Variables | Joshaya ✔︎

Surprise

𝕞𝕒𝕪𝕒

I don't know how my life has turned into what it is now, but it did, so now I have to deal with it. I can do this.

I know I can.

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𝟹 𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜 𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚛

I finish up my double shift at Topanga's, completely exhausted and ready to head home. Today, I went to school, quickly had a one hour, paid tutor session for someone from another school. After that, I had to pick up my little sister, Gabi from school, and drop her off with Cory at the loft, who then brought Gabi back to the apartment and put her to bed at 9. I had to be at this double shift at Topanga's café since I had to cover Riley's shift as well as my own from 3:30 until 9:30. After all of this, all I got was $10 in tips.

I walk home, but when I get to the door of my apartment, I see and hear something I don't really want to. A baby, crying, at our front doorstep. Ugh, welp, what's one more? It's hard enough as it is.

I'm joking, but I guess I have no choice.

I can't just leave this baby here. If I do, I know that sooner or later, I'll regret it.

I swaddle the baby correctly and place it back down into the basket, since it looked like the baby was practically just thrown into a basket with put a blanket on top. I notice that there's a note, but I decide to read it once I get inside and sit down. I pick up the small basket and take it inside the apartment, sitting on the couch and putting it on the coffee table in front of me. I grab the note and read it:

We had a baby a few months ago, it got too hard for us, so now we don't want it. We're not ready for it. So, we heard that you are good at taking care of your children, and that they grew into beautiful people, so we left him here. Thank you, bye.

Seriously? Seriously?! Someone just left their baby in front of my apartment, and didn't even tell us their name? Or even the child's name for that matter? What am I going to do with a baby? It's hard enough for me to raise Gabriella alone, let alone another child?

Speak of the devil.

"Mommy?" I hear Gabi say. I turn around to see her in her footie pajamas and holding her stuffed animal, rubbing her eyes tiredly. My angel.

"Hey sweets, but you know that I don't want you to call me Mommy; I prefer Maya," I correct her, trying really hard to hide how tired I am, and she nods.

"Where were you?" she asked as she walks over to me, "Wait... who's that?"

She points over to the baby in the basket as she sits down, "I was at work, and I'm not entirely sure baby, but what I do know is that he's your new little brother."

Her eyes light up, "Wait, really? I..."

"I know you wanted a little brother, and I think God knew too, so here he is," I say, then I realize that he still doesn't have a name.

"Does he have a name? Do we know his name? What's his name?" she asks curiously as she climbs onto my lap so she can get a better look.

"I don't know Gabi," I admit truthfully. She turns around in shock.

"What do you mean?" she asks, "Doesn't everyone have a name?"

"Well, yeah..." I say, "but I don't know his name, but we can give him a name."

"Auggie!" she exclaims.

"No, we're not naming him Auggie, it'll be too confusing sweetie," I explain.

"What about.... Chocolate! Everyone loves chocolate," she tries again, making me laugh.

"As much as you know that everyone does love chocolate, especially me, we can't name him that," I say, giving up on any advice from a 3 year old as to what to name this baby.

"Dillon?" she asks, making me smile and look down at her, kissing the top of her head.

"Perfect," I say, "His name is Dillon Hunter."

"Yay!" she exclaims, putting her hands up in the air, reminding me of Riley, since she learned it from her. I then realize that I haven't really hung out with Riley or any of the Matthews outside of school in months.

Geez, I'm a bad friend.

But then, the silence that was consumed by my thoughts breaks suddenly with the sound of crying.

"Oh no! Dilly!" Gabi says, trying to reach out to pick him up, but I swiftly pick her up and place her next to me before she does, "I wanna help though..."

"Sorry sweetheart, not right now. Maybe soon though, once he gets used to having us around. Okay?" I say, and she nods, but turns away from me and crosses her arms in a pout.

I pick up Dillon and the crying intensifies. Ugh, this will be a lot harder than I thought; he's already a few months old, which means he is at the point where he was starting to recognize who isn't his parents. I have to start from square one, "Shh shh shhhhh."

I soothingly shush him and rock him in my arms, and soon enough, he's stopped. I then realize, where is he gonna sleep? We never had to get a crib for Gabi, since we got her a little over a year ago, so she didn't need a crib anymore. I can't afford a crib! But I know who can.... or maybe still has one....

ToPANGA.

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Word Count: 952