It really was Risky

            Odie invited me to her house to visit with Kylie again. Before I could make it out the front door, a strong wave of nausea came over me. I had to rush upstairs to the free toilet. “Oh no,” I muttered to myself as I stood and wiped my mouth. “Not another one, not now.”

            I tried to forget about the vomit and returned to what I had been doing.

            Kylie had grown into a toddler that closely resembled Milton and Lois. I briefly pontificated on the fact that she was both their sister and cousin.

            Despite being very hungry, Kylie put on a good face and allowed me to play with her for a few moments. I rewarded her with a bottle, before searching for her mother.

            “And then it all came crashing down. The gnomes had won and we were all just llamas on ropes, bouncing around, hoping to have a few flamingos left to kick.”

“That’s all very interesting Odie, but I had only asked you about Kylie’s progress in learning her basic skills.”

“Oh yeah, those. I’m not going to conform to the bullfrogs and teach her those. She’ll get by without them.”

“Odessa!” I chastised. “Even Mother taught us how to walk.”

            “Thanks for offering to help with that stuff!” Odie sprightly said and hugged me. I hadn’t, but went along with it despite this. Perhaps she was the smart one between us.

            I spent hours with Kylie, attempting to cram in as much knowledge as possible before departing. By the time I returned home, it was past bedtime for my own children.

            “Say Dad, how ‘bout one of those bedtime stories? I hear they’re the canary’s tusks!”

            My work hours changed, which allowed me to be able to see my children off to school. I took notice of how far away Francis kept from the other three. Even if he was a bit peculiar, I loved him. My maternal side was strong, and I thought I could have loved any child. I was happy to not have to worry about such things though. My four were the perfect number.

            Pregnancy kicked in while I was preparing myself for work in the bathroom. At first, my reflection in the mirror was that of a wild panic. Four was more than enough, and it was far too late in my life to be having a baby. And what about bedrooms? I had two lovely sets of twins and four bedrooms. It all worked out perfectly. Anymore and it would ruin everything.

            Then I saw my face soften as I rubbed my newest baby stomach for the first time. It was far from ideal, but I could live with another.