The Experiment 2: The Journey

Vacations and Plans

Athena let out a delighted shriek as RJ carried her into the warm water of the pool. She flapped her arms excitedly, hitting the water with her tiny hands and splashing waters everywhere.

"Careful, babe," Dei told him as she watched the two of them fondly from the edge of the pool.

It was the weekend after her birthday and RJ brought them to a resort in Pennsylvania. He rented a private villa there that had one bedroom, a huge bathroom, floor to ceiling windows that offered a view of the Pocono Mountains, and its own heated infinity pool that was overlooking the lakes along the Poconos and the mountains themselves.

They arrived there an hour ago and had decided to take a plunge after just a few minutes of rest. Athena obviously loved swimming and she looked like she was having the time of her life.

Dei swam over to them, pulling Athena's infant swim ring with her - one that had a bear's head at the front - and handed it to RJ. "Let her use this babe, so she can move around more freely."

RJ placed Athena in the baby seat and let her float along as she flapped her arms happily.

"She loves the water so much," he said, laughing. "I thought she was going to get scared at first."

"Well it seems like nothing scares our Athena... Hep! No," Dei said, swimming over to Athena again and removing the bear's ear from her mouth. "Stop trying to eat each stuff you're getting your hands on, Athena," she told her sternly and Athena responded with a series of garbled words. She continued babbling for a few more minutes like she was trying to reason out.

"I can't wait for her to talk," RJ said, swimming closer. "It looks like she has a lot to say."

"She does," Dei said, laughing. "I think we should start hearing her talk as early as six months. I can't wait to find out what her first actual word is going to be."

"I bet it's 'mama'," RJ said. "It's pretty much like that all the time."

Dei shrugged. "Who knows? It could be 'daddy' or 'grandma' since she's with your mom 65% of the time," she said leaning against his chest. She closed her eyes, savoring the feel of the warm water on her skin.

They spent another hour inside the pool until Athena started fussing because she got hungry. She instantly fell asleep after Dei had fed her and they brought her to lunch with them on a stroller.

At mid-afternoon, when Athena was back up from her nap, they went to the huge butterfly house in the middle of the resort and feasted their eyes on the beauty of the trees, the different plants and the assortment of flowers that were now in full bloom. There were more than a hundred butterflies in there too and Athena watched in awe as they landed on her tiny hands. The little one never showed any signs of fear, unlike the other kids... just a sense of wonder that reflected in her bright eyes.

At around 9PM, when Athena was fast asleep again, RJ and Dei decided to lounge around the pool area. They sat on the chaises with cans of beer in their hands and watched the sky full of stars that reflected on the lake below.

"We haven't done this in a while," Dei said as she looked up at the night sky. "Stargazing... it's actually refreshing to be able to see the heavens like this again. We never get this chance in the city. With the lights and smog, it's almost impossible to see the stars anymore."

"You're right," RJ agreed. "Come here," he pulled Dei's hand and let her sit on his lap. She did and she leaned her shoulder against his chest.