Sister City

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

Four weeks after that first scrimmage; three football games and one gymnastics meet later, Mom gave birth to a healthy baby boy. She had to stay in the hospital for a few days, but none of us were allowed to visit. Alexander had come down with the flu and since we’d all been exposed, they wouldn’t let us within fifty feet of the building, let alone into the nursery. I said it was because he was born on Friday the thirteenth and probably had to have a tail removed before we could see him. Surprisingly, nobody disagreed.

We planned a party for when they came home to make up for not being able to see them in the hospital.

“I knew it would be a boy,” Inara said modestly as she blew up balloons.

“Has Dad told you what his name is going to be?”

“NO. They want it to be a surprise.”

“I’ll bet it’s something weird.”

“That is not a nice thing to say, Catherine. None of us have weird names.”

“Okay. I didn’t mean weird in a bad way. I just meant that we’re all named in unusual ways.” Inara sighed. “I mean that the way that Mom and Dad came up with our names is unusual.”

I blew out a puff of air exasperatedly.

“I understand what you are trying to say,” Inara said graciously.

“Thank Science. I thought I was going to have to put you on a psychiatrist’s couch and get out the sock puppets.”

Inara laughed.

We decorated the living room with balloons, crepe paper, and little plastic baby bottles. The bottles were supposed to be party favors at the baby shower, but Mom had been in the hospital. She said she preferred a coming home party instead, but I suspect she was a bit disappointed. James and Luka had gone over to Oli’s house to pick up the cake. Phaedra was keeping an eye on Alexander and Charlie while we finished up.

We knew when James and Luka pulled in the driveway because we could hear their laughter before they even got through the front door. They walked into the kitchen laughing hysterically.

“What’s so funny?” I demanded.

James, laughing so hard he was snorting, just pointed at the cake.

Oli’s mom was a baker at Safeway and an award-winning professional cake decorator; not to mention a close friend of the family. She had volunteered to make the cake when she heard that we were having a welcome home party for Mom and Baby.

I opened the cake box and started to laugh myself. Inara raised her eyebrows at me before peering into the box herself. I handed her the box so she could get a better look and went to get my digital camera. When I returned, little miss proper Inara had tears streaming down her face.

The cake was the shape of a baby on his hands and knees; his butt up in the air. The baby wore a diaper and little else; in fact, he only wore a sock dangling off the toes of his left foot. The baby’s head was turned to look back over his shoulder. He had one very large tooth protruding from his closed lips. His eyes were crossed and his ears would have made Dumbo proud. The funniest part was the drool like substance that covered his chin and dripped onto the cake platter below. The only hair on the baby’s head was a small clump held together with a blue ribbon.

“That baby looks creepy. Remember that baby from Roger Rabbit? It kinda reminds me of him,” I said, still chuckling.

“Look at the butt,” Luka chortled.