The Timeline

43.

October 31st, 2016:

The first word Claire heard on the day of Theodore's first birthday was 'Mama'.

Theodore had uttered his first word a couple weeks prior - according to the pediatrician it was a bit late, but Claire didn't care - and the emotion Claire had felt at hearing Theodore babbling 'ma-ma-ma-ma' before uttering a complete 'mama' couldn't be equated to anything else.

Her and her friends had been so shocked, elated and taken aback, they had started screaming incoherent things,scaring Theodore into a startled silence. But then they had all started clapping, making Theodore smile at the praise, and encouraging him to repeat himself, say 'mama' one more time.

Now, obviously, David and Jacopo were at war with each other, trying to get Theodore to say their names first; too bad, Theodore was fixated on one word only, and that word was 'mama'. And he would say it pretty often, as well: when he wanted to call Claire, when he wanted to point something out, when he just wanted someone's attention on him.

Claire had started pointing at different things around the both of them, reciting their names to him, enunciating each letter clearly; Theodore would stare at her, eyes wide, mouth forming a little 'o', taking in everything Claire would say. And then he'd say 'mama' again, sounding pretty proud of himself. And Claire would melt each time. Theodore's voice was a perfect reflection of his solemn personality: deep, for being a child's, but at the same time very clear and crystalline. The best voice Claire had ever heard.

And, that morning, sleeping inside his crib, back inside of Claire's room for Fabian's return, since he was back in his old room, Claire was awoken by her baby's voice calling for her.

When she turned to look at him, he was smiling at her: he had thrown off his covers from his body, and he was holding one of his sock-clad feet with his hands, up to his face, a giant smile curving his lips and his little gums, the shock of light blond hair crowning his head like a halo. Claire gave him a sleepy smile. Then, as she remembered what day it was, her eyes opened wider.

"Oh God. Happy birthday, Theodore." - she said, straightening up and succumbing to a yawn. - "You're 1. Can you believe that?"

A slight pause, as she absorbed the news herself. Theodore was 1. Felt like yesterday when she had given birth to him, away from home, mere miles away from One Direction's last ever concert. And now, here she was, exactly 365 days later, and her life was so different than what it had been.

For a while, the smile slipped from her face as she stared at nothing in particular. Theodore's voice brought her back to reality.

"Mama!"

She startled and smiled again upon meeting her child's eyes through the crib's bars. It was time to get up and start celebrating Theodore's birthday. Realistically, he wouldn't remember anything from this day, but that didn't mean Claire couldn't fill the whole day with joy to make him happy. She started by leaning over him and tickling him as she sang a quiet version of 'Happy birthday' to him as he giggled and squirmed under her hands.

Down from the kitchen a mouthwatering smell wafted up the stairs and into Claire's room. Yes, you could tell Fabian was back - if only for a couple of days at that. And he was making French toasts for everyone to celebrate Theodore's first year. Claire let out a sigh, her stomach grumbling.

"Shall we go, little man?" - she smiled down at Theodore, holding out her hands to pick him up.

It was so good to see all her friends back in one place, under the same roof: Fabian at the kitchen's stoves, cooking; Jacopo setting the table; David, making sure that all things were going as they should be going. The house was teeming with all the decorations that had to go up for that night's celebrations.