Chapter 14
Fourteen
Our walk to Main Street was mostly silent. Periodically we’d check on the baby. It was eerily quiet, and we didn’t know if it was a good or bad sign. Coach said we needed to identify different cries, and so far we’d only heard random gurgling.
When we enter the cafe, Aunt Maddy double-takes at the carrier. “Umm. What is this?”
Milo flips it around so Maddy can see the fake baby.
“Coach Anders wants us to look after it all weekend,” I explain. “It’s an extra credit assignment for the both of us.”
Aunt Maddy grins at the baby and fights to hold back a laugh. “So, you two sixteen-year-olds have to look after a baby? Okay, cool.”
“Why do you look like you’re enjoying this concept?” I question.
Aunt Maddy smirks. “It’s just ironic.”
I pout. “Why? Because of Mom?”
Maddy’s face brightens as she nods.
“But, come on,” I say, latching onto my hips, “you can’t be for this impromptu assignment. It’s your last night, we’re still working on the catering menu, and I have a ton of other homework.”
Aunt Maddy finally lets her giggles out. “Oh, I’m more than fine with this. My problems are nothing compared to when I was twelve and helping care for a real-life baby.” Maddy leans down and plucks the fake baby out of the carrier. “Besides, this one hasn’t even made a sound.”
Cradled in Maddy’s arms, the fake baby gurgles.
Maddy giggles. “Oh, so he does work.”
Milo shows off his wristband. “He’s active for forty-eight hours and these bands monitor how we interact with him.”
“So, you really think it’s cool that Coach lumped us with this assignment?” I ask.
Aunt Maddy grins. “I’m just sad I won’t be able to see all of this play out. You are so spoiled, Jamie. I can’t imagine you devoting forty-eight hours to looking after someone else.”
My jaw drops and I let out an indignant gasp. “Spoiled? Me?”
“It’s not your fault,” Aunt Maddy replies. “Lily and I agreed we never wanted you to struggle for anything.”
My stomach sloshes like any time Mom is brought up.
Aunt Maddy offers the baby to me and I recoil. Luckily, Milo goes in for the handoff.
“I’m just going to sit in a booth with Milo,” I tell Aunt Maddy. “We need to read through the guidelines Coach sent us. Then I’ll be free to help you with the catering stuff.” I turn to Milo. “Is that cool?”
Milo nods. “Yeah, I can look after him now, seeing as you’re taking him tonight.”
Aunt Maddy giggles. “Oh good. I do get to see some of your suffering.”
I groan. “Aunt Maddy, you are enjoying this a little too much.”
Milo sets the baby back in the carrier and follows me to the booth. When we sit, Milo takes out his phone, opening the attachment Coach sent. He reads through the first lines of description, which mention the wristbands, proper care versus mishandling, and sensor-enabled diapers and bottles.
After he reads the part about the different sounds the baby emits, he grimaces as he continues, “…And although your baby might cry when he or she needs a diaper change, in some cases, the baby will emit an odor, signifying he or she needs changing.”
“Ugh. Gross.” I wince. “It farts?”
Milo laughs. “Coach said it was realistic. It also says after feeding it needs to be burped, which sometimes is a short process, but sometimes can be lengthy.”
“Lengthy? That sounds ominous.”
Milo flips his phone to show the screen. “There are diagrams on how to do everything.”
“I’m already exhausted thinking about it.”
“It says one of the first things we should do is name the baby to establish a bond,” Milo says. “Should we name him now?”
“We should just call him Baby, like my mom did for me.”
“What do you mean?”
I smirk. “My name was literally Baby West for the first six months of my life.”
Milo laughs. “What? How is that possible?”
“That’s how long you legally have to name a child. Mom said she already had too much responsibility, and naming a human was over her limit.”
“Whoa. I can’t imagine being that stressed out.”
I look down at the baby and shake my head. “Neither can I.”
“Is that why Maddy calls you baby?” Milo asks.
I smile and nod. “She bonded with me as Baby while she babysat when Mom worked nights. She likes it, no matter how many times I tell her to retire the nickname.”
“Seems like both your mom and your aunt had to work really hard.”
“Yeah, I guess that’s why Maddy laughed when she saw this thing. Our lives are easy now compared to when I was born.”
“Hey, he’s a baby, not a thing,” Milo jokes. “Anyway, the assignment says we should name our baby.”
“Eww.” I grimace. “Don’t use the words our baby.”
Milo laughs, showing me his phone screen. “It literally says that, though.”
“I don’t want to think of this thing as my baby,” I argue. “I especially don’t want any weird images in my mind of this somehow being our baby.”
Milo’s face screws up, causing his glasses to slide. “Why would you think like that? The baby’s fake and this is an assignment.”
“Maybe the wording hits me harder.” I shrug. “I dunno.”
“So,” Milo draws out the word. “You don’t want to name it?”
“You can. I don’t care what you call it.”
