Chapter 10 #2
“It’s fine. We can do your father’s idea.”
Except it was Marius who came up with the idea. I normally would correct someone who didn’t give him credit, but I stay quiet, preferring to keep the peace.
Just as I begin to relax, my mother pipes up with, “Onto other things. I had a wonderful thought the other day. We have to make sure Lily has a part in the wedding. Everyone will adore it, and I know neither one of you could complain about that.”
I stop myself from saying that we haven’t been complaining and start to say that it’s probably not a great idea to have a baby who won’t even be a year old in the ceremony, but Lily interrupts me by letting out a piercing scream.
My father immediately lifts his hands up in surrender, as if he isn’t sure what’s happening but he wants everyone to know he didn’t do anything to cause that sound coming out of her.
My mother begins to hurry over to take the baby, but Marius lifts her off my father’s legs before she can get there.
Holding her against his chest, he pats her on the back and begins walking toward the entryway. “It’s okay. She probably just has some gas. You three keep talking. We’ll be back after we get this screaming situation under control.”
The smile on his face, even as our daughter begins to cry, tells me he’s thrilled to escape the conversation. If I didn’t know better, I might even think he pinched her when no one was looking to get out of having to sit and listen to my mother’s ideas.
As he walks out, my father looks over at me with pure guilt in his expression. “I swear I didn’t do anything, honey. She just started screaming.”
Waving away his concern, I sit down where Marius had been. “Oh, it’s okay, Dad. Babies cry. I told Marius that earlier. He was worried too, but I explained that sometimes it just happens.”
“Well, you weren’t a crier, so it must come from his side,” my mother mumbles from where she stands near the bar across the room.
Both my father and I turn to look at her. “What are you talking about?” my father asks in pure disbelief. “Eden cried like we were poking her every day for the first few months of her life. I almost bought earplugs to get myself some peace.”
But my mother won’t hear anything of his opinion. “No, she didn’t. She was a lovely baby. Trust me. I know. I was the one who spent all my time with her since I was her mother.”
I wince at that comment. My mother disagrees with my going back to work so soon.
She thinks there’s something wrong with me that I don’t want to be with Lily twenty-four hours a day, and on the other hand, she has an issue with Marius taking care of her because men are supposed to work outside the house and not do a thing with babies.
She’s very old-fashioned, to say the least.
“Mom, Lily is fine. She’s a healthy baby girl who the doctor says is meeting all the expected benchmarks, so don’t worry.”
That’s the second time I’ve had to say that to someone today.
“Are you planning on hiring a nanny anytime soon? I think you should. Babies belong with their mothers, and if that’s not possible, they should be with a woman. Since you won’t let me watch her while you work, I think it’s only right that you hire a nanny. You can afford it, I’m sure. Right?”
And that’s the second time she’s made a crack about Marius and money. This night is quickly turning into a nightmare. Maybe my husband was right to find a way out as soon as possible.
“Yes, Mom, we can afford it. You know we can. I don’t know why you think it’s a matter of money. Marius likes taking care of Lily, and I’m only at work three days a week. That means for the majority of time, I’m around. Seriously, though, it’s the twenty-first century. Men take care of babies now.”
That gets me an eyeroll. “Fine. I just wonder about it. Does he smoke those awful cigars he likes around her on those three days when he and Lily are alone?”
Just then, I hear Marius walk back into the room with a much happier Lily in his arms. Instantly, I see by the look on his face that he heard what my mother said.
“No, I don’t smoke around Lily. What I do when I take care of our daughter is my business and Eden’s. Nobody else’s. This little lady seems a bit out of sorts, so I think it’s time to wrap this up. As always, Nico, it’s great to see you.”
He stops for a long pause to look over at me and then turns to face my mother. “Janine, good night.”
My father lets out a quiet chuckle as I stand to leave, and I lean over to give my him a kiss on the cheek. “Bye, Dad.”
“Take care, honey. Don’t worry. It’ll all be fine.”
I don’t know exactly what he means, but I hope so. If this night is any indication, I don’t think he’s right, though.
Marius is gone by the time I reach my mother. Her deep frown tells me everything I need to know about how she thinks tonight went.
“Good night, Mom. We’ll let you know about the list, okay?”
“Hmmmph. Fine. Call me later this week and we’ll talk.”
I give her a smile and head out to the car, where I’m sure another person unhappy with me is waiting. At this rate, I’m not sure anyone will be happy with our wedding.
Not even the people getting married.