The next Luna City installment will be called A Half Dozen of Luna City – and herewith a snippet of one of the stories.)<\/p>\n
Five Men and a Baby
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The whole thing came up at the last minute,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Joe Vaughn groaned. He sat at one of the picnic tables out in back of the VFW, while a mild spring breeze stirred the leaves of the monumental sycamore tree overhead. Sitting in a monumental car-seat\/baby carrier\/rocker set on the table top, the infant Little Joe sucked on his tiny pink fist and regarded those gathered for guest night with eyes which had already gone as dark as blackberries. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been subpoenaed to testify in a court case \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Monday in San Antonio. Not in Karnesville, which would be a walk in the park. God knows how long the trial will drag on; guarantee I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be sitting on my ass in the Bexar County courthouse for a week, at least.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t see what the problem is,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d replied Richard, sitting across from Joe and nursing a very respectable ale produced by a local small brewer. Really, he reflected privately \u00e2\u20ac\u201c there were subtle advantages to this place, which no one coming from the outside would ever have considered. It was guest night at the VFW; he was enjoying the ale, and the company of Joe, Berto, Chris, Sylvester Gonzalez, and Jerry Walcott.
\nJoe sighed, heavily for dramatic effect. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Baby-sitting, Ricardo. Jess is away at the Methodist women\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s retreat as of yesterday \u00e2\u20ac\u201c until next Sunday.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153So?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Richard sank another satisfying draft of ale and ventured a friendly wink at Little Joe \u00e2\u20ac\u201c who merely chomped again on his baby fist and scowled in reply.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Everyone \u00e2\u20ac\u201c that is, every one of our female kin is also on that same retreat,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Joe answered glumly. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Every single one of them. Even Miss Letty \u00e2\u20ac\u201c she would advise me as to who would be a good fill-in. Pat and Araceli chose this weekend for a get-away to the coast for some relaxation, or I would ask them. Look, guys \u00e2\u20ac\u201c this is Jess and mine own first-born child. Handing him off to strangers, or giggly teenagers for a week is just not an option.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Tell me about it,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Richard acknowledged in a morose tone of voice. Beatriz and Blanca were filling in adequately, as far as front of the house service went \u00e2\u20ac\u201c between giggling, and Robbie Walcott helped out at the back \u00e2\u20ac\u201c but dammit, this was a disruption to his routine! Richard did not welcome disruptions, or handle them gracefully when they occurred.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153What about your parents?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Berto Gonzales asked, in a tone of voice which suggested an attempt at being helpful.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Off on a Caribbean cruise,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Joe replied, dolefully. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153They flew out yesterday \u00e2\u20ac\u201c not back until two weeks.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d He fetched up a deep sigh, from the very core of his being. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Screwed, blued and tattooed, guys. I need a babysitter for Little Joe \u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 else I am taking him into the Bexar County Courthouse every day, and giving him to the bailiff to hold, when I am called to the witness stand.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the problem with that?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Berto asked, in genuine curiosity, and Joe sighed again.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Look \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the bailiffs aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t there to do that job. And anyway \u00e2\u20ac\u201c have you seen the stuff you have to take along with a baby? They search everything. It will take me half the day just to get through security at the courthouse alone. God \u00e2\u20ac\u201c think of the bugs that he would be exposed to! Just from being in that old building, with all those people! He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s too young to be exposed to all those viral cruds; kindergarten is soon enough.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re so small,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d mused Sylvester, dapper in his usual retro-nerd wardrobe \u00e2\u20ac\u201c today a pair of classic chinos and a fetching short-sleeved aloha shirt printed with images of palm trees, surfers and pineapples. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Babies, I mean \u00e2\u20ac\u201c but all their stuff! It takes up so much space!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Tell me about it,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Joe grunted. Under the table was a diaper and sundries bag the size of a small steamer trunk.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We could take care of him for you, Joe,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Jerry Walcott was home in Luna City for the weekend; a gentle and competent late-twenty-something, who worked as a nurse at the Karnesville Medical Center. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Seriously,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Jerry added, in serene response to the skeptical looks on the faces of the other men at the table. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I did my last rotation in pediatrics. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be a gas to look after a healthy kid. Serious, you guys.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I can help, Berto offered. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s spring break. I gotta help Papi at the garage during the day, though.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m done at the Tip-Top \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcbout half-past five every evening,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Chris ventured, thoughtfully. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153And Ricardo \u00e2\u20ac\u201c you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re free in the afternoons, aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t you?