idea.
Desperate, Cassidy muttered, “Any port in a storm.”
The late April night was glorious. Usually, she would have sat out on the stairs and breathed in the scent of blooming lilacs and watched a handful of cars slide past. Not tonight.
In minutes she was pounding on the door of the apartment below. Loud barks greeted her as the door opened.
“Cassidy, hello.” Marla was in her robe. The tiny woman of Thai heritage looked back over her shoulder toward the living area. “It’s Cassidy, honey.”
An indistinguishable male rumble answered.
Dismay drifted through Cassidy. She shouldn’t have come. “Were you already in bed? Marla, I’m so sorry.”
“No problem. We were watching The Late Show. ” She waved Cassidy inside. “What’s going on?”
As if she couldn’t tell, Alex lifted his face from Cassidy’s shoulder, went momentarily silent while he took a long, searching look at Marla and then belted out another cry.
Two fat English bulldogs plopped onto their bottoms, heads cocked to one side in fascinated silence.
Marla’s exotically beautiful eyes looked at Alex as if he were a Martian. “Why is he crying so hard?”
Cassidy’s face crumpled in disappointment. “I was hoping you might know.”
“Me? My babies are bulldogs, Cassidy, not humans.”
“I know, but…” At a loss, Cassidy puffed out a sigh. “I guess I was desperate.”
A tinkle of laughter erupted from Marla’s lips. “To come to me, you surely were. I never even babysat.”
“Me neither.”
“Want me to hold him for a minute? You look like you’re about to collapse.”
“I am.” Tears burned Cassidy’s eyes as she handed him off. “I love the little guy. I’m just not a very good mother.”
“Hey.” Marla patted Cassidy’s arm. “Give it some time. This is new for both of you.”
“Maybe I should take him to the hospital,” Cassidy said.
“Is he sick?” Marla’s voice rose above Alex’s crying.
“I don’t think so. Anyway, he was all right when I picked him up at day care and they said he’d had a good day.”
She didn’t add that this was after she’d “dropped by” the place four times on unannounced visits. Every time he’d been asleep. She’d started to wonder if they drugged him. He certainly didn’t sleep like that for her.
“Hmm. Well, I don’t know. It seems pointless to take him to the emergency room for crying. What about a nice cup of chai?”
Cassidy’s humor returned. “For me or Alex?”
Marla giggled. “Both of you. That’s my solution anytime I’m upset. Chai, massage, pray.” She held up a finger. “Good idea.”
The tiny woman turned and yelled, a surprisingly loud noise coming from such a small body. “James, come in here. We need to pray with Cassidy.”
Cassidy realized then that this was really why she’d come downstairs to the Taylor’s place. James and Marla were the only other believers she knew in the apartment complex. The three of them, along with Janna and Brad, had shared a monthly cookout, Bible study and time of fellowship. She needed her neighbors even more now that Janna and Brad were gone.
James, a blond giant as opposite as could be in looks from his tiny, dark wife, padded barefoot into the living room wearing baggy shorts and a T-shirt. Both bulldogs jumped up,tags jingling, to greet him. He placed an enormous hand on one’s head.
All this time, Alex continued to fuss, sometimes quietly, sometimes with earsplitting cries.
Marla, her face an amusing mix of horror and compassion, handed Alex off to her giant husband. Again, Alex stopped crying long enough to examine the new stranger. The two bulldogs sniffed at the baby’s dangling feet.
“Let’s pray while he’s quiet,” James said. Before Cassidy could get her eyes closed, he began. “Father God, Cassidy is new at this parent stuff. She needs some help. Guide her, give her wisdom.”
“And some sleep,” Marla said. “Every night.”
“Yes, Lord,” James picked up
Desperate, Cassidy muttered, “Any port in a storm.”
The late April night was glorious. Usually, she would have sat out on the stairs and breathed in the scent of blooming lilacs and watched a handful of cars slide past. Not tonight.
In minutes she was pounding on the door of the apartment below. Loud barks greeted her as the door opened.
“Cassidy, hello.” Marla was in her robe. The tiny woman of Thai heritage looked back over her shoulder toward the living area. “It’s Cassidy, honey.”
An indistinguishable male rumble answered.
Dismay drifted through Cassidy. She shouldn’t have come. “Were you already in bed? Marla, I’m so sorry.”
“No problem. We were watching The Late Show. ” She waved Cassidy inside. “What’s going on?”
As if she couldn’t tell, Alex lifted his face from Cassidy’s shoulder, went momentarily silent while he took a long, searching look at Marla and then belted out another cry.
Two fat English bulldogs plopped onto their bottoms, heads cocked to one side in fascinated silence.
Marla’s exotically beautiful eyes looked at Alex as if he were a Martian. “Why is he crying so hard?”
Cassidy’s face crumpled in disappointment. “I was hoping you might know.”
“Me? My babies are bulldogs, Cassidy, not humans.”
“I know, but…” At a loss, Cassidy puffed out a sigh. “I guess I was desperate.”
A tinkle of laughter erupted from Marla’s lips. “To come to me, you surely were. I never even babysat.”
“Me neither.”
“Want me to hold him for a minute? You look like you’re about to collapse.”
“I am.” Tears burned Cassidy’s eyes as she handed him off. “I love the little guy. I’m just not a very good mother.”
“Hey.” Marla patted Cassidy’s arm. “Give it some time. This is new for both of you.”
“Maybe I should take him to the hospital,” Cassidy said.
“Is he sick?” Marla’s voice rose above Alex’s crying.
“I don’t think so. Anyway, he was all right when I picked him up at day care and they said he’d had a good day.”
She didn’t add that this was after she’d “dropped by” the place four times on unannounced visits. Every time he’d been asleep. She’d started to wonder if they drugged him. He certainly didn’t sleep like that for her.
“Hmm. Well, I don’t know. It seems pointless to take him to the emergency room for crying. What about a nice cup of chai?”
Cassidy’s humor returned. “For me or Alex?”
Marla giggled. “Both of you. That’s my solution anytime I’m upset. Chai, massage, pray.” She held up a finger. “Good idea.”
The tiny woman turned and yelled, a surprisingly loud noise coming from such a small body. “James, come in here. We need to pray with Cassidy.”
Cassidy realized then that this was really why she’d come downstairs to the Taylor’s place. James and Marla were the only other believers she knew in the apartment complex. The three of them, along with Janna and Brad, had shared a monthly cookout, Bible study and time of fellowship. She needed her neighbors even more now that Janna and Brad were gone.
James, a blond giant as opposite as could be in looks from his tiny, dark wife, padded barefoot into the living room wearing baggy shorts and a T-shirt. Both bulldogs jumped up,tags jingling, to greet him. He placed an enormous hand on one’s head.
All this time, Alex continued to fuss, sometimes quietly, sometimes with earsplitting cries.
Marla, her face an amusing mix of horror and compassion, handed Alex off to her giant husband. Again, Alex stopped crying long enough to examine the new stranger. The two bulldogs sniffed at the baby’s dangling feet.
“Let’s pray while he’s quiet,” James said. Before Cassidy could get her eyes closed, he began. “Father God, Cassidy is new at this parent stuff. She needs some help. Guide her, give her wisdom.”
“And some sleep,” Marla said. “Every night.”
“Yes, Lord,” James picked up
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