When we show up to the new apartment it is filled with boxes. I can barely get through the door. I hold August close and squeeze through the entrance which they'd blocked with boxes. Will and Nat were negotiating where to put the couch and I laughed.
"The couch goes by the patio doors." I say and they both turn their heads at the sound of my voice. Obviously they were bickering too loudly to hear the door open.
"Got it."one of them called. I couldn't tell which one, Nat sounded a lot like his father.
"Did you at least put the baby boxes in the baby room?"I ask.
"Some of them!" Nat answers.
"Okay!" I yell back. "They are crazy aren't they?" I tell August. I walk in the baby room with August cooing at my side. "Look, this is going to be your room!" I say. I noticed I've started talking to her more. I read that if you talk to them and narrate what you're doing they'll learn more, faster. I see the rug rolled up against the wall. I set August down and roll the carpet out for her and set her on it. "There you go!" I look around the room. Her crib is on the wrong wall but I smile and push it to the center wall. Then her cubical and dresser on the right wall and her toy basket and laundry basket to the left of her crib. She sat quietly with her stuffed animals on the floor, the occasional giggle would slip. After about two hours of sorting clothes into her cubical and dresser, Nat came in and handed me lunch that he'd gotten on his way back. I lifted August and set her in her highchair by the table. I tried to ignore all the boxes as I ate but I realized I'd packed all of Augusts jar foods and I needed to get them out. So I multi-tasked. I ate and searched through the kitchen boxes while feeding August her last bit of apple and bananas that was in the diaper bag from earlier, and ate my grilled chicken salad. Then I did all of that and sorted the jars of baby food and cabinet items that we could put up.
"That's the last thing you need to get from the barn." I tell Nat over the phone. "Everything from the fridge and that's it. Throw out what we don't need."
"What don't we need?"
"Things that are almost empty and or things that are past expiration date. Yes that means the last bit of milk that is in there. Then take out the garbage from that and we're good. I'll go back sometime this week and clean up so mom doesn't have too."
"Got it, anything else?"
"Nope."
"Okay, I love you."
"Love you too." at that moment August squealed. "Sounds like she wanted to say she loves you." I put the phone to her ear. "It's daddy say hey!" I said in my baby voice. She giggled and squealed more. "I'll see you soon, bye!" we hung up. After a while she started kicking her chair and fussing, so I sat her in her bouncer and that took care of that. I put plates and food in the cabinets and silverware in drawers. Clothes in drawers. Blankets on the bed and couch and then extras in the closet.
I could tell when I looked over at August that she was getting tired. I mean we had been moving all day and we both needed a nap. Plus, I hadn't had a real nights sleep in so long. I was so exhausted that I just picked her up, warmed up a bottle and took her in my room. I set pillows around the edge of the bed and lay her wrapped in her cocoon of a blanket next to it in the middle. I unfolded the fleece blanket from the end of the bed and lifted it over us though not over either of our faces. I put my arm around her and held her protective at my side. I looked at her, her eyes drooping as she drank from the bottle I held for her. I smiled. My eyes drooped too, I waited until she stopped drinking and fell asleep to even close my eyes. Even blinking was hard when you are that tired. So I kept my eyes closed and slept.
"Hey..." I heard a whisper and felt something tickle at my ear. I wiggled away a bit. "Elle?" I wake up and turn around.
"Hmm?" I say sleepily.
"I'm sorry, I didn't want to wake you or her, but I just wanted you to know I was back." He kissed me. "And I brought dinner." I grinned and turned back to August, slipping my arm from around her and setting a pillow where I was so she wouldn't fall. I followed Nat into the living room/dining room hypnotized by the smell of food. I didn't realize I was that hungry, didn't I just eat lunch?
"What time is it?" I sweep hair from my face and sat down at the table.
"It's about seven I think." he grabbed plates and cups, and brought them to the table. "I figured pizza would be good for tonight so neither one of us had to cook or do anything." he smiled and set a plate and cup in front of me. "I got ice tea too, your favorite."
"Thanks." I yawn. "I didn't mean to sleep so long but I was so tired, I put August down for a nap and decided to take one too." he opened the two pizza boxes. "And pizza sounds delicious." I say. "Did you get pineapple and olives on pepperoni?"
"Of course I did!" I smile, of course he did, he wouldn't forget my favorite pizza.
"Oh and look we can both have a banana pepper." I laugh. Last time we had pizza from there we fought over who should get the banana pepper.
"Hey I gave you the last one!" we laughed. He pulled out his phone and then turned the screen to me while holding a piece of pizza in his other hand. "Look at how adorable you two are." He shows me a picture he must have just taken before waking me up. I looked so young when I was asleep, I thought at first glance and then I realized that both me and August slept with our left arms over our heads. Maybe it was just a coincidence but it sure was adorable. We ate for a while, talking about furniture placement and such and then I said; "Is it weird that I finally feel like an adult, like a real adult here in our apartment."
"Not really, I mean I feel the same way." It was getting late and I sighed. We were in the kitchen now.
"When do you go in tomorrow?" I asked he sighed too.
"From nine to five, as usual. But hey it'll be okay, at least I like what I do and I get to come home to you."
"I know I just miss you sometimes, especially now..." I'm sitting on counter while he washed our dishes. "They're going to let you off Saturdays now right? Particularly this Saturday, for the service."
"They'll have to, I won't miss it. Never." He was done now. He was looking up at me with his hands on my waist.
"I love you." I say. "You're to good to me, you know."
"No I don't know what you're talking about." He sweeps me off the counter and into the living room. "You deserve to be treated like a queen."
"I know." I say.
"Your cocky sometimes." he laughs.
"We both know that." I smile and then kiss him. But then he tickles me and GAME OVER. "Oh no, no, no. Don't you dare." he does it again and then we are laughing and being loud.
"Shhh."He tells me. "You'll wake August." that smile.
"Me?"I poke him.
"Yes you." we laugh more. But soon we realize our responsibilities and I get back in bed and wait on him to get out of his shower. I managed to move August into her crib in her room without waking her which surprised me.
When he finally gets in bed I'm almost asleep so I snuggle up to him with my hand on his chest and fall back asleep.
YOU ARE READING
Skinny Love
Teen Fiction'A teenage girl comes face to face with her past and must deal with its consequences.' Ella got pregnant at seventeen, by her best friend but he doesn't know about it. Instead of telling him she changed schools and took on a new life where no one kn...
