There was something so plumbob magical, not to be corny or anything, when Carlos got down on one knee during Roxanne’s wedding reception. I stared at the diamond he got me, wondering how long he’d saved for this engagement right. How long was this planned? Was this something he’d been dreaming of?
I stared at it, dazzling, mesmerized by everything. The love I felt, the love I had, the excitement, the reality, everything! I heard what guests had stayed for the reception clapping.
“I’m doing this because I love you…” Carlos smiled, he looked very shy.
I moved my free hand to my extending stomach, I continued to stare at my ring anyways. Then it hit me. Roxanne.
I waited for the opportunity to bring it up to him, how could he do that to my sister!? That time came in the car ride home.
“How could you try and overshadow Roxanne?” I pouted to him. “This was HER big day and you stole it.”
Carlos sighed and shook his head, “It was her idea. I talked to her one night and she was rambling off like she always does. But she insisted I propose to you at the reception. Right then, right there. She even went around telling every single guest that she had a super big surprise for one of her sisters and it would make their hearts melt.”
My jaw dropped. There was something fleeting now, some sort of feeling of ew came over me. M sister organized my proposal? Leave it to Roxanne to find a way to make it about her. I was both relieved that her big day wasn’t ruined, creeped out that she added into her big day, felt weird that Carlos didn’t do it because he wanted to well I mean he did but my sister told him to do it. I rolled my head and let it bonk on the car window, no use in fighting this. Stress wasn’t good for my baby.
All was fine. Carlos and I agreed no big fancy weddings, and we’d wait until I was back to my per-pregnancy size. We’d been watching TV, chatting about the trash reality show, and I asked if he’d like a drink.
“I can get it Midge! You just rest!” Now that I was full term, Carlos was over protective.
“I’m pregnant, not dying.” I huffed. I stood up.
“Aaw Midge! You peed! I’ll go get some towels to clean it up.” Carlos sighed as he slid off of the sofa.
I looked down at my stomach. Sure, the Little Fangs had this irritating tendency to kick my bladder and make me pee but this was different. I’d felt almost, like a pop. Did I crack my back? I rubbed my belly, then grabbed it as a sharp pain came over me.
“Carlos!” I bellowed, sounding much like an evil entity.
He jumped and stared at me.
“Get me to the hospital. Time these things for me.” I ordered and waddled away once I was able to.
Carlos stared at the puddle left from the start of my labor. “But but…that’s pee” I heard him whine.
I twirled around so fast I thought my giant stomach would keep me spinning. I could feel the annoyance on my face, I smiled a wicked smile at him.
“Sweet Dragon of mine. Surely, oh hoho, surely you are not trying to imply that this pregnant woman doesn’t know when she’s in labor? Surely you’re not hinting that the pregnant woman in labor who plans on becoming a doctor, thinks she’s in false labor? Carlos, sweet heart, I’m going to be bringing life into this world. Sadly for you these are not Braxton Hicks. Sadly for you, my contractions are getting close, this is going fast. And if you don’t help me I’ll be planning your funeral very soon.”
He certainly did move a lot faster after that and rushed me as fast as he could to my desired destination. I knew he was scared, he didn’t want to mess up being a father or having to watch me go through labor. I think I’m correct when I say I was far more terrified than he’d ever have been at that point. The labor was fast and it wasn’t soon before we had our child. And their twin.
Carlos and I were in total shock when, after Daemon popped out, I was still in labor. I thought I had broken or something and my body would be stuck in this process forever. But they informed me that I was having twins. The ultrasounds had never showed two babies, never even picked up three heartbeats! Just mine and their’s combined it seems. 7 minutes later, Leeta joined the family.
I walked out proud with Daemon. I looked at his skin, his soft and squishy baby skin. I saw Carlos in him for sure. Daemon was aptly named in my and Carlos’ opinion. He peed the second he was born, dead in the doctor’s face. He peed again while the nurses checked him over. When they placed him on my chest with his sister, he peed. The kid was a peeing machine! After Carlos and I wiped the tears from our eyes as we enjoyed his first feeding, he sneezed. Newborns will sometimes sneeze or cough after feedings, but he shot everything right back up in our faces. We knew right there would be our struggle as parents.