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Well\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Richard temporized. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m busy at the Caf\u00c3\u00a9 from about five in the morning until after lunch.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We can do it in shifts,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Sylvester pulled out a small spiral notebook. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153When are you done at the hospital, Jerry?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Six AM,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Jerry replied, and Richard protested, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Look, chaps \u00e2\u20ac\u201c I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know anything about caring for infants. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve barely worked up to having a cat\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Nothing to it,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Jerry answered. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Bottle at one end, clean diapers at the other, keep them from being too hot or too cold\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153A piece of cake, as long as I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t confuse one end with the other,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Richard meant to sound derisive, but both Berto and Jerry were impervious to sarcasm, and in any case, Sylvester was already mapping out a schedule.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Ok, five of us \u00e2\u20ac\u201c we can cover the baby-sitting duties round the clock. Four hours and forty-five minutes each \u00e2\u20ac\u201c no sweat.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nIn the space of five minutes and another round of drinks, Sylvester had worked out a rotation, while Jerry gave a swift demonstration of applying a bottle to the appropriate end of Little Joe and a diaper (accompanied by hygienic wipes and sticky white diaper-rash ointment) to the other. Berto and Sylvester volunteered to spend their nights at Joe and Jess\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s house for their shifts \u00e2\u20ac\u201c \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Hey, the kid can sleep nights in his own bed, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dckay?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. At around 6:30, when Jerry got home from the hospital, he would take Little Joe for nearly five hours. Then \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it would be Richard\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s turn, for the afternoon, until Chris finished at the Tip-Top. The plan had Chris delivering Little Joe home to Sylvester and Berto after supper, to begin the whole cycle again. Still, Joe\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s expression as he looked around the table, and regarded his offspring was one torn between gratitude and worry.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I owe you guys,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he confessed at last. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153But I dunno about handing him around like a hot potato. I mean, Jess will have a conniption fit\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Babies thrive on the stimulation,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Jerry said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153And doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t Jess take him with her, when does her client consultations?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yes, but \u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t see the difference,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Jerry said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153If he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s used to it, he probably likes it.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nRichard had a feeling that Joe didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t precisely agree \u00e2\u20ac\u201c but in the face of a workable solution, he had no other choice.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll start on Monday,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Sylvester folded away his notebook, after writing down a copy of the schedule for everyone else. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Any questions?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nRichard briefly considered asking for release from the rota \u00e2\u20ac\u201c but then he considered Little Joe, and his own long-term plans to inculcate an appreciation for good food into a younger generation \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and really, how much younger could you get than a six-month old? This merited careful consideration, but when he asked it of the table, both Jerry and Joe laughed.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153At this age? Rice cereal, and not much of it,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Jerry replied, and Joe snorted.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Mother\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s milk. No \u00e2\u20ac\u201c really. The fridge is full \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Jess began stocking up weeks ago.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Moth \u00e2\u20ac\u201c oh, I see,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Richard considered that he had already looked enough of an idiot in front of the others; best now enjoy the weekend, before flinging himself into the baby-minding rota.<\/p>\n
He had nearly forgotten about it all \u00e2\u20ac\u201c or at least, shoved the trepidations to the farthest and most neglected corner of his mental attic, when the Caf\u00c3\u00a9\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s door opened and shut to a musical jingle, and Jerry appeared, with the baby \u00e2\u20ac\u201c a tiny pink-faced morsel dwarfed by a monumental stroller. Richard could verily swear that he had seen smaller motorcycle sidecars. The enormous necessity bag was stowed at the back of the stroller. With some difficulty, Jerry maneuvered it through the dining room and into the kitchen. Richard was there alone; Robbie and the girls having capably dealt with the with the most immediate pressing post-lunch-rush chores.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Here we are!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Jerry announced. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Little Joe is all ready to spend quality time with Unca Richard.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d He almost succeeded in concealing a yawn. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s already had his midday bottle \u00e2\u20ac\u201c you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll want to give him another just before five. