Booby Trapped and Baby Proofed (3 page)

Harrison smirked. Trudy had buckled under the demands of a toddler. His approach would be a little different. He’d just teach Ethan that big boys didn’t need to sleep with stuffed animals.

“Good luck,” Jeb chuckled as if reading his mind. “And you’re going to need to baby proof your house if you haven’t done so already.”

“Baby proof?” Harrison asked.

Both Trudy and Jeb nodded.

“We haven’t found a door he can’t open. And he somehow manages to get out of his bed and that high chair.”

Harrison scratched his head. “So you’re trying to tell me that he’s an escape artist.”

Both Trudy and Jeb nodded again.

“We haven’t found anything he can’t get out of, including his car seat. So you better baby lock the doors when he’s riding in the car with you.”

Harrison looked over at Ethan who was busy toying with his cereal.

Ethan looked up as if sensing Harrison gazing at him. He wrinkled his bow and pouted.

Harrison ignored it. He’d handled hundreds of troops before. How difficult could it be to look after a two-year-old? “I think I found a day care center for him,” Harrison said. “It’s two doors down from the dojo.”

“Oh, you mean Ms. Robbins’ place,” Trudy said.

“You know about it?”

Trudy nodded. “We’ve checked it out. Ms. Robbins seems like a real nice person and she keeps the place clean.”

“We’re even thinking about putting our future bundle of joy there,” Jeb said. “Trudy plans to return to work after she has the baby.”

“Ms. Robbins just happens to be my next door neighbor,” Harrison said. “She’s a real nice lady. She brought me over a casserole yesterday.”

“So what do you think of her?” Jeb asked.

“Like I said, she is nice and very friendly. Her husband used to be a Marine.”

“Oh, so the two of you have something in common,” Trudy said.

“Well, yes,” Harrison said. “We ate dinner together and she told me about her day care.”

“Darn, you’re a fast mover,” Jeb teased.

“Not really. It’s not what you think. We had dinner and dessert.”

“What type of dessert?” Trudy asked.

“Banana split,” Harrison answered. And he wasn’t stupid either. They were prying and match making. “She likes cherries.”

Jeb chuckled. “I’m surprised you noticed.”

“I’m not that anal,” Harrison said. “But anyway, don’t try to make too much of this. She was probably just being neighborly.”

Ethan reached over and handed him a piece of dried cereal.

“Thanks, sport,” Harrison said, accepting the cereal. He put it in his mouth, letting Ethan see him do it. “Yummy.”

Ethan smiled at him and then gave him a piece of fruit.

“Thank you,” Harrison told his son. He popped the little piece of fruit into his mouth.

Ethan giggled.

The sound brought joy to his heart.

“I think he’s beginning to warm up to you,” Trudy said.

“Maybe,” Harrison replied.

Ethan raised his cup of milk and sipped. Some of it spilled on his cheeks.

Harrison reached for a napkin and tried to clean Ethan’s face.

Ethan whined and tried to move his head.

“Oh yeah, he doesn’t like being touched,” Jeb told him.

Harrison stopped trying. “He’s two. Why does he have boundary and personal space issues?”

Jeb shrugged. “I bet he takes after you.”

Harrison scowled at him.

“You have to figure out how to get him to stop being anti-social,” Trudy said.

“I’m sure I can find a baby boot camp,” Harrison said sarcastically. “But you’re right. I have to find a way to get him to warm up to me.” He rose again and stood near Ethan. “You have milk on your face, slugger. Let Daddy clean it for you.” This time, he held Ethan’s chin. The child still struggled, but Harrison managed to remove the milk. “The solution is you have to show him who is boss early. Are his things packed?”

Jeb rose. “I’ll get them for you and load them into your car. Bunny too.” He left the kitchen.

Trudy hadn’t said much, just watched him quietly from her seat. “I’m going to miss him.”

He was afraid this would happen. “We’re ten minutes away,” Harrison said. “Drop in any time. “ He walked over and kissed her on the head. “We’ll be fine.”

Trudy got out of her seat and started cleaning the leftover cereal from the high chair. Then she moved Ethan out of the chair and handed him to Harrison.

Ethan whined and wiggled, but Harrison held on to him and refused to give him back to Trudy. “Tough it out, buddy,” Harrison said to the child. He carried Ethan out of the kitchen.

