Jane Rizzoli
I slipped out of bed and crossed over to my screaming baby, picked her up, then proceeded to go downstairs to my never quiet, barely a decibel below a rock concert, family.
"Janie!" My mother practically screamed as she descended the final few stairs. "How's my sweet grand baby doing?"
"God, Ma! Could you tone it down a little and tell those jerk-wads over there..." I pointed with my elbow to where my brothers were fighting over the TV remote, "to keep it down as well."
"Janie! Watch your language around the baby." Angela reprimanded, though I could barely hear her over my daughter's cries, my brothers yelling, and the television blaring.
"God, Ma!" I repeated. "Why did you all barge in here like that. We were sleeping and now she's screaming. What the hell?"
Angela strode into the living room, snatched the remote from Tommy and promptly turned off the TV.
"Hey, Ma! What gives?" Tommy whined.
"Yeah, Ma. We were watchin' the game." Frankie said in an equally whiny voice.
"It seems as if we have disturbed your sister and her family." Angela said a bit miffed. "I think we should leave."
I rolled my eyes, knowing full well that my mother was trying to lay a guilt trip on me. "You know you, Frankie, and Tommy are welcome here at any time. It's just now, since the baby is here, you need to keep it down."
Isa was still screaming and I was becoming more and more upset that I wasn't able to calm her down.
Angela, noticing my rising anxiety level, said "Bring her here, Janie. Let me hold her for a while. What are you doing?"
"Trying to get my heart back to a normal rate. Geez, Ma. You all barged in here and scared the shit out of us. We were sound asleep." I retorted as I handed my mother the screaming infant.
Angela threw me a disgusted look to let me know she didn't approve of my language then turned her attention to the red-faced baby. After several minutes of Angela cooing "Now, now, there's Nana's big girl." She started to settle down. After several more minutes, she had her completely quiet.
"How did you do that , Ma?" I asked in fascination.
"Years and years of practice. What else can I say? After raising you three, I think I could negotiate world peace and get it accomplished." Angela said as she eyed each one of her children.
She stared down at Isa. "My goodness, Janie. She do look like you, crazy curls and all. It's strange to look into the faces of your grandchild and have them give you flashbacks to when you were looking into the face of your first-born."
"I know, Ma. It's freaky to me to look at her and then look in the mirror and see her looking back at me. She even have my cleft chin. Did you see that?"
"I did, Janie." Angela said as she looked adoringly over at her daughter.
Isa must have felt the room had grown too quiet because she let out a howl to remind everyone that she was present. Present and hungry.
"What's the matter, precious?" Angela cooed.
In response, Isa started rooting at the front of Angela's shirt.
Angela laughed. "I don't think I'm going to be able to help you out there, little princess. That's your Mama's department."
"Well hello, princess. Are you hungry again?" I lifted my shirt and began to unhook the front of my bra as Ma handed Isa to me.
"God, Janie. Do you have to do that here?" whined Tommy.
"Um...it's my house and this is my daughter and I will feed her wherever and whenever I please. Didn't Lydia breastfeed TJ?"
"I...I don't know." said Tommy as he turned the color of a newly formed brick. "I guess she did. I didn't pay that much attention."
"Frankie. How are things at work?"
"Same as always. Korsak won the baby pool. He guessed the right date that the twins were born."
"Wasn't there a gender pool as well?" I asked.
"Well, yeah but bein' she had one of each, we decided to split the money in half and put it into a savings account for each of the kids." Frankie dipped his head in embarrassment.
"Frankie. That's a lovely idea. Who came up with it?"
"I...I did." Frankie was as red as Tommy had been.
"You're such a good boy, Frankie. I'm so proud of you." Angela gushed. "Now, dinner. Is lasagne good for everyone?"
My brothers and I agreed as Ma walked away to the kitchen.