Milo takes the baby out of the carrier. “Shouldn’t it be a team effort?”
“No, I’ll give you full control. Naming a baby isn’t something I want to do.”
“Because of your mom?”
I shake my head. “No. It just feels off.”
“He can just be Baby, if you prefer.”
“No, name him something, so it’s not confusing.”
Milo tilts the baby in his arms so I can see his face. “Don’t you think he looks like a Gandalf?”
I splutter a laugh. “Like the wizard?”
Milo grins. “Yeah.”
“He’s a baby, not ancient.”
“Maybe if we give him a magical name, he’ll be a good baby for us.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose as my shoulders shake from my laugh. “Oh Milo, you’re such a nerd.”
“So, is that a no on Gandalf?”
I laugh and can’t help but smile at Milo’s silly suggestion. “No, let’s go with it. We have baby Gandalf.”
Milo sits back with a happy grin. “All right, awesome.”
Oh my gosh, Milo looks so adorable cradling that baby. Whoa, wait. Adorable? Milo? No, I’m just in a good mood because of the baby’s wacky name. That’s it. I don’t think Milo’s cute. It’s his suggestion that was cute. Not that Milo was being cute. Ugh. Jamie, stop going round in circles!
“Are you okay?” Milo asks, looking up from the baby.
“Yeah,” I say, swatting a hand as if I’m cool as a cucumber. “Just got a million things running through my head.”
He nods. “I know. This isn’t ideal timing with your aunt going away.”
“I still have her help tonight.”
“So you’ll be okay taking him overnight?”
I nod. “Yeah, I need the boost in grades the most. Plus, I feel like I got us into this mess.”
“We wouldn’t have been out on the field if I hadn’t asked you for help.”
“You heard about yesterday. I would’ve found a way out there, with or without you.”
“I’m sorry you’re off the team,” Milo says sincerely. “I know I’d hate it if I was banned from doing something I love.”
“I don’t think you have anything to worry about. No one will ban you from reading anytime soon.”
Milo smirks and looks back down at the baby. “Yeah, that’s all I do for fun.”
Before I can ask him to elaborate, because I literally don’t know any of Milo’s other hobbies, Aunt Maddy comes over.
“How’s everything going, guys?” she asks, bending at the knees by Milo’s side. “Are you comfortable holding him?”
“Seems okay at the moment,” Milo replies.
Aunt Maddy checks how Milo holds the baby and nods her approval. “Nice. His neck is all secure, and he looks cozy. Does the little guy have a name yet?”
At that, Milo and I burst into laughter.
“What?” Maddy asks, standing tall. “What did I say?”
“You tell her,” Milo says, grinning at me.
“Gandalf,” I tell her, unable to keep a straight face.
Surprise takes over Maddy’s expression. “As in, Lord of the Rings?”
“Yep,” Milo and I reply at once.
Aunt Maddy giggles. “Okay, very unique. Jamie, can you come with me? Milo looks like he has things covered now.”
“Yep,” I say, sliding out of the booth. “Call out if you need help.”
“We’ll be fine,” Milo says, freeing a hand to wave goodbye.
I wave back. “Bye bye, Gandalf.”
Aunt Maddy giggles as we walk away. “Ridiculous.”
I laugh with her. “I know. But what do you expect from a guy who named his cat after Batman’s butler?”
Aunt Maddy looks at me strangely. “Are you serious?”
I grin, nodding. “Mhmm. That’s where Alfred’s name came from.”
“Oh my gosh, that’s too much.”
Aunt Maddy shows me her progress with the catering menu. She walked me through the concept last night after we closed the cafe. Now, she’s put much more work into it. Clearly overcompensating because she won’t be at the meeting in person.
Mrs. Fisher, the head of the organizing committee, arranged a menu tasting on Monday afternoon. Again, Maddy wanted to come home from Hawaii after the weekend. It took all my strength not to encourage the idea. There’s only so long I can continue being selfless.
When we catered the other society event, it was on a bigger scale than a simple garden party. Nevertheless, Maddy tells me she wants us to make a mark. She wants the food to be the star, forcing every guest to take a card for their next event.
We’re about ten minutes into work when the distinct cries of a baby break our concentration.
“Jamie,” Milo calls from the booth, craning his neck. “Come here and work out this cry with me.”
“Aunt Maddy, will you come with me?”
Maddy stifles a giggle and nods. “Sure.”
When we get to the booth, Gandalf is fussing with whimpering noises. Before I can make a suggestion, he lets out a high-volume wail that cracks into a hysterical cry.
My hands launch over my ears. “Good lord. What is he, Satan spawn?”
“Has he been fed yet?” Aunt Maddy suggests.
I slide over to the opposite side of the booth to grasp the baby bag. I pluck the bottle from inside and hand it to Milo. “Here.”
Milo takes it. “You don’t want to try it first?”
I can’t hide my freaked-out expression. “No way.”