Nathaniel honked his horn.
"Sssh," Rayna whispered at him with a stern glare.
"Sorry," he whispered back. They had been whispering since Rayna entered the car with Naty, Rayna had her phone on the phone stand, and Nathaniel drove with her phone on the lowest volume. Nathaniel kept glancing from Naty to the telephone; he stared at the road before repeating this cycle.
They had already spent thirty minutes on the road and had an hour left before they Reached Rayna's apartment.
The only sound in the car was Naty's faint snoring.
"she's so cute, isn't she?" Rayna said; she rocked Naty and glanced at Nathaniel; he nodded.
After an hour of silence, they got to Rayna's apartment.
There were two colossal grey bungalows, separated by a four-meter pathway. It had a roof over a path. They parked in the driveway in front of it. Nathaniel got out of the car first. He looked around; trees and flowers were growing naturally around the apartment. The only places with no green lawn were the pathway and car park.
Rayna came out then Nathaniel locked the car.
"we'll have to place her in a crib first, cold you get it- I'll open the door," said Rayna; she tilted her head to look at him. He went to the boot; without a word, he opened the boot and brought out a large box; he carried it by his side and turned to Rayna, who started walking when he closed the boot.
Rayna walked across the pathway and turned into a walkway connected to the walkway Nathaniel saw earlier. Once they reached the sliding doors connected to the two bungalows, they walked through.
"1… 2… 3", Nathaniel heard Rayna mutter; she held Naty in one arm and a key in the other. Nathaniel noticed a door at the end of the walkway.
Rayna saw Nathaniel's gaze land on the door, so she said, "that leads to a restaurant; it also has a seating area; people go there sometimes."
He nodded. Rayna stopped and turned right to face a black door with the number 10 on the side. She placed her keys in it and walked through her passage to the parlor.
Nathaniel paused and glanced around. Rayna's apartment walls were peach-colored, and all her couches were black. Her dining table was brown with four black chairs. Her kitchen counter was marbled; all her cupboards and cabinets were dark brown. Her apartment was color-codded, Nathaniel thought. He sighed before placing the box on the front of the kitchen counter [the one separating the kitchen from the rest of the apartment].
Rayna decided to place Naty on her three-seater sofa; she went into her room and came out almost immediately with a cloth; she put it on the faced-down baby Naty before turning to Nathaniel.
Nathaniel was watching her with a plain expression, but he wondered how she handled the creature so swiftly. Isn't she worried she would drop her?
"Well, we could get everything from the car now; we just have to be quiet," Rayna said.
Nathaniel nodded then Rayna placed her hands on her hip.
With a raised brow, Rayna said, "You realise that 'yes' and 'no' are words?".
Nathaniel stared at her then he walked to her passage.
Rayna mumbled, "snob," glanced at Naty, then walked to the passageway. Nathaniel was waiting for her outside the opened door. When he spotted her, he started walking to her car. She followed far behind; she gave up on keeping up with him. Rayna was 5 foot and 7 inches, so there was no way she could match his stride.
"Let's carry all we can at a time, we don't want to open the door too much, and Naty wakes up," Rayna said; she looked at Nathaniel's blank face. He stared at her determined one before nodding.
Rayna shook her head. He arched a brow at her before placing two boxes under his arm. Rayna picked up a baby mat and some toys. They worked in silence till the boot was clear.
"I need to get my things from my hotel room," said Nathaniel while carting one end of a baby bath.
"alright," Rayna replied; she stared at him before adding, "you could take my car."
Rayna stared at the floor while Nathaniel walked out the door. When the door closed, Rayna muttered.
"Right," she glanced at Naty, who slept soundly on the couch; she smiled. Rayna didn't want her to wake up before figuring out what to make for her, so she knew she had to be careful. She looked tiny and fragile under the blue cloth.
Rayna shook her head; she needed to hurry. According to her research, a baby isn't asleep for very long. She picked up the most oversized box and carried it to her room, then placed the box in front of her and opened it. The box had instructions for a yellow put-it-together-yourself crib.
