Sing to Me

Chapter 34

"Ramón, ven aqui." Valentin shouted from the stoop of their apartment building. 

The handful of kids paused their game of stick ball and looked up the stoop. Ramón, who was serving as pitcher, tossed the ball to one of Delilah's nephews and jogged up to his father.

"Yes, Papa?" He asked, looking up at his father.

"C'mon, there's someone who wants to meet you." Valentin smiled down at his first-born son.

"Who wa- Is it the baby?! Is the baby here?!" He shook with excitement.

"Come and see." Valentin guided Ramón into the apartment building and up to their apartment. Upon opening the door, bickered words fell out.

"Why can't we see the baby first?" Beverly asked, exasperated at all of today's events. After cleaning Randall's bloodied nose and lip, she told him to go home and wait for her to get back. She had decided to stay for the birth of the baby. She wanted to show her support for her baby sister, but she mainly wanted to see how the baby would stand up to her own future kids, in terms of looks.

"Because Ramón is meeting the baby first. He's the baby's big brother." Mrs. Jackson explained to her eldest daughter.

Valentin guided Ramón through the living room and into the bedroom as Beverly continued to complain, Abel and Cyrus entered the conversation to tell Beverly to shut up, and Dr. Jackson spoke over all of them to tell them to shut up. As they entered the bedroom, they saw Cecilia cleaning up the room and Delilah holding a swaddled bundled in her arms, smiling down at it. She saw some motion in her periphery and looked up. She smiled when she saw her husband and step-son in the doorway.

"Go on, Ramón." Valentin nudged his awe-struck son, who seemed to be glued to the floor. Ramón, slowly, walked up to the bed, trying to see the baby.

"Come on up, sweetheart." Delilah said, scooting over the bed that was covered in fresh sheets. After the baby was born and cleaned, Delilah nursed her and then napped for a couple of hours. During that time, Cecilia had, somehow, changed the bed sheets from underneath her sleeping form.

Ramón climbed up onto the bed and sat back against the stacked pillows. Delilah adjusted the bundle in her arms and brought it down for Ramón to see.

"Ramón, meet your baby sister, Lola Rose Cordero." Delilah spoke, softly, as she moved the blankets away from her sleeping daughter's face.

"Sister. It's a girl?" He asked.

Delilah chuckled, "Yeah, she's a girl. Do you want to hold her?"

"Can I?" He asked, his eyes lighting up with stars in them.

"Of course you can. She's your sister."

"Aht aht. Ramón, ven aqui y lavate las manos primero." Cecilia said as she came over to get Ramón. He eased down from the bed and walked over to the bowl of clean warm water. He grabbed the bar of white soap and began to lather his hands. After rinsing and drying his hands off, he made his way back over to the bed and got back up to his original spot.