Carlos walked out with our baby girl, Leeta. The doctors were amazed at her, they’ve seen many hidden twins and triplets, but Leeta was special in another way.
“It’s a..eh? Right? ” They floundered around. I ordered Carlos to follow our babies wherever they were taken. I’d seen one too many ‘baby stolen from hospital’ stories. I’d be plumbobed if I were to find out my babies had been snatched, and the kidnapper had better hope the law caught them before I did or they’d take their last breath in agony. Carlos listened but when Daemon went one way, and Leeta went the other, my beloved had no idea where to go. When they brought Leeta back, they announced she was indeed a girl. That was odd to hear, she was indeed a girl. A mother’s worry took over when she was put on my chest and I unwrapped her, just to check. Looked like a girl to me, what was their problem?
We all went home, and Carlos and I dove right into parenthood.
As much fun as it was being a mother, it was tiring. The whole house rang with cries of the babies. Everyday, it seemed their lungs got stronger and they got louder. There was no rest, there was no more personal time. Even when I took baths I had to drag one of them in a carrier to stay by the door, just so I’d be ready. Carlos and I alternated, splitting one baby between us just to get the job done better. He was tired, you could tell. He was starting to get chubby again, as that was the least of our concerns, I said nothing. I’m sure he noticed but he didn’t need the extra stress. I always enjoyed the time the children slept, it was relaxing.
“Stars are nice. The babies are all tucked in, quiet, and dreaming of the day they kill us.” Carlos joked from behind me.
I chuckled and smiled to myself as I walked out into the yard. The crisp night air was welcomed and well received.
“Multiples run in my family.” I shrugged. “They survived, somehow we will too.”
I heard Carlos behind me, felt his arms snake around my waist and he buried his face into my hair.
“We should try to sleep when they do.” He murmured.
I nodded and relaxed into him, gently swaying as we enjoyed what peace we could steal from the night.
“I-I’ve got a present for you.” He said gently. Curious I turned around and saw him holding a ring.
He gently grabbed my left hand, and slid that ring onto my ever waiting ring finger.
“I thought hard about this. I thought about you, the situation and everything going on. We’ve got twins, the only wedding we’d get with them is when they’re maybe 12. I don’t want to wait that long, I know you don’t either. I also know you’d rather our children be there than not at all. I know you want to be a doctor and that takes a lot of time. I don’t want to keep you from that, I’ve got the twins under control now. I’ll call help if I need to, but Midge. I don’t want to wait any longer. I love, everyday I see you my love just grows. You’d waited long enough for me to propose, and still it was Roxanne’s idea to. I felt guilty about that. So this is our wedding Midge. Here’s where we say our vows. Here’s where I proclaim to you my undying devotion, loyalty, love and attention. If you’ll have me as you husband.”
I stared at him. I stared at my hand. I looked to him again as my vision went under water. I smiled and nodded my head like a goofball. “Yes.” I sighed when I found my words. I took my hand and placed it over his.
“I have no ring for you, Carlos. But I’ve got my heart so I’ll give it to you, I’ve got dreams so I’ll share them with you, and I’ve got a life that I want to live with you. I don’t need a big fancy wedding, don’t want it anymore. This here, was all thought out by you. Everything was orchestrated by you, this is all the perfection I ever craved.” I smiled to him.
I knew right then, right there, that I’d never ever again doubt if this was the man for me. I’d never think of another life, this was exactly the one that I wanted. That I needed. Our first kiss as husband and wife was one I’d never forget.
The twin’s birthday was exciting. We’d decided to hold it in the secret lab we’d found so long ago, simply because it was spacious as could be.
Daemon, being the oldest, went first. The little dickens tried many times to stick his hands in the tiny candle we’d stuck in the cake. Just like the rest of my family, I knew he had the power of fire. He was probably drawn to it, I immediately knew we’d have seldom nights of being able to have the fireplace on anymore, but even though we could control it, it still burned us. Holding my handful child as far from the flame as I could, I helped him blow it out.
