Lent Day 31 - Celadon
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This is the opening bit of a book I'm working on called Celadon. It is about a young woman growing up in the South. It is still a work very much in progress.
April second dawned dreary and cool, the way that so many mornings do during the early Spring in South Carolina. It wasn’t wet enough to be called rainy, but it certainly wasn’t dry. The previous evening’s showers had not had the necessary time or heat to vacate the roads. This was compounded by the morning’s overcast drizzle. Roads that already were suspect during the best of times now saw their copious potholes transformed into basins of mucky water. Traffic had already begun to reflect the less-than-optimal conditions. Despite their state being ranked eleventh in the country for annual precipitation amounts, Columbia drivers never quite seemed to get the handle on maneuvering slick roads. The prerequisite fender benders and hit-and-runs were casually announced by the traffic mavens on the local radio stations. This was the day that Michael and Kendra Edwards were going to have their first child. Obviously, Michael drove a little more cautiously on the twenty minute trip to the birthing center.
Driving to the hospital, the discussion mostly centered around the fact that not a lot was associated with April second. There are some days that just come with a prepackaged overabundance of trauma; people who are born on those days have to deal with perpetual comments. “You were born on April 20? Ha ha. 4/20. Right? Pot day? April 20? Did you know that is Hitler’s birthday? April 20? Isn’t that the day of the Columbine shooting? Didn’t some oil rig blow up on that day?” But April second? That was about as boring of a day as could be found. Florida was claimed for Spain. The Falkland Islands were seized by Argentina. There were, like, five WrestleManias. With thousands of years of documented human history, there is inevitably going to be something that bothers someone about a date. “Nothing happened on April second? How dare you! That was the date that my beloved Houston Cougars were defeated by Georgetown, in the NCAA basketball tournament - thereby blocking Hakeem Olajuwon from ever winning a collegiate title!” Parents usually hope that their baby’s birthday isn’t going to have to be associated with anything tragic. April second also had the benefit that there weren’t any unfortunate celebrity birthdays sharing the date. Marvin Gaye sang some awesome songs; his death was tragic, but it didn’t really affect the perception of the day. Alec Guiness also was born that day, and he was the original Obi-Wan Kenobi … in addition to a lot of other great roles. In addition to the actors who played The Mandalorian AND the second Magneto. So, April second? It was pretty good. Springtime. Later in the school year. Far enough away from Christmas so the kid doesn’t have to worry about getting lost in the holidays. But not during the summer so the kid never gets to celebrate at school. Before a baby arrives, parents can worry about really mundane things. It is probably some kind of way to delay the inevitable, to take their thoughts off of the way their lives are going to change forever. So they discuss the date and how it should work out just fine.
After successfully navigating the treacherous roads, Michael and Kendra Edwards parked and made their way to the maternity wing of Congaree Children’s Hospital. They had already taken care of the pre-registration, since this was a scheduled induction. Their little bundle of joy had decided that they didn’t want to leave the comfort of Kendra’s womb. Pushing the 42-week mark meant that the doctor wanted to get things rolling. The parents didn’t know what to expect. They kind of believed that the induction would cause immediately labor, and they would have their baby before lunch. Nope. Even after the induction started, the process took hours and hours. Both of the young parents were exhausted. The birth wasn’t unusual or problematic; it just took a long time. Finally, the doctor saw enough progress to have Kendra start pushing. An hour later, the new life popped into the world with a grunt and a wail. Both parents wept with joy at their new little girl. The baby was cleaned up and weighed and fussed over by the nursing staff. Finally, the weary family found themselves in their own room, alone for the first time. Kendra stretched out in the bed with Michael curled up alongside of her. Their new arrival rested in her cocoon of blankets on Kendra’s chest. She yawned and blinked awake, taking in the whole new set of sounds and sights.
The couple stared at their sweet daughter with small smiles on their faces. Kendra rested her head against Michael. “I just love her so much. How can I love something so much when I just met her?”
“I don’t know,” Michael whispered. “But I feel the same way.”
“She’s soooo little,” Kendra cooed. She rubbed her fingertip along the chubby cheeks. “Her eyes are so pretty.” Most of her existence thus far had been experienced with closed eyes. But in the darker peaceful room, rested and sated, she actually had her eyes open. “I know that a baby’s eyes can change, but I hope they stay greenish like this.” Silence filled the room; the new family of three just existing in the calmness of the late hour.
“We made her,” Michael softly observed. “How? She’s just perfect.”
“Well, I guess she takes after her mom,” Kendra joked.
“Obviously,” Michael smiled. They studied the sweet face as she moved in her little fuzzy bundle. “Have you thought about the name?”
