บท 40: Memory Lane

Two weeks later.

Caroline was preparing baby Cathy's milk in the kitchen while Thelma was holding her granddaughter in her arms in the living room.

Caroline tried to breastfeed her daughter exclusively but no matter what she does, her breast won't produce enough milk so she had to resort to providing baby Cathy with formula milk to supplement her lack of breast milk.

So far her daughter has been a good baby. If Cathy cries, she would sing a lullaby for her daughter and she would stop crying. Her daughter loves her voice. She played nursery rhymes in her bedroom every time baby Cathy is wide awake, her sister Catherine told her so.

Motherhood for her is nice. She was just lucky that baby Cathy does not cry so much during bedtime, she still has enough time for her beauty rest.

Caroline returned to the living room and carries baby Cathy in her arms, she placed the feeding bottle in her daughter's mouth. A few minutes later, done feeding, she climbs the stairs going to her bedroom.

Inside her bedroom, she placed baby Cathy in the bed and played a nursery rhyme on TV.

A moment later, Thelma entered the door.

"Mother, can you please watch baby Cathy for me for a while I will just take a quick shower?" Caroline said.

"No problem. Go now and take your bath," Thelma responded.

Caroline entered the bathroom.

Twenty minutes later she was done bathing and exited the toilet.

She walked to the bedside and looked at her daughter, she was already sleeping and Thelma had also fallen asleep beside her granddaughter in the bed. Caroline turns off the TV and took the nail cutter from the bedside table and began cutting her nails.

Done cutting her finger and toenails, she faced the mirror and comb her long hair. She and her twin sister have the same hair color. She was planning to dye her hair to black again maybe next month. She looked at her face, maybe she needs to visit a salon soon and have a haircut, her hair is getting longer, she plans to shorten it just above her shoulder or maybe not. She's thinking of a nice sexy hairstyle, hmmm, she will browse online for the latest women's hairstyle.

She picked up her tablet from the bedside table and began browsing the latest women's hairstyle on the net. she loves her 15-inches tablet, which she bought when she was still in Thailand together with Clara.

She was enjoying browsing different videos of the hottest hairstyle when Thelma opened her eyes and sat on the bed.

"Oh my, I fall asleep!" Thelma said and looked at baby Cathy.

Caroline smiled. "Which of you had fallen sleep first, Mother?" she asked amused.

"Of course, it's baby Cathy," Thelma grinned.

"Mother, I will hire a housemaid so that you don't have to do all the housework. I'm worried that you will get tired easily especially that you have heart illness. You need to take care of yourself more," Caroline said.

"Don't worry about me, daughter, I still can perform all the household work, slowly," Thelma responded.

Caroline seriously looked at her mother. "Mother dear, I already made up my mind. Let's hire a housemaid so that you can relax and not be bothered by the household chores. You have Lily and Jacob to take care of and my hands are already full with baby Cathy, we need an extra hand. Don't worry, I can afford the salary of the housemaid, you don't have to worry about it. We only need one housemaid and that's enough to help us. You are still the chief cook and the housemaid will just assist you in the kitchen. Then she will do the laundry, cleaning the entire house, trimming and watering the grass in the lawn area, and accompany Jacob and Lily into the school," she explained.

Thelma shrugged her shoulders. "Alright, since you already made up your mind then I have nothing to say anymore," she said. She stood up. "I'm going downstairs to start preparing our lunch. What type of dish you want me to prepare for lunch?" she asked.

"Hmmm..." Caroline thought for a while. "I want to eat Chicken Adobo and mushroom soup!" she suggested.

"Okay, I will cook those dishes for you," Thelma sauntered towards the door and exited the room quietly.

Caroline was having fun with her tablet viewing different videos of women's haircuts.

Aha! She found her new favorite hairstyle! She already had chosen the one.

She will visit a salon this week, got her hair done and pamper herself.

Two hours later.

Thelma went upstairs and knocked at the door. "Caroline, lunch is ready!" After informing her daughter she went downstairs again.

Caroline carries baby Cathy in her arms and went downstairs to eat lunch with her family. She put the baby in the portable bassinet and placed the bassinet above the round table nearby.

They began eating with gusto.

After eating lunch, the kids went back to the living room to watch children's educational shows on TV.

Caroline volunteered to wash the dirty dishes in the kitchen sink while Thelma carries the portable baby bassinet into the living room.

...

Then evening comes.

After dinner, Caroline had a visitor, it's Clara and Hector.

They gathered in the living room.

Hector immediately busied himself with his granddaughter while Clara and Caroline were chatting nearby.

Hector hold his granddaughter in his arms fondly, smiling at the baby who made his heart flutter with love and affection. This baby is the only link that connects his deceased son Joseph to them and beyond. Until now deep in his heart, he was still suffering badly with the way things ended with Joseph.

There were moments that he blamed himself because he was not able to see what lies beneath his son's facade, he could have prevented things to go worst. He loved and raised Joseph well and tried the best father that he could be, unfortunately, Joseph chose the wrong path and even if he and Clara devoted their lives to help their son changed for the better, still, in the end, he did the unthinkable and there's nothing they can do that can change everything.

Joseph simply jumped into the abyss of no return, he is dead now and the only best thing that comes out of that horrifying tragedy is this beautiful angelic baby looking at him right now radiating burst of sunshine glowing in her eyes. He snapped himself out of the sad and depressing memory lane and focused on the baby in his arms.

Hector smiled and kissed the baby's chubby arms. "Baby Cathy, Grandpa, and Grandma are visiting you today...when you grow older I will buy you lots of toys...so...grow up quickly...okay?" He continues to stare at his granddaughter, his heart was filled with love and adoration for her.