Chapter 27 Complications and Frustrations
Davey
“So, ready to prepare?”
I busted out the hospital folder from or last doctor’s appointment.
“What?” Eva looked up from her laptop.
“We’re at cruising altitude. You should be sleeping, but I know you won’t,” I said. “Not yet, anyhow. So, let’s look through the stuff we need to do before the multiples class starts.”
“We have like a month.”
“That will fly by,” I said.
Eva closed her laptop, “Davey, this is the most ridiculous thing. We’re on the company plane and we’re talking about baby stuff. It makes no sense.”
“Meh, it’s fine,” I said. “So, we need to set time aside to buy baby stuff. Do you have preferences about safe sleeping surfaces?”
“Are you serious?” Eva laughed. “What?”
“Well, they recommend an in-room bassinet for each baby. Then two cribs in the nursery.”
“And where is the nursery going, David?”
“I assume in the room next to my office.”
“Why?”
“Because that doesn’t make sense as a guest room.”
“You want to hear them crying at night while you’re trying to work?”
“Choose a room. We’ll put it there. And then night nurse can have the other room.”
“Oh, on that,” Eva perked up. “I got recommendations from Daphne. She sent them over.”
“What? How are you getting recs from Daphne, but she won’t text me back?” I asked, offended.
“I’ll email them,” Eva opened her laptop, not answering.
“Okay, let’s go shopping maybe Sunday next week?”
She shrugged. “Let’s see how I feel.”
“Uh… we are working on childcare.” I read on. “So, we’re ace there. You’ve told HR you’re taking leave?”
She nodded. “As have you… and the entire office.”
I snickered. “It was an interesting move, but one I do not regret. Okay, so what about the birth plan?”
“I want alive babies. Next please.”
“Eva, I’m serious.”
“Davey, I will probably end up with a c-section. You heard the doctor. I’m not going to get wrapped up in worrying about it. All I want are healthy babies.”
I let that one go.
“Done!” Eva said. “Sent you the list. Can you be responsible for lining up interviews?”
“For what?”
“Nannies,” Eva answered.
“Why is that my responsibility?”
“Why is it my responsibility, David?”
Drop the rope, Davey.
“Alright, I will try to fit that in. Would you like to attend the interviews or—”
“Yes, David. Good lord! All I asked was that you have them scheduled, okay? I am managing this trip on top of my current workload and covering for Daphne.”
I winced. “Gotcha. You’re right.”
“What now? Are we done?”
“Preschool.”
“Preschool?” Eva scoffed. “David, this is nuts. Who the fuck thinks about preschool with fetuses in utero? For fuck’s sake!”
“Daphne and Cal have put in for placements at like three schools,” I said. “It gets competitive. It is cutthroat.”
“They can go to any old preschool when the time is right,” Eva said. “I went to fucking Oxford and only went three days a week for three hours to the local parochial school. I’m fine. They will be, too.”
“It’s about being connected, Eva—”
“David, let’s talk about this later.”
She was tired and grew short.
“Okay, last one. I thought this was funny. Circumcision. We need to tell the hospital to schedule it.”
“Or not,” Eva said. “Because we’re not.”
“No, I think we should,” I said.
“And I think we shouldn’t, David. You want to do it?”
“Well, yeah.”
“Why?” Eva asked, eyebrows tight as she scowled. “It’s ridiculous. I cannot with that. You have no religious observance that suggests it.”
“So? I think we should do it. And I’m the one with a dick, so—”
“I’m their mother,” Eva said. “And you aren’t circumcised. Are you trying to pick a fight with me over something silly?”
“Eva, this is something—”
“No,” Eva said. “Absolutely not. It’s not up for debate.”
I couldn’t understand why she was so callous about this.
“Eva, you have to at least consider where I am coming from.”
“Okay, fine. Where are you coming from?” She crossed her arms.
“I was bullied, okay? All through school and sports as a kid.”
“What? David, you’re hung like a fucking horse. What are you talking about?”
“I was the only kid for miles who wasn’t, okay? Mum refused to because they don’t do that over there. And… Dad just let her manage it. I dunno. I have strong feelings about this. You do realize it’s different?”
“Yeah. And I don’t agree with it.” Eva said.
“It doesn’t bother you?”
“Davey, why the fuck would I have opinions about your foreskin? This is such a weird conversation. For reference, I’ve only seen one circumcised penis in the flesh—on my high school boyfriend.
Every other one was uncut, so… I don’t really remember anything negative other than the man couldn’t find my clit. His dick was not the problem.”
“Women have opinions,” I said. “And I don’t want them bullied. Can you at least consider that?”
She breathed. “You really are bothered by this?”
“Guys can be sensitive, too. We have our own shit.”
“I am so, so sorry anyone said those things, Davey.” Her empathy was genuine. “My high school boyfriend told me my lips were too big, and I had hangups for years. It took about four girlfriends before I calmed the fuck down.”
It was such an odd statement.
“You have an absolutely wonderful cock that does magical fucking things,” Eva said.
“And I am sure no matter what, those people would have been absolute dickheads about something else if not that. It’s like girls making fun of my big boobs.
And that was while I was realizing I liked boobs for the first time. ”
“How was that?”
“How was that for you?” Eva directed it back, as if annoyed. “It was like it was for you except no one called attention to it because you have a dick. Luckily for me, I wasn’t dealing with sporadic boners every time I thought about tits.”
I laughed. “God, I love you.”
“What? Why?”
“Just… you are so dry. It’s funny. I love listening to your rants, my love.”
She softened. “Let’s take a minute. Review some stuff and table it?”
She pushed the table over, moving the seat into a reclining mode. I followed suit, ready to turn in for the night.
“Okay,” I agreed as she rested her head on my shoulder.
I kissed her head, breathing in perfume. “Eva?”
“Yes,” she murmured.
“I love your brutal honesty,” I said. “Even if it’s sometimes a lot, I love that you are straightforward with me. Don’t stop.”
“Don’t stop being vulnerable, okay? It encourages me to try harder,” Eva admitted. “I am glad we talked about this. Even if you’re not right about this subject, at least we could have a productive discussion.”
“Is that a good thing?” I asked.
“I think we’ve officially reached the stage where we can just talk without it being an issue, yeah,” Eva whispered.