I’m going to bring our bags in here to unpack.” As soon as the luggage was in the bedroom, Addy began to unpack with Alex watching from the playpen. After unpacking, they went to the grocery store. The house was on a hill accessible only from the main road. In the fenced patio, there was a beautiful pool surrounded by tropical vegetation, and beyond the patio the magnificent view of the ocean.

  Even though it was late in the evening, the tropical night was balmy and the water was still warm. They didn’t keep Alex in the water for too long. She was only a baby and they limited her activities not wanting to overexpose her to anything.

  Alex loved the water, and the moms love the effect it had on her. As soon as they took her out of the pool, bathed and fed her, she was out for the night. She had a floatie and tired herself out paddling in the pool. She loved being in the pool so much that the moms agreed to sign her up for baby swimming classes as soon as she was old enough. As soon as Alex was asleep, they came back out to the patio to have their dinner, and to enjoy the pool and tropical night breeze.

  “Addy, I can see us buying a place here, but rather than buying an already made house, I would rather buy the lot and design a house myself.”

  Addy smiled. Since Karen was usually very down to earth, Addy loved to hear her musings whenever there was an opportunity. It was usually she who had the visions, so she loved it when Karen came up with anything. “Tell me about it. What would you have the house look like? What’s your vision?”

  Karen had trouble holding back a smile. She thought that if Addy liked the idea, they’d do it. Spending cold winters away from Scotland was an appealing idea. At least for the next four or five years until Alex started school, and even after she started school, they could spend Christmas and summers in the island. Alex would get plenty of sun, learn to sail, scuba dive and so many other water sports that would enrich her life plus she would get the added benefit of learning to speak Spanish.

  In addition, people on the island were like in Altee. A small knit community where everyone knew everyone. Since her work was portable, she thought that she could even work from the island, and Addy would have plenty of time to write their story, as she more than once had mentioned.

  “Well, Addypooh, the house would be on a hill, a lot like this, with beach access and a pier for a boat. I’d fence the perimeter and alarm it, of course.” She chuckled. “I would build it in cement like most places around here. But there are two things I would do that houses around here don’t have. I would build a basement for hurricane protection, and an outhouse for a generator. I would also have hurricane-proof windows with shutters installed, and a cistern to collect water for emergencies. I would look into making it either circular or ‘v’ shape with lots of windows.”

  “Wow! Looks like you are giving this project serious thought.”

  “Do you like it?”

  “Winters in the Caribbean? Of course, I like it. Let’s talk to a realtor first to see if we can find a lot. Then we can look for an architect and you can tell him what you want.”

  “Are you serious? Do you really want to do this?”

  “Why not, Ker? I love Scotland and would like Alex to live and go to school there, but I think living part time here would be great for us and will culturally expand Alex’s horizons. One day, it will all pay off. Yes, I like it, let’s do it.”

  Karen smiled mischievously. “Mirror over the bed?”

  Addy gave her the look and wiggled her eyebrows as she got up to go into the pool. Addy loved to tease, and Karen always fell for her tricks. Smiling, she followed Addy into the pool. As soon as Karen got in the pool, her hands went around Addy’s torso and she kissed her on the shoulder. The mild night, the tropical breeze, and the warm water were like an invitation to romance. “I could stay here forever.” Karen whispered as she nibbled Addy’s ear.

  “Me too.”

  “Addypooh.”

  When Addy turned, she wrapped her arms around Karen’s neck and kissed her passionately. Karen held on to her and when she let go, she pulled the straps of Addy’s swimming suit down. “Ms. Larsen—.”

  “There’s no one around and no one can see us. It’s just us.” Addy smiled while unfastening Karen’s bikini top. Karen smiled and kissed her.

  “I hope there are no cameras around here.” Addy whispered.

  “The perimeter is clear, love. I’ve been planning for this moment since we got here.”

  Addy smiled when she felt Karen’s hands pulling her swimming suit down. “My bad girl.”

  “Very bad.”

  ***

  They loved the island with its warm weather, cool breezes and the laid-back life it inspired. To see Karen so relaxed was priceless for Addy. And to see Addy in an environment that was so
natural to her was a delight for Karen. She loved Addy’s tanned skinned and how it reddened when she had more sun than she should have. Alex was never exposed to too much sun, but Karen could already tell that her skin color accepted the sun much better than her own. Karen loved her daughter’s healthy skin. She, on the other hand, had to protect her very fair skin with plenty of sunblock. Addy always kept an eye on her because she had seen how easily Karen’s skin burned.

  While on the island they went fishing, sailing and to the beach. Dining in the rustic restaurants in the small town and mingling with the locals was also fun. Everything was relaxing and pleasant. Of course, before they ever put a foot out of the house, Alex was covered from head to toe with sunblock. They were always careful not to put any on her hands because they could easily go to her eyes and then she’d have the lotion all over them and that would begin another calamity. This happened once, so they had learned their lesson. Alex had several sun hats to protect her from the sun, however, the hats were more often off her head than on, but the women battled the odds with their mischievous little one.

  On one of the trips to town, they contacted a realtor and expressed their interest in finding a lot to build a home. They soon found that there weren’t many lots for sale. The island was not very big and was considered to be prime real estate. Any available lot was very expensive. A couple of lots even had some sort of house or structure on them. The realtor also told them that building there would not be cheap since everything had to come from the mainland. They went to see the lots and loved one in particular. It was high on a hill and had a gorgeous view of the ocean and access to the beach through a trail.

  Spending time there was great. They soon fell into a routine where they would get up, have breakfast, and then go down to the beach or outside to the patio and pool. The time was spent on a lounge reading or they would go, with the little one, in the water. Alex seemed to prefer the pool. Whenever they had gone to the ocean the salty water had gotten in her eyes and she’d end up crying. She was too young to play in the sand, so floating on her pink floatie in the pool seemed a lot safer and fun for her.