Kendra nibbled on her lip. “Yeah.”
“What are you thinking?”
“I … I don’t know,” Kendra answered. “What do you think?”
“I really want you to pick it,” Michael assured his wife. “I'm fine with any of the ones you are thinking about.”
“Okay,” Kendra nodded. She thought some more about it. “What if I pick the first name and you pick the middle name?”
“That works,” her husband agreed. “I really like naming her after Victoria. She introduced us, after all.”
“I love it,” Kendra said, breaking her gaze with her daughter enough to look at Michael with love in her eyes. “I’m proud to have my daughter carry her name.”
“Cool,” Michael nodded. “Ok, your turn.”
“I really want to go with that name I’ve been toying with,” Kendra softly said. “Celadon. I think it suits her.”
“It’s a good name,” Michael agreed. “Unique, and beautiful - like her.”
“Ok,” Kendra said. She kissed her daughter’s forehead. “Welcome to the world, Celadon Victoria Edwards. I can’t wait for you to meet everyone.”
Kendra and Michael had met at Columbia Heights Baptist Church while still in elementary school. Both of their families attended the congregation and served in many volunteer capacities - as would be expected of faithful members. Kendra was the middle daughter of Kurt and Melanie Kicklighter - sandwiched between Kayley and Kristina. All three girls inherited the Southern belle looks of their mother. Relatively tall, blonde wavy hair, impeccable stature, long legs, shapely figure - but still quite slim. They all would look equally beautiful in a ballgown, cocktail dress, sheath, or shirt and jeans. The women carried themselves as if they glided above the normal concerns of life. Melanie was a stay-at-home mom; Kurt worked as an investment banker. They owned a 3500 square foot traditional brick-front home with a circular drive and magnolia trees lining the property. Michael was the only child of Buford and Dorothy Edwards. The couple had tried to have children for nearly a decade before Michael came along. Seen as their “miracle baby,” Michael never wanted for anything. The family had many years to save for when their precious one finally arrived. Buford was a well-respected contractor; Dorothy worked as a high school English teacher. They lived about a mile away from the Kicklighters in a very similar home - the main difference being their property was lined with crape myrtles instead of magnolias.
Michael and Kendra were part of a group of about a dozen children who grew up together at Columbia Heights Baptist Church (CHBC). Year in and year out, the same kids would promote to the next Sunday School class. Sometimes a new student would join the group for a year or so, but they rarely were able to crack into the tight-knit circle of students. As they moved up into middle school and high school, this group of students dated and broke up and switched partners and dated and broke up and switched partners until most permutations had played out. Michael and Kendra ended up together in the game of romantic musical chairs. They started dating in their junior year of high school, sticking together through graduation and into college.
Many parents encouraged their children to attend a Christian college to better avoid the liberal and sinful teachings at public schools - even the relatively conservative colleges in South Carolina. Michael and Kendra both decided they didn’t want to go that route, but couldn’t bring themselves to attend Clemson or USC. They, instead, enrolled at Furman University in Greenville. Furman was still seen as an acceptable choice due to its founding by the South Carolina Baptist Convention. The school had actually broken official ties with the Convention in 1992, but it still was seen as following Christian ideals by many people. The school had worked to remove itself from the religious label. Not all people had gotten the memo, though. Being ninety minutes away from home satisfied both parents and children: close enough for a visit, far enough that it took effort to make the trip. Michael ventured into his future father-in-law’s profession, majoring in accounting. Kendra followed in her future mother-in-law’s footsteps, becoming an art teacher.
Attending Furman also kept Michael and Kendra from having to make a decision when it came to the most important decision for any resident of South Carolina: which college to root for. When it came to sports, there were only two denominations: Clemson University and University of South Carolina. Tigers or Gamecocks. Orange and purple or garnet and black. People didn’t have to attend either of those schools to root for them. In fact, like with many major Southern universities, a huge portion of the most rabid fans never were enrolled. Clemson/UofSC was one of the most prominent rivalries in the country. Clemson had won more football titles: Three vs Zero. SC had won two baseball and two women’s basketball titles. There were a few other championships between the two schools for sports like golf and soccer, but nobody really gave a shit about those. In South Carolina, football was king, with basketball and baseball running distant second and third places. For people who didn’t grow up in the South, the addiction to football may be difficult to grasp. Schedules are made around which weekends have home games. Want to have a poorly attended birthday party? Have it on the day that Georgia comes to Williams-Brice to play the Gamecocks. Want to save money on a wedding reception? Set it up at the same time that Clemson plays North Carolina. It so happened that the Edwards clan was fiercely planted in the USC camp. Meanwhile, the Kicklighters bled purple and orange. The mixed marriage between Michael and Kendra avoided the conflict pretty well. Furman’s colors were purple and white, so they could fit in with Clemson fans. And their football team was several major tiers below the powerful ACC and SEC, so if they ever did play Clemson or USC they would get their asses kicked. When push came to shove, Michael was a Gamecock fan. And Kendra didn’t give a crap about sports. So in the comfort of their own home, they rooted for USC.
