*the usual disclaimers apply. This is just the first part—the second part to be posted tomorrow or Friday at the latest. Hope you enjoy :) *
Swim Class
4247 Maplewood Dr.
Monday, June 15, 1989
8:30 AM
“I thought you were supposed to be coming home this morning,” Lee paced the length of the family room, phone clutched in his hand. “What happened?”
“Well, Aunt Edna and Aunt Lillian want us to have lunch at the Grey Goose Tea Rooms,” Amanda said. “So we probably won’t be back until later this evening.”
“You’re doing a terrible job, dorkbreath,” Phillip said. “She’s got more food on her than in her.”
“Only because she keeps spitting it back up,” Jamie shot back. “And I don’t blame her—I bet this stuff tastes like SAND.”
“Meep Meep!” The sounds of Road Runner filled the room. Jenna let out a high-pitched squeal and pumped her little legs excitedly, making her ‘bouncy seat’ squeak as it moved up and down.
“Guys, could you keep it down and turn that set down—I’m trying to talk to your mother.” Lee said.
“Sorry, Lee.” Phillip grabbed the remote and turned the volume down.
“Sounds like it’s pretty busy there.” Amanda said.
Lee ran a hand through his hair. “That’s about the gist of it.”
“Actually that’s pretty typical,” Amanda replied. “How’s Jenna?”
“She’s fine—the boys are trying to feed her –you know—some of that rice cereal the Doc said we can start her out on.” Lee had mixed it up with some formula, making sure it was mushy and soft.
“The boys are feeding her?”
“Well, they’re trying,” Lee told her.
“This is frustrating,” Jamie brought up the spoon to Jenna’s mouth—she pressed her lips together and turned her head away. He put the spoon back in the bowl. “I give up.”
“That’s because you’re doing it all wrong—watch me. Hey Jenna look—I’m an airplane.” Dipping the spoon into the milky cereal Phillip made airplane noises. Dark eyes wide, Jenna followed the spoon as it whirled around in front of her—letting out another squeal of excitement as the spoon moved closer—
“Open wide,” Phillip said. “Coming in for a landing—” Jenna’s mouth opened and Phillip gave her a spoonful of cereal. “See—that’s how you do it—oh no.” The food dribbled out of Jenna’s mouth and onto her bib.
Jamie snorted. “Yeah, smooth move, ex-lax.”
“I think I should probably go, Amanda—take control of this situation,” Lee said. “Give your Mother and your Aunts my love.”
“Wait—there’s just one more thing I need to tell you. Remember Jenna’s swim class?”
“Of course I remember—I did buy her that swimsuit.” Lee was starting to get a feeling about where the conversation was heading—it was giving him an uneasy feeling in his gut.
“Did you remember the class is this morning at eleven?” Amanda asked. “And since I won’t be able to be there, I was wondering –”
“Amanda, no,” Lee said. “Now, in the first place you said this class was for mothers and daughters—I am not a mother.”
“I never said mothers and daughters—it’s a parent-child class. I’m sure there’ll be other fathers there. Jenna will get to swim—it’ll be fun for both of you.”
“But isn’t she just a little young for this?” Lee asked. “I mean, swimming could be dangerous—she can’t even crawl yet.”
“These classes start at four months. Anyway, she won’t actually be swimming—you’ll just be getting her used to the water, let her splash, kick her legs a little— she’ll enjoy it—you know how much fun she has when you give her a bath.”
“I know that, I’m just not sure—”
“The special swim diapers are in the bathroom—trust me, you’ll be fine.”
“What about sunscreen LOTION? We don’t have that, do we?”
“It’s an indoor pool.”
Lee sighed. “All right— I’ll do it.” .
“You’ll have a great time, Stetson—give everyone my love—I love you.”
Lee smiled. “I love you too, Mrs. Stetson.”
SMK SMK SMK SMK
IFF
10:00 AM
“And how’s my Goddaughter this morning?” Billy took Jenna from Lee as soon as he walked into the office. “Hmm? How are you?” He bounced Jenna lightly in his arms as he spoke, making her laugh. Lee was unable to suppress a smile—watching the section chief with Jenna was nothing short of priceless.
