A Little Bit of Sunshine

Chapter 17: Lena

Kara liked to sing in the shower. There was no music on, but she sang anyway, letting me play in the water at her feet while she washed her hair. I trailed my duckies across her toes, giggling when they would curl back away from my touch. When I gazed up at her, eyes squinting to keep the water out, she would already be smiling down at me. She had the prettiest smile. I had the most beautiful mommy.

"Up you get, water bug. Gotta make sure we get all the soapies off you." She held out her hands and helped me to my feet before turning her attention to my hair and skin. The water was warm and she was gentle. I didn't really like people playing with my hair normally because too many people had been rough with it and it hurt, but Kara was careful.

"There. All clean." She booped my nose and turned off the water.

"Chu nakey."

Kara let out a laugh, her head thrown back as she wrung out her hair. It was dark now. "I am. Sometimes mommies have to get nakey too. Just like baby girls have to sometimes get naked. Bath time's important."

"Chu wike being nakey?" I watched her pull open the shower curtain and grab a fluffy blue towel into the steaming stall to wrap around my shoulders.

"I don't mind being nakey." She quirked an eyebrow but went back to drying me off. "Do you mind the hairdryer or do you want to braid your hair and let it dry curly?"

I tapped my chin. Most of the time I straightened my hair. I didn't know why at the moment but I did it anyway. "My hairs is curly."

"Is it?" She smiled then, scrunching the ends of my hair with the towel to get more water out. The droplets felt cold on my skin, and I didn't like it.

"Mhmm. I's cowd, Kawa."

"I know baby love. Give mommy a minute and we'll get you in your warm Jammies. How does that sound?"

I nodded, teeth chattering. "Peas."

Kara helped me out of the tub, and I jumped on the balls of my feet to keep warm. She swapped out my damp towel for a dry one. Much better.

"Can you go potty for mommy? We gotta put your diaper on when we get out."

I glanced at the tub. "I wen' in da tub..."

"Lee... you peed in the tub?" She laughed, shaking her head.

"Yu no pee in da tub?" I cocked my head. Everyone pees in the tub.

"No, I don't pee in the tub."

"Chu should twy it! I do's it awwww da time. Ebbybody do's it."

"No they don't." She's laughing full on now, her face red.

"Den dem is whying." I shrugged.

Kara cupped my cheeks, eyes sparkling. Her eyes are so blue. "God, you are the most precious thing in the whole wide world."

I blushed profusely, hiding my face in my towel. "Nu!"

"You really are. Even if you potty in the shower."

"I gots wots de'crees; super smart. I know tings."

"That you do baby. That you do." She pulled her own towel around her body and began drying off. "Let's get you in some warm jammies. It's not as warm at my house as it is at yours, and I don't want your tootsies gettin cold."

I glanced down at my toes, curling them in the colorful bath rug under my feet. It felt good on my skin. "Dey fall off?"

"Not if we get them covered up."

"Hurry! Get dem covered!" I fumbled with the doorknob until it opened, letting in a blast of cold air. With a disgruntled squeal, I leapt forward into the bed.