Ripe

Epilogue.

♪Epilogue Song♪

"End of the Road" by MGK

(I do not own this song)

***

EPILOGUE

"LENNY, PLEASE TAKE your glasses off so I can wash your face and hair," I plead as I gently try to remove his thick frames from his face. My baby boy shakes his head animatedly, snatching his Hulk action figure from the bottom of the shallow water at the base of the tub.

"No, Mommy."

'No' was his first word, which was said first approximately three and a half years ago. He's just as stubborn as his father. I love them both to pieces, but they're oh, so stubborn! It's hard to believe that this personality trait wasn't passed down to Lenny from Andrew. They're behavior is so similar that, at random times, I'll accidentally call Lenny 'Andrew', and Andrew 'Lenny'.

Only does my baby show the personality traits he inherited from me when he wants something to do. Last night, before he took his evening bath, he asked for his crayons and markers. He's very creative, always doing something that involves color. He won a contest in Pre-Kindergarten last week, it was for coloring within the lines and using an analogous color scheme.

This brings a smile to my face. He's intelligent; Lenny absorbs just about everything he learns. When Andrew and I went to pick him up, he got in the car and talked all about analogous colors and how he won. He was so proud of himself. We were so proud of him.

I stand on my knees, reaching over the edge of the bathtub's wall. From my fingertips to just above my elbows, I'm soaked in soapy water. This is every day, but I don't mind it. As long as he's getting clean, I'm satisfied.

"I'll be right back," I tell Lenny. He seems to ignore me, too absorbed in his toy.

I stand up, drying my hands on my jeans, and pull my phone from my back pocket as I move to outside of the bathroom door. I tap Andrew's cell number on the screen and wait as it rings. It doesn't take long for him to pick up.

"Hey, Will," he greets. I can hear the nonchalant smile on his face. His work environment is usually very quiet. He works as an adoption law attorney, and though he gets many case requests, he easily has free time to talk.

"Lenny's refusing to take off his glasses again," I say, biting my lip. "Can you talk to him, please? Because he's not listening to me. Again."

Andrew can always convince Lenny to do what he's told, whereas I can't. It's unbelievably frustrating, but at least he listens to one of his parents.

I hear a soft snort from his end and I roll my eyes. "Yeah, put him on, lovebug."

I waste not time in putting the phone on speaker. I step back into the bathroom and sit on the rim of the wall of the bathtub.

"Lenny, honey, your Dad wants to talk to you."

"Dad!" Lenny says, automatically loosing interest in his toy. He drops in back into the shallow water with no hesitation. It used to make me so jealous, still does every now and then, but it doesn't bug me as much anymore.

"Hey, Lenny! Are you taking a bath?"

Lenny looks at the phone as if he can practically see Andrew. "Yes, Dad."

"You're growing up so fast. I remember when you couldn't bathe yourself at all. Remember that?" Andrew says. I can hear the smile in his words, a smile too contagious.

Lenny and I are prone to it.

Lenny's eyes squint in delight. "No, I was too little, Dad."

They both start laughing at the same time. It's a beautiful sound. Every time I hear it, I can't help but show a big, goofy grin. I clear my throat, trying to get back to the matter at hand.