To Build a Home

4 | Onion Tears

It took four stories, three lullabies, and two grown men to get Noah to finally fall asleep around ten. We were so effective at tucking him in that I had also fallen asleep on the rocking chair next to his bed. Darren must have tiptoed out of the room while I snored.

The bedroom was a mix of blues, greens, and yellows, lacking any discernible theme, with trucks and animals and superheroes and clouds and a huge dollhouse in the corner. I wondered how Theresa had managed to convince my brother to allow it. After he became my guardian, whenever I would ask for money, he always wanted to know the reason. As if stopping me from buying a fashion magazine or tight jeans at the mall would also stop me from becoming who I was becoming.

The nightlight was on, which was a rotating cluster of stars that danced on the walls and ceiling. It looked like a toddler disco. I slowly maneuvered out of the chair, careful not to disturb the baby since it had taken so long to get him to sleep. When I was finally on my feet, the back of the chair swung into the wall. I remained still, sure Noah would be awoken by the bang. But he was asleep and peaceful.

I found Darren in the kitchen downstairs. He was showered and dressed, his hair still wet and dark like chocolate. He was rummaging around in the cabinets and the pantry. Water was boiling on the stove and fresh vegetables were scattered across the counter.

"You're up," Darren said without turning around.

"How long was I out?" I asked as I sat on one of the stools at the island.

"Almost an hour."

"I must have been tired." I looked around at all of the ingredients. "What's going on in here?"

Darren turned around and draped himself in an apron. It said Baker Brothers on the front in purple font. "So I looked at the casseroles in the fridge. I'm not sure we want to eat those. I did find carrots and a few other things. We have leftover chicken. I could make soup."

"You make soup?"

"I like to think I make pretty good soup."

"You're just full of surprises. Let's whip it up." I jumped off the stool and looked around for another apron. "Got one of those for me?"

Darren pointed to the pantry with a knife and began chopping the carrots on a wooden block. "Don't you want to shower and put some clothes on first?"

I had forgotten my clothes were still in the laundry room and I had been in my underwear since bathtime. It was so unlike me to be comfortable without a shirt on, let alone in my underwear. Especially when I was the only one.

Noah had run around the house naked for a few hours after the bath, making it impossible for us to do anything other than chase him, although Darren had offered to watch the baby alone. We had fed him cut-up chicken and broccoli on the couch because it was the only place he would sit still while his favorite show played. We bargained with him to put on a diaper. Then he was back to running and throwing and shouting and showing and telling. We each remained in our underwear until he fell asleep.

I went inside the pantry and found a yellow apron with a rooster on it. "You don't like cocks?" I joked when I emerged.

Darren had to stop chopping to laugh. We didn't want any severed fingers in the soup.

"I'm fine like this," I said. "I think I got cleaner than Noah during bathtime." I walked over to the white granite counter next to Darren. "Where do you want me?"

"Why don't you start with the onions?"

I looked around the kitchen for another knife, opening every drawer.