Naturally, Rayna stared from it to her room. It was a square cream-colored room. She had a black desk on the right side of the wall opposite the door. On the left side of that wall was a brown wardrobe; a window with closed blinds separated them. The next barrier to the right had her platform bed occupying the whole wall; it had a white frame, and the top of the bed frame leaned on the shelf; the rest were cupboards; she had shoes on the largest one. The bottom of the bed had two compartments where she kept her undies and accessories. The wall with her room door had a dressing table on one side of the door and trash on the other. The last wall had a floating shelf with trophies, boxes, and picture frames. Then her bathroom door, and by the side of that door (before her desk) was an open closet with coats and scarves hanging.
Where was she going to place the crib? Was she going to move her desk? Or will she push her dressing table? Rayna looked around in dismay. What was she going to do?
Rayna looked at the box and then at her room. Maybe I should set up the crib, so Rayna gets to work. She followed the instructions diligently and had a beautiful yellow crib before her. The crib could rock back and forth; she looked at it with bulging eyes. Then she had an idea why don't put this crib in the parlor. Rayna pushed the crib to the middle of the two-seater couches. She stared at Naty. Rayna saw two wide eyes steering at her; Rayna almost jumped.
Naty stared at Rayna and wrinkled her brow while her mouth parted
"no-no-no-no," Rayna said as she rushed towards the baby. By the time she put Naty in her arms, Naty was nose deep in a tantrum, her tiny legs wriggling along with her little arms as she yelled and cried.
Rayna rocked her in her arms, but her mouth didn't close. It got wider till saliva tricked out. Rayna glanced around the room, hoping for something. Then she spotted a baby bottle in the grocery bags. She swiftly ran to the bottle and grabbed it- empty.
Rayna placed Naty on her shoulder and rocked her arm. The crying reduced. Rayna picked up a can of baby milk, and she sprinted into the kitchen. With Naty in her arm, she popped open the bottle lid. Then she picked up the milk container and followed the instructions. Rayna rinsed the bottle, put the milk, and then put some water from her flask on her center island. She shook the bottle and put it on the counter. Then she held Naty in her arms and put the bottle in her mouth. Naty struggled but gave in, then started gulping the milk; Rayna fed her the whole bottle.
Rayna looked at Naty, then frowned; she thought she must have been starving. Rayna stared at Naty; the baby had protruding sky-blue eyes that stared at Rayna while her top-heavy lips sucked the bottle. Naty had enough hair to pack; her hair was brown. Rayna noticed she had the same facial structure as her mother, a diamond-shaped face. Rayna stared at her.
"I love you already," Rayna said while she rocked Naty slightly. Rayna smiled at the baby, and she smiled back.
Tears came to Rayna's eyes as she smiled at Naty, but Rayna blinked them away. She needed to be vital for Naty. So, she fed Naty the last bit of milk in the bottle; she walked to the parlor and placed Naty in her crib. Then she hastily picked her up. I need to burp her first, Rayna thought. Rayna put a giggling Naty to lean on her shoulder while she rubbed Naty's back. Soon Naty belched, Rayna thought it sounded more like a hick-up.
Rayna held Naty away from herself and smiled at the giggling baby, so cute. Then Rayna put Naty in her crib. Naty kept on falling over. I guess she could not sit up. Rayna decided to pick up a pillow and place it behind her; then, she looked through the grocery bags till she found some toys. She gave them to Naty. The baby started fiddling with the toys while Rayna backed away slowly.
Rayna started frantically arranging things. She moved her coffee table to the dining area and put on the baby mat. Then she placed baby clothes and diapers in her wardrobe; she put the baby bassinet in her room. Rayna glanced at Naty before moving to the other room in her house, it was the same size as her room, and it looked like a reflection of her room, except that it only had a brown bed, a black cupboard, and a desk, just like hers but it was empty. She got her cleaning things from the kitchen and cleaned the room. After thirty minutes of cleaning, she picked up all the clothes and took them to her laundry basket (in her room, it was under her curtain). Rayna placed new sheets and opened the room blinds to let all the mostly air out. Then she dusted the wardrobe and the desk.