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s in the side pocket of his ditty-bag with an ice-pack to keep cold. Just warm it up before you give it to him. Blood warm is about the right temperature. Remember, how I showed you how to hold him for feeding? Yeah, that. Remember to burp him, when he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s done \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and check his diaper, too \u00e2\u20ac\u201c he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll probably poop again, just to make room for the fresh intake.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153What do I do with the little \u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 little tyke until then?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Richard demanded. He had almost made himself forget his promised child-minding obligation.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153No idea,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Jerry yawned again. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Talk to him. Play simple games, pay attention to him, stimulate his imagination. That is, when he isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t sleeping, eating, or pooping. Use your own \u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 sorry \u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 imagination. See you tomorrow, the same time. Chris will take over from you at five-thirty.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Upon delivering this dispiriting intelligence, Jerry took himself out the door \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the bell chiming musically. Little Joe and Richard looked at each other.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Goosh,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d commented Little Joe, blowing a spit-bubble. It sounded philosophical; neither hostile or overly-affectionate.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The same to you, my little man,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Richard replied. Well, that took care of the social niceties. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Look, sport \u00e2\u20ac\u201c you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re a little young to become a kitchen apprentice. And I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m told that \u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 well, you aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t quite old enough to start cultivating a sophisticated palate. How about just keeping me company while I prep for tomorrow?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Goob-gurgle,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d replied Little Joe with perfect amiability.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Right then,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Richard said, and fetched one of the three high-chairs from the front of the house, setting it up next to the big all-purpose table which served as prep-space. Summoning up all of his nerve and silently sending up a prayer to the heavens that he not inadvertently damage the little sprout in any way, shape or form \u00e2\u20ac\u201c since Joe and Jess between them had the capacity and will to inflict horrific damage on anyone who harmed a single one of the barely-visible hairs on the head of their tiny offspring \u00e2\u20ac\u201c he lifted Little Joe from the stroller and settled him into the high chair. Regarding his handiwork, Richard thought the infant was sagging a little too far to one side in the chair \u00e2\u20ac\u201c which would accommodate a much larger child. A pair of small cushions wedged in on either side of Little Joe did the trick. The two of them regarded each other solemnly across the worktable, and Richard continued his prepping for the following day\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s business.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Cinnamon rolls,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Richard ventured. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s cinnamon rolls for tomorrow.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Goo-goosh!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d commented Little Joe, and Richard was heartened. Didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t Jerry advise talking to the little sprout? Stimulate his development, or some such child-rearing mumbo-jumbo. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re a mainstay at the Caf\u00c3\u00a9, don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t you know \u00e2\u20ac\u201c well, you should. I think your Mum had one every morning. So \u00e2\u20ac\u201c here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the dough for them. Been rising in the warmer for a couple of hours. Now, this is the mixture that goes onto the dough, once I have patted it out just so. Light on the flour, by the way\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he continued in this vein, as if he were explaining and training a new apprentice, as he worked the dough with the expertise of long practice, and the yeasty odor of newly-risen dough filled the workspace. Little Joe was even drooling a bit. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Pity you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re just not old enough for a taste,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Richard commiserated. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Never mind, young-chappie-my-lad; soon enough, soon enough.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The next Luna City installment will be called A Half Dozen of Luna City – and herewith a snippet of one of the stories.) Five Men and a Baby \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The whole thing came up at the last minute,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Joe Vaughn groaned. He sat at one of the picnic tables out in back of the VFW, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,75,542],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8943","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-domestic","category-literary-good-stuff","category-luna"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ncobrief.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8943","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ncobrief.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ncobrief.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncobrief.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncobrief.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8943"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ncobrief.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8943\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ncobrief.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncobrief.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8943"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncobrief.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}