Pick-me-up by Cecilia La France Page B

bands and nonsense clubs. She noted a “Legalize
Cannabis” group he had joined earlier in the year, but so many boys
seemed to be bandwagon followers. She had put up with enough Bob
Marley for a lifetime when Emily dated a junior a couple months
ago. They hung out in his basement, decked out with reggae posters,
and listened to the same tracks shuffle from his docked mp3 player.
They’d smoked a couple joints, but mostly he and his friends would
drink cheap beer and complain that they couldn’t get any dope.
    Jacob was crying. She went over to his jump
up seat and picked him up. His diaper was heavy and the promise of
a mess overwhelmed her nose. Resentment crawled at her conscience.
Why am I the one to change his diapers instead of his own mom? She
hadn’t talked to Jenny in two weeks, but her mom said Jenny was
supposed to come over on Saturday for a visit. Katelyn had
overheard a phone conversation her mom had with her dad about it.
Her mom actually thought Jenny was cleaning up her act.
    After Jacob was cleaned up, she realized the
time. She had to feed him and get Kayla some dinner. She grabbed a
couple baby food jars—peaches and green beans. He’d hate the green
beans, but she’d alternate them to get him to eat. She went to mix
a bottle of formula, but found the can empty. She looked in the
cupboards, but there wasn’t any more. He could drink some juice
now, but he’d need his bottle before bed.
    “I want to go to the park.” Kayla was beside
the high chair now. Her voice was a full whine.
    “We can’t, KK,” Katelyn said with little
patience.
    “Why not?” she pouted.
    “I’m feeding Jacob, right? I have to get you
something to eat, right?” Katelyn followed up, “I can’t do
everything.”
    “I want to go to the park!” Kayla was on the
brink of a tantrum, her fists by her side and bottom lip pushed out
under her crumpled eyebrows.
    Without another response, she automatically
referred to one of her mom’s comebacks, “Sometimes you don’t get
what you want.”
    Kayla let loose. She started in a long,
rising wail that sounded like an approaching siren. Her eyes
squinted closed and she noisily sucked in more air. She put more
power into the next cry, and the sound pierced through Katelyn’s
head.
    Katelyn closed her own eyes and lowered her
head, trying to shut out the noise. Then Jacob started to cry,
too.
    Katelyn dropped the baby spoon and jar on the
table, picked Kayla up. Holding her away from her as Kayla
continued to wail, Katelyn walked her down the hall, into Brianna’s
room, set her down in the center of the floor, and walked out.
Kayla continued to wail. Katelyn turned just before she shut the
door. “You can come out when you stop crying. If you come out still
crying, there’s no movie tonight.”
    Kayla just sucked in another breath and let
it loose. Katelyn shut the door and leaned against it, but Jacob’s
cry called from the kitchen table.
*****
    Three hours later, after a couple more
episodes of crying and complaining from the kids, Brianna came
home.
    “Where have you been?” The tone in Katelyn’s
voice couldn’t disguise her impatience and frustration. Her younger
sister led a carefree life compared to hers.
    “None of your business,” Brianna bit back and
went to the stove to see what the dirty pans may hold. She gave up
on finding food in them and then opened the refrigerator. She took
out a packaged meal bar and began to eat it, kicking off her shoes
in the direction of a pile of footwear by the door.
    “Those are mom’s,” Katelyn shot at her.
    “So,” Brianna said through another bite.
“There’s nothing else to eat.”
    Jacob was still crying from his crib in her
mom’s room. Kayla heard Brianna’s voice and had come from the TV to
try get some attention. “Brianna,” she greeted her with excitement
and relief pouring from her voice.
    Brianna over exaggerated her greeting to the
young girl. She gave her a big hug, and Kayla ate it up with