He was certainly rather mature looking toddler. My heart sunk some. No more tiny baby toes curled up in those tiny baby socks, no more tiny baby coos from his swaddled baby self. Now we had a rather large and mischievous toddler on our hands. He managed to knock down some cake, I’ll never know how that happened.
Next was Leeta.
I stared out at the family I’d invited. I hesitated with Leeta a little. Here I was, holding my daughter, helping her into the next stage of life. I felt a bit jealous. Had my dad held me and my sisters to our cakes? We probably didn’t even have cakes, probably grew up on our own. But I hate my dad so even if I was held, that’d taint the memory. But I looked at my mom.
I wondered how she felt. The woman that didn’t even give birth to us, just had my sisters and I removed by her choice. She didn’t want to hear our heartbeats, she didn’t keep the ultrasound pictures, she didn’t want to know our gender or weight or anything. She was so hand off with her pregnancy. It hurt me then, to realize the woman I’d come to love had only been a mother once. The only motherly thing she’d done was take my sisters and I in when we ran away from our father, protect him from us, put us into school and move us here. I felt Leeta wiggle as I stared at my mom, Maris Fangs. She’d apologized to us many times for having abandoned us for her selfish reasons. I thought I’d forgiven her! But as I held Leeta, I couldn’t understand her anymore. How come she couldn’t have shared this with us? She was all for holding Leeta and Daemon, she played with them, fed them, cuddled them. Was I jealous? Was she using my babies, as do overs? Was she trying to play mom of the year by being grandmother of the year? I leaned to the fire with Leeta and helped her blow it out. I loved my mom, she wasn’t a bad person, but she lost her chance to take care of babies an toddlers and children. I wasn’t going to allow her to live vicariously through myself to make up for what she’d given up. I had to be a mother, these were my babies to protect.
Leeta was adorable. You could certainly tell she and her brother were twins, but that bothered me. She was such a mannish looking toddler. I loved her with all a mother could love, but even I couldn’t deny she looked just like Daemon. I was happy to see my hair on them though. With Carlo’s skin and what looked like his ears, I worried if any Fangs genes had made it into them at all. Daemon had my mother’s eyes but that was her.
My career was going great as was my motherhood. Every free second I had was spent with my children and husband.
“Your mom wants to take the kids for a vacation.” Carlos said as he played with Leeta, careful to avoid the stick she was wielding.
“You said no?” I hoped.
“Yes, but this is the third time this week. Why’s she so persistent on taking our children to places without us? OW.” Leeta clocked him nice and hard on the lip.
Daemon was actually behaving. He was very determined on getting the triangle block into the circular hole. Whenever I tapped to the proper hole, he waved the block at me insisting I stop. “She wants a second chance at motherhood?” I guess.
“But still. I mean, that makes sense, but she really can’t take away our parenthood. And the kids love Nana…” Carlos started.
“The kids love anything with a face right now Carlos. I’m not comfortable with her taking them for trips without us. They’re too young and she’s too much of a party goer. I don’t feel comfortable.” Finally, Daemon found the right hole and moved onto the square block. Smashing it into the triangular hole.
Leeta wailed away on the xylophone. “Oh no. Trust me, I feel the same as you. I just want to do what’s right for them. I mean, when they’re older we can’t do much.”
“We’ll do what we can to protect our children until they’re big adults and on their own.”
“There ya go lil fishies! I wish I could join your school. Everyone’s friends, they don’t care what each other looks like. I hate school!”
“What’s yer problem sis?”
“I wanna be homeschooled!”
“What for? Id hate to be stuck in here all day. This house is soooo boring.”
“The kids are mean! I’m nice to them and they still pick on me.”
“Punch them in the face.”
“No way! Ladies don’t fight.”
“Oh plumbob, you made me lose focus now I have to start all over.”
“I hate that language!”
“Here play with me.”
“So what’re ya gettin picked on for Leeta?”
“Everyone keeps saying I look just like a boy.”
.....The Fangs Legacy..... 