Rayna stared at the room; it was lovely. She closed the door and smiled at Naty before walking to the kitchen. The remaining bags had Naty's food and a blue baby bag. Rayna arranged the food on her center island and put the baby bag beside Naty's crib. Naty stared at Rayna before stretching her arms to her and crying. Rayna whispered "ssh" and picked her up before rocking her back and forth; Rayna rocked a giggling Naty.
"you're just like your mother," Rayna whispered at Naty before shaking the rattle…
Just then, Rayna's door opened, and Nathaniel dropped the bags he was carrying on the floor before running to the sofa Rayna sat on.
"Wha- "Rayna said, but Nathaniel held up his hand.
"Just put on the television," He replied; Nathaniel took some heavy breaths and placed his hand on his chest.
Rayna picked up the remote from the other cushion, put it on the television, and then handed Nathaniel the remote with a worried face. Nathaniel flipped through the tv channels while Rayna stared at him with a worried expression.
"Okay, it's on the news," Nathaniel said
"what is-, "Rayna replied before she gasped at the screen.
"…there is a fire at the Jimin's Hotel. The rescue team just arrived on the scene. The firefighters had already started fighting fire before we arrived" The reporter took a deep breath before pointing behind her. "The firefighters are taming the fire, but judging by the looks of it, they are almost done. It is safe to say that this fire may not be an accident."
"Thank you Amilia," the newscaster said to the report, who nodded. The newscaster arranged her papers before saying, "it seems like the fire is concentrated."
"Yes, the fire is coming from one of the rooms," The report said as the camera zoomed towards the room. Rayna placed her free hand on her mouth while they watched the burning room.
Nathaniel turned to Rayna before saying, "that's where I'm coming from."
Rayna gasped, "what?" she yelled. Naty whined and pouted at Rayna, who got up, placed her to lean on her shoulder, and paced back and forth.
"What?" Rayna whispered. Nathaniel got up; he walked around a little before he stared at Rayna with an aghast expression. Rayna looked at him. She opened up her mouth, then she closed it. Rayna continued to stare at him. Then Nathaniel stopped pacing and stared at her. His eyes sparkled as he said
"I was taking my bags to your car when I saw someone dressed in the hotel uniform. The person walked past me with their head down, then started walking really fast. I wanted to follow him, but it thought otherwise,". Nathaniel heaved before saying in hushed tones, "it's a hotel known to people who don't want to be disturbed."
Rayna gasped while Naty shook the rattle behind her.
"s-so you saw the guy, did he go to that room" Rayna replied. She carried Naty in her arms and sat down while she shook the rate and made faces. Nathaniel sat down.
"I think so," Nathaniel said, he leaned back, "I thought I was his target, but he didn't recognize me- wait I didn't say it was a he"
"Oh please, it fits him," Rayna said, then she stopped shaking the rattle "besides, why were you in such a shady place."
"I didn't want to be disturbed," Nathaniel replied. He gave her a don't-ask-any-more-questions look before turning to the tv. The two sat in silence while Naty tried to grab the rattle. Then she started crying and groping the air towards Nathaniel.
"I think she wants you to carry her Nate," Rayna said while handing a whining baby over to Nathaniel.
Nathaniel stared at the giggling Naty; he held her at arm's length before smiling at her.
"I don't know what to do," he said through his smiles. Rayna giggled
"Just hold her, like you want to rock something" Rayna made a cradle with her arms. Nathaniel handed Naty to Rayna; before Naty started her whining, Rayna put Naty in Nathaniel's arms. Rayna scooted closer to Nathaniel.
"Now, make a cup with your arms," Rayna said while she passed her arm behind Nathaniel's own so that it held his arm. Her other arm grabbed his other arm. Rayna slightly rocked her arms, and Naty giggled at both of them before chewing on her own arm.