****

Harrison stared at the stuffed rabbit that Ethan clung to with a tight grip. He managed to get him home without much trouble because Ethan had fallen asleep on the way hugging Bunny. Ethan had awakened about a half hour ago and burst into tears until Harrison found Bunny again and gave it to him. Now they just stared each other down in a battle for power. And so far, Bunny was winning.

Now what am I supposed to do with him
?

Harrison turned on the television and surfed through the channels until he found an educational station.

Ethan turned toward the sound while he stood in his playpen.

Life-sized puppets in bright colors frolicked around the screen. This incited a smile from the silent child, and then a giggle.

So the kid had an addiction to the boob-tube. Harrison didn’t know if it was a good thing or not. He’d brought some books and planned to read to him later. “Are you hungry?”

Ethan’s eyes never left the screen.

The door bell rang. “Don’t move,” Harrison told him.

Ethan continued to laugh at the television.

Harrison walked out of the den and headed to the front door. Angel stood on the other side wearing a pretty dress, stockings, and high heels. Everett had mentioned that she was a church-goer.

“Hi, I just stopped by to see how you’re doing with Ethan and to find out if you needed anything.”

“A child psychologist,” Harrison said sarcastically. “He doesn’t like to be touched and he sleeps with a rabbit.”

Angel laughed. “He doesn’t need a shrink. He’s an average two-year-old.”

“Would you like to meet him?”

“Could I?’ Angel asked.

Harrison stepped back and let her inside. She smelt like sweet perfume. “He’s in the den in his playpen watching some pre-school crap on the television.” He led the way. They found Ethan seated on the sofa watching the show.

“I thought you said he was in the playpen,” Angel said.

“He was. I forgot to mention that he’s an escape artist.”

“Hello, Ethan,” Angel said.

Ethan looked away from the screen and damn if he didn’t smile at Angel. “Hi.”

“Well I’ll be,” Harrison said, scratching his head. “That is the first word I heard him utter all day.”

Angel sat down on the sofa next to Ethan. “May I hold him?” she asked Harrison.

Harrison nodded. “If he’ll let you. He doesn’t like to be touched.”

Angel lifted Ethan on her lap. Ethan wrapped his arms around her and cuddled.

Harrison stared. The little imp had excellent taste in women.

“You are a little darling,” Angel told Ethan. “Are you trying to show Daddy who’s the boss?”

Ethan giggled.

Little stinker
. And Angel didn’t have to use Bunny.

“Have you fixed dinner yet?” she asked.

“No,” Harrison answered. “Ethan had about an hour temper tantrum until I gave in and gave him the stuffed rabbit. So we’ve pretty much been sitting here feeling each other out.”

Angel placed Ethan back into the playpen. “Don’t worry about cooking. I’ll bring you something over.”

“Ah, I can’t let you do that. You must be tired after being at church all day.”

“I have to cook anyway,” she replied. “I’ll bring it over when it’s finished.”

“I’ll only agree if you let me take you out to dinner next Sunday to show my appreciation.”

Angel smiled. “You have a deal.” She turned to Ethan. “Bye, honey. I’ll fix you something special too.”

Harrison walked her to the door. “I really do appreciate the help. I don’t know why he doesn’t like me.”

“It will take time,” Angel told him. “This is the first time he’s seen you in months. He doesn’t remember you, so he’s confused.”

He hadn’t thought of that. “Okay, I’ll take it slow. He can keep the rabbit for now.”

Angel smiled at him again. “He’s so cute,” she said. “Just like his father.” She stepped out the door, waved, and walked to her house.

Harrison watched until she went into her home before closing the door. Minutes later, he found Ethan on the sofa instead of in the playpen. The child looked at him as he entered and smiled. “I see I have to keep a very close eye on you,” Harrison told him.

Ethan just laughed and hugged Bunny.

****

Ethan was on his best behavior throughout dinner. Angel had brought over meatloaf, mashed potatoes with gravy, and sweet peas. Ethan got very animated as Angel fed him the mashed up food, including the peas.

Harrison ate his dinner and watched his son bond with the neighbor. He even offered her some of his food that he scooped out of the bowl with his fingers. Angel accepted it, smiled, and then cleaned Ethan’s hands. Harrison groaned, jealous of the attention his son gave Angel and the attention Angel gave Ethan.