“She’s just fine,” Lee said. “Listen, I just came to turn in my report and then I’m taking her to swim class.”
“I thought Amanda was taking her,” Francine remarked as she took the folder that Lee offered.
“Well she was,” Lee said. “But she’s still out of town.”
“Are you going swimming with your Daddy?” Billy asked Jenna. “Yeah?” Jenna just smiled and babbled at him, her fingers jammed into her mouth.
“Did you get her a suit?” Francine asked. “You know Amanda and I saw the most adorable little pink BIKINI in the store earlier—it had ruffles and all these little red strawberries along the—”
“No!” Lee spoke a little more vehemently than he’d intended— both Francine and Billy looked at him in surprise. “I mean, yeah—I bought her a suit—but it was a one-piece—I don’t think she’s ready for a bikini just yet.”
“It wasn’t exactly risqué, Scarecrow,” Francine said drily.
“Even so.”
“Don’t worry, Jenna,” Francine told the baby. “We’ll make you fashionable despite your Daddy—won’t we?”
Lee took Jenna. “Can it, Francine.” Francine smiled and wrinkled her nose at Jenna, who laughed again in response—these days it didn’t take much to make Jenna laugh—Amanda said she was at that stage. Lee kissed the top of Jenna’s head. “Let’s go, munchkin.”
“You two have a wonderful time,” Billy called out.
SMK SMK SMK SMK
YMCA
10:45 AM
Luckily the ‘Y’ had a family changing area—Lee definitely hadn’t wanted to take Jenna into the men’s locker room. Unluckily for him, the rest of the class seemed to be composed of women—no other dads to speak of. He found a quiet cubicle and placed Jenna on the changing table while he quickly changed into his trunks. He took off Jenna’s regular diaper—not messy or wet, thank God—he’d already dealt with one messy diaper earlier today—and put her swim diaper on. Her swimsuit came next—Jenna wriggled and kicked out her legs.
“Come on, munchkin— hold still, okay? Daddy needs to get you changed so you can swim,” he told her. “Wouldn’t you like to swim? You would?” Jenna smiled and gurgled, her dark eyes shining. Lee smiled back—he could never resist those eyes.
She was still a bit wiggly, but but he finally managed to get legs into the suit, pulling it up over the diaper. A knock on the cubicle startled him.
“Yoohoo!” a woman’s voice said.
Lee finished pulling up Jenna’s straps. “Just a minute,” he called. He put their street clothes into the diaper bag, shouldered it and lifted Jenna into his arms as he slid open the curtain for the cubicle. A very blond woman wearing a bikini and balancing a baby boy on her hip smiled at him.
“Well I wondered who was behind the curtain,” she murmured, pink lips turning upwards in a slow smile. Slowly she moved closer. “Now I know.”
Her gaze slid up and down his body—checking him out, Lee realized. HEAT rose in his cheeks—he took a step back. “Yeah, now you know.”
“How big is yours?”
Lee stared at the woman. “I’m sorry?”
The woman’s smile widened. “I meant how old—my Nicholas here is five months now.”
“Jenna’s four and a half months,” Lee replied.
“Bababababa,” Jenna replied the moment her name was mentioned.
“She’s adorable,” the woman said. “And she really likes Nicholas here—I can tell.”
Lee realized with horror that Jenna’s chubby hands were reaching out towards the baby boy—hastily he pulled her back. “Well, she’s just curious—you know—about other babies.”
“Oh I think it’s more than that,” the woman said. “There’s definitely FIREWORKS here.”
‘Over my dead body there is.’ Lee held Jenna against him protectively—keeping her distance from Nicholas. “I—ah—I think we need to get going,” he said out loud.
“Catch you out at the pool, then—I’m Tawnia, by the way. And you are?”
“I’m Lee.”
Tawnia’s smile widened. “Nice to meet you—Lee. See you in the pool. Okay?”
‘Not if I see you first,’ Lee thought. “Come on, munchkin,” he said out loud. A small group of women stood by the lockers near the exit.
“Whoa check that out,” one of the woman said— while another let out an appreciative wolf whistle.
Lee tried not to look at them—he was sure his face was bright red at this point.
This was not going to be an easy class.
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