On this particular Saturday, Kendra leaned over the changing table cleaning what felt like the fifteenth diaper of the day. Her mother peered over her shoulder, evaluating the diaper skills while making silly faces at her granddaughter. Celadon kicked and punched the air, trying her best to complicate the whole process for her mother. Her eyes remained green - if anything they had become more intense in their emerald color. She had soft swoops of blonde hair that carried the familiar baby scent with hints of lavender. Kendra cooed at the little girl. The new grandmother resumed a conversation that had been ongoing for several weeks.
“I still don’t know why you had to call her Celadon,” Melanie stated with a judgmental lilt. “It just is such an odd name.”
“I’ve told you, mother,” Kendra replied with barely restrained frustration. “We liked the name. And it is very unique…” She picked up the squirming infant and held her up to make kissy faces and shift into a sing-song voice. “Just like you. Isn’t that right, little sweetpea?”
Melanie sighed. “You’ll never find anything with her name on it.”
“Kayley, Kristina, Kendra,” the new mom ticked off the names of the Kicklighter siblings. “I don’t think we ever found anything with any of our names on them.”
“But they were at least … normal names,” Melanie argued.
“Victoria is a normal name.”
“But that’s just her middle name,” the older woman whined.
Kendra sighed deeply. This had been a point of contention ever since the name was announced. Since Celadon arrived, there had been some universal points of agreement among the grandparents. First, Celadon was a weird name that they didn’t really care for. Second, she was the sweetest creature on earth. Third, Michael and Kendra were so blessed to have such a perfect little angel. “Do you want to hold your little grandbaby with the weird name? Or is it too strange for you to cuddle her?”
Melanie brightened and made little grabby hands towards the baby. “Of course I want to snuggle the little angel.” Once she got her mitts onto the infant, she cuddled her tight. Bright green eyes studied the face in front of her that so closely mirrored her mom. “She is just perfect. It isn’t her fault she has a weird name.”
Kendra shook her head and padded out into the living room, dropping onto the sofa with an exhausted huff. “Do you want to sit, mom?”
“No, I’m good,” Melanie answered, completely enamored. “I think she likes to be walked around.”
“Yes, she does,” Kendra wearily agreed. “Being walked and nursed are her two favorite things. Which makes sure that I never get to sleep - which is her least favorite thing.”
“Well, that’s part of being a mother,” explained the grandmother.
“Really, mom?” Kendra answered in a mostly deadpan voice, although it was tinged with a touch too much bite.
Melanie glanced over at her daughter with a smirk. “No need to be snippy, dear. I know you’re tired. It doesn’t last forever.”
“That’s good to know,” the young mother breathed. “How long until I get to rest again?”
“She’ll move out eventually.”
“Har har har.”
Melanie giggled to herself. “I'm just messing with ya, honey. She should be getting there soon. Just keep at it.”
Kendra leaned her head back against the back of the sofa, closing her eyes. “I’m so tired,” she groaned “Why did Michael have to go out today? He worked all week. Weekends are supposed to be a time where he is around.”
“It’s the Gamecocks Spring Game, honey,” Melanie reminded her.
“I know that, mom,” Kendra replied, exhaustion dripping through her words. “It isn’t even a real game"
“No, but it gives the boys something to get excited about.”
“Michael didn’t even go there,” the weary younger woman complained. “And Daddy hates Carolina.”
“It’s a bonding experience.” Melanie continued to loop around the living room, bouncing her steps to keep Celadon peaceful in her arms. “Besides, Michael works hard all week…”
“He’s an accountant, mom,” Kendra replied with a scowl. “How hard does he work?”
“Yes, but your family is changing. He has to provide for three now.”
Kendra looked up with confusion written on her face. “Provide for three? I was working until a month ago. And about half of my time off will be covered by personal and sick days.”
“Well, yes, but things are different now,” Melanie admonished. She glanced over at her daughter. She had that look on her face that all mothers develop. The one that clearly communicates that she knows more than her children, and they should know better than to question her. “This is part of being a housewife"
“Housewife?” Kendra sat up and stared daggers at her mother. “I’m not a housewife. I’m going back to work in the Fall when school starts up again. I just took off through the end of the school year.”
