Baby

A little more than a week after the baby was born, on a Saturday, the village gathered together at the temple for the naming ceremony. Many of the villagers would come every Saturday to make offerings or pray to the gods, but on special occasions like this the crowd was usually larger, especially since the families involved would offer a buffet of refreshments after the event.

The food was prepared by us, the beast-kin owned by father and Trevor, but also by Liliana's mother and sisters. It was them and Emma who carried it inside, since beast-kin were prohibited from entering the temple. The priests considered it as sacrilege for non-humans to have any involvement in religion.

Mother came to accompany Father, and I came to accompany Liliana and help her with the baby, both on the way to the temple and on the way back. We stood together right outside the plot of land the temple sat on and silently watched the large wooden doors, straining to hear what was happening inside. My sister and brothers, however, stayed at home. Martin and Phillip were too young to provide much help, and the priests would be angered by having beast-kin present without a good excuse. Beverly stayed behind to watch over them.

We could hear the voices of the preacher, the singing of the prayers, and some people getting up to speak, but we could not hear well enough to discern any of the words. Then the ceremony was over and the congregation left the main hall for the side hall, from which we then heard the loud roar of a chattering crowd and the clatter of dishes and silverware as they helped themselves to the refreshments.

A side door opened and Emma stepped out. She looked around for a moment until she found mother, then ran over to her.

"Mom, they finished!" she declared. Mother smiled.

"And what is the baby's name?" she asked.

"Henry!" Emma announced.

"Such a handsome name for such a handsome baby", mother said, and I agreed, although he was more cute than handsome. Emma nodded.

"Now go back inside and enjoy yourself", mother urged her.

Emma gave her a hug and then ran back to the door. She paused to look back.

"I'll bring you something!" she shouted.

Mother merely smiled and waived. She already ate plenty before the event started, but it was Emma's warm sentiment that gratified her.

A few minutes later Emma and Renata came out, each carrying a small basket full of pastries. The four of us walked a little way away from the temple and sat down on a patch of grass to enjoy a small celebratory picnic, away from the judgment of the priests and their gods.

After the naming ceremony my true duties began. Liliana spent the first week and a half after giving birth taking care of the baby almost alone, wanting to feel close to him, but now it was time to start letting her rest.

Henry's crib was moved to the room adjacent to mine. Every time he woke up I would go to his room to pick him up and take him to his mother for nursing. When he finished I would take him, burp him, change his diaper, wrap him in his blanket, and rock him to sleep in my arms. Then I would place him back in the crib.

At first it didn't seem too difficult, but he would wake up every few hours, and with every day I grew a little more weary. I still had to attend to my usual duties during the day, as well. Within a few weeks I was barely able to rouse myself when he cried at night, and barely able to drag myself from chore to chore during the day. It made me appreciate my mother all the more so than before.

Liliana entered the kitchen while I was stirring a pot of hot soup for lunch. I woke up with a start when she cleared her throat.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't see you there", I tried to laugh it off, but my eyelids were drooping. Liliana looked at my face with concern, as if seeing for the first time just how tired I truly was.

"The baby is sleeping. Why don't I take over here so that you can get some sleep too? And forget about cleaning for now. The house won't turn to dust if it isn't swept and washed for a few days", she said.

"But what will master Trevor say? I'm here to relieve you", I asked, worried.

"Don't worry about Trevor. Just go get some rest. How can you look after Henry if you're falling off your feet?" she said gently.

"I...alright. Thank you", I mumbled. I climbed up the stairs and into bed. I was so tired that I even forgot to take off the apron before leaving the kitchen.

When I woke up it was already completely dark outside. I looked around, trying to orient myself, and found several covered plates and bowls of food on my desk, and alongside them a note that said "enjoy your supper" with a heart shape, obviously from Liliana. The kind gesture warmed my heart and brought a smile to my lips.

I sat down to dig into the meal. I had missed both lunch and supper, so I was feeling famished. Liliana's cooking was as delicious as usual, even if the food was no longer hot.

While I was eating Henry woke up. When I took him to Liliana she looked at me and smiled.

"I'm glad to see you feeling better", she said.

"Yes, thank you", I said with heartfelt gratitude.

From that day onward I was allowed to sleep every day from when I finished cooking lunch until it was time to cook supper, skipping the house-cleaning. The house became noticeably dirtier, but I was finally able to get a solid 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep every day.

This arrangement continued for several months, until Henry started sleeping more regularly at night. Then Trevor demanded that I resume my cleaning duties, since, as he put it, "I don't want to live in a pigsty".