Ocean-Blue Eyes
Jake
I heard soft noises coming from the baby monitor, and as if a clock operated him, Jamie woke up at the same time he always does. I put on a shirt and walked barefoot on the soft carpet of my penthouse in Manhattan towards the nursery. It was still dark outside, as October had arrived, and I was looking forward to the winter snow this year. Tommy is going to be three years old soon, and he will enjoy outdoor winter activities much more this time than the year before.
I opened the door and walked to the crib. “Look at you, already awake. You are like a little clock, are you not? You are always on time.”
Little Jamie squealed with happiness and moved his bonded body by the sleep sack, showing how pleased he was to see me. His happy rumbles and face were always the highlight of my mornings when he spent time with me. Jamie was such a happy child, they both were. When Tommy was four months old, he was just like Jamie and has been an early riser ever since.
I changed Jamie and fed him, making him sleepy. He would nap until we needed to leave, allowing me to answer important emails and get Tommy sorted for the morning before the drive to Greenwich.
That was always our routine on Monday mornings. The long weekend was over, and they should return to their healthy schedule in Riverside until Friday morning. Over there, the air was fresher and the grass greener, making it the right place for my two boys to be raised.
By the time Tommy woke up, I had already done the important work, which would buy me time until I needed to return to the office, which was chaotic after I had left on Thursday evening.
Tommy walked into my study, always knowing where to find me in the morning. I scanned his sleepy face and his messy blonde hair. He smiled at me and lifted his arms for a hug. I welcomed him into my arms. “Hello there, buddy. Did you sleep well?”
He nodded his head in my chest and answered in his sleepy voice. “Yes, Daddy.”
Despite not being an adult who could understand his situation, Tommy was an exceptionally intelligent boy for his age. He recognised that Monday had arrived and what this day would bring him. After all, that was the new routine since his baby brother’s arrival four months ago.
He knew he would have to count two nights of sleep until he saw me again for dinner and another two before sleeping in the same house as me for three nights in a row. “Come, buddy, we must get ready to go to Granny’s.” I felt his small arms pressing hard against my back after he heard my words, but he said nothing or threw a tantrum. He never did.
The poor boy only nodded, got up from my lap and walked back to his room to change his pyjamas. Every Monday, he did that, showing how he had given in to defeat and understood he did not have a say in the matter. His life changed, and he would never be like the friends that he would soon make in school because the woman he was supposed to call Mama was a selfish bitch and did not even have the decency to look into his eyes. Instead, she left us behind at the hospital the day after his birth with a simple note. Only to return 23 months later for a week, seduce his stupid father and get pregnant again to do the same thing to his baby brother nine months later.
Trailing behind Tommy towards his room, I sighed. What kind of fool was I to let that happen again? Let her get me into bed and make another boy who would spend his life miserable in school being bullied because his mother abandoned not only him but his brother, too.
“Are you fine, Papa?”
I looked down, and Tommy’s adorable eyes were glued to me. “Yes, I am great, Son. We should get to work. Your brother will be up soon.”
After we did our Monday morning routine, the three of us were freshly bathed, smelling nice and looking like the picture perfect of a Hallmark movie driving to our Family Home. Regularly, when we leave at this hour, the traffic is great, but today, a car accident happened, and everything slowed us down. I looked in the mirror to check on them in the back seat. The traffic had cleared, and we were moving. Jamie was sleeping like always, but something did not seem good with Tommy.
He was too quiet. He always used our morning drives to chat. “Is everything all right back there, Pal?”
He shook his head fiercely and pressed his legs together. “I need to go to the toilet.”
Oh God, we had not even left Manhattan yet. He sure would not be able to wait for the entire drive.
“I really, REALLY need to go, Papa.”
“I know, buddy. We will find a place to stop. OK? Just hold on tight for two more minutes.” There had been no accidents in a long time, not even during the night, and I did not want to get back as it was before. Now, he could confidently inquire about using the restroom or rush to it on his own, and an incident in the car would endanger it.
I kept checking the mirror, and he had his eyebrows pinched together, concentrating on the task. He was such a good boy. I spotted a diner and parked the car. We got inside, and it was already getting closer to eleven in the morning. The rush wave of people from breakfast had already left the place, leaving behind only one table being served and another with a girl wearing a purple waitress uniform folding paper napkins.
I sighed, relieved that we would not have to chase someone out of the bathroom for a desperate Tommy to use. “Hey there.”
The girl looked at me, and I gave her my friendly smile, which I only gave to my kids. I needed her to help us.
“Excuse me. Can he use your bathroom, please? It’s kind of an emergency here.” I snorted at my words. It sounded ridiculous out loud. I should only have asked to use the bathroom.
She smiled back and looked at Tommy holding my hand, and then her eyes looked at the baby’s carrier I was holding with my other hand. She rushed to me and said, “Yes, of course, it’s at the end of the corridor. I can take care of the baby while you help the little boy.”
I looked around. Despite the shabby appearance, the place seemed clean enough. However, if I brought the baby along to help Tommy, I would have no choice but to place the carrier on the bathroom floor, which was less than ideal. At the same time, I did not want to leave my baby with someone I never met before. It was New York, after all.
Tommy squeezed my hand, taking me out of my thoughts. “Daddy!!!”
I looked down, and Tommy had desperation in his eyes. The girl said, “You don’t need to worry about it. I have experience looking after babies; besides, he’s sleeping.”
After nodding at her and giving her the baby. I grabbed Tommy in my arms and raced to the bathroom. The poor boy almost went on his trousers when I was snatching them off. Thankfully, they did not get wet, and he sighed happily while peeing. I chuckled at his satisfied face. That was a close call.
“Daddy, the girl is nice.” I lifted Tommy to the sink to wash his hands and smiled.
“Yes! She sure is, buddy. Remember to thank her when we get your baby brother back.”
“I know it. I know it.” In Tommy’s head, he knew everything, and we needed to tell him nothing.
“Just reminding you, we must always be polite.” He nodded his small head several times, acknowledging my instructions, and held my hand to walk back to the tables.
When we returned to the diner, the other table was empty, leaving only the girl and Jamie behind. The scene in front of me caught my eye. She had taken Jamie out of his carrier without my permission, which surprised me.
I tried my best not to display anger. I did not want to scare Tommy, as he found the girl nice, and she was doing me a favour, but the scene did not sit well with me. I walked fast to her table to take the baby. She smiled at us, and Tommy grinned.
“Sorry. The baby was fussing a little, and I settled him down. I hope you don’t mind it.”
I smiled back at her, trying my best not to say, ‘Yes, I do mind it’, but instead thanked her. “That is fine. Thank you for helping us.”
After Tommy heard me saying thank you, he remembered he needed to do the same. “Thank you. You are nice.”
He gave her his million-dollar smile, showing her all his teeth, and the girl’s face brightened with happiness. I chuckled, looking at him, so small and already knew how to do well with the other gender. He had learned his smiles got him what he wanted and out of trouble.
“You are very welcome, sweet boy. What is your name?” The girl said in a calm voice.
“I am Tommy, and that is baby Jamie, my brother.” Tommy pointed to himself and his brother, showing her who was who.
“Those are beautiful names, Tommy. And you both have the most gorgeous eyes I have seen.”
She got beetroot red when she stared into my eyes, and it did not take a genius to figure out that the boys’ eyes were not the only thing she found beautiful in the room. After all, we all shared the same ocean-blue eyes.
Tommy and Jamie were not the only ones that had that effect on people.