“You say that now…”
“I’ll say that then!”
Melanie took a deep breath and continued her gentle bouncy walk, keeping her voice calm so as to not startle the infant in her arms. “Look, Kendra, it is one thing for Michael’s mom to have worked when he was young. She had him older in life; she already had a career.”
“I already have a career,” Kendra protested.
“Three years teaching out of college is hardly a career,” her mother responded dismissively. “That was just something you did while waiting for this sweetpea to arrive.”
“No, it wasn’t.” Kendra angrily stood to her feet. “Look, I know that you stayed home, and that Kayley stays home. But that isn’t me. I plan on going back to teaching.”
“Fine, fine,” Melanie relented. “You’re tired and I don’t want to get into a fight with you.” She took her granddaughter’s hand between her fingers and rubbed the soft skin. “Why don’t you let me hang onto her for a bit, and you go get a shower. Take all the time you need.”
Kendra sighed. “That … sounds great. Thanks mom. You sure you’ll be okay?”
“Three daughters and now three granddaughters,” Melanie reminded her. “We will be fine.”
“Ok,” Kendra moved towards the master bedroom. “Come get me if she gets upset.”
“Will do.” Melanie began to hum softly as she stared into Celadon’s eyes. Kendra smiled at the sight and moved off to get clothes.
The master bedroom led into the master bathroom. Kendra ran the ventilation fan to pump out the heat and humidity from her shower. This was an essential step to showering in South Carolina, unless mold was something a homeowner enjoyed cultivating. The hot water pulsed from the variable shower head. Kendra stood stock still under the relaxing streams. She couldn’t remember the last time she had a legitimate shower. Since Celadon had arrived, she would mostly rely on lightning fast showers before Michael left for work or after he got home. Standing in the glass and tile enclosure felt like luxury. Kendra even went so far as to shave her legs - something that also had gone by the wayside since the baby arrived. After a long enjoyable time under the water, she emerged and toweled off. She pulled on clean leggings, nursing bra, and t-shirt. Then she blew dry her hair. Glancing in the mirror, she thought she almost looked human instead of the zombified version that had been lumbering around the house. She popped open the door of the bathroom to allow some steam to escape while she put on a touch of makeup. She heard a muffled cry coming from the living room. Hustling out of the bathroom, she noticed the bedroom door was closed. A baby’s wail was able to reach her ears better, so she jogged back into the living room. She saw her mother bouncing Celadon, who was in a full-scale meltdown. The child was screaming as loud as she could. The noise trembled as it escaped her tiny lungs. Kendra’s heart broke hearing the pathetic helpless sound. She raced over and grabbed her baby, clutching her tight to her chest. “Mom! I told you to come get me if she got upset!”
“She was fine, honey,” Melanie assured her daughter. “She was fine waiting.”
“Mom! She is beside herself,” Kendra hustled over to the sofa to sit down. She pulled her shirt up and popped her bra open. She tried to get Celadon to latch on to her breast, but the girl was too worked up. “How long has she been crying?”
“I don’t know, maybe ten minutes?” Melanie answered.
“TEN MINUTES!?!” Kendra exploded. “She’s been wailing like this for ten minutes?”
“Honey, it is fine for babies to cry. They need to learn to wait.” Melanie had the condescending look to match the tone she was lecturing her daughter with. “They have to know they aren’t in charge.”
“She’s a baby, not a puppy!” Kendra barked back, still trying to soothe her daughter.
“I know that,” Melanie replied with a laugh. “It still applies, though. There are lots of books out there telling parents to have their kids ‘cry it out.’ Kayley has read some of them.”
“She’s like two weeks old, mom!” Kendra got back up from the sofa. “I need to deal with her. I think I need to go lay down with her, get her somewhere she is comfortable.”
“Do what you need to do,” Melanie commented. “I can do some cleaning up. Load the dishwasher…”
“No, mom,” Kendra firmly said. “It’s fine. Go on home. Thanks for coming over. I’ll text you later, once little bit is calm.”
After seeing her mom out the door, Kendra hustled into her room. She placed the wailing child onto the changing table to make sure she didn’t need a diaper change. Her diaper was wet, so Kendra changed it. The baby was already miserable, so the process couldn’t tick her off any more than she already was. Once she was changed and bundled up, Kendra got into bed with her daughter. She sang softly and rubbed the baby’s face, while offering her a nipple to nurse from. After a few minutes, Celadon calmed down enough to suckle. The motion continued to pacify her until she dozed off. Her face was still red, blotchy, and tear-stained. Kendra kissed her fuzzy head gently and tried to bring her own tension under control. Before long, both ladies had drifted off to sleep.
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