The Right Life

“Mommy! Daddy! Up!”style="mso-spacerun: yes"> It was no later than seven-thirty in the
morning when Julia crawled up onto her parents’ bed.

A large
yawn emitted from Alex. “Honey, aren’t
you sleepy anymore?”

“No,” Julia
said, a large grin on her face. “Up?”

Alex gently
rubbed Julia’s back. pan>pan>“I think the
birthday girl is ready for her day to start.”

“Come here,
you,” Mort said, pulling his daughter into his arms. She giggled in response.
“Happy birthday, Julia,” he said as he grabbed the remote control.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> He turned on the T.V. that was mounted in
the corner of the room. His voice was
enthusiastic as he said, “Look, cartoons!”
Julia smiled. “How about you
stay here and watch, hm?” There were no
arguments. Mort and Alex slept another
half hour or so before Julia got antsy.

“Daddy?”
she said, tapping Mort’s nose.

“It was a
valiant effort, sweetie,” Alex said, trying to get out of bed.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> “I will not miss this stomach in the
least,” she groaned. Mort got up and
helped his wife out of bed.

“Couple
more weeks, baby,” he said sweetly.

Alex smiled
and kissed his cheek. “Then you’ll have
me back.” She winked and disappeared
into the bathroom.

“Cheer-os?”
Julia asked.

“Cheerios
it is, sweetheart.” Mort scooped Julia
up and took her downstairs. He had just
taken the bright yellow cereal box out of the cupboard when the phone
rang. He picked up the handset and the
caller I.D. read “Unavailable.”
“Nothing like solicitation on a Sunday morning,” he mumbled.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> “Hello?”

Breathing.

“Hello?” he
said again, growing impatient. He then
reed ted the readout on the caller I.D. a few hours earlier – it was the same,
though that did not necessarily mean anything.
Payphones could come up that way, some cell phones…still, the thought
struck him and he went with it. “Is
this the same fu…” He remembered that
Julia was in the room. “…idiot that
called in the middle of the night?”

A muffled
sob?

“Hello?”style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Mort’s voice was more concerned now.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Karen?
Sarah? Was something wrong
with someone he knew? No, why would either
of them… “Are you all right?”style="mso-spacerun: yes"> What else could he say?style="mso-spacerun: yes"> He thought the person was upset or in
trouble.

The voice
was nearly inaudible. “I’m sorry.”style="mso-spacerun: yes"> The phone disconnected.

A prank,
maybe?

Julia’s
tiny voice cut into his thoughts.
“Daddy, cheer-os?”

Mort
turned. “Yes, Julia.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Sorry.”
He poured the cereal into her favorite pink, plastic bowl, then poured a
small amount of milk into it as well.
Julia was content. He decided to
try and push the phone call from his mind.

Alex came
into the kitchen a while later, her hair wet.
She kissed the top of Julia’s head.
“Look at my big girl,” she said sweetly. She caressed her stomach.
“Ooo…Mort, how do you feel about soccer?”

“She’s
awake, huh?” Mort asked, putting his hands on her stomach.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Feeling his unborn daughter kick strongly,
he said, “I think someone’s tired of her studio apartment.”

Alex rolled
her eyes playfully and laughed. “Have
you always been so strangely cute?”

He
smiled. “Maybe.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Are you hungry?”

“I have to
get started with…”

“You’ll get
started with nothing,” Mort interrupted.

“But I…”

“I told you
that I’d take care of everything today.
Karen said she’d be here at ten and …”

“Mort, I…”

“Alex, I was
with you when the doctor told you to take it easy, remember?style="mso-spacerun: yes"> You almost got put on bed rest, or did that
slip your mind?”

She
pretended to pout. “No fair.”

Mort
laughed. “You’re right, baby.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Having a husband who is willing to wait on
you hand and foot and run a toddler’s birthday party is torture, isn’t
it?”

Alex pulled
Mort’s face to hers. “I love you.”

“Enough to
stay put and listen to me?”

“Hmm…I
suppose,” she teased.

“O.K. then,
Rainey Eggs.”

“Rainey
Eggs?” Alex laughed.

Mort smiled
broadly, seeming very proud of what he was about to say.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> “I thought I’d try naming my creations.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Once the baby’s born, I’ll make you a Mort Mamossa.”

Alex put
her face in her hands and laughed at the pure bliss that Mort’s sense of humor
and wording made her feel. He had
moments where he had to have been channeling creativity from his inner
child…and Alex adored those times.
“What’s special about Rainey Eggs?”

Mort draped
a kitchen towel over his arm like a waiter and said, “Ah, as much as the cook
adores his beautiful patron, the secrets of his…” Alex burst out into full fledge laughter, interrupting him.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Mort forced his best “wounded puppy” look
and said, “I put cheese and milk in the scrambled eggs.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> See, milk can be like the rain, and our last
name being Rainey…it was cuter before you laughed at me.”

“Aw, honey,
it’s still cute. Can I have some?”

He looked
at Julia for a moment and began to laugh.
She had finished her cereal and found that her bowl could make a rather bold
fashion statement. She giggled as the
small amount of milk that was left trickled down her face.

“That will
be about a twenty minute wait, madam, I have another patron to attend to at the
moment.” Mort laughed as he carried
Julia upstairs to bathe her.

***

Author’s Note: Yes, it was a rather “cutesy”
chapter, but let’s face it, Mort would be an adorable husband/father.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> More interesting things are to happen, I
swear! I just had to get that out of my
system. Let me know what you
think! (Remember, flaming is bad,
mmmkay?)