Catherine

Part 1

Catherine hadn't looked away from the tattered cardboard box for about twenty minutes. She was laying on her back, her neck craned in such a way that she could see the shoreline and the breakers through the mini blinds.

They liked it here. Not only was her husband, Greg, minutes from work, but it kept the Houston-friends away and removed Catherine from the questions that would inevitably be asked. It was easier here, to comb the beach with her eyes, to feel the loss, and at night, over simple meals, to talk with Greg about it. But this weekend would be different. Greg had an oil convention back in Houston, and these would be her first days alone in the beach house.

She was well acquainted with the logo on the box. Little One's Rubber Nipples. Little One's cornered the market on rubber nipples and other specialty silicone goods in the south. Catherine still had a small box of them on the shelf in the nursery closet back home.

She had considered the possibility of working while she was down here to keep her mind fresh, but it would be August before she knew it, and it would be back to teaching until Christmas. Maybe a simple odd job wouldn't be so bad. All she could think of was the snow-cone stand and the roller rink, but her coffee was becoming more drinkable, and nothing sounded better than to sit here and watch the box.

It was out of place. It wasn't that Catherine hadn't already noticed the countless pieces of trash and abandoned cardboard all over Galveston and Port Bolivar, but this box still had four walls and no signs of significant sog. She imagined it as washed up treasure. Or as drug money disguised as baby bottle tops. Or as a box filled with puppies, needing a mom, or even a child. She imagined a small baby hand breaching the opening, scraping at the expansive Texas sky and then falling back inside. The hand repeated this several times and Catherine was thrilled at the thought of a baby cradled in packing peanuts nestled in the sand. She rubbed her eyes and went to the coffee pot for a warm up, getting the image out of her head. On her way back to the window she paused for a second. The wind gusted and a pale, pink knitted cap drifted away from the box and skipped into the dunes further down the beach. It snagged in the reeds and waved like a small, pink flag. Catherine lowered herself, slowly placing the mug on the table, never taking her eyes off of the box which was now taking on a wave here and there. The corners darkened with saltwater. Catherine hadn't so much as jogged since January, yet in seconds she was sprinting down the boardwalk, the screen door slamming behind her, and quickly she was over the dunes.

There were now two hands thrusting out of the box and to confirm her vision from the house, a faint cry grew louder as she approached.

"A baby!" she said as her hands reached into the box. The child was wrapped in a pink swaddling cloth which matched the cap.

"Why are you here, huh? Where is your mother?" She asked.

The baby's cries softened into heavy breaths. Her red face cooled as Catherine removed the warm, damp cloth from around the baby's body. The little eyes met Catherine's. The sound of the waves hushed. The hums of air conditioning units ceased. All Catherine could hear was the baby's whimpering breaths and the pounding of her own heart.

Catherine searched the beach for any figure retreating down the coastline. The only thing moving was a large bird stirring from Catherine's sudden sprints. She nervously scanned the windows of her neighbors, and without hesitating, Catherine placed the baby back in the box, pressed it into her chest and shuffled back into the house.

She went upstairs and immediately made a list of things she would need from the store. She had to get her some outfits, a couple of baby blankets, bottles, formula, and even a breast pump in case there was still something left in her. She cleaned the kitchen and prepared the master bedroom for the baby's first night in the house.

She then went downstairs to find the baby sleeping nicely on the nest she had made for it and the fan still oscillating in the corner. The door closed behind Catherine and woke the newborn. Cries erupted from the closet.

"Oh poor, Baby. You must be hungry. How did you sleep?" Catherine asked.

"Let's get you some food today! What do you think?"

Catherine fantasized about holding her new baby and strolling down the aisles of the seawall Walmart. So, around ten that morning she packed the baby girl in the nipples box with blankets and buckled her into the back seat. She then added a car seat to her shopping list before pulling away from the house.

Catherine was a nervous new mother, and although she had prepared for this once before, caring for a baby was much more work than preparing for one. She did find it very pleasing, though, to be out of the house running errands for this little girl. It felt liberating to Catherine to have responsibility again.

She circled the parking lot, and spotted a sign that read "For Expecting and New Mother's." Catherine felt only slightly guilty for pulling into the spot but was grateful for the convenience of being close the the door.

She carried the baby girl inside the store and to her delight she found one of those carts with the baby carrier built right in. After fastening her in, Catherine headed towards the car seat aisle. The nipples box needed to go and couldn't be trusted in moving her precious baby around town. The product labels on the baby aisle were comforting to Catherine. They all sounded so light and fluffy. She touched every blanket and bib for softness.

"She is so cute. What is her name?" A middle-aged store employee said.

Catherine hesitated. In all of the commotion of finding her and preparing the house, she had not even thought to give her new baby girl a proper name. She thought quickly.

"Laurie."

"Oh, that is a very sweet name for a very sweet girl," the woman said. "Enjoy these moments, Honey. It seems that in a matter of days they just up and fly away."

"Thank you very much, ma'am" And with that Catherine was alone again with her daughter. She quickly grabbed the remaining items from her list and knowing Laurie must be getting hungry, she hurried to the checkout line and then to the car.

The only trick would be explaining all this to Greg. He would never let her keep Laurie knowing she found her and kept her the whole time he was gone. Why hadn't she called someone? It's not that simple, she kept telling herself. This is my chance. Maybe I could call him on his way home and tell him I had just found her. That way I can be with her for a few days. What if they would let us keep her until they figured it all out? Like her adopted parents.

She still had a couple of days to sort through that, and until then she planned to enjoy as many moments with Little Laurie as she could, just as the woman had encouraged her to.