Family

Wait, What?

It was hours later that another incident occurred.

To Heather's eternal relief, her parents had managed to remain civil enough throughout suppertime, meaning that it was actually somewhat pleasant. Other than the fact that, with so many people talking at once, it was nigh on impossible to get a word in, never mind have an actual conversation.

Not that Heather was all that bothered. She just did what she always did at these reunions: stick with Mia, and occasionally congregate with a few of her other cousins.

Like right now. Heather sat on one end of brown couch in her grandparents' living room, her knees pressed again Mia thigh as they took up the space. On the other end of the couch sat Devin, Heather's cousin from her father's side. Whenever Heather bothered to look up from her pointless phone searches, it was to see Devin sitting with her cheek cradled in his hand, bored gaze roving around the room. Every once in awhile, Devin's eyes would land on the window across from him, where a few of the younger cousins were keeping themselves entertained outdoors. A smile would play on his lips for a couple of seconds, before he went back to surveying the rest of the room.

Sated yet bored, Heather looked back her phone, scrolling through some more pictures she didn't really care about. Perhaps she and Mia should run into town or something––Devin could come, too. They could all get ice cream. It would certainly be more entertaining than ignoring each other while they played on their phones.

Decision made, Heather looked over at Mia. "Hey, do you wanna––"

"Heather," a voice sounded from behind her. Heather turned to see her Aunt Paula approach, with her black hair curled and flawless, her adorable daughter, Layla, perched on her hip. "Your mother and I were thinking of going for a walk. Would you mind watching Layla for me?"

Before Heather could even begin to respond, she found herself with an armful of her baby cousin, gazing down at her in complete bewilderment.

"Wait," Heather began, "I'm not––"

She was met with a closing door.

What was this? Heather thought, turning to meet Layla's confused blue eyes. Why ask Heather to look after the baby, when Devin, who was great with kids, was sitting right there?

Was it Aunt Paula had stereotypical ideas of people's gender roles? Heather wasn't exactly thrilled about kids. She'd only ever babysat two kids on a regular basis when she was younger. And was only because they were well-behaved, and liked Heather as much as she liked them.

Beside her, Mia made a sound as though she was trying to stifle a laugh. "Wow, she doesn't know at all, does she?"

Heather smiled wryly in response, adjusting her arms so that Layla's head was properly supported. She'd always considered herself feminine, for the most part, but when it came to kids, she was generally at a loss. What if Layla started crying, and she had no idea what to do?

Well, in that case, Heather would probably find someone who did know what to do. Hopefully, Aunt Paula would be back before that happened.

But this, Heather thought, smiling a bit awkwardly at Layla, this was okay.

Or not. As if sensing Heather's discomfort, crystalline tears started to gather in Layla's eyes, giving an angelic, if alarming appearance. Heather barely had time to start bouncing Layla gently before the little girl started crying.

Biting her lip, Heather stood up, starting to walk in a slow circle in a desperate attempt to calm Layla. She must have been doing something wrong because her efforts were proving fruitless. Layla was beginning to look a bit red in the face, which did nothing for Heather's nerves.

"What's wrong, honey?" Heather asked. She didn't think Layla needed a change, and it was surely too soon for her to be hungry again. Right? So what was it? Did she––

As if responding to her (or Layla's) distress, Devin was suddenly in front of her, arms held out. Behind him, Mia appeared with a baby bottle in hand.

"I can take her," Devin offered, his voice low, meant to calm. Heather handed Layla over almost immediately.

She wasn't sure how to feel when Layla instantly calmed down, gazing at Devin with wide eyes.

If Devin ever got married, Heather thought, his relationship with his wife would surely be an androgynous one.

"I've heard that babies can sense when you're uncomfortable," Mia commented, a teasing lilt in her voice. "Guess it's true."

"Shut up," Heather said without any real heat. She watched Devin walk with Layla in his arms, humming something she didn't recognize. The sight was quite soothing, she found.

If Layla had more people like Devin in her life, Heather thought, her social learning would go just fine.

Glossary

Stereotype: An idea (or expectation) of a person or thing.

Gender role: Perceived roles based on one's gender, normalized by cultural norms.

Feminine: How women are expected to act, based on people's idea of femininity.

Androgyny: When one takes on both male and female roles; less concern with taking on roles based on one's gender.

Social learning (theory): To learn how to be male or female (learn behaviors) based on outside influences, such as other people and media.