"Isn't she lovely?" Rayna said with a sigh. Nathaniel felt her breath on his shoulder. He glanced at Rayna before staring at Nay.
"Yes, yes she is," Nathaniel replied. He turned to Rayna, their eyes met, and the two could feel the other's breath. Rayna retracted her arms before looking away.
"you called me Nate," Nathaniel said after a pause. He glanced at her.
"I- er," Rayna replied; she slowly met Nathaniel's gaze, then looked away. Nathaniel caught a glimpse of her flustered expression. He smiled while he stared at Naty, who was entertaining herself.
"It was the nickname someone used to describe a Nathaniel- it just-er-happened…sorry," Rayna mumbled before looking at Nathaniel.
Nathaniel blinked at her, then looked away to hide his smile, "No need to apologize, I don't mind," he replied. Hearing things about Amara from others was nice. He rocked Naty while he stared ahead. Silence engulfed the room (except for Naty's giggles). Rayna and Nathaniel were occupied with their thoughts.
"I think we should ask my brother; we can go to his place during the weekend," Rayna said before getting up. She picked up Naty's rattle and put it in her crib.
"I got your room ready, it's the door on the left," Rayna said while painting at the doors; Nathaniel glanced at them.
"Oh, and you'll be the one with Naty for the rest of the week since I have to go to work" Rayna walked into the kitchen. Nathaniel stared at Naty, who was giggling and smiling at him.
Nathaniel smiled at her before shooting an annoyed glance at the kitchen where the clanging and banging were coming from.
"Sorry," Rayna called; Nathaniel rolled his eyes. Nathaniel got up and rocked Naty in his arms. She started giggling, then burped. A white slimy vomit oozed out of her mouth and onto Nathaniel's arm and shirt. Nathaniel stared at her.
"R-Rayna," Nathaniel said before turning to the kitchen slowly, "um- she barfed."
"she what?" Rayna stepped out of the kitchen, then sighed as she smiled her relief. Then she vanished into the kitchen. Nathaniel kept his gaze on the spot she vacated; he kept telling himself he could not look back, but he could not help himself, and before he could stop himself, he glanced at her. More of that slime oozed out of her smiling lips.
"Raynaaa"
"I'm coming." Rayna stuffed her giggles. She emerged from the kitchen with a napkin.
While she cleaned his arm- his arm was very toned, she shook her head why did she just think about that?
"what's wrong," Nathaniel said. Rayna could feel his breath on her forehead- focus.
"Um, nothing-I just recalled that this is a sign" Rayna looked at him with a game announcer's expression before saying, "If a baby vomits on you, it is a symbol of their love." She let it sink in before taking Naty from his arms.
Nathaniel stood there without moving. She continued cleaning Naty and took Naty into her room for a diaper change and a bib. Nathaniel stood and stared at his arms; his eyes twinkled while a smile slowly formed.
"Symbol of their love," Nathaniel repeated.
Rayna was just playing some cream to Naty's bum. Taking care of Naty came so easily to her; memories of taking care of family members flooded in. Why was she worried? She smiled triumphantly while putting on her diaper when her door slowly opened. Nathaniel stuck his head through the crack, and part of his frame spilled into the room.
Nathaniel took a sweeping glance around. Her room was as organized as the rest of her house. She was crouched over Naty on a small towel on her bed. She straightened herself before looking at him.
"Um," He started while he taped the back of his head, "could you explain that symbol of love thing- someone said it before and I just wanted to- uh confirm." Nathaniel gulped. This wasn't part of his character, but seeing Rayna couched over Naty messed with his mind. He walked into the room and then glanced at the free part of the bed. Rayna nodded her consent, so he sat down.
"Well," Rayna sighed; she walked to her wardrobe and picked out a cream pajama shirt and trousers with a matching cream hat. The clothes had tiny brown cows dancing over them. She placed them on the bed, sat on the edge of the bed, and then leaned towards Naty's hat.