After a struggle to get him washed up and into his pajamas, Harrison finally got Ethan into bed and he went right off to sleep hugging Bunny, giving Harrison a couple of minutes alone with the pretty next door neighbor lady.

“You’re real good with kids,” Harrison told Angel when they were alone seated in the den enjoying coffee and the pecan pie she brought over for dessert.

“Kids have always taken to me,” she replied. “Even as a child other kids liked to play with me. Our house was always filled with kids and I used to help my mother with my two younger siblings.”

“Are you from a big family?” Harrison asked. He didn’t want to be nosey. He was just interested in finding out more about her.

She nodded. “I’m number five of seven. How about you?”

“I’m an only child. My mother wanted more, but was unable to get pregnant again.”

“Do you want other kids?” she asked.

He nodded. “I always wanted a larger family, but after Olivia got sick, I just gave up on the idea.”

“Was that your wife’s name?”

“Yes. I met her in junior high school and married her after we graduated from high school. Then I joined the Marine Corps.” He sighed. “Had I been able to see into the future, I might have re-evaluated my career choice and spent my time being with Olivia instead of dragging her round the country.” 

“Did she complain about being a military spouse?”

“No,” Harrison replied. “But she came back here to have Ethan after she discovered she was pregnant. I was stationed in North Carolina, but Olivia just got sicker and couldn’t join me.” He stopped talking for a moment to reminisce. “Did you like being a military spouse?”

“Hell no,” Angel replied. “I liked the idea in the beginning, but I didn’t like being away from my family and living in base housing. I know it sounds selfish, but Henry was gone more than he was home. And he changed. He went from a darling man to a drinker that liked to argue about everything. I saw the toll stress took on him. We used to argue about everything. Then when the news came that he’d been killed, the first thing I thought was at least I didn’t have to argue or fight anymore.” She sighed. “And then I cried like a big baby, felt sorry for myself, and was angry at him for leaving me alone in this world. What a waste.”

Harrison scowled at her, not understanding her choice of words. “He died defending his country.”

“I understand that,” she said defensively. “I didn’t mean it like that. We were having problems in our marriage. Do you know what it’s like to try to cover up a black eye and pretend that everything is okay around everyone? I hated when he returned home from deployment the most. He would give me the third degree like I was cheating on him while he was away. I didn’t have time to look at another man. I was busy working. I’d known him and loved him since we were kids, but like I said, he changed.”

“I’m sorry,” Harrison said. “This happens more than you think.”

“But I never strayed,” Angel insisted. “I loved him and I worked hard to keep house and to make things nice for when he did come home. Anyway, I’m not the kind to hold grudges and live in the past. I’m sorry that he died, but at least he died doing what he loved to do. I’m just sorry that he died before we had a chance to find happiness.”

Now he understood. She didn’t hate the Marine Corps or her husband. She was just lonely. “Military life can change a person,” Harrison told her. “Some can cope with the transition from boyhood to manhood without a problem. But there are others who can’t deal with the added stress. I had to take a lot of bullshit from officers, staff NCOs, and drill sergeants from the moment I stood on those footprints and was sworn in. But in the end, it made me a better person knowing I had done my part to keep this country free.”

“You’re okay in my book,” Angel said. “I mean, I don’t think you’re the violent type.”

Little by little, he understood what she had gone through. A lot of his friends and associates turned to alcohol to cope with the rigors of military life. And one or two of them had to go through domestic violence classes. It angered him that Henry had hurt Angel in the process and taken his frustrations out on her. “I passed the day care earlier and I liked what I’ve seen so far,” he said, trying to change the subject. “What time would you suggest I come for a visit tomorrow?”

“Around nine would be fine,” Angel said, finishing up on her pie. “The kids should be finished eating breakfast by then and settling into their morning classes.”

“You teach them things?” Harrison asked.

“Yes. We like to start early teaching kids the things they need to know before entering kindergarten, like their colors and how to write their names.”

“What can you teach a toddler?”

“We teach them how to interact with other kids and we start them off with little books and puzzles. This year we’ve even begun teaching both English and Spanish to them so they can have an extra advantage.”