Love isn't easy

Chapter 7: September 2016 (Part 2)

September 2016 (Part 2)

Lisa sits on a stool surrounded by lights and across from a camera in the laundry room adjacent area that they call Roseanne's home studio. In her arms, ten-month-old Coraline squirms and moves around wanting her mom to put her down and let her go. Lisa tries to adjust the baby in her arms.

"Would you stay still?"

"Kind of hard to do when you're holding a tiny wiggling human in your arms, Roseanne."

"Just hold her tighter. I still haven't gotten the one I need."

Coraline breaks out into a full-on hissy fit.

"She's fussy. Can we maybe try again later?"

Roseanne sighs in defeat and turns off one of the strobes.

"Fine. Sure."

With her wife's approval, Lisa puts Coraline down. The baby takes off exploring the room on hands and knees straightaway. Roseanne switches the last strobe off and walks up to her wife with a scowl on her face.

"At this rate, we won't need a baby announcement because by the time I can get a reference and actually do the painting the baby is going to be out."

Lisa laughs.

"Don't laugh. This is your fault. You're the one who's set on doing something "memorable" when we could just invite people and tell them over dinner."

"A new baby is something special that should be celebrated, Roseanne. Also, not everyone we know can come for dinner."

Coraline knocks over a box with brushes and they both turn their attention to her. Coraline looks at them and smiles as if she knows full well that four-toothed smile of hers can get her out of anything. Roseanne sighs at the mess and leans back pressing her butt into Lisa as Coraline sits on the floor and entertains herself with the brushes. Lisa rests her chin on Roseanne's shoulder and instinctively wraps her arms around her wife's waist placing her hands on the eleven-week baby bump that is mostly unnoticeable unless you're purposefully looking for it. They both watch Coraline play.

"It's going to get crazy when this one comes."

Lisa runs her thumb over Roseanne's stomach after kissing her shoulder.

"I know. I can't believe you talked me into another one."

"I didn't even try that hard."

"You found ways to casually insert having another baby into totally unrelated conversations since about a week after she was born. I agreed just so you would shut up about it."

Roseanne laughs then Lisa does too.

"I'm sure they will love to hear that story someday. 'Hey baby...you're alive because your mom wanted me to stop talking. I basically annoyed you into existence.'"

Lisa leans her head back laughing.

"That's a wedding speech if I've ever heard one. She will be-Hey!"

Roseanne notices Coraline is about to put one of the brushes in her mouth. Roseanne startles the baby who instantly begins to cry.

"No. No. I'm sorry bug. I didn't mean to scare you."

Roseanne breaks away from Lisa and goes to pick up the weeping baby from the floor.

"Shhh...it's okay. I'm sorry. You can't put those in your mouth Co. They're dirty."

Roseanne takes the brush from Coraline and puts it on a nearby table. This makes Coraline cry even harder and she tries to grasp at the table to get the brush back.