"a baby vomits on who they are comfortable with, someone who would not criticize them." Rayna paused. She felt a sensation in her… was there something she was forgetting?
"Right," Nathaniel replied; he looked at her outstretched hand. "Is there a problem?"
"I just remembered that I'm not supposed to open it- but I have to" Rayna stared at the hat; it was a blue woolen hat. It looked like an elf hat. The pointy tip danced beside Naty while she wriggled. Rayna sighed
"I have to open it. I need to bathe her".
Nathaniel nodded without taking his eyes off the hat. Rayna gently removed the cap from Naty's head.
"It's awfully heavy for a baby hat," she said before stretching the hat to Nathaniel. He took it and turned it over.
"This part feels hard," Nathaniel said while feeling the top of the hat, "where do you keep your scissors."
Rayna picked up Naty and tilted her head towards him, "you want to cut it? After Amara said we should keep it? are you crazy?". She narrowed her eyes at him.
Nathaniel raised his arms, "listen, if there is something that can help us get justice for Amara… shouldn't we go for it". Nathaniel watched Rayna's gears turn before she sighed her defeat.
"All right, but don't ruin it. Please don't," Rayna whispered the last part. Nathaniel nodded, then she added, "The scisors are in the kitchen… they are hanging with the utensils- you can't miss it". Then Rayna walked into the bathroom. Nathaniel could hear her saying things like "whose a good baby" and "a-go-go-gooo" to Naty.
Nathaniel heard a water splash and a cry from Naty. So he won't interrupt them, he walked to the kitchen with the hat and then got to work.
He carefully cut along the stitch and pried his finger in the hole.
"Aha," Nathaniel called when he gripped something. He pulled it out and started examining it.
"hu," he said while turning the thing around. It was a small white square. He placed it on the center island, then leaned on the table and stared at it. Why did Amara put this in the baby's hat, or was it even Amara's doing?
"Where are you" Nathaniel heard Rayna call from the parlor. She spotted him before he could reply and walked over.
When Rayna got to the kitchen, she glanced from Nathaniel to the cap, then the white box he was currently glaring at. Naty tried to grab the things dangling. When she failed, she let out a cry.
"Sssh," Rayna hissed while rocking her on her hip.
Nathaniel glanced up to see what caused the racket.
"why are you staring at an eraser?" Rayna said. Nathaniel looked at her before tilting his head.
"A what?"
"Eraser," Rayna repeated. She walked forward and picked it from under him. "see," she said while rubbing it, shavings fell on the counter. Nathaniel looked puzzled, so Rayna rubbed it on the counter, and more shavings came off.
"oh," Nathaniel blurted out. Rayna stuck out her nose in triumph. Then she looked at the eraser some more.
"Funny that would be in there," Rayna said before placing the eraser on the counter. She walked over to some cups; she picked one and then said
"Could you help me pour some water into those baby bottles"? Rayna pointed at the baby bottle; Nathaniel picked it snd started pouring water from the fridge into it, then he poured some from the water jug. He repeated this till the water was lukewarm in each.
"here," Nathaniel said while handing her a bottle.
"thanks. Put some milk in the other bottle," Rayna said. She fed Naty the water, and Naty gulped happily while Rayna walked into the parlor.
Nathaniel stated at everything, this cannot be too hard- right? So he read the instructions on the tin of milk.
"Put warm water. Put 2 teaspoons. Shake," Nathaniel murmured. He put two spoons of milk; he used the spoon in the tin, then he shook the bottle.
"Done," He called while walking with the bottle to the parlor.
Rayna smiled her thanks before taking the bottle. Naty gulped it down as well.
"she must have been starving," Nathaniel said. He sat beside Rayna.
"mhm," Rayna replied. So this was her life now; Rayna smiled lovingly at Naty, who tried to smile back but poured milk from her mouth. Rayna laughed and cleaned Naty with the towel beside her.
Nathaniel looked at them and joined in the laughter. He couldn't help but think that there is a bright side.