The Shard Chronicles - Book One: The Naissance

Chapter Three - The Babysitter

Chapter Three - The Babysitter

"Pssst!" Dee peered around the corner of the door and ducked back when he glanced over his shoulder. "Peek-a-boo." Slowly, she returned her angled head and got a single, jolly chuckle the moment her black locks started to show. "Peeeek-aa-boooo."

Austin gurgled around his pacifier as his mother's forehead came into view, and bounced madly up and down when she stopped with only her eyes revealed over the top of the dark timber trim.

"Peek-a-boo!" Dee laughed, and dashed forward when he began lurching himself to and fro with such vigor that the high chair he sat in trundled across the kitchen floor with a scraping, grating clatter each time the wooden legs struck the tiles. "You strong little monkey," she gasped, grabbing hold of the armrests. "Be careful, cheeky boy."

In the late-afternoon sunlight spilling through the windows, she gazed for a second at the vividness of his eyes, a flaring, incandescent blue and identical in color to the background lagoon in a recent snapshot sent from Fiji by Dee's older sister, Michelle, who travelled the world extensively in her job as a nature photographer.

"I think you're getting a bit too big for that game. Maybe Mommy should just do this." She swooped in to snuggle and blow on the exposed, velvety flesh of his neck while her son shrieked and squirmed delightedly. "Okay, honey," Dee purred as Austin picked up the pacifier that had fallen in his lap during the giggling fit. "Just a quick cleanup of all your mess before Daddy gets here." She wiped some dribble from his chin and smilingly shook her head when he commenced the game invented three days ago, which involved his dummy, his mouth, and a slow squeeze of his jaw while pulling it out at the same time. The resulting soft pop amused him greatly. Staring at it in amazement, he gave a wide, gummy grin and recommenced his fantastic new trick.

*                    *                    *

The journey home from the company headquarters in Denver went surprisingly fast for Jeff, mainly due to the accolades that still reverberated through his mind, and upon arrival, he breathed in deeply, gathering his thoughts before entering the living room. "Hi, babe," he greeted Dee merrily. "Hi, my handsome boy." Placing his briefcase beside the sofa, he lifted Austin off the floor, kissed his son's cheek and ruffled the delicate, fluffy covering of light-brown hair. "Too interested in Sesame Street, huh? Okay, buddy, there you go." He put him on the carpet at his feet and chuckled as the infant crawled forward and dumped his cushioned bottom down, quietly and completely immersed in his favorite show. Sighing, Jeff settled himself next to his wife and turned sideways to her, wriggling into the spongy, cushioned padding. "Dee, before we have dinner, I've got some news. Something happened at work today. Alan called me in for a bit of a talk with David Bishop. You remember Dave? The head honcho. Numero uno. Our esteemed el presidente."

She searched his face, fighting the terrifying notion that immediately entered her mind.

"Everything's okay, my love," he chortled when he saw her pursed lips. "It's nothing bad about my employment situation. In fact, it's more than okay. Now, nothing's official until the announcement at our annual general meeting next week, but it's no secret around the office. Babe." He paused and watched his wife's blank look for a second. "I've been promoted. You are seated alongside the new, and soon-to-be, chief product officer." Two hasty blinks met his wide grin.

"Promoted? That's... that's wonderful!" A quiver ran through her voice, right before her eyes widened and she squealed in delight, causing Austin to tear his interest away from the television and peer over his shoulder at the sight of his parents embracing joyfully.

*                   *                    *

"There is one particular thing worrying me about this progress," Jeff admitted. Spearing a lump of potato, he examined the wispy steam that spiraled above the food. "And if truth be told, it goes beyond one thing." Taking a bite, he twisted the fork slowly, watching the silvery handle twinkle under the bright, dining room light.