Member-only story
On Baby Time
A short story for Fiction Friday
Cassy moved slowly, as if underwater. It was strange; she was used to moving so fast that she hardly felt the ground beneath her — charging around, meeting deadlines for her editor; her sky-high heels making her feel as though she was about to lift off. Now, with her heels packed away, the ground was soft and solid under the full length of her size 8’s. And it was good — most days. Other days reminded her of the aqua jogging she’d tried just before Amy’s birth: she’d breathed like a rhino, her flabby arms moving her bulk in tiny increments through the water, while slim women jogged passed in pairs, fully made-up and chatting as if they were in a café.
Cassy glanced at the clock. 2pm. She yawned and flipped a stretch-and-grow right-side out. 11-month-old Amy grabbed at the stacked washing on the couch.
“No!” Cassy yelled as Ben’s shirts toppled to the floor. “Great — here, play with this.” She handed the odd-sock basket to Amy who fished through it with tiny fingers that seemed too grown-up already. How could a year go so quickly? Then she considered all the folding; suddenly a year felt like forever. Amy balled a pudgy fist into her eye.
“Sleepy time, little star,” Cassy said as she swooped Amy up and carried her to the bedroom.
