A Promessa

Latte

Milk is completely foreign for sharks.

—*—

There are many differences between dolphins and sharks. Alessio thought he knew everything about his species' mammalian counterpart. How wrong he was.

The loud wailing from the baby monitor might have as well replaced his alarm clock. With a groggy yawn, Alessio dragged himself out of bed, out of his room, and down to the kitchen. He went straight to the fridge to take a look at Crimson's instructions on how to make baby formula.

1-. WASH YOUR HANDS

2-. Boil some water, then let it cool down for no more than thirty minutes.

3-. Add water FIRST into the bottle, then add the powdered milk.

DOUBLE CHECK THE WATER LEVEL. BE SURE TO FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS ON THE CAN, FOR FUCK'S SAKE.

4-. Screw the teat unto the bottle and then shake it until the powder dissolves.

5-. Cool down the formula under cold running water. It must be body temperature.

6-. Throw away the remaining formula after the feed.

Alessio pinched the bridge between his eyes. He just can't wait until Giulia starts eating solid food. It's not as complicated as this... probably.

As he followed the instructions, he thought of how Giulia's birth brought entirely new discoveries.

Alessio knew what milk was, of course. He often saw it in the grocery store, after all. He just never tasted it before. As a shark, he found drinking a liquid that came from a living animal disgusting. On the other hand, it was indispensable for mammals, especially during their first few years of life.

Alessio would never forget the first time he saw Giulia latched to Bianca's breast, suckling the precious liquid.

After Bianca passed away, he was left with a new dilemma: finding a new source of milk for his three-month-old child. Crimson proved surprisingly helpful in that one by recommending him a brand of baby formula and giving him instructions on how to make it, as well as how to use and wash feeding bottles.

Once the formula was done, Alessio went back upstairs to the nursery. To his surprise, Pietro was tip-toeing on his baby sister's crib. Giulia's crying had diminished somewhat too.

"It's not that hard, Giulia. You just get the food inside your mouth and chew like this. See?"

Alessio approached and looked down at his son curiously. "What are you doing, figlio?"

Pietro looked up at him. He seemed to be eating something.

"I'm trying to teach Giulia how to eat!"

Alessio blinked. Pietro must have misunderstood when he told him that his sister couldn't eat. Still, it was a nice gesture on his part.

"That's nice of you, Pietro." He chuckled, patting the pup's head. "But Giulia can't eat solid food yet. She doesn't have teeth like we do, so she has to drink milk instead."

"Why?"

"It's a... mammalian thing, figlio. It'll help her grow big and strong in the future."

"That sounds cool! Can I have milk too?" Pietro chirped, to which Alessio shook his head with a chuckle.

"Not this type of milk, figlio. It's special for babies like Giulia," he explained as he lifted Giulia from the cradle.

Pietro followed him as he sat down on the rocking couch. After shifting Giulia into a comfortable position to eat, Alessio touched her lips with the teat of the bottle; she instantly latched on and began suckling. He helped Pietro climb onto the couch next to him with his tail.

"Did I get milk when I was little too, Papa?"

"...No, figlio."

"Why not?"

"Because you're a shark. We don't need milk like dolphins do."

"Why?"

"You certainly are a curious little pup, aren't you?" Alessio chuckled. Sharks are not mammals, Pietro. Our kind does not consume milk, nor do we produce it. Instead, we eat lots and lots of fish." He looked down at Giulia. Her little eyes were shuttering, but she continued to eat nonetheless. The sight brought a smile to his face. "Remember that time when Giulia was latched onto your mamma's breast? She was feeding from her milk."

At last, Giulia let go of the bottle and yawned. Alessio accommodated her just like Bianca had taught him and then patted her back firmly.

"What are you doing, papa?"

"Giulia needs to get rid of the air she swallowed while eating, figlio. She can't do it by herself, so we need to give her a little help."

Moments later, Giulia let out a small burp, startling Pietro. Alessio chuckled.

Giulia yawned and lay her head against his chest, eyes blissfully closed. Similarly, Pietro was rubbing his eyes and yawning. Alessio smiled.

"Alright, Pietro, you should go back to bed. It's quite past your bedtime, young man."

After tucking Giulia back into her cradle and kissing her goodnight, Alessio went to tuck Pietro into his own bed.

"...Papa?"

"What is it?"

"Can I taste milk?"

Alessio chuckled. He didn't have the heart to tell him where cardboard milk came from.