Childish

66

Christmas was getting closer and closer and I was getting more and more excited. Ms. Diane had a wooden tree sitting beside her desk that had numbers for the month of December. She put a new magnet on each day. There were fewer days now. Only three left until Christmas.

It was the last day of school before our winter break. We got two full weeks off before we had to come back. I was excited to be home more than just in the evenings and the weekend.

Naomi was going to be home with me and Cooper. She wasn't going back to work until after the holiday, anyway. Alpine seemed to encourage maternity leave as babies were the most important people in town. She got to spend all her time during the day with Cooper. It would be nice for her to spend some of that time with me, too.

Ms. Diane walked over to my crib and leaned over it to see me. "Lyla, you should be asleep right now."

I sighed. "I can't sleep."

"Something on your mind?"

I stared at my pacifier as I twirled it around my finger. It was clipped to the sweater I was wearing but I hadn't been using it during my attempted nap time. "Christmas. I'm just excited, I guess."

She laughed. "I'm not sure who isn't excited for Christmas. It's such a wonderful time of the year. Spending time with family is such a blessing."

I nodded. It was my first real Christmas since moving to Alpine. The previous year, I had been in a coma for several weeks and slept right through the holiday. Alex and I never ended up doing anything to celebrate aside from opening the box of presents my parents sent me.

She reached into my crib and adjusted my blanket so it was covering more of me up. "Close your eyes and try to get some sleep. You don't want to be cranky when Alex comes to get you."

"Can you rock me?"

"Maybe that will do the trick." She picked me up and carried me away from all the other sleeping babies. Most of them didn't have stuffed animals like I did but there were two other kids that used them. The rest just had security blankets they relied on.

She sat down in one of the rocking chairs and leaned back with me in her lap. She covered me with a crocheted blanket that had been draped over the back of the chair.

"Close your eyes and put your pacifier in your mouth. Focus on trying to fall asleep."

I did as she said. It had been proven that I was very irritable if I didn't get a nap or didn't take one long enough. She was only looking out for me and my best interest.

Ms. Diane was good at helping me fall asleep. Her skin was soft and her perfume was calming. Just her presence alone was assuring.

The rocking of the chair helped to lull me to sleep and ease me into a nap that I was craving.

- - -

I didn't wake up until I was in the car heading home. I never heard Alex come into the room or feel him lift me out of the crib. I really must have needed the nap if I was tired enough to not notice being touched.

I rubbed my eyes and looked out the window to my left. I was in the car with Alex. I could hear him drumming on the steering wheel to some song on the radio. He did it all the time. Enough that I could tell it was him without even being able to see him.

Over the back of the seat, I could see several boxes and bags. They were strategically hidden so I couldn't see any labels or pictures of what was inside. Alex clearly didn't want me to see.

"Are those presents back there?" I asked.

"They might be."

"Do I get to know what any of them are?"

"On Christmas morning when you and Cooper open them."

I groaned. "That's no fun."

He chuckled. "That's the point of Christmas. You're not supposed to worry about this."

"You know I can't do that."

"Christmas isn't something to be stressed out over."

"You sound just like Ms. Diane."

"I must give out good advice then."

I rolled my eyes. "You're so full of yourself."

"You better remember that Christmas is just a few days away. We can easily take your presents back to the stores we bought them from."

"That might be one of the meanest things you've ever said to me."

The car came to a stop and Alex turned off the engine. He chuckled as he exited the car and walked around to my side. He opened the door and began unbuckling me from my car seat. "I'm just trying to raise you to be a good kid. I'd hate to get calls all the time from Diane that you're bullying some kid."

"What, like you did to me?"

He raised an eyebrow at me but said nothing. Clearly, he knew I was right.

I reached my arms out for him to lift me out of the car. "Do you think I can help wrap some presents? I promise I won't peek."

"Lyla, you're too little to help wrap presents."

I frowned. "But I wanna help."

"You're not allowed to use scissors. You might hurt yourself." He spoke so seriously that I had to pause to comprehend what he was telling me.

"But... can I at least help tape the presents or something? I don't wanna just sit around and watch."

"You'll most likely be in bed when we wrap presents so you don't see what we got you."

I sighed. They were taking away next to everything that was fun about Christmas. If I couldn't help them wrap presents or snoop, what was left?

"Don't be so sad, Lyla. You're going to have a good Christmas regardless of what you can and can't help us with. I promise."

Rather than argue with him, I just kept my mouth shut. They were going to do what they wanted because they were the adults and I wasn't.

I was just a baby.