Joel's Babe

Chapter 5: The Part When She Doesn't Stop Crying

"Uh...Joel, it's Rori. Rori Matthews, your roommate, best-friend and uh...apparently your baby-sitter. You seriously need to come and get your child. I have, literally, six meetings consecutively. And I can't bring her in there and I need to be in there to--I don't know--do my fucking job! Joel if you don't answer your phone and come get your fucking kid--I swear to God I will beat your ass blue! Call me back when you get this."

Aurora slammed her company phone on the hook and looked down to find Olive mindlessly playing with a stapler. Rori jumped when she watched it snap back into place almost trapping Olive's finger.

"Jesus, how did you get that." She grabbed the stapler with the swiftness and lifted Olive on to her lap. She started to whine which broke our into a rupturing cry. People around the office frowned at Rori and Olive. "Shh...Olive. Please be quiet, baby." She bounced her on her lap. But, Olive wailed and fat tears streaked her fleshy cheeks. She pat her back to comfort her. After five minutes of continuous wailing from a distressed Olive, Mr. Nobles snatches his office door open and storms over to Aurora's cubicle. Rori heard him before she saw him.

"Aurora, do I look a fucking day-care center? Does this look like a place to keep your random offspring?" Mr. Nobles practically screamed, which put Olive under more tremendous stress which led her to wail even louder than before. Rori couldn't figure out the issue, it puzzled her to no end: she tried to feed her, she checked for accidents and tried to entice her with her toys and pacifiers.

"N-No, Sir." She stuttered, Olive was screaming in one ear and Mr.Nobles screamed in the other.

"Get her the fuck out of here." He clenched his jaw. She nodded, she may have hated the way Mr. Nobles talked to her and her...God-child? But, she needed the job and the experience to be a kickass lawyer. She stood up and took her diaper bag and rushed to the elevators. Olive wailed her lungs out as she left. In the elevator, Rori put on the baby back-pack contraption Joel had on earlier. She slipped a wailing Olive in and rushed out of the front doors of the building. She practically ran about 20 blocks to the Pink Eel with a stressed baby in tow. She ran to the back entrance and knocked on a door that was labeled 'Private.' A very intimadating man of 6'3" pushed open the door and glared at her. She glared back with the same intensity.

"What Aurora! Come to preach to my girls about self-respect and morals again?"

"Quite opposite, Marshall, I came to talk to Joel." That's when Marshall heard the annoying cries of the infant between her bosom. He smirked.

"Ah, I see you got knocked up. Ya'know, I saw it coming a mile away."

"Shut up, Marshall. And this baby is Caucasian, I don't know if you noticed this but, I'm kinda black."

"Whatever--"

"Marshall, with all due respect, I need you to either get the hell out of my way or get Joel's flat ass over here."

Marshall Dailey was a man of very few emotions but, many lovers. Considering, none of his relationships with women never lasted past two weeks. Marshall is twenty-two and in love with a bronze little vixen with a baby strapped to her chest. He met her not too long after hiring Joel. She wore a short denim skirt with a loose-fitting top that day. Don't be mistaken, it definitely wasn't love at first sight--he hated her. He hated how confident she was and how connected she was with Joel. He knew she would never be one of his "girls" because she had dreams and ambitions. She wanted to be a lawyer--she wanted to fix people long-term. And he admired that, but would never admit that to her face. Because he "technically" still hated her...even though he didn't...it was complicated.

She stared at him as he openly gazed in her eyes. She rolled her eyes and pushed past Marshall and walked through the threshold. He didn't stop her.

"Joel...Joel!" She saw him by the bar talking to Cinna, one of the Pink Eel's finest strippers. She was truly fantastic. She also wasn't bad to get to know. She had two kids, Dublin and Paris--she named after the cities they were conceived in. For a woman who had two kids, her body looked better than Rori's. Slim waist, blonde tresses, and glowing blue eyes. And most importantly, no husband or boyfriend. Cinna told good jokes and had an air about her Joel couldn't pin-point but, it was refreshing. Joel enjoyed her company.

Rori sped walked over to them, "Joel!" She barked. Rori didn't feel bad for ruining their moment. Cinna broke into a sincere smile when she saw Rori and smiled even wider when she saw Olive.

"Oh, how precious!" Olive cried even louder when Cinna tried to pick her up. Joel grabbed Rori by her elbow and pulled off to the side so they could talk.

"What the fuck is my baby doing here?" Joel whispered.

"Exactly, Joel, YOUR baby. Not mine." Olive wailed louder.

"Why can't you just do what I say?" Rori felt this raw anger boil and start to overflow.

"Because I'm not a fucking dog! I've got a job to take care off, not a baby!"

"I needed this favor--"

"Think about how many favors you've done for me since Olive. I stay up late. I change the diapers. I feed her. I'm like her fucking mother."

"What are you talking about? I was off for two weeks and I took care of her. She's my baby, I take care of her."

"Then, why the fuck do I have to bring her to work and risk losing my job? I didn't have unprotected sex with some random woman and impregnate her." Rori shot back.

Joel couldn't find an answer. He knew Rori didn't sign up for this and he was sorry.

That's when Rori had an idea. She forgot to try the one thing that almost works one-hundred percent of the time: singing. Olive loved when Rori sang to her. Rori took Olive out of her baby pouch and laid her across her chest and bounced. Joel looked puzzled.

Aurora opened her mouth and sang a sultry version of My Funny Valentine.

"... My Funny Valentine...Sweet comic Valentine..." It was Rori's all time favorite song and it was rapidly becoming Olive's. Olive watched Rori with tired eyes. Joel watched with wide eyes as Rori sung to his baby. He saw her eyes glow and her throat vibrate with each pitch. He loved to watch and listen to her sing--he wished she did it more often. Olive's cries died down to little whimpers until it stopped completely and she drifted to sleep. Rori sighed.

"You're welcome." She said as she handed back his baby. She turned to walk away.

"Wait! Where are you going?"

"Back to work."

"Why?"

"Why? Because time is money, Joel, you know that. See you at home."

"Wait! What am I supposed to do?"

She shrugs, "Does it look like I know?"