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Josh woke before Theo and crept downstairs. He put on a pot of coffee to brew and when it was done poured himself a cup and sat down on the couch in the living room. He turned on the TV, lowered the volume and flipped through the channels slowly. When he got to A&E History channel he paused on Unsolved History. He used to love to watch it when he had lots of time to spend hanging out in front of the screen but lately he’d been too busy what with first and foremost baby, then appearances, stray concerts, and now recording his new album. He stared at the screen but before long his eyes went out of focus and his mind took center stage. He had been thrilled at the birth of his daughter, Claire but being a parent was so very tiring. He could hardly keep his eyes open in the studio and had to re-record one simple song every day for a week before he could get it right. And then there was Teddy, she had turned into a cranky monster. What was up with that? He had friends who were parents and their wives were fine. Teddy was constantly nagging him about one thing or another. And she accused him of not helping enough. Well let her go out and record an album and see how easy that was! As long as he’s bringing home the bacon she should be taking care of the baby without complaint. He frowned. That sure was an old fashioned thought and it surprised him that he would even consider it. No, he knew he should help out more but the sleep was an issue. He couldn’t function without the proper amount of sleep. The whole European tour was evidence of that. He felt like he’d spent the greatest amount of time there trying to catch up on sleep rather then enjoying the fact that he was overseas and in different, very interesting countries. He was brought out of his trance by the sounds of Claire’s cry. He was going to get up when he heard Teddy’s feet padding her way to the nursery. He figured he would let her feed the baby and then go and see both of them. He sipped his hot coffee and sighed to himself. Well, he had it all, a beautiful woman, now the mother of his equally as beautiful child, a new home, a fantastic career. What more could he ask for? How about some sleep? He rubbed his eyes. They were tired and itchy. He yawned. His whole body was tired. Both his mom and Teddy’s mom had offered to stay over and help take care of the baby but after a few days Teddy was getting tired of that too. Why would she drive away help and then complain that he wasn’t helping enough. Had she been a little more tolerant of the moms then she would have plenty of help. He stretched his arms out in front of him, hands balled into fists, flexing his aching muscles when suddenly he felt arms around his shoulders. Teddy leaned down and kissed his neck. He lightly stroked her soft skin and allowed her more of his neck. She kissed until she finally bit down. He jumped.
“There’s coffee.” He said as she left him and made her way out to the kitchen.
“You know I can’t have anything with caffeine in it.” She said.
“Yeah, Teddy, I do know that. Do you think I’m that insensitive? I made decaf. It’s better for me too.” He sighed. Really it wasn’t better for him, without the caffeine he had even more trouble staying awake.
“Well then thank you, I think I will have a cup.” She said loudly.
“Where’s Claire?” Josh asked looking around for the carrier and not seeing anything.
“I put her back in her crib.” He could hear Teddy’s spoon clinking around and around in her cup as she stirred the sugar into it. Josh bounded up the stairs to find his baby, arms and legs moving in circles in the crib.
“Hey pretty baby.” He said in his best playful voice. He reached in and pulled her to himself. He kissed her nose, her cheek, and then her forehead. She made a tiny squeaking noise. “Your mean momma didn’t even bring you down so I could see you today.” He kissed her little pouty lips and then carried her downstairs where he could cuddle with her on the couch. Theo joined them a few minutes later. She smiled when she saw Claire and her daddy bonding.
“Are you hungry, honey?” Theo asked. Josh looked thoughtfully over to her, pursed his lips and then nodded.
“Yeah, I guess I am.” Theo got up and headed back to the kitchen.
“Have a taste for anything special?” She asked.
“Nope, anything will be fine.”
“Need a refill on your coffee?” He told her he could use one. She came and got his cup, refilled it with coffee, cream, and sugar then brought it back. “So what in the world were you dreaming about last night? It was pretty funny.” He frowned and thought if there was something specific he had been dreaming about. He heard Theo jostling pans in the other room.
“I don’t know. I don’t remember dreaming about anything.” He said. He heard her snicker. He cradled Claire in his arms and sauntered into the kitchen. “What are you laughing about?” She had a sly smile on her face. He could only imagine what he’d done or said.
“Nothing. You were just funny that’s all.” He leaned back against the counter.
“Look at her, Claire, making fun of your daddy and she won’t even tell me what it’s about.” Theo laughed out loud.
“You were talking about cookies in your sleep.” He made a face.
“Cookies? Like computer cookies or eating cookies?” He asked. Theo kept a watchful eye on the eggs she was cooking.
“I would say eating cookies.” He laughed out loud at that.
“You’re kidding? I was talking about eating cookies in my sleep?” Theo snickered. “That’s just weird.”
“You’re telling me.” She said. Josh grabbed Claire’s carrier seat and set her down on the table as the two ate their breakfast.
“Matt’s having a barbecue tomorrow and he wants us to come.” Josh said breaking the silence that had settled between them. Matt was a friend from high school whom he’d kept in touch with. He lived just down the road with his wife, a gorgeous model from the pages of Cosmo magazine and their six month old daughter, Benny. He caught Theo rolling her eyes. “Now what was that for? Tell me you don’t want to go …” She eyed him cautiously.
“Not really.” Theo said quietly.
“Why?” Josh put down his fork and waited for her reply. She sighed audibly.
“Well it’s just that …” She hesitated.
“What?” She sipped her coffee and didn’t answer. “Teddy, we need to get out, you need to get out. We both need the interaction of other people. Please say you’ll go.” He reached out and took her cool hand in his. She smiled forcefully and nodded. He smiled. “Good. You and Janie will get along great, after all you two have something in common – baby girls.” She nodded but Josh could tell she wasn’t happy about it. He didn’t care. They both needed to get out, to get away from the house and talk to other people. It would be healthy for their relationship as well as their psyche.
