Turning A New Leaf

Fifty-Three

"Can I ask your honest opinion?" Atira asked Cami as they enjoyed ice cream at the Yard Milkshake Bar on the waterfront. She had been craving sweets for a few days. She had taken that Friday afternoon off while Krist was working and Rocco was with Linda and invited Cami to go with her as she was too embarrassed to load up on the all the sugar by herself.

Cami nodded, "Always!" She smiled, gap teeth exposed. One thing Atira could always count on from Cami was brutal honesty, that girl did not hold back.

"I brought up Krist being a stay-at-home dad. I was just thinking that he would rather be home than send the kids to daycare or have them always at his mom's when I work, especially when his income would end up being around the cost of full-time daycare for the baby and half-days for Rocco?"

Cami swallowed a spoonful of ice cream, shaking her head, "Not at all, I think that's a reasonable request. Daycare is expensive, I'd rather him stay home as well. Makes no sense to work when your entire income is going towards child care."

"The cheapest I could find we would be looking at two grand during the school year, almost three during summer breaks."

Cami winced, "And how much is Krist even making at the call center?"

"Gosh, before taxes just over three? Take home is more like twenty-four?" Atira sighed, "When I brought it up, you would have thought I asked him to cut his balls off."

Cami nearly spit out her ice cream, laughing, "Krist needs to get over himself, times have changed and a lot of women are the breadwinners now. Jeordie would absolutely have no issue staying home if we had kids. Of course, Jeordie isn't someone who would think that being an at-home parent is emasculating."

Atira nodded, "True. Krist doesn't even like this job and we've agreed he can quit once the paid family leave ends. I wouldn't think any less of him, it's not like he would be just bumming around or anything. It also wouldn't be like we would be out the money."

Cami sighed, "Krist is Krist. I think part of his issue was he was such a mooch off his mom and his girlfriends in the past that he has gotten this stubborn part of him that insists on being the provider now. Which is good! There isn't an issue with that but he needs to stop -putting his pride in the way and do what's best for the family."

Atira mixed her ice cream in the jar, "I get that, I just don't have the heart to tell him that I make more than enough to provide for us without his money. Like I said, his income literally would cover daycare and that's barely. I don't want the baby or Rocco being watched by strangers or have us miss the baby's milestones because he's in childcare, you know?"

Cami nodded, understandingly, "Did you mention that to him?"

"I did, but he was like, 'Oh but I wouldn't feel right having you foot the bill on everything'."

"You don't have to answer, but out of curiosity, how much do you make?"

Atira shrugged, "Last year, I made a hundred and twenty-five before I got my promotion back in September. This year will be around one-fifty."

Cami's eyebrows went up, "Well, damn! So Krist's income is really chump change to you then."

"I wouldn't say that but we definitely would not struggle without his. You know, even if he wanted to maybe go to school or something, I would be on board with that."

Cami nodded, "Maybe he should, a lot of people aren't even in the position to be able to do that."

"That's what I told him. You know what else drives me nuts about him?"

"I would imagine there's a laundry list of things," Cami chuckled.

"This sounds so stupid but he insists on splitting the bills equally. I'll gladly pay more than half. I even offered to pay the rent on the apartment because it's literally half of what I was paying in Seattle and he's like 'No that wouldn't be fair to you'."

Cami shook her head, "Gender roles are so fucking stupid, if the situation was reversed this wouldn't even be an issue. If anything, people would think the man was crappy for not paying more and making the woman pay half, if he was the higher earner."

Atira's eyes widened and she nodded in agreement, "Right?! It's not a big deal at all."

"Well, you still have what...four, five months to decide what happens?"

Atira sighed, "Five until we have the baby but it's more like eight if you add in the state family leave because he gets twelve weeks paid off."

"Well, if he feels like a scrub for not working, what about if he just did the food delivery stuff around your schedule?"

"That was something else I was thinking about as well. I mean, whatever he decides is fine but you know where I stand in this." Cami told her.

****

After Atira finished at the Yard, she met Krist at their apartment so they could go to Linda's to get Rocco and have dinner.

"Looks like you've got some sympathy cravings going on," Linda joked as Krist stepped inside the living room. He looked puzzled, "You've gained some weight," she told him.

Krist's cheeks reddened, Atira rarely saw him looking embarrassed but he was certainly insecure about his new dad-bod. She had noticed he'd put on a few pounds and while she was tempted to make K-Fed jokes, she had chosen not to.

"It's from sitting on my ass all day," Krist admitted, leaving out that he'd also been smoking hella weed all day and eating junk food because he was bored and high at work.

"Your apartment has a gym, doesn't it?" Linda asked.

Krist nodded, "Yeah, I need to get on it before I wind up hella fat."

"The weight looks good on you, though," Linda told him truthfully. Krist had always been slim and at times, underweight, so the gain was almost reassurance he was clean.

Atira nodded in agreement, "It does, I like it. Your pants actually fit and not hang off you like they used to."

"I think you look stupid," Rocco shouted and laughed.

"Asshole," Krist muttered when Rocco was out of range.

"That is one hundred percent your kid," Linda shook her head, "I love him but he's got a mouth on him."

"You're telling me," Krist laughed.